LSU’s eSport Call of Duty team reflected on the start of the season as members praised each other for creating a strong culture within the team.

The team, which competes through Call of Duty Vanguard, suffered its first loss to No.19 ranked Mississippi State on Jan. 19, but followed the loss with a win over Drury to bring their record to 3-1.

The captain of the team, Daniel Petrov, talked about the team’s goals prior to the season and how they performed compared to said goals. He explained how he felt positive about the team thus far.

“Obviously, the goal is to be the best we can be,” Petrov said. “I feel like when we practice and are on our game, we can compete with the best teams.”

Petrov, who goes by Petrovinator in-game, also mentioned the team’s other goal is to make the playoffs for College Call of Duty, or CCL. Additionally, Petrov wants the team to become ranked within the league’s Top-25 ranked teams.

When it comes to gameplay, Petrov mentioned his confidence in his team playing the game mode Hard-point, where teams try to hold one spot of the map while keeping the other team away, is high. 

However, Petrov explained that Search and Destroy, a game mode where each player is killed with one shot, typically plays out randomly compared to Hard-point. The lack of consistency contributed to the loss against Mississippi State.

“In practice, our Search and Destroy is very good,” Petrov said. “It’s just that we got caught off guard against Mississippi State because they played very slow, which we weren’t used to. They wait for their opponents to make the first mistake and then capitalize on it.”

Petrov also complimented Mississippi State, saying he did not take the loss seriously because they had a good team.

Another member of the team, Patrick Kelly, also discussed the Mississippi State game, and he came away with positive impressions, despite the loss.

“If we made a couple different decisions, the entire game could have gone differently,” Kelly said. “That just tells us we need to practice more, and that we’re right on the edge of being one of the best teams out there.”

Kelly, who goes by PavyPDK in-game, said he felt good about the team’s start, saying that the team learned that they needed to play more cohesively and to never underestimate anyone.

“Everybody on this team is so incredibly talented so it feels impossible to lose sometimes,” Kelly said. “It’s incredibly tempting to be a star, but you can’t win without all the guys on the same page. In the only loss we have, we beat ourselves.”

Petrov credited the 3-1 start to the team’s strong competitive background, as the team consistently practices everyday. Additionally, the group is good friends outside of the game.

Kelly discussed the team’s culture as well, saying it comes from the group striving for the same thing, as well as, mutual respect. He believes the team contains a solid group with competitive edge and talent.

“We love video games, and when you become highly competitive at them it’s hard to find people with the same drive,” Kelly said.

Petrov also credited Kelly as a leader to the team due to his skill and experience. Kelly ranked as the 258th best player in North America in the official Call of Duty Challenger Circuit for the 2022 season, and he served as a teacher for the team when Vanguard came out in November 2021.

“He’s like our Master Splinter,” Petrov said. “He’s a very flashy player,  so we all try to be like him.”

Kelly described taking on a teaching role as a double-edged sword. He explained how he sees the raw talent in the team and likes making them “some of the best players in the CCL”. However, that role also led him to take losses more personally.

Both Petrov and Kelly remained complimentary of each other and their fellow teammates, who go by the gamer tags ‘Dwarflin504’ and ‘Pdude’. Kelly specifically mentioned ‘Dwarflin504’ as someone who learned fast and improved at a fast rate.

Kelly said he liked the Master Splinter description Petrov gave him, and he credited Petrov as the glue of the team. Kelly appreciated Petrov as the person who keeps the team in check, sets up practice and helps out with everything, whether anything happens inside or outside the game.

Petrov called his teammates “great players who can pop off at any time.” Ultimately, he credits them for the team’s start.

“[My teammates] are all super talented and deserve as much credit as I do,” Petrov said.