The Halo Championship Series (HCS) 2 Recap

The Halo Championship Series (HCS) London followed up with a fantastic day two of competition. Teams from around the world are competing at the Gfinity Arena, in the biggest Halo tournament in European history!

 

The world’s best pro teams and fan favorite players from North America, LATAM, Oceania & Europe will be fighting for the Championship trophy from September 14-16.

 

Day Two featured the start of bracket play, with the best teams in attendance competing to take home the trophy.

 

Let’s recap what went down as we start the reach the finale of the tournament!

 

Match 1: Renegades vs Chosen Legacy Esports

Renegades put in a comfortable 3-1 win to start off day two of the HCS however, CLE made Renegades work for their win. Evenly matched in a Team Slayer on Coliseum, CLE worked hard to come out on top with a 50-45 scores. However, this momentum was halted prematurely, blocked by skills of a fired up aPG, who pulled off a stunning overkill in map 3.

 

 

Match 2: Reciprocity vs Elevate

 

The REC Pack swiftly dispatched Elevate in our second match. Taking their eyes off the ball in map 1, Elevate were defeated by over 100 points in Oddball. Map 2 went down to the wire in Slayer, but Elevate failed to capitalise on a 49-49 situation; losing out on levelling the series. Deflated after their lack of success, Elevate ultimately failed to cap in their last chance to salvage the match and Team Reciprocity moved to the next round.

 

Match 3: Splyce vs Lucid

 

Our final group play match featured the New Orleans champions take on the European hope, Lucid Gaming. Unfortunately for Europe’s number one, it was a textbook performance from Splyce, who rarely looked out of their comfort zone. The series ended in a decisive 3-0 win for Splyce.

 

 

Match 4: Renegades vs Berserker Esports

 

Winners round 1 in bracket play started off with a bang. Map 1 initially proved difficult for either team to decisively pull ahead but big games call for big players, and Neptune single handedly ended the stalemate. Berserker Esports couldn’t keep up the same sustained intensity for the next two maps and, they were quickly dropped into the elimination bracket.

 

 

Match 5: Reciprocity vs Excelerate Gaming

 

Reciprocity treated us to another show stopping performance, this time Excelerate were their victims. Map 1, Reciprocity pulled off a 3-0 win on Capture the Flag Truth. Excelerate came back and worked hard, but Snip3down proved too hot to handle, and Excelerate ultimately lost on map 3.

 

Match 6: Radiant Esports vs Mock It

 

One of Europe’s marquee squads, Radiant Esports, kept themselves alive in the elimination bracket by taking down Mock it. Radiant’s effective coordination and communication made the difference and allowed them to pick their rivals apart over the 3 maps. It was a European victory as Radiant schooled Mock-It in the values of teamwork. Mock It exited the competition.

 

 

Match 7: Tox Gaming vs Renegades

 

Winners Round 2 started off with Tox Gaming vs Renegades. In Map 1, we took to the Rig for Strongholds. Renegades got off to a great start with aPG going on a killing spree, but Tox composed themselves and quickly turned it around putting on a 60 point swing. After a spell of continuous respawns, Renegades managed to regain control with a triple cap. The intense fight would continue throughout with Tox Gaming’s gutsy decisions ultimately falling short as Renegades found victory with a 100-90 score.

 

 

Truth slayer was the scene for Match 2, with Tox Gaming off to an early lead as they aggressively pushed and cleared out the Renegades line up. This great start would prove to be a challenge for Renegades.  Both teams traded kills quite evenly after that and it was only through sheer determination (and some nervy plays) that Renegades managed to hit the equalizing 34-34. In the end, it would be at the cusp of a camo pop (and the ensuing stand-off) that Tox’s Frosty balanced risk against reward and worked with his team mates to pick up the kills, to help give them the edge to win the map 50-45

 

 

Map 3 featured Oddball on Eden, Renegades got off to a strong start giving Tox little to work with. Tox eventually found their feet, grabbing the oddball and over-shield to go on a run. But Renegades continued to dominate with Neptune putting on a highlight reel with the sniper, that could not be topped. Renegades won handily with a 150-72 win.

 

 

The loss on Map 3 had clearly lit a fire under Tox, and this carried to the Map 4 Refuge Capture the Flag game. Frosty’s overkill helped in a game where Tox dominated control of power weapons, out-slayed their opponents and left Renegades with no option but to accept a 3-0 defeat as we entered a game 5.

 

 

So who was going to the Elimination Bracket? One game of Slayer on Plaza would provide that answer. It was a clash of two top teams, with the final decision made in the final 5 minutes of battle. And with the sniper in their possession, Tox managed to hold off Renegades for a nail biting 50-47 finish to the series.

 

 

Match 8: Splyce vs Reciprocity

 

Our final match of the night, proved to be one for the record books, though it did not immediately seem like it. Splyce dominated Game 1, with a steady performance as Reciprocity failed to get going, losing 100-58.

 

In map 2, Reciprocity began to find their groove, but still ultimately stumbled in the face of overwhelming Splyce talent. Their lead over Splyce deteriorated as time went on, and Eco’s standout performance of 17-9 helped Splyce earn their 50-44 win.

 

Two games down, the odds were not looking good for the 5th seed, Reciprocity. Though they once more picked up an early lead in game three (just as they had on map two) these gains were not as long lasting as they might have liked. Splyce’s slow starts were not being punished and Game three was beginning to feel uncomfortably familiar as the lead Reciprocity had established began to get whittled away. But this time things were different. Reciprocity fought, and they fought hard . Pistola managed to grab the overshield and Snip3down utilised the sniper to bring it back. Additional support on the tactical side with coach Ogre2 helped make the difference. Splyce couldn’t find their footing again, and  Reciprocity overwhelmed the oddball, taking the win 150-114.

 

 

Map 4 was a shake-up on both sides, and this time it was Splyce that took the early lead. Not to be outdone, Reciprocity fired back and it was Saiyan’s sniping that kept Splyce from going any further ahead and Pistola served up victory by grabbing all 3 flags to win 3-1.

 

 

And so the stage was set for what was an unexpected but undeniably intense Game 5. Most would have thought the series was destined to finish at map 3, HCS London was proving that anything could happen. The momentum was on the side of Reciprocity, coming from back-to-back victories, and they stormed forward. Splyce had no answer back. And in a surprise upset that very few saw coming, Reciprocity took the map 50-35, knocking Splyce into the elimination bracket.

 

HCS London continues September,16th!

Catch the action LIVE on Twitch, YouTube or Mixer!

 

WATCH HCS DAY 3