COD veteran Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat, the oldest player in the Call of Duty League (CDL), has officially announced his retirement from competitive play, almost 13 years after his first event.
SlasheR was once heralded as one of the greatest Assault Rifle players to ever grace the game, up there with the likes of Matthew “FormaL” Piper and Sam “Octane” Larew as players who could completely turn a match on its head.
While completing his degree in robotic engineering, SlasheR became a Call of Duty world champion with Team Envy, winning COD Champs 2016 in a dominant display that firmly established him among the true COD elite.
SlasheR Hangs Up the Sticks
While recent years haven’t been as kind to him, SlasheR has been ever-present in the CDL, representing the likes of OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, Atlanta FaZe, and LA Thieves among others.
His most recent tenure, since October 2024, has been with Carolina Royal Ravens, where he had hoped to bring glory to the team that had long struggled to truly make its mark on the league.
What Next For Carolina Royal Ravens?
The news came as a surprise to the Royal Ravens camp, but with two more league matches to play before the Major 1 LAN, a decision had to be made quickly.
The team hasn’t had the strongest start to the CDL 2026 season. They started 0-2, with decisive losses to Riyadh Falcons and Boston Breach. SlasheR deciding over winter break that he would retire from competitive play is yet another blow to the team.
As reported by Esports.net, they will be signing Caden “Exceed” Stockdale to replace SlasheR on the starting line-up.
The team trialed different Challenger players before deciding on the best pickup for them and initially had an agreement with Jeremiah “Nium” Harrison, although the story changed after the LA Thieves camp reached out to bring him into the fold.
Exceed, though, had shown very strong performances during their trial period, and should be a solid fit for the roster. Whether he can be the key to bringing them into the upper echelons of the league, though, remains to be seen.