Chance “MoNsTcr” Duncan has had a very successful season so far. Yearning to build off of the great success he had last season, in which he and his former 3sUP team came fairly close to defeating Allegiance in relegation to take their spot in next season’s pro league, MoNsTcr has shown time and time again that he will do whatever it takes to prove his worth in the pro scene.
Many may know MoNsTcr only as the extremely aggressive slayer in Halo 5, but his commitment to this game and ambitions to go pro date all the way back to Halo: Reach, which was when he started competing in events. Quickly climbing through the ranks as one of the top amateur players, he rubbed shoulders with several other aspiring amateurs, as well as some of the most established pro players in the scene, granting him several opportunities along his journey. Although he stayed involved in the scene throughout every Halo title that came out after Reach, it wasn’t until Halo 5 where he started making significant strides at becoming pro. Doing well at every event and online tournament he competed in, it’s clear that this game is MoNsTcr’s best opportunity to break through the wall that has been confronting him throughout all these years and finally reach the pro status he strongly believes he deserves.
In my opinion, I believe MoNsTcr faces the same dilemma as Abel “Rammyy” Garcia in regards to trying to go pro. His inability to cooperate with teammates or compete with the best from a talent perspective isn’t his issue; the problem lies with pro teams and players not having enough faith in his ability to view him worthy of a spot on their team. In the fifth and final HWC NA Online Qualifier, MoNsTcr and his entire 3sUP squad proved that his team is one to be reckoned with by defeating every team they faced until they finally met their match in the grand finals against Team EnVyUs, who out-played them with experience and chemistry. After demonstrating his ability in the online qualifier, Vegas will be the time for MoNsTcr to prove his worth once again, but on a much larger scale.
MoNsTcr is by far one of my favorite players to watch. Although, in many occasions, I bash amateur players for being overly aggressive and costing their team big time for their recklessness, MoNsTcr is one of those outliers in the scene who finds great success from over-challenging. He takes risk, and nine times out of 10, he gets rewarded for it. This dicey style of play unarguably opens up several opportunities for his team that wouldn’t become possible if MoNsTcr didn’t play dicey. As he perfects his craft over time, I expect playmaking to become a great part of his identity and we will definitely see his style of play shine in action at Las Vegas.
What do you think about MoNsTcr and his potential as a player?
Zachery Chevere can be contacted on Twitter @EsportsZach and emailed at zachchevere@gmail.com.
