OpTic Chicago may be among the best respawn teams in the Call of Duty League this year, but it’s no secret their S&D still needs some work. Taking a deeper look at the numbers gives us a better understanding of just how the Green Wall can improve moving forward.
Right out of the gates in 2021, fans immediately pointed out OpTic’s glaring flaw. Winning a single round across two S&D maps against Atlanta FaZe, it quickly became clear it was their weakest mode.
Despite looking at the loss as a good learning experience, the star-studded lineup has continued to struggle in S&D throughout the first two Stages. Diving into the data, our Reverse Sweep breakdown helps illuminate just how big an issue it really is.
OpTic leads the charge as the best Control team in the game with a 10-2 map count. They sit among the top four teams in Hardpoint with 12 map wins. However, their S&D is currently the fourth-worst in the league, with six wins and nine losses in the mode.
More specifically, it isn’t just one area of S&D the team struggles in. They’re consistently facing adversity across both sides of any given map. They currently sit as the third-worst team when it comes to offensive rounds. Meanwhile, they’re the fifth-worst team on defensive rounds.
Whether they’re pushing the pace on attack or sitting patiently on defense, they have their struggles in both regards.
It’s clear the S&D map pool doesn’t play into OpTic’s favor either. At the time of writing, they’ve only managed to secure S&D wins on two maps: Moscow and Checkmate.
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While vetoes could see them dodging certain maps entirely, the point still stands. OpTic is yet to see success on Express, Miami, or Raid.
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OpTic player Twitter reactions after getting swept in back-to-back matches.
They'll have to regain fast because they face Empire next weekend | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/ElEdCLUZFK
— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 29, 2021
Another pivotal factor comes on the back of first bloods in S&D. Typically, if a team secures the first kill in a round, you’d favor them to close things out. With just four players on each side, giving your team the numbers advantage is huge.
For OpTic, however, they’re only closing out 69% of the rounds in which they secure the first kill.
Comparatively, a team like Atlanta FaZe is able to close out 86% of the first blood rounds.
On paper, this might not seem like much of a difference. But in game, losing the opening gunfight against OpTic hasn’t proven to be all that damaging. Teams are still able to turn things around and win the 3v4 a good amount.
Ultimately, OpTic needs to evolve their S&D playstyle if they’re going to contend for championships this year. No matter how good their respawn modes might be, failing to close out S&D’s might continue to be their downfall in the league.
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With a decisive 6-2 win over Seattle Surge in the latest Home Series, however, perhaps we’re on the cusp of seeing a major rebound from the Green Wall.