The London Royal Ravens have parted ways with veteran Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte, opting to sign Challengers star Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila to their starting lineup for Stage 2 of the 2021 Call of Duty League season.
The Royal Ravens are the only winless team remaining in the Call of Duty League, prompting the need for a change to their already-makeshift starting lineup.
PaulEhx, who will be competing in the professional circuit for the first time in his career, previously featured for WestR, arguably the most dominant team in the NA Challengers division this season.
“From WestR to LRR, we are delighted to announce the addition of PaulEhx to the starting roster,” the team tweeted on March 16. “Be sure to show him some love ahead of Stage 2 this weekend.”
From WestR to #LRR
We are delighted to announce the addition of @PaulEhx_ to the starting roster.
Be sure to show him some love ahead of Stage 2 this weekend! #6thRaven pic.twitter.com/5V21b25XsE
— Carolina Royal Ravens (@RoyalRavens) March 16, 2021
London Royal Ravens Stage 2 starting lineup
- Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila
- Sean ‘Seany’ O’Connor
- Alex ‘Alexx’ Carpenter
- Thomas ‘Dylan’ Henderson
In order to make room for Avila in the lineup, London have parted ways with Parasite, who had initially been signed just before the season started to fill the spot of the absent Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris.
Zer0 has yet to feature for the Royal Ravens in 2021 after visa issues have forced him to remain in the UK, whereas the team is currently based in the United States. So this new signing could definitely be short-term until Zer0 is able to rejoin the squad.
“We are very thankful for [Parasite] coming into the team on such short notice and representing the Royal Ravens so well,” they wrote. “We wish him the best of luck for the future.”
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Today we're announcing the departure of @Parasite from our roster.
We are very thankful for him coming into the team on such short notice and representing the #6thRaven so well.
We wish him the best of luck for the future. pic.twitter.com/2dVwGhj8hQ
— Carolina Royal Ravens (@RoyalRavens) March 16, 2021
PaulEhx has been competing in Call of Duty for a few years now, but this will be the first time he’s achieved official professional status.
During his time with WestR, the team has mostly dominated the North American amateur scene, winning the first four Challengers Cups and Elite Stage 1 while placing second at the Elite Stage 1 Playoffs.
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Royal Ravens will look for him to make an instant impact when Stage 2 kicks off on March 18. While it may not be full-panic mode yet, the team is falling behind in the overall standings, and the playoff hunt will only become more competitive as the season goes on.
They’ll only be playing once in the Toronto Ultra Home Series – against LA Guerrillas on March 21 – followed by matches against LA Thieves, New York Subliners, Toronto Ultra, and Atlanta FaZe ahead of the Stage 2 Major.
London Royal Ravens Stage 2 schedule
- Week 1 (Toronto Home Series): vs Guerrillas on March 21
- Week 2: vs Thieves on March 26, vs Subliners on March 27
- Week 3: vs Ultra on April 2, vs FaZe on April 4
