Ladies, Gents, & Non-Binary friends, HCS actions is finally back. The HCS Atlanta Major hosted by FaZe kicks off tomorrow. In London we saw FaZe take down OpTic to win it all. This weekend FaZe is looking to defend their championship. OpTic, Spacestation, Rebellion, & Sentinels are looking to dethrone them. Below I’ll rank the teams, with some flavor added, and how I think they’ll place this weekend.
1. FaZe
FaZe are your current defending champs. Probably the most well-rounded team in the HCS. The trio of royal 2, snakebite, and frosty continue to add to their legendary resumes. With a home crowd buff, FaZe should win it all.
2. OpTic
OpTic has made grand finals at each event this year. However, they haven’t been able to close out the big game. They need to win an event this year to prove that bringing in Deadzzone was the right move. Their slayer needs to improve.
3. Spacestation Gaming
Spacestation’s move to bring in Lqgend was the right one. I thought they should’ve picked up APG. But they proved me wrong by winning the first event of the year. HCS London didn’t go great for them as they missed grand finals which is unusual for this squad. Expect them to make some noise this weekend and make grand finals.
4. Shopify Rebellion
No one gave these guys the respect they deserve. They’ve solidified themselves as a top 4 team. At HCS London they took down Spacestation Gaming who were the defending champs. Rebellion keeps on getting better with time. Cykul is one of the best young players in the league. If they replicate their performance from London, they could make it to finals.
5. Sentinels
I expected way more out of Sentinels in year 3. They had a stacked roster they formed at the end of year 2. That roster was keeping up with the top 3 teams, with only a few weeks of practice together. They’ve been struggling this year. I think they have the firepower to win an event, they just can’t stay consistent. If this keeps up they will need to make a change asap before worlds.
6. Quadrant
Quadrant is Europe’s only hope of winning a major. Unfortunately, they just aren’t the same beast as last year. The loss of Lqgend dropped their firepower. They still are one of the best strongholds teams in the HCS. They’ll need to rely on that to make it to Sunday.
7. Incognito
This is a relatively new squad, but they have some young firepower. Descendant and Kuhlect are some of the most underrated slayers in the league. Manny has been a top 15 player since the start of infinite. I think they can cause some upsets this weekend.
8. Complexity
They had their fair share of drama at the last event with Spartan getting them disqualified. It’s a shame because they were playing well. I think they’ll be prepped to make some noise this weekend. Huss has been amazing, and Ryanoob is a Halo mastermind.
9. Native Gaming
I expected more out of this Native squad in year 3. I thought APG and Mikwen were a great combo, along with Barcode, who is probably the best international player. Add tapping buttons to this squad and you’ve got a scary team. Mikwen retired recently, so we’ll see how this version of Native performs. I think Gilkey is their X-factor now. I want to see them go far this weekend.
10. Pure
Taulek and Druk have 5 years of chemistry. On paper, it’s easy to overlook this team. I think Cherished and Lastshot have solid Gunny. I don’t think they have the squad to take on the top 4. They’ll do great in pools against everyone else, but they’ll get eliminated by a tier 1 team.
11. Cloud 9
I think Suspector and Sab are amazing players that should be on better squads. They’ll need the rest of their team to do their part this weekend. Unfortunately, I don’t think they have the firepower to make a meaningful run.
12. Into The Breach
Probably the 2nd best European team. But this is a league dominated by North American teams. ITB is levels below their EU counterpart Quadrant. I think they’ll get bounced early.
I wouldn’t be a true fan and competitor if I didn’t give my flowers to Mikwen. For those who haven’t kept up, Mikwen announced his retirement from professional Halo after the London Major. Mikwen, you were a talented competitor and one of the all time greats of Halo. You can’t tell the full story of competitive Halo without mentioning him. Mikwen inspired many, including myself, with his methodical map control. I hope you enjoy your retirement as a Halo Legend.
