Before #Rostermania can happen in the Minor League at the mid-season break, the eight teams had to fight one more time in the last day of matches on Monday.
Two teams, 3sUp and Team Solstice, actually did not have their match, as there was a bit of an issue for Solstice in fielding a team.
Breaking news for the @ESMLeague :
Scion Esports was unable to field a team for tonight, and forfeited its match against @3sUPEnterprises— James Mattone (@TheJamesMattone) December 20, 2016
Nevertheless, there were three competitive matches played on Monday night, and here’s how they all shaped up:
Match One:
Abusement Park vs. Team Solstice
Already before the mid-season transfer window, there were moves announced ahead of this matchup, as the Solstice team running the Minor League will be completely different from the one we see at UGC St. Louis.
Also Bergst3r, a former CoD female pro, as well as a current Halo community personality and streamer, subbed in for Abusment Park.
That’s pretty cool.
Anyways, she would unfortunately not finish a single match in this series above five kills, as her team was able to take away a Strongholds map but not the series.
This was a series that does not define anything heading into the mid-season window, as Solstice is going to be an entirely seperate team by the end of it, however the play of Dominic “BotchyHawk” Demillo was impressive enough to make him a quality free agent.
Specifically for his objective play, he earned all three caps in the first CTF game mode, and his slaying ability shined in game two when he dropped 18 kills for a 4.5 K/D.
If any Minor League team wants a boost heading into the second half of the season, or in St. Louis, BotchyHawk may be the man to go to.
Game One: CTF – Fathom
Game Final: SOL 3 – 0 AbP
Match Score: SOL 1 – 0 AbP
Game Two: Slayer – Regret
Game Final: SOL 50 – 27 AbP
Match Score: SOL 2 – 0 AbP
Game Three: Strongholds – Plaza
Game Final: AbP 100 – 82 SOL
Match Score: SOL 2 – 1 AbP
Game Four: CTF – Coliseum
Game Final: SOL 3 – 1 AbP
Match Final: SOL 3 – 1 AbP
Match Two:
Dynasty vs. Most Wanted
Once again, this was a weird matchup as Robert “ROB THE TURTLE” O’Connor is technically not on Dynasty anymore, but all the players stuck with their teams for one more night of play.
The MVP for this series, and the player to watch during #Rostermania season, is Articc. Playing as a sub for several teams during the minor league season, he was a steady slayer throughout this series, putting on some insane shots and proving his worth in each game.
Just for the sheer sake of his accurate shots, he may be an under-the-radar pickup for a team looking to make a statement in St. Louis.
Game One: CTF – Fathom
Game Final: MW 3 – 1 DYN
Match Score: MW 1 – 0 DYN
Game Two: Slayer – Plaza
Game Final: MW 50 – 32 DYN
Match Score: MW 2 – 0 DYN
Game Three: Strongholds – Plaza
Game Final: DYN 100 – 92 MW
Match Score: MW 2 – 1 DYN
Game Four: CTF – Truth
Game Final: MW 3 – 1 DYN
Match Final: MW 3 – 1 DYN
Match Three:
PNDA Gaming vs. FlySociety
For two upstart organizations playing in the last Minor League Halo match of 2016, they put on one hell of a show.
Despite disconnects in game one, FlySociety and PNDA Gaming were able knot the series up at one by the second game, with PNDA dominating power weapons 14-2 on Colisuem Slayer.
After a solid win by PNDA, FS was able to throw in the golden flag to force a game five, where it was a close match that ended with PNDA clutching up at the 35 kill mark, taking overshield, and winning the last series of 2016.
Game One: CTF – Fathom
Game Final: FS 3 – 1 PNDA
Match Score: FS 1 – 0 PNDA
Game Two: Slayer – Coliseum
Game Final: PNDA 50 – 36 FS
Match Score: PNDA 1 – 1 FS
Game Three: Strongholds – Empire
Game Final: PNDA 100 – 54 FS
Match Score: PNDA 2 – 1 FS
Game Four: CTF – Truth
Game Final: FS 3 – 2 PNDA
Match Score: FS 2 – 2 PNDA
Game Five: Slayer – Regret
Game Final: PNDA 50 – 41 FS
Match Final: PNDA 3 – 2 FS
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James Mattone is a journalist for GAMURS and can be contacted on Twitter –@TheJamesMattone.