OpTic shake off Major 5 disappointment with win in first round at CoD Champs 2023

OpTic Texas rebounded from their 0-2 performance at last month’s Major in a big way today with a 3-1 victory over the Boston Breach in the opening round of the 2023 Call of Duty League Playoffs.

If there were any moments of doubt after their disappointing 12th-place finish at Major Five, the players from OpTic didn’t show it today. They came out firing in the series’ first map, Breenbergh Hotel Hardpoint, behind big performances from the team’s AR players, Dashy and Ghosty. The duo dropped identical 1.35 K/Ds in the 250-168 win and combined for 50 kills to just 37 deaths. The team’s star SMG player, Shotzzy, also chipped in with 23 kills to help give Texas a 1-0 lead in the series. 

Boston would not go away, though, as the series shifted to Mercado Las Almas Search and Destroy. The map was tied at four rounds apiece before the Breach rattled off the last two rounds to knot the series at one map each. Beans and Owakening were huge for the side of Breach, combining for 22 kills in the SnD. 

Related: Results for 2023 Call of Duty League Championship

OpTic did not let Boston’s momentum carry into the next map, however. This time, it was the SMG duo of Shotzzy and Huke who were massive for the Green Wall, dropping 1.40 and 1.47 K/Ds, respectively, while combining for 46 kills in just three rounds on Breenbergh Hotel Control. 

Boston’s rookie, Snoopy, who was just added to the lineup ahead of CoD Champs 2023, was the lone player to go positive for the Breach in map three, posting a 1.28 stat line. The rest of Boston combined for a -17 showing in the lives department during the 3-0 loss as they headed to a must-win situation on OpTic’s best map. 

Since inserting Ghosty and Huke into the lineup, Texas have been nearly unbeatable on the map-mode combination of Al Bagra Fortress Hardpoint, regularly blowing out some of the CDL’s top teams. While they did not hold the Breach under 100 points today, they were in cruise control for the majority of the map en route to a 250-192 victory, giving them a 3-1 series win. 

With this victory, OpTic will face the defending Major champions, New York Subliners, with a spot in the CoD Champs winners bracket finals on the line on Friday, June 16 at 6:30pm CT. Meanwhile, the Breach will drop down to the losers bracket where they will face the Minnesota RØKKR, who are coming off a reverse sweep at the hands of New York. The two will play for their tournament lives on June 16 at 3:30pm CT.