Scump retires: CoD community pays tribute to OpTic legend

OpTic legend Seth ‘Scump’ Abner announced his retirement earlier than expected, and the CoD community responded with an outpour of admiration.

We all thought we had one more season of Scump on the main stage. However, on January 17, Abner decided to call it a career after accomplishing everything there is to do in professional CoD.

Starting his OpTic career in 2012, Scump walks off into the sunset as the second-winningest player in Call of Duty history with 31 major tournament wins, two X Games gold medals, and one world championship.

Scump’s retirement marks the end of one of the longest-tenured and most decorated eras in esports history. The OpTic Gaming Dynasty, featuring FormaL, Crimsix, Karma, and Nadeshot, won 18 offline tournaments and one Championship Title, and now each cast member is officially retired.

Along the way, Abner created friendships, rivalries, and lifetime fans, not just in CoD but across the entire gaming industry. CoD community members and others took one last opportunity to bow down to “the king,” thanking him for everything he contributed to the scene.

CoD Community pays homage to Scump’s legendary career

Scump is one of the all-time greats of Call of Duty.

It’s only fitting to begin with Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, who teamed with Scump at the beginning of OpTic’s historic run. Nadeshot posted a tribute to Twitter, saying: “The greatest Call of Duty player of all time. Scump has had more impact on the success and growth of competitive Call of Duty than any other player to date, and is one of the reasons why so many players and staff get to work in this industry that we all love so much. Love you, brother.”

CDL GM Daniel Tsay thanked Scump by saying, “A rare combination of talent, class, and charisma – we have been fortunate to have you for all these years. Competitive COD is forever grateful, and congrats on your new chapter, this is only the beginning!”

Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper was an integral part of OpTic’s dynasty run, and he posted a tribute to Scump: “Best friend for life, insane career and proud to call you my duo. Happy to have made all those memories with you, kid.”

Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni and Scump’s long, storied relationship dates back to 2012. Both players broke onto the scene around the same time, becoming friends on and off-stage. The Boston beamer shared his congrats in a heartfelt post.

There are two dynasties in Call of Duty history. OpTic’s dynasty and CompLexity’s impressive two-year streak from 2013-14. At the heart of the magical run was James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks. Clayster and Scump duked it out in some of the most memorable matches in CoD history and teamed together on OpTic during CoD Ghosts.

“Been through it all for 11+ years at this point, sad to see you go but excited to see what the future holds, Scump. Love yah brotha,” Clayster wrote.

Few active players have as long of a history with Scump as Sam ‘Octane’ Larew. Joining the CWL in 2015, the pair have had countless bouts and even briefly teamed with one another in 2018. Octane shared, “I grew from a fan of his to his teammate over the course of my career, and it’s going to be hard seeing Call of Duty without Scump at the forefront. It was an honor to share the battlefield, brother.”

NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns congratulated Scump on his retirement.

Scump passes his torch on to the next generation of CoD players. Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell returns after previously getting dropped, and Scump said in his goodbye video, “Brandon, I’m going to be on your a**. Please use this opportunity well because I’m falling down so you can go up, and I hope you use this right.”

Dashy responded, “I just hope to make you proud from the outside, my brother.” Fellow OpTic Gaming teammate Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro added, “Best teammate anyone could ever wish for, it was a pleasure. Happy to see this new chapter in his life.”

Atlanta Faze’s Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr is at the forefront of CoD’s next generation of players, and he shared his well wishes by saying, “Insane career and forever the face of CoD. Thanks for being an inspiration to the scene, good luck with what’s next brotha.”

Scump will forever be remembered as one of the greatest esports competitors of all time, and he leaves a void behind with almost impossible shoes to fill.