Welcome back to the eClassico.
After OpTic Gaming took down PNDA Gaming, the #GreenWall punched its ticket to the winner’s side of the championship bracket. Waiting for them there will be Team EnVyUs.
With a historic rivalry about to be rekindled in Atlanta, Seth “Scump” Abner admitted that it will be “definitely one of the harder matches,” but he has confidence his team will be ready for the challenge. In fact, he looks forward to it, knowing that his next match “will be an easier match” in the winner’s semifinals.
“It’s always fun and the rivalry adds onto it,” Scump said. “I’m really good friends with everyone on that team, so it’s not like it is outside of the game, but whenever you play them, you always want to beat them. Because if you beat a top team like that, especially in the first round, it just sets the place for the rest of the tournament.”
To get out of groups with the top seed, OpTic had to avoid a stunner from PNDA Gaming, one of the upstart North American organizations that was trending on Twitter during the match. As it was OpTic’s first game of the day and PNDA had an entire open bracket to run through, Scump admitted that his team “came out a little stale.”
“They already played today, so they had eaten and drank their coffee,” Scump said. “I had to have tea on main stage after map three, and then it was easy from that point on. I just had to wake up.”
As for the other three teams OpTic played to get through the group, Scump respected the play of several sides who he may see again in the Championship Bracket. His expectations were not as high going into the group, but he is ecstatic to be entering the winner’s bracket with a higher seed.
“Every team in that pool was pretty good,” Scump said. “Allegiance and EG I’d put on the same level, and Splyce is one of the top EU teams. I thought we were at least going to go 3-1, but I’m definitely much happier with a 4-0.”
With a win against another one of the top North American sides potentially being a huge momentum boost, OpTic Gaming is looking to fare better than its 5th-6th finish at MLG Las Vegas.
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James Mattone is a journalist for GAMURS and can be contacted on Twitter –@TheJamesMattone.
