Top 20 Players of MW3: #7 Pred

The #7 player of the Modern Warfare 3 season, brought to you by HouseBets.com, is the Thunder from Down Under, Amer “Pred” Zulbeari.

After rumors swirled all last season about Pred’s future with OpTic, those rumors would come to fruition. As his contract ended with Seattle Surge, the Aussie signed with Texas in the offseason. OpTic Texas struggled at Champs during MW2 and decided to rebuild around superstars Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro and Bradon “Dashy” Otell. After winning the World Championship with Pred being the leading slayer at the tournament, the franchise made the correct roster decisions and looks set to compete for more championships in the future.

Season Review

As OpTic rebuilt around Dashy and Shotzzy, they sought leadership and a strong SMG player. They signed Kenneth “Kenny” Williams to pair with Dashy as the AR duo. Kenny, as the fourth option, brought leadership and solid objective stats while consistently making the right plays on the map. With his SMG duo Shotzzy, Pred could play the slayer role and have a contrasting pace. The strong slaying roster allowed chances for every player to shine.

The season kicked off with the Major 1 Qualifiers, and with expectations high, 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 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 @CODLeague

After two consecutive strong stages from OpTic, a nightmare stage would follow. 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. Pred finished the tournament with a League-High 1.19 KD behind a 90.8 Slayer Rating, 1.21 Respawn KD, and 1.32 KA/D.

How good was Pred in 2024?

Hardpoint

Pred was a respawn demon this season, playing great in both modes. He ended the season with a 1.09 KD in Hardpoint, leading the team. In the per 10-minute data, he added a team-high 23.4 kills, 43.0 seconds of hill time, and a team-high 4207 damage. He improved every single number on LAN, going off for a 1.14 KD, 24.8 Kills/10m, 43.5 seconds of hill time/10m, and 4373 damage/10m. The Aussie also led the team with 20 maps with 30+ kills while also having 25 maps with 5,000+ damage.

OpTic Texas was the best Hardpoint team in the game, finishing with the best record in the CDL at 61-26. They led the League in multiple categories, including average margin (+28), points per hold opportunity (32.4), and record in Map 4s (28-10). They were consistent both on LAN (29-10) and Online (32-16), winning by an average margin of +39.9 on LAN. The squad played great fundamentally, as they ranked 3rd in holding (77.7%), 3rd in breaking (26.0%), and 4th in rotation percentage (50%). Key records included 9-1 on 6 Star, 12-2 on Sub Base, and 11-6 on Rio this season.

Search & Destroy

The only weaker game mode for the Aussie this season was SND. On the year, Pred had a 0.98 KD in the mode, which improved to 1.05 on LAN. He also added 0.70 kills per round, 141.9 ADR, and an opening duel win rate of 46.2%. Pred did have many highs in the mode, though, tying Shotzzy for the lead on the team with 12 double-digit kill maps.

Search & Destroy was OpTic's one weak mode this season. They finished the year with a 33-36 record in the mode, ranking 8th in the CDL. That includes a 12-map losing streak during Stage 4. While they excelled in fundamentals in Hardpoint, SND didn’t have the cleanest gameplay. Texas ranked 10th in opening duel win rate (48%), 8th in Post-Plant Win Pct (65.6%), and 10th in Retake Win Pct (29.2%). They were better, though, on LAN. On the year, they were 16-13 on LAN while going 5-2 in their last 7 maps at Champs compared to 17-23 online.

Control

Control, much like Hardpoint, was another strong mode for the Aussie. Pred again led the team in KD in the game mode, finishing with a 1.13 overall on the season and 1.09 on LAN. He added per 10-minute data of 19.8 kills and 3714 damage. On the attacking side, Pred had a 1.07 KD with 1.4 ticks captured per round. With the team around him also great in the mode, it freed Pred up to be very impactful.

In the swing mode, OpTic was good but had map pool issues at times. They ended the year with a 29-21 record in the mode, with individual map records of 5-8 on Highrise, 12-8 on Invasion, and 12-5 on Karachi. They lead the League with 4.3 ticks captured per attack but were also just 9-12 in round 5s.

A look ahead to Black Ops 6

The World Championship clicked when it mattered, showing that they were the best team in the World. Even with a failure at the Esports World Cup, this team will be sticking going into next season, as there is no result that would make the team rethink plans for next year.

This was OpTic’s first World Championship since 2017 and the team is extremely talented across every position. With another year to work on the Search & Destroy woes, there is still room for this team to continue developing. With one of the best SMG duos in the League, they’ll continue to push the team in the right direction as he fights for his third ring in the CDL era. If OpTic can continue the form next year, they’ll fight to become the first team in the history of Call of Duty to win back-to-back World Championships.

📸 Photo by @MediabyIsiah

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