The first North American Halo Championship Series (HCS) regional final is about to get underway in Anaheim. A handful of teams will fight for the right to be considered best in the region.
It’s not just Cloud9 this time around, there are some new faces to follow at Anaheim fresh off open bracket victories. Here are some key Halo players to keep an eye on.
The top Halo players to watch in Anaheim
Halo players from around North America will descend on Anaheim to prove that they are the best. You can watch all the action this weekend starting tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST on the following Twitch and YouTube channels:
- A Stream: Twitch.tv/Halo – YouTube.com/Halo.
- B Stream: Twitch.tv/HCS – Twitch.tv/Xbox – YouTube/HaloEsports.
- C Stream: Twitch.tv/HCS_Red – YouTube/HaloEsports.
- D Stream: Twitch.tv/HCS_Blue – YouTube/HaloEsports
First off, we have one Halo player that would’ve been at Raleigh a couple of months ago if there wasn’t a cheating scandal. Anaheim will be his first Infinite LAN.
Player 1: Mathew “Royal2” Fiorante, Sentinels
Hide your routers.@Royal2 has returned pic.twitter.com/J7wfCZjOMF
— Sentinels (@Sentinels) January 28, 2022
Royal2 is making his return to the Sentinels roster just in time for Anaheim. The suspension he faced due to network manipulation was removed in late January. Now, he’s back on the roster while stand-in Matthew “FormaL” Piper leaves the team. All the focus is on Royal2’s return as it’ll be his first bit LAN since Halo Infinite launched last year. He has extensive experience with this Sentinels roster, multiple championship trophies and podium finishes, but the question remains. Will that success continue with Infinite?
Sentinels played incredibly well without him, but they’re widely considered overpowered with Royal2. It’s on him to outplay his substitute FormaL. We’ll see if this return can bring Sentinels back to a podium finish.
Player 2: Chasen “SuperCC” Cavuto, Fnatic
We are Fnatic Halo, and we're ready to take @HCS Anaheim by storm:@Envore @Sceptify @SuperCC_Evades @Joeyhoey_ @Strobe_CH
Welcome home, Spartans. #FNCWIN pic.twitter.com/QiLamR3GHU
— Fnatic Halo (@FnaticHalo) February 10, 2022
The new formation and qualification of FNATIC is a thing to keep an eye on in general, but SuperCC is someone that stands out all on his own. He performed well during qualifiers and has a past with another team attending Anaheim. SuperCC, despite not competing in a tournament with them, played for Pioneers in 2021.
When Pioneers formed their final roster, the departure of Emmanuel “Manny” Lombert led to the signing of SuperCC. But, as Manny made a return, SuperCC left to return to Team WaR, which became FNATIC. There may be some extra fuel in the tank if he does up against his former teammates.
Player 3: Eric “Snip3down” Wrona, FaZe Clan
Whoever decided that HCS Anaheim should be the same weekend as the super bowl, I have some words for you
— FaZe Snip3down (@Snip3down) February 10, 2022
FaZe Clan is one of the best and most consistent teams in Halo Infinite so far. But, their lack of tournament grand finals appearances so is noticeable. FaZe Clan and star Halo player Eric “Snip3down” Wrona has a chance to get over that hump in Anaheim. As a player that has so much experience within Halo esports, his performances within Infinite show he isn’t slowing down. His prowess hasn’t been enough to topple teams like OpTic Gaming, Sentinels and eUnited. His worry for the weekend? Missing the Super Bowl between the Bengals and Rams.
“Whoever decided that HCS Anaheim should be the same weekend as the Super Bowl, I have some words for you,” Wrona said. Maybe the anger of being unable to watch the Super Bowl can lead to some aggressive performances. Snip3down’s leadership both in and out of the game is key for FaZe Clan to get out of their group and to the finals of a major tournament.
