Top 20 Players of MW3: #5 Dashy

The #5 player of the Modern Warfare 3 season brought to you by HouseBets.com is the Dark Knight, Brandon “Dashy” Otell.

With one of the best shots in the League, Dashy has been a top player since he began competing in 2018. After a disappointing Modern Warfare 2 campaign, the franchise decided to rebuild around superstars Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro and Dashy this year. This decision would end up being the correct choice. In his 7th COD Champs, Dashy not only made his first Grand Finals but took home the Championship.

Season Review

As OpTic rebuilt around Dashy and Shotzzy, they sought leadership and a top-tier SMG player. They brought in Kenneth “Kenny” Williams to partner with Dashy as the AR duo. Kenny, as the fourth option, provided leadership and solid objective stats, consistently making the right plays on the map. Paired with Shotzzy, it allowed Amer "Pred" Zulbeari to assume the slayer role and maintain a contrasting pace. With a strong slaying roster, every 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 @OpTicTexas

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 going into the next stage.

The team quickly put their 3rd-place finish at Major 1 behind them. Pred 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 yet.

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. Pred and the squad 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. In the Finals, OpTic caught fire. Pred would go 10-4 (2.50 KD) in the SND, helping Texas cruise to a 4-0 victory. The franchise captured the Major 3 Championship and earned their first tournament win since Vanguard.

📸 Photo by @OpTicTexas

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 Dashy in 2024?

Hardpoint

Dashy shifted his playstyle this season significantly in Hardpoint, playing more from the objective and slowing his pace with flex Kenny on the roster. Bruce finished the year with a 1.02 KD in the mode, keeping steady with a 1.01 KD on LAN. On the slaying side, Dashy finished with 20.5 kills & 4247 damage per 10-minutes. The key stat, though, was 85.1 seconds of hill time per 10 minutes, ranking 2nd in the CDL. Bruce also led the League with 34 maps with over 100 seconds of hill time, achieving this in 39% of hardpoints.

OpTic Texas was the top Hardpoint team in the CDL, finishing with a league-best 61-26 record. They led the League in several key metrics, including average margin (+28), points per hold opportunity (32.4), and Map 4 record (28-10). Their consistency was evident both on LAN (29-10) and online (32-16), where they secured an 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%). Notable records included 9-1 on 6 Star, 12-2 on Sub Base, and 11-6 on Rio this season.

Search & Destroy

Dashy has always been strong in Search & Destroy, coming from the scene early in his career. Dashy ended the year with a 1.08 KD in SND, adding 0.71 Kills per round, a team-high 177.9 ADR, and an opening duel win rate of 43.3%. His strong point was clutches, ending with 17 including seven 1v1s, eight 1v2s, and two 1v3s. The team was 30-13 (69.8%) when Dashy had a positive KD on the map, but just 3-23 (11.5%) when he went negative.

Search & Destroy was OpTic's Achilles' heel this season, as they ended with a 33-36 record in the mode, placing 8th in the CDL. This included a rough stretch with a 12-map losing streak during Stage 4. While they were strong fundamentally in Hardpoint, their SND play was less polished. 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, posting a 16-13 record compared to 17-23 online, and going 5-2 in their final 7 maps at Champs.

Control

While he performed very well in Hardpoint and SND, Control could be argued to be Dashy’s strongest game mode this season. He ended the year with a 1.09 KD, with a 1.01 on the attacking side and 1.19 on the defending. He added per 10-minute data of 17.3 kills and 3706 damage. On the attacking side, Dashy led the League with 2.4 ticks captured per attacking round. Bruce was also one of two players, the other being his teammate Kenny, to have 2 control maps with 10+ ticks captured.

Control is arguably the most important mode in the CDL. In the swing mode, OpTic performed well overall but faced map pool challenges at times. They finished the season with a 29-21 record in the mode, with specific map records of 5-8 on Highrise, 12-8 on Invasion, and 12-5 on Karachi. They led the League with an average of 4.3 ticks captured per attack but struggled in round 5s, posting a 9-12 record.

A look ahead to Black Ops 6

The World Championship came together when it mattered most, proving that they were the best team in the world. Despite any setbacks that could possibly happen at the Esports World Cup, the team will remain intact heading into next season, as no result will shake their confidence in their roster going into Black Ops 6.

This marked OpTic’s first World Championship since 2017, and the roster 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.

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.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

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