OpTic Gaming claim 2023 Kickoff Major Charlotte

The Halo Championship Series 2023 has begun, and the first Major of the year has already occurred. The world’s best teams gathered in Charlotte for the Kickoff Major, where they competed for a prize pool of $250,000.

OpTic Gaming beats FaZe Clan in the final of the HCS 2023 Kickoff Major Charlotte

After the success in the 2022 season, many fans and players wondered if OpTic Gaming would come into this 2023 season just as powerful. And the answer seems simple because, after this masterful performance in the Major, OpTic managed to revalidate their champion’s title.

Matthew “FormaL” Piper, a former legend in the Call of Duty scene, made his triumphant return to Halo during the HCS 2022 season, and the reality is that he doesn’t seem to have stepped away from the scene. FormaL had a spectacular tournament and led his team to victory.

At the night’s end on February 26, OpTic Gaming defeated FaZe Clan with a close 4-3 score in the best-of-seven series and took home the juicy $100,000 prize. In addition to that, they also scored 100,000 HCS points, which will be of great help to them at the end of the season.

OpTic Gaming’s Road to the Final

Drawn in Group B, OpTic crushed Sentinels, Quadrant, and Cloud9 to finish first with a +6 differential. Then, in the quarterfinals of the Upper Bracket, the team managed to crush Shopify Rebellion 3-1 to continue its excellent performance for the tournament’s final phase.

In the semifinals of the Upper Bracket, OpTic Gaming showed that they had come to stay until the end of this Major Charlotte, as they crushed Gamers First with an excellent 3-0. This sent the North American team to the Upper Bracket Grand Final, where they faced FaZe Clan for the first time in the tournament.

Like the Grand Final match, FaZe gave OpTic a tough fight, but the green wall prevailed 3-2 to advance to the Grand Final and await the winner between FaZe and Spacestation.

In the Grand Final, OpTic gave a blow on the table and took a resounding victory. Although the score was close (4-3), and they had to play all seven series games, OpTic finished the Grand Final with 282 points.

Pool Play teams confirmed

Preparations have begun for the next HCS Major 2023, the Arlington Major. Eight teams have been confirmed to participate in the Pool Play, including some of the strongest teams in the competitive scene.

• OpTic Gaming
• Sentinels
• Astral Authority
• eRa Eternity
• Flux
• Element Mystic
• BBL Esports
• Luminosity Gaming

Training intensifies

As teams prepare for the big tournament in Arlington, the HCS will see some of the best professional Halo players in the world go head-to-head. Preparations for the event will undoubtedly reach a feverish pitch as the tournament approaches. With OpTic Gaming’s victory in Charlotte, the Arlington Major is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Halo esports events in recent memory.

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