“We’ve definitely improved in this new meta” – An Interview With CleanX And Classic From The Toronto Ultra

ESTNN caught up with CleanX and Classic as they near the end of the 2020 CDL season.

Ahead of Toronto’s very own Call of Duty League Home Series, we got to speak with Tobias ‘CleanX’ Jønsson and Nicholas ‘Classic’ DiCostanzo about the new meta, their 10 man roster and preparations for Call of Duty League Championships.

An Insight on CleanX and Classic

ESTNN: How will the re-addition of 10mm rounds affect the team this weekend?

CleanX: I think we’ve improved. We have three aggressive players and we also have Cammy as that aggressive AR so we've benefited a lot from it. I, Classic, and Bance are all aggressive subs, so I feel like we’ve benefited from this more aggressive meta.

ESTNN: We’ve seen lots of teams running both 3 and 2 AR’s recently, will you be using a 2 AR meta yourselves?

Classic: Honestly, it all depends on the map. I think on Cave we’re running three to four AR’s at times so it all depends on the map. But it’s good we have Cammy as a strong AR to help us in this meta at least. But we can switch up, Ben (Bance) can run a flex so an AR or a Sub.

ESTNN: You’ve played multiple online Home Series now and this is the last one of the season. Will it feel any different knowing that this would've been your Home Series and you would've had all of Toronto coming out to support you?

CleanX: It definitely feels like we’re missing out on a big event. I definitely would’ve wanted it to be live and in front of all the Toronto fans coming there to watch us play. But, that's just how it is in the current situation I guess.

ESTNN: With the pandemic, everyone is playing from home, are you playing from your own apartment or are you going into a facility to play?

Classic: We all play from our own apartments, so we all have Bell fiber 1000/1000 so we have some of the best internet here. We started at the beginning of the league playing from there, but once COVID hit we had to move back.

CleanX: We have a facility but we haven't used it. It was the plan that we had to play from there but with all this going on we won't be.

ESTNN: With a 10 man roster you have the biggest team in the league. We’ve seen you play SnD very well at times, do you think that is due to having your 10 man roster and a second-team that you can scrim regularly?

CleanX: We don't really scrim the second team that much in SnD. We’ll sometimes talk to them about strats, I know some of them have given us strats and spots to use. We don't really play them in SnD daily or anything, but I certainly feel like they've helped us with smaller things such as spots we need to be wary of and nades.

ESTNN: Do you also feel like there is more pressure on you to perform knowing that there is always someone who could take your spot at any time?

Classic: I think it's good. I think it creates healthy competition and I know I have to bring my best every time I’m out there or else I could be replaced. I think it's good in that aspect.

The Road to Finals

ESTNN: Finally, we’ll talk a bit about the end of year championships. You currently sit with 70 CDL points so this is a massive event for you. Depending on other results, if you make a good run this tournament you could overtake Paris for that final winners round one spot. After falling short in two semi-finals earlier in the year, what changes have you made to ensure that you can get past that semi-final barrier and win your first CDL Home Series this weekend?

CleanX: I feel like we’ve definitely focused a lot on our Domination and our SnD which were our biggest disadvantages in a series. We’re pretty good at Hardpoint which we’ve got locked down but sometimes in Dom, we would make mistakes and throw it away, the same in SnD. Here I feel like we’ve improved a lot, even over the last week. I feel like those two game modes are what we’re focused on right now moving into champs.

ESTNN: Losers bracket runs aren't impossible, we’ve seen them before such as nV in COD Ghosts Champs where they lost in round one and went all the way through losers before eventually falling in the Grand Finals. But going into Champs, how important is that winners' bracket spot compared to starting in losers?

Classic: Oh it's completely different. If you come out in winners at Finals it’s a completely different game. I’ve been in both situations and almost every time I’ve come from winners you feel in control the whole time. So I think if we could get into the winners' bracket it would be a big thing.

CleanX: And also if you have that slow start it can help you with that extra game in the losers bracket.

ESTNN: So it's a different format to usual this season with a best of 9 Final instead of two best of 5’s. How do you both feel about that change?

CleanX: It’s definitely an exciting change. I feel like the two best of fives could be pretty one-sided at times with the winners' team just sweeping that first series. I feel like the best of nine could create some more excitement going into eight or nine of the games.

Classic: I kind of like that, playing almost every map in that series you get to see how everyone is on every map.

ESTNN: So with the playoffs in three weeks, will you be scrimming all the time or will you have maybe a week off for example?

Classic: I expect to get right back into it right after the event, no matter what.

CleanX: Yeah, maybe one day off after the event but that's maybe it.

Heading into the Toronto Ultra Home Series this weekend, the team is looking for their first chip of the season. Taking on the team one place above them in the standings in OpTic Gaming, this is not an event you’ll want to miss.

You can see the full recorded interview here on our YouTube channel.