Top 20 Players of MW3: #4 Shotzzy

The #4 player of the Modern Warfare 3 season brought to you by HouseBets.com is the Movement King, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro.

Shotzzy became one of the first two-time World Champions in the CDL era, along with his teammate Kenneth “Kenny” Williams. After not reaching their goals in during Modern Warfare 2 and taking home no championships, the team shifted. OpTic would build around Shotzzy & he’d reward them. The superstar SMG finished the year with a 1.04 overall KD and 83.2 Slayer Rating, leading the team to a Major 3 victory and COD Champs win in Texas. At both tournament wins, Shotzzy would be the MVP, leading OpTic to the path to greatness.

Season Review

As OpTic rebuilt around Brandon “Dashy” Otell and Shotzzy, they sought leadership and a top-tier SMG player. They brought in Kenny to partner with Dashy as the AR duo. As the fourth option, Kenny provided leadership and solid objective stats, consistently making the right plays on the map. To pair with Shotzzy, the team signed Amer "Pred" Zulbeari to take on the slayer role, bringing a contrasting pace. With a strong slaying roster, each player had the opportunity to shine.

The season kicked off with the Major 1 Qualifiers, and with high expectations, OpTic was expected to contend for the championship in every major cycle. However, things didn’t start as planned, as OpTic stumbled against Miami, losing 0-3. They also suffered defeats to Atlanta (0-3) and New York (2-3), finishing the qualifiers with a 4-3 record. With a narrow 14-13 map count (52%), concerns arose heading into the Major.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Those worries were quickly dispelled with a dominant 3-0 win over Miami in the opening match, setting up another clash with Atlanta. Although OpTic pushed FaZe to the limit, they ultimately lost the series 3-2. Determined to bounce back, OpTic defeated Seattle and Minnesota 3-1 in the Lower Bracket to advance to the Lower Finals. However, in yet another showdown with FaZe, OpTic couldn’t break through, falling 3-1 and being eliminated from the tournament. This marked their third consecutive loss to Atlanta in the opening stage. With a 3rd-place finish, there was room for OpTic to improve heading into the next stage.

The team quickly put their 3rd-place finish at Major 1 behind them. Shotzzy and the squad hit their stride in the second set of Qualifiers, securing wins over New York, Toronto, and LAT. They remained unbeaten, finishing the qualifiers with a flawless 7-0 record and a 21-10 map count. Although they faced challenges, they emerged as the 1st seed. As they headed into the Major, OpTic seemed poised for a deep run.

📸 Photo by @OpTicTexas

Texas kicked things off at the Major with a dominant 3-0 victory over the Miami Heretics, followed by a 3-1 win against Scrap and the Toronto Ultra. In the Upper Finals, OpTic faced off against Atlanta FaZe for a spot in the Grand Finals. However, FaZe once again proved too strong, taking the series 3-1 and sending OpTic to the Lower Bracket. OpTic rebounded with a win over New York but fell to FaZe again in the Finals, 4-1, marking their fifth straight loss to Atlanta this season. While OpTic had the upper hand against New York and Toronto, they just couldn't overcome FaZe.

After coming so close at Major 2, OpTic was finally ready to take center stage. With a 6-1 series record in the third set of qualifiers, they secured the 3rd seed with a 19-8 map count (70%). Their only defeat came at the hands of Atlanta, but they managed to dominate every other opponent. At the Major, it was time to get to work. OpTic opened with a 3-1 win over Carolina but stumbled against Scrap & Co., dropping to the Lower Bracket. However, this only fueled their determination. OpTic battled through, defeating Miami (3-1) and New York (3-2) to set up a Lower Bracket Finals showdown with their rivals, Atlanta. This time, OpTic delivered, confidently winning the series 3-2 in a game 5 thriller. The franchise captured the Major 3 Championship and earned their first tournament win since Vanguard. Shotzzy won the MVP behind a 1.11 KD, 1.17 KD in Hardpoint, and 90.7 Slayer Rating. In the Finals, Shotzzy went 104-76 (1.37 KD) to bring home the Championship.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

After two consecutive strong stages from OpTic, a nightmare stage followed. Despite starting with a 3-0 win against Miami, the team went on to lose six straight series, finishing the qualifier with a 1-6 record. Their Achilles' heel was Search and Destroy, nearly setting a record for consecutive losses by dropping 12 SNDs in a row. OpTic's struggles continued into the Major, where they faced Miami Heretics in the first round of the Lower Bracket. In a tightly contested match, Texas couldn't advance, losing 3-2. This marked the first time in history that a team went from winning a Major to finishing in the Top 12 at the next.

The low point didn't last long, as the team entered Championship weekend brimming with confidence. After swiftly defeating LAG 3-0 in the opening match, OpTic faced off against the LA Thieves. Ghosty and the squad fought hard, but OpTic proved too strong, securing a 3-2 victory to advance to the Upper Finals against New York. With a Grand Finals spot on the line, OpTic turned up the intensity, edging out the Subliners 3-2 to secure their place. Riding a wave of energy and perfect form, OpTic Texas then dominated the New York Subliners in the Finals, capturing their first World Championship since 2017.

How good was Shotzzy in 2024?

Hardpoint

Statistically, Shotzzy’s weakest individual game mode on the season was Hardpoint. That isn’t because he was lackluster, it was due to his high level of play in the other two modes. On the year, Shotzzy ended with a 1.02 KD in Hardpoint. He averaged per 10-minute data of 23.1 kills, 60.7 seconds of hill time, 4156 damage, and a team-high 54.6 engagements. Ant played at a high pace and had high impact for Texas.

OpTic Texas emerged as the top Hardpoint team in the CDL, finishing with a league-leading 61-26 record. Their standout records this season included 9-1 on 6 Star, 12-2 on Sub Base, and 11-6 on Rio. They dominated several key metrics, including average margin (+28), points per hold opportunity (32.4), and Map 4 performance (28-10). Their consistency shone both on LAN (29-10) and online (32-16), achieving an impressive average win margin of +39.9 on LAN. The team excelled in fundamentals, ranking 3rd in holding (77.7%), 3rd in breaking (26.0%), and 4th in rotation percentage (50%). Stage 3 was their best, finishing 20-4 with an average margin of +46.8 and 12-1 in Map 1s. Insane form from the team this season.

Search & Destroy

The mode where Shotzzy had the most impact was arguably Search & Destroy. He led the team in multiple categories including kills per round (0.77), KD (1.10), plants (89), and opening duel wins (99). Shotzzy also led the League in 4-kill rounds, getting 6 aces in the season. He tied Pred with 12 SND maps with double-digit kills, while also going positive in 65.2% of maps, 7th highest in the CDL. Shotzzy also had one of the largest differences in win rate depending on if he finished positive or negative. In SND maps, if Shotzzy went positive the team went 29-16 (64.4%) but if he went negative the team went 4-20 (16.7%). High impact out of the superstar entry SMG.

Search & Destroy proved to be OpTic's Achilles' heel this season, with a 33-36 record that placed them 8th in the CDL. They struggled particularly during Stage 4, enduring a tough 12-map losing streak. While their fundamentals in Hardpoint were solid, their SND play lacked the same polish. Texas ranked 10th in opening duel win rate (48%), 8th in post-plant win percentage (65.6%), and 10th in retake win percentage (29.2%). However, they performed better on LAN, finishing with a 16-13 record compared to 17-23 online, and went 5-2 in their last 7 maps at Champs.

Control

Much like SND, Shotzzy had very high impact in Control. He finished the year with a 1.06 KD in the game mode, staying consistent with a 1.06 on LAN. He added per 10-minute data of with team-highs of 20.0 kills and 3845 damage while adding 1.7 tick captures per attacking round. His slaying impact in the mode was key to Texas’ success. Shotzzy led the team with 13 Control maps with 30+ kills and 21 maps with 5,000+ damage. If Shotzzy went positive, the team went 25-4 (86.2%) but if he went negative the team went 4-17 (19%).

While OpTic performed solidly in this swing mode, they encountered some map pool challenges. They ended the season with a 29-21 record in Control, with individual map records of 5-8 on Highrise, 12-8 on Invasion, and 12-5 on Karachi. Although they led the League with an average of 4.3 ticks captured per attack, they struggled in round 5s, finishing with a 9-12 record. The mode was a big reason for their success at Champs. Texas ended 4-1 while leading the League in round win percentage (65%), attacking record (7-4), and average ticks per attack (4.8).

A look ahead to Black Ops 6

The World Championship came together when it mattered most, proving they were the best team in the world. Regardless of what happens at the Esports World Cup, the team will stay intact heading into next season, with no result shaking their confidence as they prepare for Black Ops 6.

This was OpTic’s first World Championship since 2017, achieved by a roster that was packed with talent at every position. With another year to address their Search & Destroy challenges, there's still room for this team to grow. Boasting one of the best SMG duos in the League, they’ll continue to drive the team forward as they aim for a third ring in the CDL era. One advantage that OpTic will hold over teams is cohesion & chemistry going into next season, as other top teams could be changing pieces.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Individually, Shotzzy will have one of the highest potentials next season. With the new movement mechanics, he’ll be a menace on the map. Any time the skill gap gets increased through movement & the game has a longer time-to-kill, a select few players benefit, with Shotzzy being at the top of that list.

If OpTic maintains their form next year, they’ll have the chance to become the first team in Call of Duty history to win back-to-back World Championships.

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