Helmed by the Premiership and Championship divisions, the European Pro League is closing in as the best teams in Europe battle it out, fuelled by aspirations of securing a slice of the £15,000 prize pool on offer.
Not only will the victors walk away with the money, but also a coveted invitation to the Gfinity Call of Duty Summer Championship, which is scheduled to take place at the start of August with a staggering prize purse of $100,000.
There's a lot to play for over the course of the next few months in terms of European competition, and teams will certainly want to be at their best.
Vitality.Storm are one of the rosters to have locked in their invite to participate in the European Pro League, which opens at the Gfinity Arena in London on June 20-21st. Tickets are available to purchase right now for those interested. Following a number of recent roster changes they'll be looking to solidify their position as one of the finest UK based teams, crushing dissenters and showing that the changes were made with insight.
Vitality.Storm
Tommey - Joshh - Watson - Peatie
This British showing from Vitality is an interesting combination of European mainstays and newer faces that have risen to the highest levels of prestige in the community throughout the past couple of years.
Tom "Tommey" Trewen has long been considered one of, if not the finest example of British talent in Call of Duty. A perfect storm combining slaying prowess, the ability to outsmart opposition with objective plays when needed and a level of unpredictability that makes him a dangerous prospect to play against. Tommey has flitted between Epsilon and Vitality colours for a while now, finally settling with the French organisation as the captain of his own team.
Joshua "Joshh" Shephard has been Tommey's duo of sorts for the past couple of Call of Duty seasons, with the two becoming synonymous with success alongside each other. Since he first rose to prominence during the original Call of Duty: Black Ops season, as a player he's rarely missed the mark in terms of tournament placements. Joshh is a prime example of European quality.
Adam "Peatie" Peate will be most well known for his previous stints on renowned teams such as TCM Gaming, Aware Gaming and Epsilon eSports throughout various stages of the Ghosts and Advanced Warfare seasons. He's at a point in his career where he can't yet be considered a staple in the professional Call of Duty scene, but he's definitely no newcomer. The success or failure of this Vitality.Storm team could well dictate how his career will play out for the rest of the season.
Josh "Watson" Watson is one of Call of Duty's more recent discoveries, having only recently risen to the upper echelons of the competitive scene. He played alongside Peatie on Aware for a period, proving himself as an exceptional player at the Call of Duty Championships earlier this season. Vitality is his big chance at playing alongside some of CoD's old guard to help him refine his capabilities and protect his position in this industry.
Recent Performance
This Vitality quartet hasn't had any real opportunity to mesh with one another on LAN as of yet, having only recently formed from the smouldering ashes of different rosters. Tommey and Joshh have a wealth of experience with one another, having been placed under the same organisations for years and enjoyed a number of tournament firsts together. Peatie and Watson are similar, and despite Peatie having had a slightly more prolific career thus far the two have often made a dent in the world's best Call of Duty talent when at one another's side.
If these two groups of players are able to co-ordinate effectively, and use the weeks they've been afforded to practise and develop tactics well, there's absolutely no reason that we shouldn't expect Storm to come out of the gates hot and ready to win.
Vitality didn't perform to expectations at the recent Gfinity CoD Spring Masters, being unceremoniously knocked out in the group stages back when MarkyB and Reedy filled their ranks. Hopefully they click better with Peatie and Watson, because if the same teething issues present themselves this roster could be in for a world of hurt when it comes to competing against some of Europe's finest.
Peatie and Watson are certainly not coming from a recent slump, though. They beat the odds at the Call of Duty Championships in March, pushing through group stages and shattering all expectations to end up placing 9-12th, giving Team Revenge and Mindfreaks runs for their money during matches. This boosted them to international prominence and prestige on home soil, giving them expectations of greatness. If they perform like we all know they're able to, Peatie and Watson may be able to drag their more experienced peers back to their best to create a formidable force.
Matches to Watch
Vitality.Storm vs Epsilon eSports
Vitality versus Epsilon will certainly be an interesting prospect for spectators. A grudge match of sorts, Tommey and Joshh were previous Epsilon representatives before they left to their current home at Vitality. What's more, Epsilon members MarkyB and Reedy were on the original Vitality.Storm team alongside Tommey and Joshh before they were released in exchange for the new current pickups. There doesn't seem to be too much bad blood there between the players, but both squads will certainly be looking to prove to the others that they made the correct decision.
Vitality.Storm vs Millenium
Long seen as the two big shots in French Call of Duty, Vitality and Millenium games are always exciting to witness first hand. Storm is a foray into international representation for Vitality, wheras Millenium has a core roster build from their bread and butter: top French talent. Tommey has competed alongside Millenium frontmen Gotaga and Krnage too, leading this to be a battle between old friends for French pride.
Do not miss.
Vitality.Storm vs Team Infused
Watson and Peatie have found themselves teaming with JTee from Team Infused at various points in their career, most notably on Aware Gaming. They're clearly good friends, but a combination of friendship and competition helps to create fierce rivalries. When these two teams meet in the Gfinity Pro League we can expect fires to be lit underneath them, and a monumental game to take place. Nobody will want to lose here.
Vitality.Storm
Tom "Tommey" Trewen
Joshua "Joshh" Shephard
Adam "Peatie" Peate
Josh "Watson" Watson
The Gfinity European Pro League kicks off June 20-21st, with 8 of the finest teams from across the United Kingdom, France and Spain battling it out for a hefty prize pool and prestige within their region. More information, including ticket prices and sales are available here.
Prepare for a summer of intense Advanced Warfare action. Get your LAN on.
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