The first Major is in the books and HCS competition has taken a short break for the holidays, but the HCS Pro Series is right around the corner. The tournaments run hand-in-hand with the Open Series and follow the same format as the Halo 5 Pro Series did. In case you’re not familiar with the H5 Pro Series, here’s a breakdown of how it is going to work.
Open Series tournaments will be open, online, region-locked, double-elimination tournaments that take place on weekends. For NA and EU, the tournaments will run until the Top 8 teams are reached. Those Top 8 teams will advance to the following Pro Series tournament, which will take place on a weekday. The Top 8 teams from the Open Series will be placed into a double-elimination bracket with the Top 8 “pro” teams that have already qualified for the Pro Series tournament. For MX and ANZ, it will be the Top 4 instead of the Top 8 and the Pro Series tournament will feature 8 teams instead of 16. Teams will be seeded by total HCS Points.
In order to qualify for the one of the “pro” spots in the Pro Series, you must place Top 8/Top 4 in the prior Pro Series tournament. Teams that do not place Top 8/Top 4 in a Pro Series tournament will be “relegated” back to the Open Series.
In the case of the first Pro Series, the Top 8/Top 4 teams from their respective region at the Raleigh Major will be given Pro Series qualification. If there weren’t eight/four teams from the region at the Major, the remaining spots will be filled with teams by total HCS Points.
At certain times, the Open Series will be run without being followed up by the Pro Series. In these cases, the Open Series will be a stand-alone double-elimination tournament.
Teams that qualify for the Pro Series are required to field the same roster as the one used in the Open Series unless permitted by the Administration. For the first Pro Series tournament, teams that have qualified are required to have 3/4th of the roster they qualified with.
The placements from the Open Series and Pro Series will be combined to award HCS Points and the Top 2 teams from the Pro Series will also receive cash prizes. Points and prizes vary by region.
Registration for the Open Series is already up on FACEIT so head over there and secure your team’s spot.
