Toronto KOI BO7 Season Preview
Toronto KOI Black Ops 7 Season Preview: Goodbye Ultra, Hello KOI!
The offseason is officially over, which means the Call of Duty League is finally here. With new franchises, a great competitive game, & new rosters across the League, it is shaping up to be one of the best CDL seasons to date.
Out with one of the most recognizable brands in the CDL, in with one of the most recognizable European brands. Toronto has officially switched out the Ultra branding in favor of their Spanish KOI branding, but kept the signature Purple color. The brand change wasn't the only major swing, as the organization brought in Spanish talent José "ReeaL" Castilla and moved their long-time Star SMG Tobias "CleanX" Juul Jønsson to the flex position. In this season preview, we’ll dive into KOI’s offseason moves, key players to watch, and how their expectations compare to the competition in the CDL.
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📸 Photo by @TorontoKOI
Offseason Recap: Adding a bit of Vamos
Signings:
+ José "ReeaL" Castilla
Departures:
- Ben "Beans" McMellon
Offseason Reactions
Ronnie: "Toronto has come out of this off-season with an upgraded roster overall. However, one has to wonder if they could have done more with the players available. We heard rumors about a possible attempt to acquire Abezy from ATL, but that seemed unlikely. There were also discussions about Kenny potentially forming a duo with Joe Decevies, but in the end, they opted to stick with the tried and tested combination of Insight and CleanX.
On a positive note, they made a significant acquisition in the Spanish market by securing Reeal from their major rivals, Heretics."
Easy Mac: “The Toronto franchise is one of the best team-building organizations in the League & has a stable coaching staff that continues to raise this team's floor. They identified that with CleanX on the AR, they can upgrade their 2nd SMG slot & give Joe a great duo to work with. While there was a little too much drama with the signing, getting ReeaL from Miami Heretics was a huge signing. He doesn't have the name power of Dylan "Envoy" Hannon or Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris, he is a very solid SMG prospect."
The Toronto KOI roster heading into Black Ops 7:
○ Tobias "CleanX" Juul Jønsson
○ Jamie "Insight" Craven
○ Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero
○ José "ReeaL" Castilla
○ Ryan "Flux" Oldfield (Coach)
○ Joseph "Joe" Pinnington (Coach)
Season Expectations
Ronnie: "I feel that Toronto is in a peculiar position right now. They seem to be in a tier of their own just behind the big four teams, and I believe they sit fifth, with a decent gap to the sixth team.
What should the organization expect from this situation? Knowing Toronto, they will likely aim to compete for trophies and perhaps even win one. However, personally, I’m not convinced that the roster is strong enough to achieve that unless CleanX can elevate his performance to an elite-level flex player."
Season Predictions
Best Placement: 3rd
Team MVP: JoeDeceives
Final Regular Season Seed: 5th
Will they qualify for Champs: Yes
Easy Mac: “Currently, I have Paris, Texas, LA, and Vegas ahead of Toronto in my preseason Power Rankings. Miami will be in the mix this year once they get good practice in, while Boston, Minnesota, Riyadh, & the rest of the League will not be easy wins. They have the early edge to surprise some teams, so watch for KOI to get very good results in the first two Stages.
Every season, one surprise team makes the Grand Finals of a Major. I don't think the 4 teams above them are perfect teams, so I do expect Toronto to sneak into a Finals at some point, but overall finish 6th in the season standings due to some bad tournament placements."
Season Predictions
Best Placement: 2nd
Team MVP: JoeDeceives
Final Regular Season Seed: 6th
Will they qualify for Champs: Yes
📸 Photo by @TorontoKOI
Players to Watch in Black Ops 6
Ronnie: Tobias "CleanX" Juul Jønsson
"CleanX is beginning the season as the team's full-time flex player, and his performance will be crucial for how the season unfolds for Toronto. If he can keep up with the top flex players from the other leading rosters, then Ultra will have a strong SMG duo capable of competing effectively. If CleanX encounters difficulties, it will be interesting to see how Toronto addresses the situation. Will they move Reeal to the flex position or even make a roster change? This roster is definitely one to keep an eye on."
Easy Mac: Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero
“Last season, the most improved player was arguably JoeDecieves. He was multiple levels about his Modern Warfare III form, and it helped Toronto have a sneaky good season. Not only was he the superstar for Toronto, but he also found himself in the conversation for MVP for large parts of the season. With multiple teams throwing their names in the hat to be a Top 4 team early in the year, KOI's case is squarely on the shoulders of Joe."
Stage 1 Matches
Qualifier Match 1: December 6th vs Miami Heretics
Qualifier Match 2: December 12th vs Vancouver Surge
Qualifier Match 3: December 14th vs FaZe Vegas
Qualifier Match 4: January 11th vs LA Thieves
Qualifier Match 5: January 17th vs Carolina Royal Ravens
Qualifier Match 6: January 23rd vs Paris Gentle Mates
Qualifier Match 7: January 24th vs G2 Minnesota