OpTic Texas kicked off this year’s rostermania by announcing the departures of Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland and Daniel ‘Ghosty’ Rothe.
CDL 2024 rostermania officially started on June 25, as teams decided to either re-sign players that still have an option eligible in their contracts or let them walk.
Free agents aren’t able to officially enter negotiations with organizations until July 3, but the contract extension deadline gave us an early look at what fans can expect. Minnesota shocked fans by not re-signing anyone on its roster, and Boston moved on from Vivid, Nero, and Owakening.
As contract extension news slowly trickles out, OpTic Texas surprised some members of the Green Wall fan base by releasing Ghosty and Huke.
Ghosty and Huke not coming back to OpTic Texas
On June 26, OpTic Texas announced that Huke and Ghosty are not being re-signed for the 2024 season.
Took the CDL by storm and never looked back.Thank you for representing OpTic well, and we wish you the best @oDanGhosty pic.twitter.com/r6yXAbthzE
— OpTic Texas (@OpTicTexas) June 26, 2023
Ghosty responded: “This rookie season was an insane opportunity, and I couldn’t have been more blessed to have been a part of the GreenWall. It truly was an honor to represent OpTic on the biggest stage.”
Huke added: “As always, thank you for the support and allowing me to live the dream. Not an end, just a beginning.”
Both players played a major role in OpTic Texas turning around its season after a disappointing start.
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2023 turnaround not enough to retain Texas roster
Texas added Huke From the LA Guerillas ahead of the CDL Major 2 Qualifiers, and the dynamic SMG refound his championship form.
However, it wasn’t until OpTic added Ghosty that the franchise really found its footing again.
The calm, cool, and collected rookie immediately propelled the team to a grand final appearance during his first time on the main stage. OpTic ultimately lost to Toronto, but the performance jumpstarted a dominant run of form.
OpTic didn’t drop another online match for the rest of the season, going 5-0 in both Major 4 and Major 5 Qualifiers.
That dominant run didn’t result in any trophies, as the team lost a second straight grand final at Major 4 and then crashed out of Major 5 with a top 12 finish.
A top 6 finish at COD Champs marked the end of Huke and Ghosty’s run in Texas. It will be interesting to see where both players land next season.