OpTic Texas pull off stunning reverse-sweep to take down FaZe at Major 1

OpTic Texas completed a stunning reverse sweep to hand Atlanta FaZe their first loss of the Call of Duty League season at Major 1. The match marked the first time that the two bitter rivals have faced each other on LAN in three years.

Things got off to a scrappy start for both sides as they headed into Bocage Hardpoint for Map 1. And OpTic seemed to be getting off to a good start as they took a 50-point lead into the second set of rotations. But from that point on FaZe wrestle control of the map back into their hands as they eventually won it 250 - 177; with Abezy, Cellium, and Simp each finishing with 30+ kills.

OpTic managed to stem FaZe's momentum from Map 1 with a couple of clean round wins to the Berlin SnD for Map 2. But after the teams traded a few rounds, FaZe looked poised to strike once more; or more specifically Simp. The reigning CDL MVP was fearless throughout the game, with OpTic struggling to deal with his presence across the map. FaZe eventually took Berlin SnD 6 - 4, with Simp ending with an incredible 14 - 3 K/D.

Things weren't looking great for OpTic Texas. Although they had played fairly well in the previous two maps, they were now down 2 - 0 in map count and facing a trip to the Lower Bracket in their own backyard.

But OpTic weren't quite ready to say uncle. And thanks to some individual brilliance from Scump and especially Dashy, the Texas team managed to take the Tuscan Control 3 - 2. Giving the Greenwall fans reason to believe that their team were not yet out of this match

Following their superb performance from map 3, OpTic came into the Gavutu Hardpoint for Map 4 with rejuvenated spirits. And it showed from start to finish on this map. Especially once the King himself made his presence known on the map, as Scump dropped a whopping 33 kills against FaZe, as OpTic tied up the series 2 - 2.

The scenes in the arena were sublime. After FaZe seemed primed to put OpTic in the blender along with their previous victims, it was now the Greenwall that had all of the momentum on their side. The boys in red simply looked flabbergasted as the teams loaded up for the decisive battle on Tuscan SnD in Map 5.

However, only one team seemed like they came to play this time around as OpTic managed to string together six lightning-fast rounds in a row to complete the most dominant SnD performance from a team thus far this season. And with that, OpTic took the Map 5 SnD 6 - 0 to complete an emphatic reverse sweep, as well as handing FaZe their first loss of the season. And the crowd, needless to say, were loving every single second of it.

This was a match that always seemed destined to give CoD fans a thrill. And it certainly did not dissappoint. Though FaZe had the edge early on, with Simp and Abezy putting in MVP-calibre performances, it never really felt like OpTic were down and out. A belief that resonated throughout the Esports Arena Arlington as OpTic showed us just how incredible of a team they truly are.

And this match wouldn't have been half as an inccredible as it was if it weren't for the ever-present roars coming from the fans in attendance at the Esports Arena Arlington. The cheers coming from the Greenwall faithful were almost reminiscent of a traditional sports game; and you could tell the OpTic players were feeding off of that energy.

OpTic will now move on to face-off the London Royal Ravens in the Winners Bracket final on Sunday, March 6. Atlanta FaZe on the other hand will need to hit the regain button fast as they will be playing the Los Angeles Thieves in the Lower Bracket as they start on the comeback trail.