HCS 2022: Could OpTic Secure the Bag at Kansas City Major?
Published: Apr 18, 2022 - Last Updated: Jul 7, 2023
Since December 2021, the Halo Championship Series has been the beating heart of Halo esports, and that fact continues to be true today. In 2022, we’ve seen Cloud9 secure two Major tournament wins at both Anaheim and Raleigh, establishing themselves as the number one contenders for the ultimate Halo World Championship title later this year. However, following a massive win at the FaZe Halo Invitational, OpTic Gaming’s rejuvenated squad may prove to be a thorn in the side of Cloud9.
For months, fans of the Halo Championship Series have essentially pencilled in Cloud9 as the most dominant team on the board. It certainly seems that there’s a raging competitive fire within the squad, but following a roster change for OpTic Gaming, it seems as though we may have another unit rising up to claim the top spot.
As we approach the Kansas City Major stage of the Halo Championship Series, we’re all wondering if OpTic will produce another massive victory.
OpTic Sets its Sights on Kansas
In February, the OpTic Gaming roster experienced a huge change, with Pistola switching out his starting position with FormaL. With the latter having dropped Halo in favour of Call of Duty esports for several years, there was a lot to prove moving back into the sci-fi oriented landscape. However, following an unbelievable performance at the Halo Invitational, the refreshed OpTic Gaming squad produced a near-perfect record, dropping just one map in the entire tournament.
Most importantly, that win produced two victories over Cloud9, the top-spot, odds-on winners for the Halo World Championship later this year. Now, the esports betting markets might be running a new favourite in OpTic Gaming, a squad that is poised to win big at the Kansas City Major between April and May.
Should OpTic Gaming secure the bag at the Kansas Major, the squad will walk away with a $100k share of the $250k prize pool. It’ll also mean the squad will net a massive 100k HCS points, all of which are massively important as we push ever-closed to the Halo World Championship tournament in October of 2022.
Moving Into the Major
At the upcoming Kansas City Major, we’ll see the typical Halo Infinite esports structure take place. Firstly, there’s an Open Bracket, featuring qualified teams coming up from regional championship events. Following this round, the all-important Pool Play stage commences, with 24 teams ultimately making it through to the Championship Bracket, featuring an upper and lower run. At all times, these matches are Bo5 and boast identical rulesets.
If we were to look to Halo Championship Series betting markets, we’ll say that Cloud9 still has the edge – but only just. There’s a fantastic and dominating opponent in OpTic Gaming stepping up to the plate, and both eUnited and Sentinels have shown some serious promise this year. However, there isn’t all that long left in the tournament, with just two Majors being left to play before the Halo World Championship stage arrives.
There’s plenty on the line, and many matches yet to unfold. Will OpTic Gaming win the next Halo Championship Major at Kansas City? Let’s wait and see.
