OpTic Gaming and Envy have always been rivals in the competitive Call of Duty, although the Green Wall may have a new contender to look at, with LA Thieves prepared to steal the spotlight in the hottest fight of 2021.
There was always a constant in the Call of Duty scene. When OpTic and Envy clash, everyone is in tune. EClasico has long been one of the biggest clashes in all electronic sports. But with the dawn of a new competitive season, is it now time for another historic rivalry to emerge?
With Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez and the power of the Green Wall helping to transform Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag into the cultural icon he is today, there is no denying the rich history between the two owners of the CDL franchise. After a year on the sidelines, LA Thieves de Nadeshot finally has a chance to steal the show and perhaps steal some of OpTic’s momentum in the process.
Could OpTic have new rivals next year? Will this long-awaited showdown become Call of Duty’s next must-see showdown? Only time will tell how this rivalry will evolve, although there are no two teams with more potential to capture the entire e-sports community in 2021 like OpTic Chicago and LA Thieves.
H3CZ and Nadeshot: the friendliest of rivals
H3CZ and Nadeshot are made of the same cloth, as they are extremely passionate fans of their own organizations.
It is almost impossible to think of the powerful CDL brands without thinking of the faces behind them. As current owners of their respective organizations, the H3CZ and Nadeshot e-sports journeys have been linked for more than a decade.
OpTic Gaming was the first Call of Duty team that Nadeshot represented on a professional level. It is the pillar in the history of electronic sports that he helped build as a captain over a competitive six-year career. It was the foundation from which he became one of the biggest stars in the gaming industry.
Nadeshot and H3CZ were inseparable during OpTic’s initial rise in the electronic sports industry.
Since his departure in 2015, Nadeshot has replicated that success at 100 Thieves and now at the LA Thieves CDL franchise. Although the pair were inseparable in the past, the two will fight for first place in different teams in 2021.
Both are supercompetitive in their essence, but we have rarely seen this competitive advantage over the other. Their teams made their League of Legends debut side by side in 2018, facing a handful of times throughout the year. In the meantime, we only had one year to enjoy the Call of Duty showdown.
Each time they met, however, it started to seem more and more significant. In fact, the last time they faced each other was when the stakes were high: in the 2019 low key finals of the Champs.
100 Thieves took the best of OpTic for most of 2019.
A 3-0 sweep for the Thieves is how their final showdown in Call of Duty came to an end. Knowing the importance of Champs for everyone involved, especially H3CZ, there is no chance that the defeat has not hurt until today.
Now, the two owners have revitalized their presence on the scene and the two are ready to go out and play with who they believe to be the best players in the world today. No matter how many times they meet in 2021, or who comes out as the winner each time, all eyes will be on H3CZ and Nadeshot.
Dashy’s golden opportunity against thieves
2021 is Dashy’s chance to correct the mistakes of the inaugural CDL season.
2020 was not the result Dashy expected after a successful year at Black Ops 4. His initial race with OpTic was filled with extraordinary highlights and outstanding performances, but it all came crashing down with the launch of Modern Warfare.
When the franchise took over, Dashy was left behind while OpTic transitioned to a completely different entity. With H3CZ now building the Huntsmen brand under NRG, Dashy did everything he could to be negotiated on. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t in the cards. Although he allegedly threatened to resign, he was rehired for a position at OGLA.
What followed was a turbulent year during the inaugural CDL season, with Dashy playing reluctantly alongside new teammates at SlasheR, Kenny and JKap. The poor placements in the early events saw Dashy relegated to the bank, with little hope of changing things.
2020 was a difficult year for Dashy, having spent a lot of time on the OGLA bench.
Cut to 2021, a year that H3CZ expects to be “transformative”For Dashy. Now, the stage is set for the final return in every sense of the word. Not only will he have a chance to live up to his 2019 advertising campaign, but he will also be able to do so against the list that apparently held him back in 2020.
When OpTic Chicago takes on the Los Angeles Thieves in 2021, it will be Dashy taking on his former teammates. He has a chance to clear the slate against the Thieves.
We may be in a different cycle with the Black Ops Cold War, although emphatic victories over SlasheR, Kenny and TJHaLy throughout the season may rekindle their star power. Not to mention that Dashy also has a history with Temp, having worked together long before in their careers.
On the other side of the coin, LA defeating its rivals in Chicago would only add fuel to the fire. As friends outside the lobby, there is no denying that the small talk between the maps would be on another level, given the history between the players.
TJHaLy tries to get revenge on the OpTic
TJHaLy is now facing former teammates OpTic Scump and Dashy.
Although each player on both sides has his reasons for winning, TJHaLy may have a bigger fire under him than any other. When the CDL went into effect, it was also left behind by Dashy.
Things have not changed much in his first year in the league, and now the iceman is completely separated from his former teammates. No more Scump next to him on stage, no more Dashy thrilling him online.
For the first time, he will be on the opposite side of the lobby.
Again, he is a close friend of everyone outside the game. But when it comes time to charge against OpTic, rest assured that there will be an extra sense of motivation for TJHaLy.
He will try to prove that he is a top player without them. That he can reach the top of the CDL ranking, despite them. At the end of the day, show that your team is stronger than theirs.
TJHaLy will try to prove his worth against his former OpTic teammates.
Making a statement and trying to overturn the current OpTic line will be a storyline to watch throughout the year. The questions will be answered when the spotlight shines on TJHaLy to overcome his former allies who have become rivals.
As a spice added to the confrontation, no one can forget how 2020 came to an end for TJHaLy. Losing the fifth game, the 11th round 1×1 against Envoy will surely have hurt. Now, TJ has every opportunity to overcome that low point and prove that he is above Envoy and OpTic.
While H3CZ is inclined to promote Empire or FaZe as its biggest rivals of the year, there is no denying that OpTic Chicago vs LA Thieves has an incomparable talent for this. With his legions of fans, he is sure to captivate the community every time, unlike any other match this year.
It turns out that fans won’t have to wait long to see their first match so early. The CDL Kick-Off Classic is bringing us six opening matchups from the 23rd to the 24th of January. Our first sample of the new eClasico closes the show, as the Thieves are ready to try climbing the Green Wall.