Sources: Vancouver Surge Usher In New Era Under Coach Atura

The Vancouver Surge are entering a new chapter under the leadership of Ricky “Atura” Atura, the former Florida Mutineers head coach who guided his squad to three event wins during the Modern Warfare 2019 season. After a strong run in the Challengers circuit last year, Atura now gets another shot at the top level as he looks to rebuild Vancouver this offseason.

That rebuild starts with bold roster moves. The Surge are set to welcome Kaci "Lqgend" Sabri, a standout French Halo MVP making the transition to Call of Duty following the conclusion of the HCS season, a path previously taken by stars like Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro and Matthew "FormaL" Piper. Joining him is Isaiah "Gwinn" Gwinn, the Royal Ravens’ BP Rookie of the Year Runner-up, who turned down offers from two other CDL teams to link up with Lqgend in Vancouver. Sources confirm that Gwinn would move to the flex position if needed, giving the roster good flexibility.

Working alongside Atura, the duo helped recruit Ronald "Abe" Abraham, the former Toronto Ultra rookie who made a name for himself at the Esports World Cup with an impressive third-place finish. While Abe was previously rumored to be in talks with Cloud9 New York, all signs now point to him joining the Surge.

To round out the roster, Vancouver are targeting a veteran AR to anchor the lineup. While Skyz, a familiar face from Atura’s Mutineers days, was initially on the shortlist, he’s expected to remain committed to the Minnesota Rokkr. Instead, the team’s attention has shifted to Lunarz, a player known to Atura, Gwinn, and Abe. Despite a mixed debut season, Noah "Lunarz" Whillock has shown flashes of top-tier potential and could thrive under this new structure.