The eight North American Halo Championship Series: Pro League teams returned to the regular season after taking last week off. With the third week of the season in the books, we are one step closer to Finals at DreamHack Atlanta. Things are heating up for the HCS Pro League teams as we get further into the season, and players are feeling the pressure to rise to the top spots.
Thanks for watching Week 3 of the NA #HCS Pro League! Here are the standings after today's incredible matches. https://t.co/ONzidjKvkQ pic.twitter.com/z1YUQK8FaX
— Halo Esports #HCS (@HCS) June 16, 2017
We’ve seen a few roster changes during the break as each team tries to find the winning formula. Rayne has joined Str8 Rippin from Team Liquid, and was replaced by Ace. The new Liquid roster went on to win both their matches against EnVyUs and Ronin, moving up in the ranks just behind the undefeated rosters of OpTic and Splyce. We saw the Pro League return of eL ToWn, who is now with Ronin Esports. The roster change looked promising for Ronin as they almost pulled off an impressive reverse sweep against Luminosity in the first match of the week.
Wow! The new @TeamLiquid is looking good here in Game 1! #HCS pic.twitter.com/KwHJJr5iRq
— ESL Halo (@ESLHalo) June 15, 2017
After being tied for first place for the first two weeks, OpTic has now edged out Splyce for the number one spot. Though both teams remain undefeated at the conclusion of Week 3, OpTic now have the higher map win percentage at an impressive 87%. In addition to Liquid coming for the top ranks this season, Evil Geniuses are emerging as another potential top team after sweeping Str8 in the final match of the week and tying with EnVy for fourth place.
What a great series for @EvilGeniuses! They win it 3-0. #HCS pic.twitter.com/7lWkvsbXET
— ESL Halo (@ESLHalo) June 16, 2017
Match of the Week - Splyce vs EnVy
The match of the week started off with an incredible tense round of CTF on Fathom. Splyce started the game off strong, but EnVy managed to turn things in their favor after gaining top mid control and breaking the 2-2 tie. Things heated up even more in Game 2 on Rig Slayer as both teams fought for control of the power weapons and the map. Splyce took the lead early on, and managed to maintain the win despite Pistola’s deadly accuracy with the Sniper Rifle. After an aggressive slaying campaign, Splyce ended the game with a 50-36 score to tie the series at 1-1.
And @TeamEnVyUs secures the win in Game 1! #HCS pic.twitter.com/jB8EQgV3mT
— ESL Halo (@ESLHalo) June 15, 2017
EnVy came back strong in Game 3 on Plaza Strongholds, and secured a solid lead in the face of some amazing offensive plays from Splyce. Splyce was unable to retain control of the map, and EnVy powered through Strongholds to win the Game 3 100-47 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. Splyce sought to end the series in Game 4 and maintain their undefeated streak, but Envy needed to take the series to a Game 5 in order to prevent a 0-2 week. Bubu dubu got the rockets to give Splyce an edge early on in Game 4 on Coliseum CTF. Splyce was out-slaying EnVy as they took a 2-0 lead. Shotzzy was the one to cap the last flag for Splyce and tie the series 2-2 after leading in kills throughout the game.
The triple cap to finish off Game 3! #HCS pic.twitter.com/LgQ7yvlsYG
— ESL Halo (@ESLHalo) June 16, 2017
With so much on the line heading into Game 5, things were unimaginably tense for both teams. Splyce took a narrow lead early on, but EnVy upped their game and their communication and recovered after a slow start. EnVy managed to stay just one kill ahead of Splyce for the first half of the game as they fought to end their competitor’s winning streak, but Splyce was not ready to give in. In the second half, both teams traded slim leads until the last few minutes when the undefeated team started to gain some traction and open up the map. Splyce took the score from 44-44 all the way to victory to win Game 5 and the whole series at 50-44.
WHAT AN ENDING! @Splyce remains undefeated as they win the series! #HCS pic.twitter.com/BFjwNynpsL
— ESL Halo (@ESLHalo) June 16, 2017
TUNE IN
OpTic Gaming take on Splyce next week, but only one will be able to stay undefeated. Who will emerge victorious? Will EnVy be able to reclaim their top three spot? You can watch the final week of the NA HCS Pro League Summer 2017 broadcasts on the Halo Twitch channel and ESL Halo Facebook page starting June 21! Be sure to follow the ESL Halo Twitter and Facebook for updates as we continue the #HCS Pro League Summer 2017 Season.
