Allegiance started week five of the Halo Championship Series (HCS) Pro League with a reverse sweep on Evil Geniuses (EG). The loss intensified EG’s spiral into relegation as Enigma 6 (E6) leaped past them. The day two matchup between E6 and EG means a lot for both teams, as Luminosity Gaming and Team Liquid pull further away. While the top two teams look secure, the bottom half of the HCS Pro league shuffles with each series.
Allegiance vs. Team Liquid | Liquid wins 3-1
Allegiance start the second day of the HCS Pro League like they ended day one. Rig – Strongholds ends in a few minutes as Contra goes on a Killing Frenzy. An Allegiance triple stronghold capture prevents Team Liquid from ever slowing the game’s pace. After a 93-point run, Liquid tallies a couple of points, but they fail to hold the setup. Allegiance takes game one 100-16.
Liquid regroups and wins the next two games, then replicates the destructive Allegiance Strongholds performance on Eden. Liquid out-slays Allegiance members and wins 100-4. Str8 SicK hits double digit kills as the rest of the combined kills on Allegiance fall under 10.
Team EnVyUs vs. Luminosity Gaming| EnVyUs wins 3-1
After a close five-game series against OpTic Gaming during week four, Luminosity wins just one game against Team EnVyUs (nV). Luminosity start the series in complete control of Empire – Strongholds. Their efficient rotations put nV on the defensive they score 54 points before losing the setup. The deficit asks too much from nV, and Luminosity takes game one 100-21.
Like Liquid in the previous series, nV resets and take the next three games against Luminosity. Game four Eden – Strongholds flips upside down when Luminosity blows their 86-44-point lead. Once nV retakes map control, they never give it back. Luminosity tries to capture nest on a last ditch, desperation move, but Victory X leaps over too late. nV resets nest and the game ends 100-93.
LOL vs. OpTic Gaming | OpTic wins 3-0
LOL picking up Eco in place of Renegade might explain their struggles since their recent surge, but playing OpTic won’t improve their chances either. The series ends on Truth – CTF – a map many pros played in previous Halo releases. APG scores the first flag for LOL as Ace distracts multiple OpTic members in the carbine tower. A combination of thrusts, clambers and ground-pounds into the gravity lift helps Ace stay alive long enough for the capture. Despite LOL scoring first, OpTic sweeps the series.
Evil Geniuses vs. Enigma 6 | Enigma 6 wins 3-2
Since replacing Victory X with Stellur, EG has not won a single series. Day two of week five changed nothing.
The series goes to game five on Coliseum – Slayer. The gradual climbing score matches the slow pace of the game. Tied at 19 kills, bubu dubu finds a sniper rifle to build a tiny lead for E6. EG eliminates the lead and keeps the game tied late at 39. Lunchbox, wielding a brand-new sniper rifle on the elbow side, guards the rocket launcher respawn.
When the rockets respawn, Lunchbox snipes an E6 member nearby, while the other player escapes with the weapon. As EG pushes forward into red base through the rocket launcher side, E6 abandons Shooter in the back of red base. With the rest of E6 nowhere close, somehow Shooter manages to kill all three EG members. Enigma 6 takes game five 50-43 on a play no player ever survives.