Day 3 of the Halo Championship Series (HCS) Kickoff Major Raleigh brought the best teams and plays on its final day. As the brackets eliminated more and more powerful competition, clutch moments came to fruition. From the lower bracket to the upper bracket, players had to hit their peaks to win their games. It ended up ending on the finals between Cloud9 and eUnited, both teams that clutched up throughout the day.
Here are some of the best plays from the last day of HCS Raleigh, starting off with some clutch kills from champions Cloud9.
Zane “Penguin” Hearon, Cloud9
You gotta jump off with that, man! 💀 pic.twitter.com/BrvrjbmvDc
— Halo Esports (@HCS) December 19, 2021
In a match between two popular and strong Halo teams, Penguin was the one to come up big on Map 3. On Oddball where carrying the ball is key, OpTic was holding it at the corner of the map. The strategy was if Cloud9 pushed, they could throw the ball off the map to reset it in the middle, giving them an advantage in a retake. But, Penguin’s quick push and good shot just barely prevented the ball from falling off the edge twice. Cloud9 picked it up and despite eventually losing the map, won the series 3-2.
Bradley “Frosty” Bergstrom, Sentinels
.@FrostyBB is putting on a masterclass!
24 Kills – 12 Deaths – 5 Assists 🤯@Sentinels set their sights on the 3-0 sweep against @Optic!https://t.co/e5eEleh4IW | https://t.co/zEAg7S6F2W pic.twitter.com/lbo3gXytQR
— Halo Esports (@HCS) December 19, 2021
This is less of a moment of time and more of a map-long focus. In Sentinels second map against OpTic Gaming in the losers bracket, the red team kept their advantage and took a 2-0 series lead off the back of Frosty. Along with the clip above, he ended the map with 24 kills, 12 deaths and five assists. The two kills-per-death ratio was the reason Sentinels won that map, but it wasn’t even the biggest moment of the series.
Michael “Falcated” Garcia, FaZe Clan
FRYING @Falcated_ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tEbjEcGwz4
— #FaZeUp (@FaZeEsports) December 19, 2021
At the same time as OpTic and Sentinels clashed in HCS Raleigh on Day 3, FaZe Clan were making plays against the Kansas City Pioneers. But little did the Pioneers know, the repulsor is as good as a rocket launcher in Falcated’s hands. Starting with a knock-off the map kill, he hits the next enemy off the wall to get a double kill. Then, another boop off the map and two kills afterwards led him to have 17 out of his team’s 36 kills at the time. He was on fire, as FaZe fought their way to a Map 5 win against the Pioneers.
Matt “FormaL” Piper, Sentinels
Birthday buff activated 🥳@FormaL drops 21 kills for @Sentinels to eliminate his own org @OpTic and secure Top 4. pic.twitter.com/j5hUimPR29
— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) December 19, 2021
You couldn’t write this play if you tried. In Map 5, with FormaL facing off again against the team he had to leave to sub in for Sentinels, his team held a huge lead on Slayer. After OpTic fought back to narrow the lead down, Sentinels were one kill away from winning the map and the series. After grabbing a rocket launcher, FormaL predicts where a player from OpTic is rotating and fires blindly at a corner, getting the kill and the win.
Nick “KingNick” Panzella, eUnited
.@KingNick REFUSES TO LOSE pic.twitter.com/PWJzbc2b3c
— eUnited (@eUnited) December 20, 2021
In the final map of the losers bracket final between FaZe Clan and eUnited, it all came down to Slayer. Despite staying close most of the map, KingNick pulled out some clutch dynamo grenades to delete the opponent’s shields and get two easy kills to increase their lead. This lead never waned, as they won the series 3-2 to go to the grand finals.
Jonathan “Renegade” Willette, Cloud9
RENEGOD IS TAKING OVER!😲 pic.twitter.com/ZpayleCdsT
— Halo Esports (@HCS) December 20, 2021
In a close second map, where Cloud9 was down most of the time, the team got hot when it mattered most. After grabbing active camo, Renegade used the shock rifle to get a headshot. After getting a second with a quick weapon swap, the lead went in Cloud9’s favor. Eventually winning the map, Cloud9 kept the momentum to win the series.
