H3CZ hints at Chicago Huntsmen revival if tier-two Call of Duty esports improved
OpTic Texas, as we know it, has been through a hellish ride as an organisation over the last five years.
Having seen the leadership group spearheaded by Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez fight tooth and nail to regain the brand, the revival of the true OpTic amid a merger with Envy meant that the beloved Chicago Huntsmen was laid to rest.
But that might not be forever, as the iconic brand could be used once again as a branch of OpTic, if only the tier-two Call of Duty esports scene improved.
H3CZ fires shots at CDL Challengers, elude to Huntsmen revival
Click to enlargeOver the last few years, a handful of organisations in the Call of Duty League has supported Challenger teams too, with the likes of Toronto Ultra, New York Subliners, and Los Angeles Guerrillas all having teams over multiple seasons in the tier-two competition, sometimes opting to use their reserve rosters as a stepping-stone into the first team.
But H3CZ's OpTic hasn't had a second-string team since Vanguard, where OpTic Nation won a handful of tournaments for the org.
Speaking on-stream during the most recent Seth "Scump" Abner watch party, H3CZ gave one simple reason as to why the org has ignored T2 for the last two years, and it took a swipe at the League organisers.
"The reason that we're not in Challengers is that it makes no sense being the only organisation that tries when there is no reciprocation on the other side," H3CZ said, referring to the "other side" as the CDL, who have left the T2 division to fend for itself in recent years.
H3CZ also said that if there was to be a Challengers team for OpTic, he might opt to use the Chicago Huntsmen branding over alternatives like OpTic Nation, which would be a huge offering for the Green Wall who adored the Huntsmen brand - and Dallas Empire for that matter.
H3CZ has often held his tongue when being critical of the CDL in recent weeks, given that there is currently an ongoing Arbitration between himself, Scump, and Activision, ever since the OpTic pair filed a lawsuit against the League owners.
Could CDL Challengers be set for massive improvements in 2024?
H3CZ's controversial comments did come before Activision announced that there would be massive changes to the franchised league, including the wavering of all $25million buy-in fees and a rebuttal in the in-game revenue split, which would be much more favourable to teams who can sell their individual bundles.
Challengers wasn't mentioned in the update from Activision, although they assured fans "more investments" will be made into the esport as a whole.
The tier-two competition has just seen FaZe re-enter, under the FaZe Black banner, while Minnesota ROKKR and Boston Breach also continued to invest, joining pre-existing orgs such as OMiT, Mindfreak, and War.
Maybe, with much more financial freedom, Challengers could now be a much more viable option for the CDL orgs, and the Huntsmen brand might just be the right card to be dealt.
Should the Huntsmen brand be revived, it could also prompt more teams to do the same. Who wouldn't watch Florida Mutineers 2.0 take on Hunstmen and relive the David "Davpadie" Maslowski masterclass days?
