Competitive Halo is seeing a resurgence. There’s the new Halo Championship Series, the first professional gaming competition in nearly two years. And now one of North America’s biggest organizations, Counter Logic Gaming, is throwing its hat into the ring.
The organization, which predominantly features in League of Legends, has signed well-known Halo pros Tom “Ogre2” Ryan, Richie “Heinz” Heinz, Paul “Snakebite” Duarte, and Matthew “Royal 2” Fiorante.
The squad, known during last weekend’s Halo Master Chief Collection Launch Invitational as Shoot to Kill, will play under the CLG banner for the HCS season.
The new unit features veteran talent in droves. Heinz was a member of several organizations, including the 2012 Ambush squad that finished second at Major League Gaming’s Dallas competition. Duarte and Fiorante were members of the Warriors squad that finished second to the dominant Instinct in the 2011 national championships during the days of Halo: Reach.
Ryan, on the other hand, needs little introduction. He and his brother Dan “OGRE1” Ryan exploded onto the competitive scene in 2004 and became the most dominant duo of all time. Tom Ryan would go on to win 40 tournament titles, including the 2011 national championships over Duarte and Fiorante. In addition, Ryan became the one and only player to end the competitive circuit for each iteration of the Halo franchise as a national champion.
More recently, the team finished third at last weekend’s event, where they fell to a Believe the Hype squad led by Matt “Formal” Piper, a player whose Call of Duty career will likely keep him from competing in the HCS. With a team whose performance is typified by surprisingly sharp aim and communication, CLG’s first foray into Halo might actually bring the organization its first esports championship in a long time.
