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In their third game of the Call of Duty League 2023 Major Qualifiers, OpTic Texas triumphed over London Royal Ravens — largely due to a massive performance from Seth “Scump” Abner.
OpTic Texas started their Call of Duty League 2023 season in an unconventional manner when a contested decision on a replay of a game against Minnesota RØKKR led to OpTic forfeiting the match. Thereafter, the franchise regained its composure against the Florida Mutineers with a clean sweep. Scump appeared resolute in maintaining the momentum for OpTic Texas against the Royal Ravens, refusing to succumb to defeat as he led the team to a 3-2 victory.
Following a disappointing 0-2 defeat on Hardpoint in their match against the Seattle Surge, including a 250-63 loss on Hotel, the Royal Ravens were able to turn things around due to impressive performances from Obaid “Asim” Asim. As a seasoned CoD veteran, Asim set a new kill record for 2023 with a 38-22 score on Fortress (Hardpoint), leading the team to a 1-0 lead before moving on to Mercado (Search & Destroy).
In the second map of the series, Scump demonstrated exceptional skill, achieving an 8-2 statline and making a crucial play. At a critical juncture in the game, with the score tied at one round each, OpTic held a two-vs-one advantage, but Paul “PaulEhx” Avila managed to eliminate Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, leaving Scump to face the remaining opponent alone.
With time running out and the bomb planted for the London team, Scump rushed into the bomb site and successfully shot PaulEhx, defusing the bomb and giving Texas a 2-1 lead in the round. Ultimately, OpTic emerged victorious with a 6-2 score, thanks in large part to Scump’s exceptional performance as team captain.
On Hotel (Control), Optic Texas found themselves behind 2-0 in the early stages. This deficit required them to win both the attacking and defensive rounds in order to proceed to the fifth round. Fortunately, they had the skilled Scump on their team, who was able to hold their defensive round.
In order to keep the game going, Texas had to capture the B point. Scump performed admirably, securing a three-piece kill and a grenade kill, which put pressure on the Royal Ravens and allowed his teammates to secure the point. This resulted in the round being clinched and the game being pushed to a fifth game.
The performance of OpTic during the final contest was highly professional and disciplined, effectively preventing any member of the Royal Ravens from making progress. As the Texas team extended their lead to 2-1, the Royal Ravens continued to display impressive skill on Hardpoint, with Asim displaying exceptional prowess by amassing 35 kills on the way to a commanding 250-193 victory on Embassy.
London fought valiantly in order to reach map five, but OpTic succeeded in completely shutting down the Royal Ravens in the decisive Search & Destroy round on Fortress. Due to a notable performance by Scump, who achieved a 7-3 score on the map, OpTic were able to secure a commanding 5-1 lead and only needed one more round to secure the map and series. In a two-vs-two scenario, iLLeY peaked around the corner and, using his sniper, was able to shoot both PaulEhx and Byron “Nastie” Plumridge, thereby earning a collateral victory.
Following their victory, OpTic are currently at 2-1 in the online qualifiers, with one remaining match against the reigning CDL champions, the Los Angeles Thieves, on December 11. Going into the game, OpTic Texas are close favorites to win on BetOnline with odds pegged at -128.21.
The Royal Ravens, on the other hand, have fallen to 2-2 in the online qualifying stage. Only the top eight teams will be participating in the season’s first major event in Raleigh, North Carolina, next weekend.
