It’s only been one week of Call of Duty League scrimmages. That’s not enough time for teams to really understand how the maps will play out in hardpoint and search and destroy.
The first week isn’t entirely about distinct strategy and separating from the competition. The OpTic Texas crew, which had significant success in their first two days of practice anyways, focused on understanding each other.
Brandon “Dashy” Otell has been good buds with ex-Dallas Empire player Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal for years. They grinded SnD tournaments together before Dhaliwal was even old enough to go pro. Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro wants to pad more accomplishments onto his already impressive resume that boasts a CDL MVP and championship. Seth “Scump” Abner is soaking up every bit of Call of Duty greatness he has left at 26 years old.
The dynamic is working as of mid-November.
“I would like to think we are one of the few teams that are learning the fastest because we are putting in the most hours,” Otell told The Dallas Morning News. “It’s paying off and we definitely don’t have any plans of slowing down, which is something that I’m super happy and excited about. We’re hungry to win.”
There's turnt
— OpTic Texas (@OpTicTexas) November 17, 2021
then there's @iLLeYYY turnt. pic.twitter.com/QgWWUSAip1
OpTic had winning records in scrims against the Minnesota Rokkr, New York Subliners and a pair of stacked Challengers teams. The real test was the Atlanta FaZe, of course. The CDL runs through the reigning champions.
OpTic and FaZe both won four maps on Sunday, then FaZe won three of the four hardpoint maps on Tuesday. All but one of those maps were tightly contested.
But results don’t make a difference at this point in the preseason. OpTic wanted to get a feel for each other.
“It was good to see how the process is going to work, having (Troy ‘Sender” Michaels) by my side and seeing how he’s going to be in terms of communication,” said OpTic head coach Ray “Rambo” Lussier. “We didn’t really plan out anything just yet, but it was good to get our feet wet.”
Lussier is the most seasoned pro on the team. Abner considered him his “CoD father.” OpTic’s head coach loves the fundamentals of Call of Duty. It may make him a little old school, but the 2020 Dallas Empire toppled FaZe with a mixture of new talent and old school.
2021 was a complicated season for both the Empire and OpTic Chicago. Neither team had the results they wanted. The Envy Gaming and OpTic Gaming merger brought a squad a foursome that hoped to work together in a healthy manner.
Lussier considered that a current strength.
“I think the biggest strength that isn’t obvious is that everyone seems to be level headed. There is no “I am the one that is going to say things,’” Lussier said. “Everyone is going to be putting in the same amount of effort and speech. We are one unit rather than one person leading the charge.
“There are pros and cons to that, but with the guys we have on this team I think it’s going to be a good thing.”
There will be plenty more scrims for OpTic Texas to take one. It will only get more intensive as teams improve their strategy and details matter more.
For now, the trend is upward. Texas is confident it has a contending team.
+++
Find more esports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
