The HCS Pro League kicked off the Summer Season this week. The Summer league hosts eight weekly matchups between the top eight professional Halo teams. Week one featured several highly-anticipated matches, and yielded some surprising results. Only two teams remain undefeated after the first week: OpTic Gaming, and Splyce. This article will examine both teams’ matchups, and discuss some of the more unexpected results.
Following a second place finish at HCS Daytona, OpTic seems to have regained some of the momentum that was lost at the event. OpTic finished the week 2-0, claiming victories over both Ronin Esports and Team EnVyUs.
OG bounced back after their loss at HCS Daytona. Image by Astro Gaming.
The first victory came as the headlining match of day one, against Carlos “Cratos” Ayala and the rest of Ronin Esports. OpTic started the series strong, taking a convincing game one on Plaza Strongholds 100-32. The two teams next battled on Eden Slayer, where OpTic prevailed yet again, by a score of 50-41. With their backs against the wall, Ronin attempted to hold off the Green Wall in Truth CTF, but couldn’t bring more than one flag back to their base. Despite holding OpTic to dual flag captures, Ronin were defeated 2-1, as OpTic completed the sweep.
The second match for OpTic pitted them against the HCS Atlanta Champions, Team EnVyUs. OpTic, seeking redemption for their performance at the event, started the series off poorly. The Green Wall fell into a two-game deficit after losses on Truth CTF and Plaza slayer. Facing a sweep, OpTic regained composure, and roared back with victories on Eden Strongholds and Fathom CTF. In game five Coliseum Slayer, OpTic’s momentum proved too strong for EnVy, as TJ “Lethul” Campbell and crew cruised to a dominant 50-38 victory. The reverse-sweep sends a clear message to OpTic doubters, and serves as a testament to the team’s resilience.
After winning the Daytona Placement Cup, and a surprising top four finish at HCS Daytona, many began to wonder if Splyce would slow down as the Summer Season progressed. If the first week of the Pro League is any indication for the future, Splyce will be a force to be reckoned with. The young team, helmed by Jesse “bubu dubu” Moeller, finished the first week of Pro League at an impressive 2-0.
The first matchup placed Splyce up against a retooled Evil Geniuses roster. Following the retirement of Brett “Naded” Leonard, the community wondered how the team would stack up in the Pro League. The back and forth series began in Evil Geniuses’ favor, after a jarring win on Plaza Strongholds. Splyce bounced back with two wins, which included an incredibly dominant 50-18 victory on Eden Slayer.
Splyce looked dominant in Week 1 of the Pro League. Image by Halo eSportswikis
Evil Geniuses responded with a commanding win of their own, taking Rig Strongholds 100-22, and tying the series at two games apiece. Both teams battled their hearts out in game 5 Coliseum Slayer, but Splyce emerged victorious, as EG seemed to run out of steam.
The second matchup, much like OpTic, granted Splyce a chance at redemption against Team Liquid. Splyce were defeated in a seven-game series by Liquid in the Losers Bracket Semifinals at HCS Atlanta.
The matchup did not go the distance, however, as Splyce convincingly swept Liquid in their first meeting of the Summer League. The victory paints a new picture of Splyce as a possible top three contender, as they made short work of the usually-consistent Team Liquid roster.
With the first week of the Summer Pro League reaching its conclusion, several revelations can be made from the results. First, OpTic Gaming has the ability to shrug off a loss, and bounce back with force. Second, Splyce is only getting better with time. The acquisition of rising star Jonathan “Renegade” Willette will likely continue to benefit them, as they develop into a deadlier team over the course of the season.
Two teams surprisingly under-performed in the Pro League this week: Luminosity Gaming, and Str8 Rippin. Luminosity experienced two blowout losses at the hands of EnVyUs and Evil Geniuses, while Str8 lost a close series to Ronin Esports, and were edged out by Team Liquid. Both teams will need to come out swinging next week if they want to salvage their Pro League record, and avoid the risk of falling into an even deeper hole.
Are you surprised by the Week One Pro League results? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image by ESL
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