H3CZ explains why FaZe are OpTic’s toughest competition in 2021

Julian Young
OpTic H3CZ

On the December 18 episode of the Charlie Intel podcast, Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez explained why the Atlanta FaZe will be OpTic Chicago’s top challenge in the 2021 Call of Duty League season.

In the 2020 CDL playoffs, OpTic Los Angeles and the Chicago Huntsmen met and the Huntsmen came out on top. Chicago would go on to beat the London Royal Ravens, and then fall to FaZe, 3-1.

After the CDL season ended, Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez announced that he had reacquired the OpTic Gaming brand from Immortals Gaming Club. Then, the OpTic Gaming LA league spot was bought by Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and 100 Thieves, rebranding to the Los Angeles Thieves while the Huntsmen were rebranded to OpTic Chicago.

As the CDL teams make roster adjustments and prepare for the start of the 2021 season, H3CZ revealed which team he thinks has the best chance of spoiling an OpTic title in 2021, and it’s the same organization that ruined Chicago title hopes in 2020: Atlanta.

For mobile users, segment starts at 51:40.

When asked what team would challenge OpTic Chicago for the 2021 CDL title, H3CZ confirmed the top competitors are FaZe.

He affirmed that after signing Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson, who Chicago let go in their pursuit of Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell, FaZe is now “a more complete team.” This likely because Arcitys, a top-tier AR in the CDL, is considered to be an upgrade from Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak at the AR spot. While he acknowledged the FaZe signing of Arcitys was a smart move, he remains confident in his own team’s ability to challenge Atlanta for the 2021 title.

H3CZ pointed out the transition of Dashy from the old OpTic LA team to the new OpTic Chicago roster was an important boost for the team. He had high praise and expectations for Dashy in the 2021 season (and beyond), saying “his ceiling is unmatched.”

CDL Atlanta FaZe Chicago Huntsmen 2020
Atlanta FaZe defeated the Chicago Huntsmen in the 2020 CDL playoffs to reach the championship.

“I think we’re good,” H3CZ said, closing out his thoughts on OpTic’s 2021 roster, while still confirming FaZe is the top dog to watch out for.

Likely to start in January, CDL fans should keep a close eye on the brewing rivalry between OpTic and FaZe. With new teams in the league and an updated 4v4 format for the Black Ops Cold War era, CDL fans have plenty of excitement in store for 2021. Even further, one has to wonder if the Dallas Empire will have a chip on their shoulder for being snubbed as team to beat despite their 2020 championship.

With the first announcement from the CDL regarding the league format for 2021 posted on December 18, official confirmation of the season’s start date should not be far behind. Fans should keep an eye on DexertoIntel for future updates.

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About The Author

Julian is a former writer at Dexerto, located in the United States (East Coast based). He covered general gaming, esports and entertainment news, but has a soft spot for Destiny in particular.