Enable: OpTic need to break “mental block” to become CDL champions
Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyOpTic Chicago look like they’re finally turning their Call of Duty League season around… but they still have one huge obstacle to overcome if they want to win championships again.
Throughout Stages 2 and 3 of the 2021 CDL season, OpTic seemed to lose their way. They started their season as legitimate contenders but they quickly fell to the wayside as other teams learned the game and overtook them in the standings.
At the Stage 3 Major, though, that seemed to change. They started in the Loser’s Bracket and went on a bit of a run, falling in a devastatingly close Game 5 matchup against Toronto Ultra, arguably a top-two team in the game.
On Reverse Sweep, hosts Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker explain why a “mental block” could be the difference between winning and losing against the best teams for OpTic.
MLGWhile discussing OpTic’s steady rise back to the top, the Reverse Sweep crew obviously had to talk about Atlanta FaZe, and where OpTic are falling short of them — especially in the manner they’ve lost to them.
“It’s got to be a confidence thing,” Pacman says. “Anyone can say they believe they’re going to win, but do they actually feel like they’re gonna win? I’m just not sure.”
Enable reiterated what Pacman was saying, too. “They’re competitors. They’re not going to tell you there’s a mental block but it’s clearly got to be there. If you can get a nice, solid win, I think we could see OpTic really breaking into that top tier and then being a legitimate contender for the rest of the year.”
While OpTic have looked great throughout Stage 4 against mid to lower-table opposition, they were absolutely slaughtered by Atlanta FaZe when they met up.
There is very clearly a huge improvement in OpTic’s gameplay, but if they can’t even get close to beating the best teams, it signals a huge issue for them going forward. Whether they can beat that mental block, however, remains to be seen.