Havok Stepping Back, Florida Mutineers Bring Back Vikul for CDL Major 4
On Thursday, April 6, the Florida Mutineers announced that Javier "Vikul" Milagro would return to the starting lineup after being benched on February 8. He will step in to replace Colt "Havok" McLendon, who will be taking a step back "due to personal reasons," according to the Mutineers on Twitter.
The Mutineers went 1-4 in the Call of Duty League Major 3 Qualifiers after dropping Vikul. They reached the second round of the Elimination Bracket before being eliminated by OpTic Texas, who would eventually make it to the Grand Finals.
Currently, Florida sits 11th in the CDL Major 4 standings, with an 0-2 match record and is just 2-6 in games. Outside of personal reasons, it's unclear exactly why Havok chose to step back. Florida needed to make another change to stay relevant in the overall standings, but losing your most important player is less than ideal.
Vikul, a rookie at 20 years old, showed some promise early on in the year. He was at his best in SnD but struggled in the respawn game at the CDL level. After being benched by Florida, he recently spent time with Twisted Theory, Detroit Deviance, and Decimate Gaming at the Challengers level and put up respectable numbers. As of now, Vikul has shown improvement in the respawn game and is still putting up strong numbers in SnD.
There's still an off chance that Florida could squeak into the Post Season, but it's looking increasingly unlikely as we reach the backend of the 2023 CDL season. Vikul could spark some life into the team, with Florida already being a team that would be one to keep an eye on after Major 3.
Florida will square up against the Seattle Surge in a Bounty Match on Friday. They get the Toronto Ultra Sunday to wrap up their second weekend of the CDL Major 4 Qualifiers. We will see what the rookie can do with his new-look team.
How to watch Major 4 of the Call of Duty League?
Viewers can watch the 2023 Call of Duty League Major 4 through the Call of Duty Twitch channel. The CDL Major 4 will take place every Friday-Sunday over the course of four weeks.