This wasn’t how OpTic Texas envisioned their Call of Duty League season.
But the No. 2 seed and a 20-7 overall record? That, OpTic will take.
Playing without their in-game leader, Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal, made everything more complicated. There’s still a lot to learn.
Texas enters the final stretch of the regular season this weekend with a 3:30 p.m. match Friday against the Boston Breach and a 5:00 p.m. match Saturday against the Minnesota Rokkr. Byron “Prolute” Vera was flown in from New Jersey after Dhaliwal tested his injured thumb and found it to be stiff after a cortisone shot.
That part didn’t surprise OpTic. Vera was in the know, Texas head coach Ray “Rambo” Lussier said. Texas’ challenge now is continuing to improve with Vera, without a clear timeline for Dhaliwal’s return.
For OpTic, the silver lining is that the goal is clear.
“Our focus and our eyes are on Champs,” Lussier said.
Considering CDL history, that’s fair. Neither of the previous world champions, the Dallas Empire in 2020 and Atlanta FaZe in 2021, won the final tournament of the season before Champs.
Major IV, which is in New York next month, isn’t a must-win. But OpTic has a lot to clean up. Mostly, the comms. That’s where Dhaliwal was sorely missed during Stage III and Major III.
“It’s definitely weird because I’m used to Inder. He’s really crucial to our team. He brings a lot to the table,” said OpTic superstar Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro. “When we didn’t have Inder, we noticed those things in clutch scenarios or in mid-round of SnD, we don’t have Inder to make those situational calls.
“Him not being here, obviously we’ve done well without him, but he’s a big factor to our team.”
Dhaliwal being a catalyst to OpTic’s Major I title and scorching start to the season isn’t a secret. The results back that up. Texas was still a force with Prolute on the map, but OpTic now has to figure out how to fill the void, especially with no return date for Dhaliwal.
How does OpTic do that? Vera is a different person, but he’s about as similar to Dhaliwal in playstyle and mindset as it gets -- that’s why OpTic still looked like a contender in Stage III.
But he’s not the same brain. He hasn’t played alongside Cuevas-Castro and under Lussier for three years.
Lussier said the comms struggles arrived when Dhaliwal was out of the picture.
“We did get a few scrims in with Inder, and it definitely showed where we lack in terms of comms,” Lussier said. “So there is a lot to be done there. It’s a consistency element on our side.”
There’s good news and bad news for OpTic.
Bad news: Texas can lose to most teams if its communication isn’t sound. Good news: OpTic has no problem trouncing the best teams in the league when they communicate, and there aren’t really any more surprises left. They know what they are working with.
It’s the how.
How does OpTic continue to improve without Dhaliwal playing?
“I’ve never really experienced anything like this. I’m fully on board with doing whatever helps. As long as we take it slow, that’s all that matters,” Cuevas-Castro said. “We would rather have Inder take his time with this process because none of us have ever gone through this.”
OpTic Texas is closing in on its endgame, and the path there wasn’t always fruitful, even if the standings look good.
It’s already been a unique and memorable season for OpTic Call of Duty. Can OpTic Texas make it a legendary one?
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