OpTic Texas forfeits first match of the CDL 2023 season

OpTic Texas has forfeited the first match of their CDL 2023 season following a dispute over a replay ruling against Minnesota RØKKR.

The Call of Duty League’s Opening Weekend got underway on December 2 and things kicked off to a rocky start. There were several technical issues plaguing the day but none more significant than the game-freezing glitch that stopped Cammy in his tracks during El Asilo Control.

OpTic claimed the victory on the map, but after an hour-long review from the League, it was determined that the teams would have to replay the final round. However, the freezer occurred while the RØKKR star was attempting to call in a killstreak that may not have affected the game, creating a rocky situation for the officials.

After the ruling was handed down, OpTic Texas refused the replay and thus officially forfeited the series to their opponent.

OpTic Texas forfeits against Minnesota RØKKR

Shottzy spoke about the decision in a post-game video update and broke down the situation and how it came about. “Cammy was trying to call in a Precision Airstrike whenever we were on B but he accidentally called in an SAE and that’s the main reason they want a replay. Whenever you pull out an SAE, there’s a bug where you can’t do anything on it…you have to wait like 5 seconds to do anything on it.”

He went on to say that he feels like his team “would’ve won that 100%” and that the team is “p****ed off” over the decision.

Before the announcement was made, OpTic’s Brandon ‘Dashy‘ Otell voiced his displeasure over how things were being handled.

“[Minnesota] took doing whatever it takes to another level…actually shameless,” he Tweeted about the situation.

He quickly followed that up by claiming that the other team were being “f***ing weirdos” about accepting the loss and it didn’t take long for Scump to announce that they wouldn’t be playing the rest of the match. Illey also chimed in, calling the result “pathetic.”

Call of Duty legend and three-time World Champion, Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, also chimed in to say that he doesn’t agree with the replay ruling or understand why it’s so important. “I can’t see a world where the outcome to that map is any different,” he stated.

OpTic co-owner Hastr0 doubled down on the decision and announced the org will stand with their players regardless of the outcome.

“I’m supporting our team on this one. When we dedicate our lives to competing at the highest level, the room for error in the rules is zero.”

The CDL has confirmed the decision and has awarded the win to Minnesota.