The Call of Duty professional scene has gone through several changes since its creation. Fans can now enjoy an official franchised league with teams based out of the United States and Europe which feature some of the best players in the world. A lot of players are relatively young and established themselves within the last few years, but some Call of Duty veterans are still around.
Scump's name will forever be inscribed in professional Call of Duty history and he still has a few years ahead of him.
One such veteran is Seth “Scump” Abner who has been one of the best players since the early days of competitive Call of Duty. Scump has played with several different rosters and has been a world champion as well as a struggling player attempting to maintain his position at the top. He was a part of the OpTic Gaming Dynasty which reigned as one of the best teams in the world for years. He also helped expand the scene with his popularity as a player and entertaining personality. The original organization’s spiritual successor, the Chicago Huntsmen. Although he’s one of the oldest players in the Call of Duty League, Scump has shown no signs of slowing down and will likely remain relevant for seasons to come.
A king is born
Photo courtesy MLG
Scump started his competitive career during Call of Duty: Black Ops. The talented player grinded online tournaments and quickly established himself as one of the scene’s best players. He won his first LAN event with Quantic LeveraGe at MLG Dallas in 2011 alongside other future world champions Patrick “ACHES” Price and Tyler “TeePee” Polchow.
Quantic LeveraGe walked away with the $10,000 prize and earned the entire Call of Duty competitive scene’s attention. Scump and his team finished fourth at MLG Columbus and secured another first place, $10,000 win at MLG Anaheim 2011. Quantic LeveraGe dominated the competitive CoD scene for a brief period, but the three core members eventually moved on to other teams. ACHES and TeePee moved on to compLexity while Scump signed with OpTic Gaming during the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 season.
At this time, the Call of Duty esports scene was growing rapidly. Scump and OpTic witnessed the first million-dollar tournament in Call of Duty history: Call of Duty XP. OpTic won the tournament and the large cash prize, but Scump was not on the winning team as he was unable to compete due to age restrictions. OpTic used Blake “Vengeance” Campbell as a substitute for Scump, who still maintained his position on the team.
Scump continued to help OpTic Gaming dominate the Modern Warfare 3 season, and the team showed no signs of slowing down going into Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Matthew “Nadeshot Haag replaced Raymond “Rambo” Lussier on the OpTic lineup, and Scump and the team seemed to be ready for another dominant season.
OpTic started the season off strong by winning UMG Chicago 2012 but struggled to win another offline event. The team continued to place relatively high at each event but could not secure another first-place finish. The team finished in third place at the 2013 Call of Duty Championship after losing to Fariko Impact. Damon “Karma” Barlow was a member of this team and would eventually play alongside Scump in later titles.
Trouble in paradise
Clayster and Proofy did not stay on OpTic long, but they helped Scump win a gold medal. (Photo courtesy Red Bull)
The Call of Duty: Ghosts season would turn out to be one of the most turbulent years for Scump. OpTic struggled to perform during the beginning of the season and made several roster changes. Will “BigTymerR” Johnson retired from competitive Call of Duty, and several other players made brief appearances on the OpTic lineup. James “Clayster” Eubanks and Jordan “Proofy” Cannon finally filled out the team, but this made little change for the teams overall performance.
Scump finally decided that he needed a different team to win after OpTic placed poorly at UMG Philadelphia. He was also having trouble competing alongside Nadeshot, who he claimed caused internal issues on the team and in the OpTic House. These issues caused Scump to leave OpTic Gaming in early 2014 to join Team EnvyUs. However, this transition would not last long as Scump returned to OpTic after just two weeks. The players set aside their differences and secured another third place finish at the 2014 Call of Duty Championship, an acceptable placement after the team’s stressful year.
Scump helped OpTic further redeem themselves at the MLG X Games Invitational, where they secured a victory and became the first players to receive gold medals for Call of Duty. Scump defeated his former teammates ACHES and TeePee during the tournament, which made the victory more significant. The remainder of the Ghosts season was relatively uneventful for Scump, but the next season would be one of his most successful seasons.
Scump helped the team dominate during the early stages of the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare season. The team dropped Clayster and Proofy for Ian “Crimsix” Porter and Matthew “FormaL” Piper, who would be some of Scump’s iconic teammates and rivals. The team placed second at MLG Columbus 2014 but went on to win at UMG Orlando 2015, the MLG Pro League Season 1 playoffs, and the Call of Duty Championship’s NA Regional event. The early success made OpTic a favorite going into the 2015 Call of Duty World Championship, but they would ultimately fall short.
Despite their best efforts, OpTic placed seventh at the World Championship. This disappointing finish led to Nadeshot stepping away from professional Call of Duty and Scump taking over as captain of the team. While many were sad to see Nadeshot’s departure, they were also excited to see Karma as his replacement. Karma was already considered one of the best Call of Duty players globally and had two World titles under his belt.
A new dynasty
Scump and FormaL have become one of the most iconic duos in Call of Duty. (Photo courtesy MLG)
The new lineup under Scump’s leadership went on to win six more events, which included three consecutive victories. OpTic won ESWC 2015 and Gfinity Spring Masters 1, although Karma was unable to compete due to visa issues. Ian “Enable” Wyatt, another talented player, filled in for Karma and secured the two wins. Karma returned to the lineup for UMG California 2015, which marked the team’s third win in a row.
The team finished in first place in Season 2 of the MLG Pro League, which qualified them for the season two playoffs and the Summer X Games. Scump defended his title and helped OpTic secure another round of gold medals for the second year in a row. OpTic did experience a setback at UMG Dallas 2015, where FaZe defeated them in the grand finals. Former OpTic member Clayster helped his new team secure the victory and showed that he was still a talented player in his own right.
Scump did not let this small defeat throw off his focus and helped OpTic win the season’s final event: MLG World Finals. This final victory established OpTic Gaming as one of the most dominant and most successful teams in the scene. Scump was considered one of the world’s best players and would continue to help his team to victory during the Black Ops III season.
The Call of Duty World League raised Call of Duty esports to new heights. (Photo courtesy Sony)
OpTic maintained its same roster going into Call of Duty: Black Ops III as the team worked well together and could likely replicate their same success.
The Call of Duty World League was formed at the beginning of the Black Ops III season, which introduced increased cash prizes and a more organized format. OpTic once again began the season in a dominant fashion in the 2016 NA CWL Stage 1 Regular Season and finished first during the playoffs. The team went on to win the Crown Melbourne Invitational, ESWC 2016, and the MLG Anaheim Open 2016. Scump was launched to new heights and was earning significant income from competing, sponsorships, and YouTube. The talented player still had his eyes on a World Championship title but would unfortunately not earn one during the Black Ops III season.
OpTic was unstoppable going into the 2016 Call of Duty Championship but would ultimately allow history to repeat itself. The team finished in seventh place after losing to Team EnvyUs, the organization that Scump previously defected to for a brief period. Another new game gave Scump another shot at a title, but OpTic had their work cut out for them in the Infinite Warfare season.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was one of the most controversial titles in Call of Duty history. The community was tired of jetpack gameplay and craved the classic boots on the ground experience but were forced to play another futuristic title. Several professional players, including Scump, did not enjoy competing on Infinite Warfare and lost part of their drive to win. Thankfully Scump and his teammates eventually bounced back from their rut and continued to perform.
OpTic placed second at the 2017 CWL Atlanta Open before winning the 2017 CWL Paris and Dallas Open events. The team also finished in first place in the 2017 Global Pro League Stage 2 and were at the top of their game. OpTic beat the reigning champs, Team EnvyUs, twice in the finals to secure their victory.
Scump and his teammates continued their onslaught at the 2017 Call of Duty Championship but once again faced Team Envy in the tournament’s fifth round. Envy sent OpTic to the losers bracket, where they had to defeat Luminosity Gaming for another shot at the title. OpTic swiftly beat LG and once again faced off against Team Envy in the grand finals.
Scump helped OpTic defeat Envy in the first best of five series with a 3-1 victory. OpTic could not be stopped and dominated Envy in the second series with a 3-0 blowout. Scump finally secured a world title after years of proving himself as one of the best players in the game. However, this success would not last forever as OpTic Gaming fell apart during the next season.
The OpTic roster stayed the same going into the Call of Duty: World War II season but would ultimately change after a few months. OpTic finished in third place at CWL Dallas, which was the first significant event of the season but did not secure another top-three finish until stage one of the CWL Pro League. This placing was still disappointing as many fans believed OpTic choked against FaZe Clan.
This was the final straw for the iconic OpTic Gaming roster, which split up shortly after. FormaL left to play for Luminosity Gaming, and Karma was dropped from the roster. Talented players Anthony “Methodz” Zinni and Sam “Octane” Larew attempted to fill the void, but the damage was already done.
Remnants of greatness
The OpTic dynasty couldn’t last forever. (Photo courtesy MLG)
OpTic placed decently at the 2018 CWL Anaheim Open and the Stage 2 playoffs, but neither was a top three finish. The state of the OpTic roster was made clear by the 2018 CWL Championship, where the team was supposed to defend their title. OpTic barely made a top 24 finish and could not find their stride for the season’s final event. Scump personally struggled throughout the tournament and maintained a negative kill death ratio for the first time in his competitive career. This also marked the first time since Modern Warfare 2, where OpTic did not win at least one event.
The Call of Duty Black Ops 4 season introduced a few major changes to competitive Call of Duty and the OpTic lineup. The format switched to a 5v5 roster, which added another player on each team. OpTic dropped Methodz and Octane to sign Brandon “Dashy” Otell and Thomas “TJHaLy” Haly and added Karma back to the lineup.
Scump and the new lineup finished in first place at CWL Vegas and third place at CWL Anaheim but did not secure another victory for the remainder of the season. The team placed third at the 2019 CWL Championship, which was a respectable finish. However, Scump would not remain with his new teammates for long as another major shift shook up the entire professional Call of Duty scene, and internal struggles in OpTic Gaming caused the organization to collapse.
A new franchised league
Scump found a familiar home in the franchise league with the Chicago Huntsmen. (Photo courtesy Chicago Huntsmen)
The Call of Duty World League was disbanded at the end of the Black Ops 4 season in favor of a brand-new franchised league. The new league, simply called the Call of Duty League, featured 12 teams based around the United States and Europe. All pro players found new homes on one of the new teams in preparation for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare season. Although OpTic Gaming attained a spot of their own in the league, Scump found a new home after internal conflict with the organization.
After years of internal conflict and influence with OpTic Gaming’s parent company, Infinite Esports and Entertainment, most original OpTic members left the organization. Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez moved to NRG, where he is now a co-CEO and helps run the newly franchised team, the Chicago Huntsmen.
Scump followed H3CZ to the Huntsmen, where he reunited with former teammate FormaL. The two teammates were joined by Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson, Peirce “Gunless” Hillman, and Dylan “Envoy” Hannon. The Huntsmen were among the top teams during the inaugural Call of Duty League season and won two Home Series events. Scump and his teammates made it to the final elimination round in the playoffs but were sent home by the Atlanta FaZe.
Since the end of the season, the Chicago Huntsmen have adjusted their roster to do better next season and prepare to switch back to the 4v4 format. Scump will remain on the Huntsmen alongside FormaL and Envoy and will once again be joined by Dashy, who played for OpTic Gaming Los Angeles during the inaugural season.
Scump is prepared for the 2021 season in Call of Duty: Blacks Ops Cold War. He has not shared much information on the game’s competitive side but has made it clear that he is not a fan of the skill-based matchmaking present in public matches. Scump has a solid team to support him in the 2021 season, and the world champion has the potential to make another run for the championship.
