Spoilers ahead for those not caught up on Arrow

Oliver needs to level the playing field in the trailer for the midseason premiere of Arrow. The midseason finale of Arrow - 'Irreconcilable Differences' - left Team Arrow decimated. After learning that Rene was going to testify against him in order to regain custody of his daughter Zoe - and a disagreement over Rene's behavior in the field - Oliver kicked Wild Dog off Team Arrow. Equally distrustful after learning that Ollie, Felicity, and Diggle spied on them, Curtis and Dinah also quit. And unknown to the now fractured Team Arrow, Cayden James had formed his own team.

Trust has been at the center of Arrow since the show began, with Ollie unable to trust anyone with his secret life as a vigilante. This season alone Lance kept the truth about how he let Black Siren live on Lian Yu a secret, Dinah has been meeting with Vincent/Vigilante, Diggle hid the extent of his injury from everyone, and Ollie is hiding the fact that he is The Green Arrow from son William once again. Now it seems like one betrayal too many has occurred and the team may never be able to recover.

Related: [Spoiler] Returns to Arrow in Thanksgiving Episode

In the trailer for the Arrow midseason premiere released by The CW, Oliver learns about the team of villains. Greatly outnumbered without Mr. Terrific, Black Canary, and Wild Dog, Diggle still thinks they need to find a way to level the playing field.

While Curtis, Dinah, and Rene are no longer members of Team Arrow, the trailer indicates that they are not done with the vigilante business. The three of them appear to be ready to form their own team and continue fighting to protect Star City. Though how they will manage without either Oliver or Diggle leading them and without Felicity's impressive collection of technology remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Oliver seems to think he and the original Team Arrow can handle James and the rest of his team on their own. Unfortunately, that means he will be alone in the field since Felicity isn't a fighter and Diggle is still dealing with the nerve damage in his hand.

And James not only has a team of skilled and evil people, but nearly all of them have a personal connection to the current and former members of Team Arrow. His own link to Felicity aside, there's Black Siren and her now emotional connection to Lance, Anatoly and his history with Oliver, Vigilante and Dinah, and Diggle's drug dealer Diaz. This gives them the ability to fight on a psychological level as well as a physical one. Together, they may be more than either of the teams of heroes can handle.

Next: Arrow Needs More Female Characters

Arrow returns to The CW Thursday January 18 at 9pm.

Source: The CW