OpTic Texas reunites 2020 CDL world champs with roster change leading into Stage Two Major

(Gray News) - OpTic Texas had a murky offseason regarding their roster. Back in August, they officially released Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell and Indervir ‘iLLey’ Dhaliwal intending to find two new players to revamp their starting four. A day later, fans were left confused when OpTic reversed this decision, and it was quickly made clear that Dashy and iLLey were there to stay. This all came while rumors were already swirling that Seth ‘Scump’ Abner would retire following the 2023 Call of Duty League (CDL) season, which was confirmed to be true this past October.

Scump’s reasoning for retiring wasn’t without its speculation either. It has since come out that Scump may have initially intended to retire following the 2022 season but was convinced to stay another season following a conversation with Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro. The subject of that conversation was Shotzzy’s intention to leave OpTic if Scump retired.

OpTic moved into the Stage One Major with high hopes and faith in the players they had decided to keep together. There was no doubt from the fans of OpTic or of the CDL that their roster had boundless potential and was poised for success in Stage One. Unfortunately for OpTic, their performance proved to be lackluster, and they were knocked out in the group stage.

Many were left questioning the legitimate strength of OpTic’s roster. OpTic seemingly agreed that they needed to go back to the drawing board as rumors began to swirl once more that Dashy and iLLey were on the chopping block. Suggestions arose that Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson from LA Guerillas and Seattle Surge’s Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari were first in line to fill the spots, but Arcitys shot down rumors swiftly, noting his contract. Pred, on the other hand, alluded to talks with OpTic, mentioning that “everything that could have possibly happened to make it [OpTic Texas move] happen…was attempted.” With all of the attempts, though, he remained on Seattle Surge.

Finally, the roster movement became clearer after social media activity and a Twitter post from Dashy. It appeared Dashy would be the one to part from the starting four, and a few days ago, we got the answer to who his replacement would be.

Former Los Angeles Guerilla and 2020 World Champ with Dallas Empire Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland has polished off OpTic Texas’s new roster going into Stage Two qualifiers. Huke was teammates with iLLey and Shotzzy when they won the 2020 CDL World Championship, so it’s reassuring knowing there is a solid history for this team to go off of right out of the gate.

Stage Two qualifiers start Jan. 13, while OpTic Texas will have to wait until Jan. 15 to take on Boston Breach, the hosts of Major Two. Hopefully, their team chemistry will develop rapidly, and they will return to showing fans why they should be considered a powerhouse.

Gray Television is an investor in OpTic Gaming.

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