The Halo Championship Series is back in a big way with the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 event kicking off the first year of Halo Infinite action. The first LAN tournament in just under two years boasts a $250,000 prize and we’ve got you covered with everything there is to know.
- HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 marks first Halo Infinite tournament.
- $250,000 starting prize pool before crowdfunded bonus.
- Event takes place December 17-19.
- 32 teams to feature in the Championship Bracket.
With Halo Infinite finally upon us, the first major tournament is already closing in. HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh marks not only Halo’s return to LAN after 22 months of online play, but it also marks the start of a new era with Infinite.
Six years on from Halo 5, the world’s top FPS talent now has a new title to hone their skills in. As a result, all the best squads from around the world will be flying into North Carolina to compete in front of a sold out crowd.
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From when it all kicks off to where you can watch, here’s everything you need to keep on top of Halo Infinite’s first major event.
HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021: Streams & Schedule
The first Halo Infinite LAN event will be streaming live on the official Halo Twitch channel alongside the HCS channel as well. Each broadcast will highlight the most important matches across all three days. Speaking of which, below is a quick breakdown of when each day’s stream is set to go live.
- Friday, Dec 17th: 12:00 PM ET | 9AM PT
- Saturday, Dec 18th: 1:00 PM ET | 10AM PT
- Sunday, Dec 19th: 10:00 AM ET | 7AM PT
There’s no telling how long each day of action will last for, but expect some lengthy streams as the top teams battle it out.
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HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021: Format & Prize Pool
It all starts with the Open Bracket. 272 teams that purchased team passes for the event will be competing in a massive double-elimination bracket. The top 16 teams that make it through are dropped right into the Championship Bracket over the following days.
Meanwhile, 16 qualifying teams from North America, Latin America, Europe, and Australia / New Zealand will be flown out directly by the tournament organizers. These squads will then compete in their own Pool Play stage, with the top two from each pool advancing to the winner’s side of the Championship Bracket with a first-round bye.
The bottom two still proceed to the Championship Bracket, though they face off with top squads from the Open Bracket right away.
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Every path leads to the aforementioned Championship Bracket, a 32 team double elimination stage to crown the one true winner. All matchups will be a best of five with a mix of Slayer, Capture the Flag, Stronghold, and Oddball.
While $250,000 is the base prize pool, that’s purely a starting point for Infinite’s first LAN event. With crowdfunding in effect, this figure could skyrocket as players get their hands on unique esports cosmetics in the newly released shooter.
Below is a full breakdown of the prize pool as it stands before bonus funds are added in:
| 1st | $100,000 |
| 2nd | $60,000 |
| 3rd | $28,000 |
| 4th | $14,000 |
| Top 6 | $7,000 |
| Top 8 | $4,000 |
| Top 12 | $2,000 |
| Top 16 | $1,300 |
| Top 24 | $1,000 |
| Top 32 | $600 |
HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021: Teams
Given the nature of the event, we won’t know the 32 featured teams in the Championship Bracket until every spot is claimed through earlier stages of the tournament. From Australia’s top teams to North America’s fan favorites, it’s sure to be a stacked event.
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- Read More: How to rank up fast in Halo Infinite
Below are the nine HCS Partnered teams already guaranteed to be in attendance:
- Cloud9
- OpTic Gaming (previously Envy)
- eUnited
- FaZe Clan
- Fnatic
- G2 Esports
- Natus Vincere
- Sentinels
- Spacestation
We’ll be sure to keep you updated right here as the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 event gets underway.
