This weekend, sixteen teams will fight for the final two open spots in the Halo Championship Series: Pro League. This is the last chance for these teams, as the aptly named Last Chance Qualifier will add the final two pieces of the eight-team puzzle to the HCS Pro League’s inaugural season. These sixteen teams’ past performances earned them a final shot:
GROUP A
• Team Liquid
• Clown Fiesta
• Insert Org Here
• High Riders
Team Liquid will be playing with Clete “Assault” LoRusso instead of APG at the Last Chance Qualifier. APG played the Summer Qualifier with a concussion, and although he is okay, the team has decided that a change was in the best interest of the player’s well-being.
The team has performed well as of late in scrims and will look to carry that momentum into the weekend.
Clown Fiesta fought their way to the finals of the Open Qualifier Cup #1 before being stopped by the cinderella squad, Catastrophe. Aries, Cloud, Hysteria, and Tire Iron have been around the competitive Halo community for a long time, and their experience cannot be ignored.
After sweeping Pnda Gaming, Insert Org Here went on to face No Barber But We Tapen in one of the Open Qualifier Cups, but were swept 3-0. No Barber also defeated the last team in this group, High Riders, sending them to a consolation bracket to earn the chance to play in the LCQ. High Riders swept Flawless, then defeated Shock the World 3-2 to advance to the tournament this weekend.
GROUP B
• Optic Gaming
• No Barber But We Tapen
• eLevate
• Twisted Fate
From beating Enigma 6 3-1 at PAX East to being swept by Renegades 4-0, Optic has seen their share of ups and downs this season. They are a veteran roster with a huge pool of talent to their name and are favored by many to make it into the HCS Pro League. eLevate also boasts a very talented roster, but fell victim to the hot hand of Catastrophe in the Open Qualifier Cup #1 in a close series that went to Game 5.
Twisted Fate took Clown Fiesta to Game 5 in the quarterfinals of the Open Cup Qualifier #1, but were unable to close the deal and were sent to the consolation bracket where they defeated CarnageGG to qualify for the LCQ.
No Barber is currently clouded by the uncertainty of an incomplete roster. The team announced that BabyJ will not be playing with the squad and they have not officially announced a fourth player. They reached the finals and swept Insert Org Here to claim their spot in the LCQ.
GROUP C
• Soul Red
• Catastrophe
• French Toast Mafia
• Showtime
Group C features a team with a name that many consider to be the best in the LCQ, French Toast Mafia, known to strike fear into the hearts of any other breakfast pastry that stands in their way. Cpt Anarchy has been competing in Halo events since 2004, and their tournament loss came at the hands of a stacked Clown Fiesta roster.
Soul Red qualified for the Summer Qualifier event at the ESL Studios after finishing second in their group alongside Enigma 6. Their trip to Burbank was not successful, as they were swept by Allegiance and then eliminated in Game 7 of the losers bracket at the hands of Team Liquid.
Catastrophe burst into the conversation by qualifying for the LCQ after beating eLevate 3-2 and sweeping Clown Fiesta in the first Open Qualifier. This team has a lot of promise and is well poised to make it out of their group with the first seed.
Showtime made their way to the LCQ with their performance in the first Open Cup. They fought their way to the quarterfinals and lost to eLevate 3-1. The Showtime squad made their way through the bracket while only dropping a single game before being stopped by eLevate, and should not be overlooked.
GROUP D
• Str8 Rippin
• Crowd Control
• G-Pounders
• Pnda Gaming
Str8 Rippin and Crowd Control will attempt to make their way into the HCS Pro League after qualifying for the LCQ through their performances in the Online Invitational Qualifier. Crowd Control were swept twice by Team EnVyUs and will have to make some adjustments in order to advance.
G-Pounders fought their way to the semifinals before being stopped by No Barber with a series score of 3-1 and will face Str8 in a very important first group matchup. Pnda Gaming earned their right to play this weekend by clawing their way to a semifinal matchup against Insert Org Here. Although losing the series 3-0, they should have a good chance against Crowd Control in their first matchup.
After this weekend, we will know which eight teams will be participating in the very first HCS Pro League! Make sure to keep up with all the action by tuning in on the Halo Twitch channel!