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OpTic Texas captured the title at the 2024 Call of Duty League Championship, bouncing back from a turbulent end to the regular season to hoist the ultimate trophy in CoD esports.
This victory marks the first time OpTic has won the end-of-season playoffs in the Call of Duty League era and the organisation’s second title at CoD Champs, their first since 2017.
🏆 THE WINNING MOMENT FOR @OpTicTexas 🏆#CODChamps | @CallofDuty pic.twitter.com/iaUuDxRzj5
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 21, 2024
Despite a rocky path leading to the championship, including a last-place finish at Major Four, OpTic Texas showed resilience.
Entering CoD Champs 2024 with many questions surrounding their performance, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro and his team immediately displayed their Major Three form with a dominant sweep of Los Angeles Guerrillas in their first match.
They followed up with a reverse sweep of Los Angeles Thieves and a hard-fought 3-2 victory over New York Subliners, solidifying their spot in the grand final.
Subliners, the Major Four champions and winners of CoD Champs 2023, responded to their loss by beating Toronto Ultra, setting up a rematch with OpTic.
However, the grand final was less competitive than their earlier match, with OpTic earning a decisive 5-1 win in the best-of-nine series.
Notably, OpTic won two Search and Destroy maps in the grand final and posted a 5-2 record in the mode for the weekend, a significant turnaround from their 12-map Search ‘N’ Destroy losing streak heading into CoD Champs.
⭐️ SU-PER-STAR ⭐️@Shotzzy | #CODChamps pic.twitter.com/DrWqaMfAKm
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 21, 2024
Shotzzy was named tournament MVP, posting a 1.27 overall K/D, the highest at the event.
Amer “Pred” Zulbeari, the first player from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region to win CoD Champs, was close behind with a 1.24 overall K/D.
Brandon “Dashy” Otell, earning his first Champs ring, joined Kenneth “Kenny” Williams and Shotzzy, who now have two Champs wins each.
OpTic Texas’ victory was celebrated by thousands of passionate fans at the Credit Union of Texas Events Center in Allen, Texas.
The storyline was rich, as it was OpTic’s first grand final appearance in over seven years and a chance for Subliners to become the first organisation in CoD history to win back-to-back championships.
Following the win, Shotzzy was awarded the tournament MVP, and the crowd chanted “superstar” repeatedly.
Kenny expressed his joy, saying, “It feels amazing to do it with another team. I love these boys. We worked for this. A lot of ups and downs, but overall, we won it, so I’m happy.”
With OpTic Texas’ victory, Kenny and Shotzzy join the elite group of players with more than one ring.
Meanwhile, Dashy and Pred celebrate their first-ever rings, and their coach Damon “Karma” Barlow adds to his impressive collection, earning his fourth ring overall—three as a player and one as a coach.
OpTic Texas’ incredible resilience proved their doubters wrong and set the stage for an exciting offseason ahead of Call of Duty Black Ops 6, as other organisations strategize to dethrone the Green Wall in 2025.
