Seth “Scump” Abner, the 24-year-old professional Call of Duty Player and Captain of Optic Gaming is recognized by fans around the world. Scump’s accolades include MVP awards, CWL championships, X-Game Gold Medals and more. Not to mention, Sucmp has over 2.4 million YouTube subscribers and over 2 million followers on Twitter. After watching one of Scump’s videos, it is easy to separate his personality from other YouTubers and professional players. His charisma, energy and trash talk are nothing short of unique. But what exactly makes Scump such a great Call of Duty player?
MOVEMENT
One of the most underrated attributes credited to players is movement. Scump is unparalleled when it comes to his ability to master each map, spawn locations and strategic route running. Yet, Scump’s pure hand-eye coordination is impressive. His talent to seemingly flank without others noticing and bob and weave throughout each map picking off players one by one is striking. He seems to effortlessly glide throughout each map, regardless of the game mode, and set himself up in great situations to win the gun fight.
PICKING AND CHOOSING BATTLES
While watching one of his YouTube videos or a CWL live stream, it is easy to tell that Scump’s movement and pure knowledge of player tendencies around the map is the reason he is able to set himself up in “good” gunfights. But, a good gunfight for one player might be bad for another depending on the type of weapon the individual is using. Scump loves to match his fast paced movement with the “Saug 9mm” SMG. A deadly and rapid automatic weapon from close range, yet ineffective from further out. Thus, Scump knows that a good gunfight for him is one where the closer the opponent is, the better. Deciding to forgo longer range fights, evade and set up new positions in tight areas, Scump effectively sets himself up into positions where he is likely to come face to face with his opponent, and ultimately win the showdown.
CONFIDENCE
Usually overlooked in the professional gaming community is psychology and mentality. Like other professional sports, the mental breakdown of a player both before and in game is critical to success. If a player starts off bad, many will oftentimes get discouraged and it will hinder their performance going forward. On the other hand, a player may start very hot and feel too confident in his abilities, choosing the wrong gunfight and losing a critical position for his team. While watching Scump commentate it is easy to tell his disposition is unlike any other’s. Scump not only believes and knows that he can dominate each map, mode and any opponent; but he is smart about it. He is not passive or overly aggressive, but is rather confident in his abilities while remaining extremely strategic. In multiple instances in the CWL, Scump has gotten off on the wrong foot. As most players would seemingly go absent within the game, a few early deaths seem to mean nothing to Scump. With each respawn comes a new opportunity. He wipes his slate clean and confidently goes back to what he knows best: slaying his opponents.
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