Have OpTic Chicago Finally Got Their Search And Destroy Game Down?

Before the 2021 Call of Duty League (CDL) kicked off, there was much discussion about OpTic Chicago’s potential to take home the championship. OpTic are very much competing with last year’s champions, the Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe. They are chasing that all-important first ring as OpTic Chicago, after rebranding prior to this season, having won their first and only championship to date during the 2017 Infinite Warfare season as OpTic Gaming.

The one thing that has held OpTic back over the last few years of CDL play is their Search and Destroy games in crunch time. Things did not get off to a good start this year either.

The Atlanta FaZe Hammering

The mouth-watering opening weekend matchup between OpTic and FaZe had fans eager to see both teams play at their best. Atlanta managed to pull out the win after a closely contested series which went all the way to a game five; however, the two Search and Destroy games were not close whatsoever.

Atlanta crushed OpTic six rounds to zero in the first game of Search and Destroy and only let one round slip away from them the second time round to finish the series against OpTic with 12 rounds won and only one lost in their Search and Destroy games.

Despite stretching the series out to five games, the battering that came OpTic’s way during those Search and Destroy games had fans questioning whether the Chicago side’s old ghosts were coming back to haunt them once again.

It’s no secret that OpTic have not performed well in one life game modes. Historically they have struggled against the big teams with their opening weekend matchup of CDL 2020, ending in another six rounds to one loss against the eventual champions in the shape of the Dallas Empire. However, despite the defeat in Search and Destroy, OpTic went on to win the series.

The series win perhaps glossed over some of the cracks that had appeared over the course of the Search and Destroy game on Arklov Peak, but aside from the Atlanta game this year, those cracks have yet to reappear. The only real problem OpTic have had is their consistency on Search and Destroy maps so far, and after some early criticism from fans, Seth “Scump” Abner took to Twitter to set the record straight.

The OpTic main man said there was too much expectation on the team to be better, saying: “Improving on a game mode isn’t an overnight thing.” The admission perhaps mirrored OpTic’s shaky start to Search and Destroy this season, but since his tweet, the team have improved.

Toronto Ultra were the only team to beat OpTic at the one life game mode since Scump’s tweet with LA Guerrillas, Florida Mutineers, and New York Subliners, all unable to capitalise on OpTic’s apparent weakness.

The true test to see if they have improved will come when they face off against one of their championship rivals again. Another thrashing at the hands of Atlanta Faze would put OpTic right back to where they were at the beginning of the competition, with fans once again questioning whether Chicago can actually go the distance again this year and win that elusive ring.

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Crunch Time

OpTic’s next match against Dallas, scheduled to take place on March 5, will be a battle for the ages. Defending champions Dallas are out to take home the prize once again this year and, in their view, OpTic will just be another rung on the ladder to success, but the stakes are higher for Scump and his teammates.

A win against the current champions can really make the other teams in this season competition take note. It would OpTic right in amongst the teams that are competing for the grand prize and could silence some of the doubters that have creeped out of the woodwork.

The one thing OpTic cannot afford is a crushing defeat. A loss at the hands of the Empire would seriously damage OpTic’s hopes of being able to take out those top teams in the year’s league. While there is still plenty of time to improve, catching up to their rivals could be a stretch too far.

As other teams continue to improve across the other game modes, OpTic will need to keep the pace with their Search and Destroy improvement, so they do not become overly reliant on Hardpoint and Control. Teams like Dallas and Atlanta are capable of forcing a five-game series, and relying solely on two game modes to scrape through a series isn’t exactly a good strategy for a team that is chasing championship glory.

With the stage one major underway, it’s going to get more difficult for OpTic and the other teams as they face off against tougher competition on their way to the stage one major final.
 

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Image via OpTic Chicago