During the the Halo World Championship 2016, 343 and ESL announced that the Halo Championship Series would be making its highly anticipated return. Now that Counter Logic Gaming have been crowned the latest Halo World Champions and the confetti has been swept up, the next iteration of the Halo Championship Series: Pro League is just around the corner.
The season kicks off with the PAX East LAN Qualifier on Sunday, April 24. Reigning champions, CLG was the first team invited into the HCS along with their opponents from the finals, Team Allegiance. However, Team Allegiance disbanded, which leaves their slot up for grabs.
Optic Gaming, Enigma 6, Evil Geniuses, and Team EnVyUs will be pitted against each other in a relentless double-elimination tournament and the victor will join Counter Logic Gaming in the HCS this June. These four teams are loaded with history and a hint of rivalry, which should make for an exciting weekend. Here are the four teams, their rosters, and what we can expect:
Evil Geniuses
• Snip3down
• Roy
• Lunchbox
• Suspector
Optic Gaming
• Naded
• Flamesword
• Maniac
• Ace
Enigma 6
• Cratos
• Huke
• BubuDubu
• Shooter
Team EnVyUs
• El Town
• Rayne
• Mikwen
• Pistola
All eyes are on the members of Team Allegiance and the implications that their disbanding has had on the Halo landscape. After winning an impressive $500,000 alongside each other at the Halo World Championship 2016, Cratos, El Town, Suspector, and Naded will sit on four opposing sides of the qualifier event and fight for a spot in the Halo Championship Series: Pro League.
This event also serves as a shot at redemption for players such as Pistola, who is considered by many to be one of the most prolific Halo players. However, Pistola was left on the outside looking in after failing to qualify for the HaloWC due to the struggles Team EnVyUs had at Columbus, and he will look to reestablish himself among the best with anew roster.
Also seeking redemption will be Evil Geniuses, who fell to the hands of both Renegades and rivals CLG at the HaloWC. EG began last season with attention-demanding results, as they placed in the top four during four of the five online qualifiers and walked away with a gold medal at the X Games before being eliminated by CLG at the final two events of the season. EG was at one point lauded as the best team in the world and they will be looking to reclaim that title.
Additionally, BubuDubu and Huke exploded onto the scene last season brimming with natural talent and promise. While donning the Denial logo, the duo impressively placed top four at the HaloWC. They managed to take maps off of CLG and want to show the world they can do it again.
It is difficult to imagine a more exciting way to kick off the HCS. These four teams will battle over one spot and each of them are coming into the PAX East Invitational hungry to claim it as their own. Make sure you catch all the action live on www.twitch.tv/halo on Sunday, April 24th starting at 11:30 AM EST