Shotzzy: OpTic Texas “respawn is not up to par in matches”

OpTic Texas got off to a winning start at the Boston Major 2 tournament but SMG Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro still thinks that they are being held back by their respawn.

OpTic won their first match of the tournament 3-2, beating LA Thieves in a map five El Asilo Search and Destroy.

They lost map one and map three in the series. OpTic also ran it incredibly close in map four, winning a Zarqwa Hydroelectric Hardpoint by fewer than 20 points.

Map four came down to the wire, with the final from P1 to P2 proving to be the one that got OpTic over the line.

"During the last rotation, I could have sworn that I looked at the map and thought that there was no way that we would win on P2," Shotzzy told Esports.gg.

"Then I looked at the scoreboard when we were on 220 and we knew we could win off it. Everyone turned up and everyone was comming the good things, that map we won but Thieves are a good team and you have to fight for every single rotation."

OpTic continue to struggle to establish dominance in respawn modes. The team are yet to win a series having won all three respawns in the Major 2 split.

"Our respawn is not up to par in matches compared to scrims," Shotzzy said. "When we get over that hump, we think we will be a really dominant team, especially because of how good our SnD is."

What has been good about OpTic Texas is their Search and Destroy game and especially their clutch, game five SnD. 60% of OpTic's Major 2 matches have gone to map five. They have won all of them.

Against LA Thieves, it's always a toss-up, but OpTic once again came away with the win.

"I feel like every single time we play against them it’s always a good matchup," Shotzzy said. "There have been times that we have beaten them worse than that and vice versa but I feel like we’re both really good at respawns so it comes down to the SnDs, and luckily we won both SnDs.

"We finally went over SnD," Shotzzy said. "Going into Major 1, we practiced it but we freeballed it. We went in with the mentality of whatever happens, happens.

"Now, we got down with the team and have been in a private match to sort new strats and new counter-strats. That’s why our SnD has picked up more."

Part of the changes has been to a more analytical style of coaching. Ray "Rambo" Lussier took a step back from the team after Brandon "Dashy" Otell was put back on the roster. That left JohnPaul "JPKrez" Krez as the sole coaching figure of the team. Shotzzy says his impact is being felt.

"Ray’s not with us anymore. JP doesn’t do the same thing as Ray," Shotzzy said. "He more analytical, he’s saying stuff like telling me when I’m dying first on rotation more than anyone else and stuff like that.

"It helps with adjusting my mindset, and helps me to slow it down and play more methodical. JP is new to the team and he has been nothing but a help so far."

The Boston Major 2 event is the first in the CDL era without Scump in attendance. Call of Duty legend Seth "Scump" Abner is instead hosting watch parties for the event from his home in Texas.

Scump was on the Texas team with Shotzzy before retirement. OpTic ended up replacing the legend with Cuyler "Huke" Garland, which has been a well-worked change according to Shotzzy.

"It’s been weird," he said. "I’ve teamed with Scump for only a year but we played with Seth at the beginning of the year and then we had the transition with Huke. It’s been a good transition and honestly we just need to keep working with our pacing."

Even without Scump, OpTic are still fan favorites in Boston and in the wider CDL world. That a level of love that any player would want to have.

"We all feel it. Everyone loves it," Shotzzy added. "As soon as you get a piece, you can feel the crowd and you can even ego chall when you’re not supposed to. I feel like when you get that kind of confidence when you play CoD, it makes you play better."

Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more live coverage of Boston Major 2.