New OpTic CoD Players Methodz and Octane Discuss The Pressure of Filling the Shoes of Past Legends
OpTic Gaming’s two newest Call of Duty recruits Sam “Octane” Larew and Anthony “Methodz” Zinni discuss the pressure they feel playing for OpTic and ‘filling the shoes’ of former players.
The roster change signalled the end of arguably the most dominant Call of Duty roster of all time, with three time world champion Damon “Karma” Barlow and 2017 World Champion and MVP Matthew “FormaL” Piper leaving the team.
Octane was the first choice replacement for FormaL, who moved in the opposite direction to join Luminosity, but it is known that Methodz was not the first choice replacement for Karma.
The team has started Division B of the CWL Pro League strongly however, currently sitting in 2nd place behind Rise Nation.
But with the caliber and legacy of previous OpTic rosters, fans will expect nothing less than 1st place, something which Methodz and Octane will undoubtedly be prepared for.
Speaking on the most recent episode of the CoD Cast, the weekly podcast hosted by former professional Anthony “NAMELESS” Wheeler, the two players opened up about their time so far, and the pressure they feel from fans.
Methodz: “It’s obviously big shoes to fill. We just got to play and win. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had more pressure on this team than like any team ever, and I think that would be [the same] for any person filling the shoes of Damon and Matt. I just have to zone it out.
I try to put it in its simplest form, just playing a video game against four human beings, I’m just going to go out there and play video games. It’s been working so far. But we haven’t played an open event, with the fans going nuts, so we’ll see.”
Octane:
“It’s not that bad, I don’t really think about it. In terms of stepping into [FormaL’s] shoes, I view it as my own start, I don’t want to think of myself as trying to be [FormaL].
I don’t really want to step into his shoes, I want to do my own thing. When I sit down [to play], I just zone in, I don’t think about anything.”
OpTic will play in front of likely the largest crowd so far of the WWII season at the upcoming CWL Anaheim, which is traditionally the biggest open event of the year.
Coming into the tournament, OpTic are not likely to be many people’s favorites, with Rise still looking the strongest team, but the fans will still expect a first place finish nonetheless.
You can watch the full episode of the CoD Cast with OpTic Gaming below, with discussion of the pressure Methodz and Octane feel starting at around the 22:30 minute mark.