After days of chaos in the Optic Texas camp, the CoD community now understands the reality of this weekend. The Call of Duty League has its second weekend of online matches for Stage two but, for the first time in over a decade, Optic Texas will be spawning in without Seth “Scump” Abner. Nicknamed ‘The King’, Scump stepped down from the starting roster and announced his retirement earlier this week. A move that surprised everyone in the community, fans and players alike.
Although this move was devastating for many that follow pro CoD, it is still widely understood that the pro league is the most competitive it has been since its inception in 2019. With that said, this weekend’s slate of matches will surely be another example of the competitiveness in the Call of Duty League right now. There are good matches to watch all weekend, but in this article I highlight three matches in particular that are meaningful and loaded with skill.
Optic Texas v. Seattle Surge
A very new look Optic Texas roster face off against superstar, Pred, and the Seattle Surge on Friday at 4:30 p.m. est. Brandon “Dashy” Otell is back in the roster after Scump’s decision to retire, and he will squad up with the triad ‘Xeo’ for the first time, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal and Cuyler “Huke” Garland. They are undoubtedly one of the most successful trios in the Call of Duty League era (since 2019). After a massive 3-2 victory against the Boston Breach on Sunday, Optic Texas will look to continue their momentum on Friday. As for the Seattle Surge, following an impressive undefeated winners bracket run and ultimately a runners-up finish at Raleigh Major I, their success has declined. The Surge lost their first two matches of Stage 2 and are in must-win territory against Optic for a winners bracket spot at Boston Major II. They have found much success over the last two seasons from their young stars, Amer “Pred” Zulbeari and Daunte “Sib” Gray. In the league this season both Pred and Sib, respectively, boast a top 10 overall K/D. This duo will largely be looking to their teammates, Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi and Makenzie “Mack” Kelley, to perform more consistently so they can build on their Major I success.
Los Angeles Thieves v. Toronto Ultra
The CoD League community is getting spoiled on Friday. First, the new-look Optic Texas plays Seattle Surge. Then, in the night cap, the LA Thieves will take on the Toronto Ultra at 6 p.m. est. At first glance, this matchup is one of the most intriguing of the weekend but both teams are in very different positions. The Toronto Ultra are second in the overall CDL points standings and ranked first in Stage two thus far. They have looked like one of the best teams in the game and are hoping to continue their success in this match. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Thieves enter the weekend near dire straits as they sit last in the Stage two standings. In the overall CDL points standings Thieves are sixth but have lost three matches in a row, rather convincingly. To make matters worse, Kenneth “Kenny” Williams will be out of the Thieves starting lineup due to illness and former Boston Breach SMG, Kenyen “Capsidal” Sutton, will start in his place. The Toronto Ultra are 9-2 in their last 11 matches and their only losses were to Atlanta Faze and the New York Subliners.
New York Subliners v. Atlanta Faze
The final match of the weekend is the most exciting on paper. Arguably the two best teams in the game, the New York Subliners and Atlanta Faze will matchup in a heavyweight bout on Sunday night at 6 p.m. est. The Subliners are currently first in the CDL points standings and have won 10 of their last 11 matches, including a Championship at Raleigh Major I. NYSL superstar, Paco “Hydra” Rusiewiez, holds the third best overall K/D and his teammate, Cesar “Skyz” Bueno, has the eighth best K/D in the league. Along with that, all of their starting roster holds over a 1 K/D overall. On the other side, the Atlanta Faze are humming along as always. Other than a couple late series at Raleigh, Faze have been successful throughout the season so far. Flex player, McArthur “Cellium” Jovel, has continued his dominance from last year’s Vanguard season and currently has the best overall K/D (1.24) in the CoD League.
The Call of Duty League has 10 matches on the schedule this weekend and these are just a few of them. The action will be exciting all weekend-long and, as always, there is surely going to be drama!
Featured Image Courtesy of Scuf Gaming
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