Following a disappointing top-12 finish at the Major 1 Pro-Am in Raleigh, North Carolina, OpTic Texas became the catalyst for some huge, surprise CDL rostermania rumors. Here’s what went down, and how the situation is looking currently.
Casting our eyes back a bit further, the off-season prior to the Modern Warfare 2 season saw OpTic say goodbye to both Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell and Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal, before promptly welcoming them back into the fold to run it back alongside Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro for another season.
It has since come out that Scump’s retirement, which has been announced for the end of the 2023 season, may have come initially after 2022. He was convinced to stay for Shotzzy, who threatened to leave the team if Scump did, with some rumors linking him to Atlanta FaZe.
Ultimately, with reports linking OpTic to the acquisition of the likes of Cameron ‘Cammy’ McKilligan and Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez, the franchise decided to stick by the players they already had.
It did seem strange at the time to both fans and critics alike, but the understanding generally was that they knew their issues and the skill ceiling of the team was way too high to pass up, expecting them to come back with a vengeance in 2023.
While that certainly looked possible — Dashy off the back of an MVP-calibre season, Scump frying in early qualifier matches, and Shotzzy one of the most exciting SMGs in the game — Major 1 was a huge disappointment for the team, with a worse placement than any could have predicted.
Pred & Arcitys rumors
Immediately, the team started to assess their options, looking at how they could bolster their chances.
Shortly following New York Subliners’ win at Major 1, there was some speculation that OpTic Texas were planning a double change, once again looking to offload Dashy and iLLeY.
Multiple sources confirmed OpTic’s interest in LA Guerrillas’ blockbuster off-season signing Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson, as well as Seattle Surge’s young SMG star Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari.
This was followed up by some hints dropped by Dashy on social media, as he removed OpTic from his Twitter name and posted some inconspicuous gifs.
Arcitys later confirmed in a tweet that he was interested in the OpTic move, but contract issues ended any hopes of a switch happening, having signed to the Guerrillas on a three-year contract.
He added: “I owe LAG the same faith and trust they have in me to build something special with them I’m sorry for dreams being killed.”
What next for OpTic at Major 2?
At the time of writing, nothing has been confirmed by OpTic and behind closed doors, there haven’t been many names linked with the roster as real possibilities. Players such as Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon and Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland have been speculated by the community, but right now, there is little to no stock in these rumors.
The lack of speculation over the holiday period suggests at this time that OpTic Texas has not found a replacement for Dashy.
This would mean that they’re forced to run it back with the same four once again, unless some last-ditch changes are worked out before Major 2 qualifiers get underway on January 13.
OpTic would prefer not to dip into Challengers, instead wanting to seek out an established pro, though working out their contracts mid-season and coming up with an agreement is, evidently, much easier said than done.
We’ll be sure to keep this updated as and when more information becomes available.
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