Following several days ofspeculation, Cory “Str8 Sick”Sloss has been confirmed to nolonger be a part of the OpTic Gaming Halo roster. The confirmationcomes in the form of both a tweet from Str8Sick and the recentlyaired episode of OpTicVision. This changefollows a disappointing HCS Pro League season, with OpTic narrowlydodging elimination from the league. According to team member Nick“Maniac” Kershner, the rest of the OpTic roster made thedecision to part ways with him. He cited their embarrassingperformance in the pro league, as well as a lack of team chemistry.This leaves the current OpTic roster as Maniac, Ace andaPG.
The rumour flying around theHalo scene is that Richie“Heinz” Heinz will be taking his place. Heinzpreviously played for Team Allegiance last season, but is currentlybelieved to be teamless due to the ever shifting rosters during theoffseason. These rumors are just speculation, however, butOpTic’s options are few and Heinz is certainly one of the toppickups among the available free agents. Maniac explained duringVision that there is one player who they especially desire to jointhem, likely referring to Heinz.
Maniac has also expressed hisdesire to either retire from Halo or step down from the roster. Hehas since moved away from this possibility, instead choosing tocontinue due to his teammates’ wishing for him to stay on. Inresponse to this revelation, Hecz, the owner of OpTic Gaming, presentedthe opportunity for Matthew“Formal” Piper to return to competitive Halo, playing inManiac’s place following this year’s Call of Duty XPevent.
Formal began his career incompetitive gaming through the Halo scene, but left in favour ofCall of Duty during the decline of the scene. Over the course ofHalo, he won six events across Reach and Halo 4, as well as oneevent in Halo 2 Anniversary. During his career, he teamed with bothAPG and Maniac, two current members of OpTic Halo, as well asspending much of his career teaming with Heinz, the speculatedreplacement for Str8 Sick. While Hecz may not have been completelyserious about this team change, the Halo community has been longingfor the return of Formal. Only time will tell if this is apossibility, although it’s certainly not likely.
Remember to follow us here atGAMURS to find out who the replacement for Str8 Sick will be, aswell as all your other competitive Halo needs.
What do you think about thesepotential changes to OpTic Halo? Let us know in the comments belowor tweet us @GAMURScom.
Patrick Cowley can becontacted on Twitter, @PtrckCowley.
