Call of Duty: OpTic fall and underdogs prevail as CMG ProDown reaches final stages

Ross Deason

Day one of the first CMG ProDown tournament of 2019 has come to an end, and the four teams advancing to day two might come as a surprise to some.

The biggest surprise of the first round came when OpTic Gaming were defeated by G2 Esports. The new look G2 roster, which now features the likes of Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni and  Andres ‘Lacefield’ Lacefield, blew past the CWL Las Vegas champions in 4-1 fashion.

The CWL Vegas runners up, eUnited, were also knocked straight into the losers bracket after losing 4-3 to Jordon ‘General’ General’s Enigma6 squad. Elsewhere, Red Reserve took down 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses defeated Team Envy.

OpTic Gaming lost their first round matchup against G2.

The impressive round one form from G2 continued throughout the night as they went on to beat FaZe Clan and Red Reserve to book their spot in the winners bracket final against Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal’s SZN roster. That match will take place when the competition resumes on January 7.

January 6-7 CMG ProDown official Winners Bracket:

In the losers bracket, OpTic appeared to be back on track after their initial loss. Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and company took down Pittsburgh Knights and Evil Geniuses with relative ease but their momentum came to a sudden halt when they met Red Reserve in losers round four.

After some early struggles in Black Ops 4, Red Reserve have been making noticeable improvements online in recent weeks. These improvements were plain for all to see as the Europeans blew past OpTic in 3-0 fashion to earn a spot in the losers final.

January 6-7 CMG ProDown official Losers Bracket:

Red Reserve and eUnited will compete for a spot in the losers final.

The result will came as a shock to many. OpTic’s dominance online and offline in Black Ops 4 has seen them win every significant competition that they have entered. Their 5th-6th place finish in the January 6 ProDown proves that they aren’t invincible.

Red Reserve will face eUnited in the losers bracket final on January 7. James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks and company rallied after their first round loss, defeating Reciprocity, FaZe and Splyce in nail-biting matches that all ended 3-2. They then took down E6 with ease to book their spot in the losers final.

The $2,500 competition will resume on January 7. With OpTic Gaming eliminated, the four remaining teams will be keen to prove that they have what it takes to win championships in Black Ops 4. 

The winner of the G2 vs SZN match will advance to the grand final, while the loser will take on the winner of the Red vs eU game.  The losers bracket final will then determine the second team for the grand final.

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