It’s over for another year – the Halo World Championship 2023 event has wrapped up, and it was FaZe Clan who stood clutching the trophy when the dust had settled. It was a dramatic tournament that played out over a three-day weekend in Seattle, Washington – the ‘home of Halo’. For the longest time, it was predicted that OpTic Gaming – or SSG – would win the entire event, but following a monumental lower bracket run, FaZe Clan clinched the top prize.

Now, FaZe Clan goes home $400,000 richer, and teams the world over start to prepare for the next season – which was recently greenlit. Following certain performances, it has been made obvious that some squad elements require a revisiting of the drawing board. There was uproar from the community regarding some examples – such as some of Lucid’s awkward stats from the upper bracket final against SSG.

Image Credit: FaZe Clan

FaZe Clan Are Your 2023 HCS Champions

FaZe Clan started strong in the upper bracket but was ultimately crushed by OpTic Gaming and sent down into the lower bracket in the team’s second series of the tournament. From there, the boys in red pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, going on a spree against Native Gaming, Sentinels, and Spacestation that saw them refuse to drop a single map. Meanwhile, OpTic Gaming was also preparing for the Grand Final, throwing down a fantastic reverse sweep against SSG in the upper bracket’s final stage.

When it came down to it, FaZe Clan was simply the better team in the Grand Final, but nobody saw the decimation coming. Before the match reset – which is typical for HCS finals – FaZe Clan was 4 – 2 up — but the squad just became overwhelming in the second phase. In back-to-back wins, FaZe Clan claimed four maps in a row, often pushing OpTic Gaming into the corner and forcing the GreenWall to buckle under the pressure.

In one round of Strongholds, FaZe Clan managed to beat OpTic Gaming – often considered the best Halo team around right now – with a scoreline of 250 – 22.

Positivity All Round

All in all, the Halo Championship Series was in top form this year. While viewership saw a slight decline, the tournaments themselves remained relatively punchy and entertaining. It’s an esports title that still holds quite a solid legacy, after all. For many, this is where esports began – and there’s still so much potential wrapped up in the game. It was recently suggested that 343 Industries is working on the next iteration of Halo as we speak, so who knows what’s really on the horizon?

This was a tough tournament for all involved, and every squad gave it their all. It wasn’t to be for some, but that’s the name of the game, right? Congratulations to FaZe Clan, who are first-time world champions in Halo, and commiserations to OpTic Gaming, who were definitely the frontrunners for the tournament.

We’ll be back again next year with another season of the Halo Championship Series.

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