Luminosity’s recent losses come at the worst time as Str8 Rippin surges from the depths of the standings into a tie for fourth. If both teams win their last series of the Halo Championship Series (HCS) Pro League, map win percentage gives Luminosity the last playoff spot. To eliminate any last day comebacks, a Luminosity win shuts out any remaining teams seeking a top four spot.
Evil Geniuses (EG) beating Luminosity on day one doesn’t just end their losing streak since adding Stellur, it also gives them a chance to sneak out of relegation. If Enigma 6 (E6) loses another series, they might join Allegiance or EG in Burbank, California for the relegation matches.
Team EnVyUsvs. Allegiance | EnVyUs win 3-1
If all the perfect scenarios play out and Allegiance sweeps, they could avoid relegation. While a lot must go wrong for other teams, the math shows a small chance for an upset.
Allegiance plays into their minuscule opportunity, winning Rig – Strongholds to start the series. To compete with Team EnVyUs’ (nV) slaying power, Allegiance relies on efficient Railgun usage. Both Contra and Falcated finish with 18 kills, hoping to at the very least, win this series before the rest of the league plays.
Whatever nV discussed following the game one loss, it helped them beat Allegiance three games in a row. On Plaza – Strongholds, Allegiance pulls away early, taking a 12-6 lead, which grows to 30-20. nV regroups from there as they score eight unanswered kills to cut the lead to three. The nV spree continues and they tally 13 kills over Allegiance’s two kills in the same time frame. The game ends 50-42, and nV takes the series 3-1.
Enigma 6 vs. Str8 Rippin | Str8 Rippin wins 3-1
Enigma 6 played like a top four team earlier in the season, but their roster troubles now threaten relegation. A series win on the last day of the season can help E6 climb into the sixth seed, yet they depend on the performance of other teams. If E6 loses, they need Team Liquid to sweep EG. If Str8 Rippin wins, Luminosity needs to beat OpTic Gaming to keep their last playoff spot. Few teams control their own fate, and regardless of what E6 does, they can still end up in relegation.
Str8 Rippin pulls ahead early on Plaza – Strongholds, holding bottom middle and trapping E6 in yard. While Ace holds top cinema, E6 punches through the setup into café and retake the map. When they swing the lead back to 77-76, Str8 Rippin collapse bottom middle and turns their kills into a triple stronghold capture. E6 recovers from a huge deficit, but still lose 100-77.
After losing a close Slayer on Regret, Str8 Rippin resets on Truth – Capture the Flag (CTF). Str8 Rippin runs a flag back to their base, but Suspector stops the run. He flies in from top middle and rains down Fuel Rod bombs for two kills. When he falls, bubu dubu backs him up stacks the flag return. Suspector’s heavy high kill counts help E6 capture two flags seconds after each other.
The same scenario happens on the Str8 Rippin side when Eco kills two to stop an E6 flag run. His kills lead to two Str8 Rippin captures within seconds. Tied at two, bubu dubu flanks while his team runs the flag, but Heinz saves it just outside the E6 base. After APG kills two, he throws the flag bottom middle and Str8 Rippin rallies. Three die on E6, leaving Shooter to desperate a last second kill. Shooter arrives too late and Str8 Rippin wins 3-2.
After a steamroll Empire – Strongholds win, Str8 Rippin takes the series 3-1. Their series vicotry leaves their playoff hopes in the hands of the best Halo team in the world – OpTic Gaming.
Luminosity vs. OpTic Gaming | OpTic wins 3-1
Since Str8 Rippin beat E6, Luminosity must win their matchup against OpTic Gaming. If Luminosity wins, they tie with Str8 Rippin, but their higher map win percentage awards them the last playoff spot. If Luminosity loses, Str8 Rippin completes the miracle run from relegation team to playoff team.
Eden – Strongholds starts slow for Luminosity when OpTic scores 33 unanswered points. Luminosity regroups and reduce the lead right before OpTic recaptures the map. OpTic leads in kills, though it doesn’t translate to stronghold points. Their score stalls at 44 points as OpTic struggle to survive. Luminosity lockdown spawns the score spirals away from OpTic’s control, ending the game at 100-44.
Like the Allegiance vs. nV series, OpTic’s recovery after a game one loss leads to three straight wins. Down 1-2 going into Rig – Strongholds, Luminosity needs a win to stay in the series and keep their playoff chancesalive. SnakeBite grabs Camouflage off spawn and runs the meter dry for a Killing Spree. He survives long enough for the next Camouflage respawn where Luminosity gives him his first death in over two minutes. OpTic hold their setup for the 100-22 win and spoils Luminosity’s season. Str8 Rippin advance to the Fall Season finals.
Team Liquid vs. Evil Geniuses | Evil Geniuses wins 3-2
Since Enigma 6 lost to Str8 Rippin 1-3, if Evil Geniuses wins one game in their series, E6 goes to relegation. Team Liquid shows no mercy early on and EG heads into game three down 0-2. If EG loses game three, they tie E6 in both record and map win percentage. Both teams then play a best of five to determine who goes to Burbank for relegation.
Truth – CTF begins well for EG as Ninja scores the first flag. Although Roy sits back to defend the counter-capture, Penguin runs the EG flag. As Two EG members hide below the base, Penguin drops the flag and throws a dart Splinter grenade at Stellur in pink two. He cleans up Roy and Penguin ties it at one after a few minutes of play. Later tied at two, Ninja tosses the flag bottom middle and grenades bomb the landing. When Stellur kills two, a flanked Roy sprints from underneath the Liquid base to relay the flag for the last capture. EG avoids relegation as both Allegiance and E6 fend off the top teams from the open circuit.
Although the result of the series changes nothing in the standing, EG rolls past Liquid in the next two maps to complete the reverse sweep. A rough week seven for Liquid might hurt morale, yet they maintain the third seed and move on to compete in the HCS Fall Season finals.