Pacman explains why he’s “scared” for OpTic Chicago’s CDL hopes

Jacob Hale

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OpTic Chicago have had a whirlwind season in the Call of Duty League, seen as a very top side at the start of the year to now being absolutely bodied by Atlanta FaZe. Despite glimmers of hope, it’s still a scary time for OpTic, says Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker.

The Stage 3 Major was a shining beacon of light in OpTic’s rough season. They started the year strong and, after weeks of being seen as a mediocre, mid-table side, earned a top 4 spot at the Major. It was the best performance the Green Wall had seen for some time.

Into Stage 4 though and OpTic came crashing back down to earth, completely dismantled by Atlanta FaZe, proving there’s still some work to be done before they reach the upper echelon.

On Reverse Sweep, Pacman, Katie Bedford and Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt discussed the OpTic conundrum, and Pacman isn’t holding out too much hope for them.

optic scump head in hands after loss
OpTic have had a very up-and-down CDL season so far.

While talking about what went wrong for the team, Pac explained that he’s “scared” for the team.

“When you see teams that don’t have the level of gunskill and teamwork that OpTic have, they can run you over,” he said. “But then they run into FaZe, it’s like running into a brick wall. You have nothing to fall back on, their fundamentals aren’t good enough to overcome that level of skill and teamwork.

“That’s what scares me about OpTic,” he continued. “Even though they got 4th, they looked good, but they still never made us feel like they’re a championship team…There’s a giant hill that they have to get over to beat Toronto, New York, Atlanta on a consistent basis.”

Enable went on to explain that role-for-role, FaZe beats OpTic in every way, adding that they seem to be somewhat of a bogey team for the Chicagoans.

FaZe are undoubtedly the best team in the game, having spent 99% of the season atop to Reverse Sweep power rankings, but OpTic’s inability to even look competitive against them makes for scary viewing for the Green Wall.

Champs is growing ever-closer, and the return of LAN is leaving OpTic and their fans hopeful. But if they want to really be a winning team, the Reverse Sweep crew say they’ll have to get over this hump.

About The Author

Jacob is Dexerto’s UK Editor and Call of Duty esports specialist. With a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing, he previously worked as an Editor at Ginx TV. Jacob was nominated for Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Esports Awards. Contact: jacob.hale@dexerto.com.