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Halo Infinite: The Best Plays & Moments From HCS Raleigh

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Halo Infinite: The Best Plays & Moments From HCS Raleigh

ESTNN recaps the best plays and moments from the HCS Raleigh Kickoff.

Halo Infinite’s inaugural Major tournament — the HCS Raleigh Kickoff — rightfully became the most-watched competition of all time by a wide margin. The Halo Championship Series welcomed hundreds of teams and thousands of fans to the Raleigh Convention Center for a hype-filled weekend. Three days of action provided remarkable moments from the world’s best teams, such as OpTic Gaming, Sentinels, Cloud9, FaZe Clan and more.

The HCS Raleigh Kickoff concluded earlier this evening, with Cloud9 triumphing over eUnited in the Grand Finals. While that series claimed the spotlight, several plays and moments wowed viewers.

Today, ESTNN revisits the best moments from HCS Raleigh.

Critical Triple Kill by Falcated Against OpTic Gaming

A classic rivalry — OpTic vs. FaZe — went down in Winner’s Bracket Round Three. FaZe member Michael “Falcated” Garcia orchestrated an impressive comeback for his team in game three. Facing a Loser’s Bracket journey, FaZe needed a boost to keep themselves in the series. Falcated completed an impressive Triple Kill to open the door for FaZe Clan.

OpTic’s Perfect Late Push to Win Game Four Against Cloud9

OpTic Gaming and Cloud9 met in Winner’s Bracket Round Four in a matchup for the books. Besides Sentinels, C9 and OpTic were the standout teams thus far in Halo Infinite. OpTic fell to 2-1 in the series but had the opportunity to knot the series at two apiece in Oddball on Live Fire. A crucial late push by aPG and company helped secure victory for OpTic to send the series to game five.

Triple Kill by Trippy

Trippy of OpTic Gaming stood out as an individual in that exact match. Trippy went nuclear, armed with a Battle Rifle and Heatwave. He achieved a Triple Kill against Cloud9 and subsequently picked up the ball. The play had a bit of everything.

Lucid Styling on Sentinels in Loser’s Bracket Semi-Finals

Had they made it further, OpTic Gaming player Lucid would have earned the title of tournament MVP without question. He floated around a 1.72 Kill/Death ratio and made his opponents look foolish at times. In Loser’s Bracket Semis, Lucid went on a Killing Spree in game four that wowed the commentators and crowd.

Pistola Stays Alive to Clutch Game Four Win Against Sentinels

Sometimes kills are not what the moment needs. In game four against Sentinels, veteran player Pistola of OpTic Gaming would not go down. Sentinels required only a few points to send OpTic packing. Snakebite pursued Pistola bottom middle but failed to take out Pistola. That allowed aPG to clean up Snakebite and OpTic to win the match.

Nick Shuts the Door on FaZe Clan to Earn Grand Finals Appearance

A heated series occurred in the Loser’s Finals, as FaZe Clan squared off against eUnited for the chance to battle Cloud9. FaZe vs. eU could not have been closer; it all came down to a game five Slayer. With Active Camo in play, EUnited’s Nick executed an effortless Double Kill, using Dynamo Grenades and precise Battle Rifle shots.

Renegade Grapples Sword and Destroys RyaNoob

 

Flashy plays don’t often occur in the Grand Finals of a Halo tournament. However, that didn’t stop big brain Renegade from styling on RyaNoob. Up 1-0 in the series, the Cloud9 player grappled an Energy Sword to himself and said no to RyaNoob’s aggression. Renegade’s play popped the crowd in the best way.

StelluR Triple Kill to put the Nail in the Coffin

Cloud9 set an unmatchable pace in the Grand Finals against eUnited. They went up 2-0 quickly in the series. EUnited crawled their way back following a win in game three. StelluR effectively rejected eU’s attempt to come back, pushing into their base and earning a Triple Kill in Slayer on Bazaar. That play put C9 up 19-13 in the game—one they’d eventually win.

The Winning Moment: Cloud9 Defeats eUnited to Win HCS Raleigh

Cloud9 led eUnited 3-1 in the Grand Finals, needing just one game to capture the HCS Raleigh Championship. StelluR, Eco, Penguin and Renegade exemplified the same dominance throughout the competition. Their consistency ultimately brought them to the winner’s circle. Cloud9 celebrates their triumph on the main stage in a great moment.

Feature Image: HCS