CDL Rostermania Heats Up as FaZe, Gentle Mates and LA Thieves Build New MW4 Rosters

The CDL offseason is moving fast, and several teams now appear close to locking in their lineups for Modern Warfare IV.

FaZe Vegas could enter the new season with one of the strongest rosters ever put together on paper. Gentle Mates are working on a major rebuild of their own, while LA Thieves have changed course after missing out on some of their first targets.

Cloud9 New York, Toronto KOI, Vancouver Surge and Miami Heretics are also taking shape.

Carolina may have the most work left to do after a planned roster fell apart late in the process.

Here is the current picture heading into the next stage of CDL Rostermania.

FaZe Vegas could field Simp, HyDra, Scrap and Alluka

Reported roster:

• Simp

• HyDra

• Scrap

• Alluka

FaZe look ready to make another huge change despite coming off a championship-winning season.

Simp is expected to remain at the centre of the team, but the pieces around him could look very different.

HyDra and Scrap have both been strongly linked with Vegas. If those moves go through, FaZe would put three of the CDL's biggest stars on the same roster.

The final position appears set to go to Alluka.

FaZe had reportedly considered keeping Drazah, but Alluka is now expected to take the fourth starting spot.

That would give the team a Simp and HyDra SMG pairing, with Scrap and Alluka completing the lineup.

There are still questions about how the roles will work in MW4, but the raw talent is hard to ignore.

If this roster starts the season as expected, FaZe will likely enter as one of the early favourites.

Gentle Mates move for three former FaZe players

Reported roster:

• JoeDeceives

• O4

• Abuzah

• Drazah

Gentle Mates could end up benefiting more than anyone from the FaZe rebuild.

The organisation has been linked with O4, Abuzah and Drazah, which would reunite three players from the previous FaZe lineup.

JoeDeceives is expected to complete the roster.

O4 and Abuzah have already left FaZe, making this one of the more advanced moves of the offseason.

Drazah would add experience to a group that already has plenty of recent success between them.

The interesting part is that Gentle Mates would not be starting from zero. If all three deals happen, much of the chemistry from the old FaZe team would carry over.

That could make them dangerous from the start of the season.

LA Thieves change plans after missing out on HyDra and Scrap

Reported roster:

• aBeZy

• Envoy

• Ghosty

• DK

LA Thieves looked set to be one of the biggest players in the offseason market.

HyDra and Scrap were both linked with the organisation, but FaZe now appear to have won that race.

That forced LAT to look at other options.

Ghosty and Envoy are now expected to feature alongside aBeZy, giving the Thieves three proven CDL players.

DK has emerged as the main name linked with the final position.

It would be a different roster from the one LAT may have first planned, but there is still plenty of talent in the group.

aBeZy remains one of the most dangerous SMGs in Call of Duty, while Ghosty and Envoy bring experience and leadership.

DK would get a major chance to prove himself on one of the league's biggest organisations.

Cloud9 New York target Pred and Lurqxx

Reported roster:

• Insight

• Cammy

• Lurqxx

• Pred

Cloud9 New York are also heading towards a major rebuild.

Pred is expected to return to a starting CDL roster, with Lurqxx also linked with a move to Cloud9.

Insight and Cammy would make up the other half of the team.

The reported lineup has an interesting mix of players.

Pred gives Cloud9 a proven slayer, while Lurqxx would get the chance to continue his rise at CDL level.

Insight and Cammy also know each other well from their previous time together.

There are still details to sort out, including a potential deal with Carolina for Lurqxx, but this roster appears to be gaining momentum.

Toronto KOI continue their rebuild

Reported roster:

• CleanX

• Kips

• RenKoR

• Ethan

Toronto KOI are taking a different route.

CleanX is expected to stay, while Kips, RenKoR and Ethan have all been linked with the remaining positions.

Ethan is one of the more interesting names involved.

He reportedly had opportunities to take substitute positions elsewhere but instead chose to pursue a starting role with Toronto.

For a player trying to establish himself in the CDL, that makes sense.

Toronto would be putting together a roster with less star power than teams such as FaZe, but that does not mean it should be ignored.

Every season produces at least one team that performs much better than expected.

KOI may hope this group can become that team.

Vancouver Surge look towards young talent

Reported roster:

• Vik

• Nemensions

• Wevy

• Mamba

Vancouver appear ready to back a mix of new talent and familiar faces.

Vik and Nemensions have both been linked with the team after playing together on Team WaR.

Wevy is also expected to join following his time with Cloud9.

Mamba would round out the roster and make his return to Vancouver.

This is not the type of lineup that will get the same attention as FaZe or LA Thieves during the offseason.

It could still be one of the more interesting teams to follow.

Players coming from Challengers often enter the CDL with something to prove, and Vancouver appear willing to give them that opportunity.

Miami Heretics settle on their new four

Reported roster:

• SupeR

• ReeaL

• MettalZ

• Snoopy

Miami Heretics also appear close to finalising their plans.

The organisation has been linked with SupeR, ReeaL, MettalZ and Snoopy.

Miami's situation has involved more than player moves, with changes around control of the CDL slot also forming part of the offseason story.

If the expected roster goes ahead, Miami will once again have a strong Spanish-speaking core while adding Snoopy into the mix.

ReeaL remains one of the key players to watch.

He has shown a high ceiling before, and Miami will hope MW4 gives him the chance to show it on a more consistent basis.

Carolina's roster plans collapse

Carolina may have suffered the biggest setback of Rostermania so far.

The team had been expected to build around:

• Beans

• Afro

• Mythix

• Abe

That plan has now fallen apart.

Beans, Afro and Mythix are no longer expected to join after the organisation reportedly made a late change to its available budget.

The situation developed after work had already started on bringing the European players across, including parts of the visa process.

Abe is still expected to be part of Carolina's plans.

That leaves the organisation searching for three more starters at a point when many of the strongest available players are already in talks with other teams.

It also puts Beans, Afro and Mythix back into the wider roster market.

That could have a knock-on effect across several teams that thought their lineups were already close to complete.

Riyadh Falcons linked with Kremp and Sib

The Riyadh Falcons are another team worth watching.

Kremp and Sib have both been linked with the organisation, with the pair reportedly interested in playing together.

A move would likely mean more changes to the current Falcons roster, including the possibility of Exnid losing his starting position.

This situation appears less settled than some of the other moves around the league, so it remains one to watch rather than a confirmed lineup.

Kremp has also attracted interest from elsewhere, which could still change how the Falcons approach the rest of the offseason.

Rostermania is far from finished

A large part of the CDL is now taking shape, but there are still enough available players to cause more movement.

The biggest story is clearly FaZe.

A roster of Simp, HyDra, Scrap and Alluka would set a very high bar before MW4 has even launched.

Gentle Mates could also become an instant contender if their reported moves are completed, while LA Thieves still have the pieces to build another strong team.

Carolina's late setback could now create the next chain reaction.

With Beans, Afro and Mythix potentially available again, teams that thought their business was finished may decide to take another look at the market.

CDL Rostermania is getting closer to the finish line, but there could still be a few surprises before the MW4 season begins.

Roster details in this article are based on reported offseason moves and should be treated as rumours until teams or players officially confirm them.