COD veteran Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat, the oldest participant within the Name of Obligation League (CDL), has formally introduced his retirement from aggressive play, virtually 13 years after his first occasion.
SlasheR was as soon as heralded as one of many biggest Assault Rifle gamers to ever grace the sport, up there with the likes of Matthew “FormaL” Piper and Sam “Octane” Larew as gamers who might utterly flip a match on its head.
SlasheR has seen all types of success all through his COD profession. Picture Credit score: Name of Obligation League.
Whereas finishing his diploma in robotic engineering, SlasheR grew to become a Name of Obligation world champion with Group Envy, profitable COD Champs 2016 in a dominant show that firmly established him among the many true COD elite.
SlasheR Hangs Up the Sticks
Whereas latest years haven’t been as form to him, SlasheR has been ever-present within the CDL, representing the likes of OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, Atlanta FaZe, and LA Thieves amongst others.
His most up-to-date tenure, since October 2024, has been with Carolina Royal Ravens, the place he had hoped to deliver glory to the group that had lengthy struggled to really make its mark on the league.
Name of Obligation Group…Over the vacation break I’ve made one of many hardest choices I’ve ever needed to make. I am formally retiring from aggressive Name of Obligation. As a result of timing of my choice I did not have an opportunity to make a video getting into depth with my causes. So, I…— Austin Liddicoat (@SlasheR_AL) January 6, 2026
What Subsequent For Carolina Royal Ravens?
The information got here as a shock to the Royal Ravens camp, however with two extra league matches to play earlier than the Main 1 LAN, a choice needed to be made rapidly.
The group hasn’t had the strongest begin to the CDL 2026 season. They began 0-2, with decisive losses to Riyadh Falcons and Boston Breach. SlasheR deciding over winter break that he would retire from aggressive play is yet one more blow to the group.
As reported by Esports.web, they are going to be signing Caden “Exceed” Stockdale to exchange SlasheR on the beginning line-up.
The group trialed totally different Challenger gamers earlier than deciding on the very best pickup for them and initially had an settlement with Jeremiah “Nium” Harrison, though the story modified after the LA Thieves camp reached out to deliver him into the fold.
Exceed, although, had proven very robust performances throughout their trial interval, and ought to be a stable match for the roster. Whether or not he could be the important thing to bringing them into the higher echelons of the league, although, stays to be seen.
