The 2017 Halo World Championship kicks off Friday in Burbank, California, so we put together a panel of experts (including myself) to power rank the twelve teams competing.
The panel
Richard Simms - Halo host and commentator
Kyle "Elamite" Elam - Halo host and commentator
Eric "Ghostayame" Hewitt - former pro, works for 343 Industries on Halo
Each person submitted their own set of rankings and final ranks were determined by taking an average of the rankings given. Bring on the pitchforks!
1. OpTic Gaming
Highest Ranking: 1 | Lowest Ranking: 2
Ghostayame: While most would easily pick these guys to win, I'm always a fan of the underdogs. Even though OpTic have looked dominant in the last few months, we did see the same roster last year almost lose to a strong Epsilon roster. I know, ALMOST. If OpTic gets caught off guard early once again, it could completely change their mentality.
2. Team EnVyUs
Highest Ranking: 1. | Lowest Ranking: 4
Cortez: Team EnVyUs has proven that it can take OpTic Gaming down in a LAN setting and look to do it again this weekend for a far bigger purse. The depth of experience that this team has under the bright lights in Halo 5, not to mention the Halo franchise as a whole, makes nV a lock for a top two finish.
Ghostayame: These guys have been the only team to defeat OpTic Gaming thus far, and I believe that it has the experience now to do it again. OpTic are clearly the heavy favorites once again, but you can never count out a well-disciplined nV roster. Oh, and Eric "Snip3down" Wronavs. Tony "Lethul" Campbell Jr - it doesn't get any better than that.
3. Team Liquid
Highest Ranking: 2 |Lowest Ranking: 3
Simms: Since the start of Halo 5, we have seen this nV/OG, Snipedown/Lethul rivalry become a major story line. The latest factor injected into this ongoing war this is Team Liquid. Since the Fall season team shake-ups, Liquid has won the last three times these teams have met. Zane "Penguin" Hearon had an absolutely sterling performance back at the 2016 Halo World Championships, and I expect we will see more of this, this weekend.
Ghostayame: These guys have been getting consistently better every event. Online, they trade losses in scrimmages for learning experiences and peace of mind. On LAN, they're a ruthless force that knows how to be aggressive and patient all in the same offensive push. They have beaten nV at the last two events, and now, their eyes are set on the kings - OpTic.
4. Str8 Rippin
Highest Ranking: 3 | Lowest Ranking: 5
Simms: Str8 Rippin, a legendary name within Halo with some legendary players on the lineup. Str8 I always feel comes in as the slight underdog and do the unthinkable. It made Pro League finals in the final week of regular play. The team took out Luminosity to make worlds at Vegas. It took out Splyce in St. Louis to clinch top four. Str8 is a magical roster and I've placed them higher than LG and lower than TMMT given recent event performances, but honestly, on the day with Str8, anything is possible.
5. Luminosity Gaming
Highest Ranking: 4 | Lowest Ranking: 7
Cortez: LG makes a compelling case as a potential top three team. Cameron "Victory X" Thorlakson and Tyler "Ninja" Blevins likely both still have bitter memories from the HWC last year after getting reverse swept as members of Renegades. After speaking to Victory X, I know that last year has been a fuel in preparation for this year. This very well could be one of the last times we see him at a Halo tournament, and he's going to be looking to make a statement and redeem last year's performance.
6. TMMT Crowd Pleasers
Highest Ranking: 4 | Lowest Ranking: 7
Simms: The storylines of Crowd Pleasers is an amazing one, and while everyone may have doubted the team, there was always a chance that this team could and can do great things. The roster is made of some legendary names and truly incredible talent. Two players on this team came in second at HWC 2016 and netted $500,000. While the chances of them coming second again are against them given the likes of Liquid, OpTic and nV in the way, CP have fired up a scary team.
7. Fab Games eSports
Highest Ranking: 6 | Lowest Ranking 8
Cortez: FabE look to make history this weekend with its eyes set on a top four finish at an international tournament, the highest ever for an European squad. FabE rolled through Gfinity London to get here, and as the best team from the other side of the pond, it has shown that it should not be taken lightly. I would not be surprised if FabE won their pool.
8. Splyce
Highest Ranking: 5 | Lowest Ranking: 9
Simms: Splyce, Splyce, Splyce. I had Splyce in my top four at the Vegas qualifiers and honestly, we saw a very lackluster performance out of these young gentlemen. I'm going to keep this short and sweet: Splyce came back in the last chance qualifiers after losing to Cryptic to win in some tough consecutive sets. If Splyce plays how we know these young guys can, I think top five is achievable, but if the Splyce from Vegas or the last chance qualifier show up, it will be a different story.
9. Team Immunity
Highest Ranking: 8 | Lowest Ranking: 12
Simms: A solid challenger from the Australia/New Zealand region emerges. This is the same roster from last year, so I expect this time round it features a team that is well practiced and well rounded. Last year disaster struck as the Immunity team captain Matthew "Heff" Hefren could not attend due to injury, causing Immunity to lose a solid foundation of the team. This time Daniel "Seduce" Franken is a solid part of this roster and it looks stronger than ever, and is partly why this team sits about Supremacy.
10. Supremacy
Highest Ranking: 9 | Lowest Ranking: 10
Cortez: After failing to qualify for the HWC last year on separate teams, Supremacy makes its debut with a new and improved roster. The inexperience on a stage like this may prove to be its fatal flaw, but what the team has going for it is how unfamiliar the name Supremacy will be to the majority of the teams at the tournament. The pool draw was less than kindm though. Supremacy is joined by powerhouse OpTic Gaming and the dangerous TMMT Crowd Pleasers squad.
11. London Conspiracy
Highest Ranking: 9 | Lowest Ranking: 11
Simms: I felt bad posting at number 11 knowing what these guys have done in the past. Rob "SeptiQ" Singleton knows what it takes to play at a North American level and Andrew "Ramirez" Corrigan knows what it takes to win events - he is, after all, a 10 time EU Champion. Throw Casey "Lunny" Lunn and Chris "Qristola" into the mix and this is a really nice little roster with plenty of firepower and an overall well-rounded team.
12. Soar Gaming
Highest Ranking: 11 | Lowest Ranking: 12
Cortez: Much like Team Immunity last year, Soar Gaming underwent a roster change shortly before the international tournament. In this case, Gilbert "MuNoZ" Muñoz will be on the squad. Although the roster change timing is less than ideal, what SoaR does have going for it is the experience that Munoz has against other North American teams. That being said, FabE is arguably the best international team at the event and Str8 Rippin has become a powerful force in NA. The silver lining here for SoaR, if there was one, is that it did not draw two NA teams.