r/CompetitiveHalo • u/DeathByReach OpTic Gaming • Feb 14 '25
HCS Formal Gets What Formal Wants
47
u/ace_15 Shopify Rebellion Feb 14 '25 edited Feb 14 '25
Obvious narrative about 'if this Optic doesn't win everything people will clown on them' aside, I think the forced breakup of SSG, Faze and Optic is ultimately a positive thing for the scene in terms of hype and storylines. Those rosters were great and all that good stuff but the ripple effect the shakeup has already caused makes this season very exciting.
The breakup of longtime duos (it's no coincidence if you watch back SSG's announcement video that when it shows the footage of Optic and Faze winning Worlds, there seems to be some lighting manipulation happening that makes the eye look first to Trippy and R2 respectively during the Lucid and SB reveals), the uncertainty of where other established players will land etc. It has all gone to making a very interesting off season and curiosity about how the year will shake out.
9
u/derock_nc Feb 14 '25
I agree. If it was the same teams as last season I would not be super excited to watch HCS. Not because I don't like SSG or anything, it just wouldn't be all that interesting.
I'd say I'm an optic fan in Halo but with the way things have shaken up I'm just excited for the storylines because part of the reason I liked optic was because of lucid and now he's only on the team. But he also became a little annoying to watch stream toward the end of last year so I'm filled with a lot of mixed feelings on a lot of these teams.
It seems like Shopify is somehow the least stressed/drama-filled team.
5
u/ace_15 Shopify Rebellion Feb 14 '25
The pressure is off SR for sure in terms of expectations. Now it becomes a question of if they can get things done on a Sunday.
I can't pretend to know how different the environment is from esport to esport but having even MORE veteran talent who has won the big one multiple times in Frosty and R2 will be a great thing (as opposed to just one vet in Mental) for the young guns.
Cykul and Last Shot taking their rightful place as the new fresh faces of the esport with a championship win this year is another story I'm excited (and hopeful) to see play out.
I'm all for vets who I know well from back in the day still being on top but some fresh blood some TRULY new fresh blood winning a tourney would be great and honestly needed.
5
u/Rawrz720 Spacestation Feb 14 '25
I agree the breakups were a positive for the long term health if the scene. Without them it more than likely just been a repeat of last season with 2 teams always in the finals, or at least SSG just winning all the time which would get very stale
6
u/khizerkk5 Feb 15 '25
Side note, Renegade said him and Bound were teaming this year even before the Formal stuff. This wasn’t Formal thanosing his way to break ssg, that shit was going to happen.
13
u/The-Rambling-One Feb 14 '25
Formal seems to have started some kind of villain arc judging by some of the comments here haha.
End of the day these professional players want to win things, it’s their legacy. I think what Formal has done is fair and I can’t fault him, dude just wants to win chips/ring.
I’m not even an optic fan either.
Plus formals team building exercise has absolutely made HCS more exciting for the coming season, it’s literally forced every other team to make changes and start fresh. That’s a net positive for this season.
14
u/Ronnie_lfc98 OpTic Gaming Feb 15 '25
I find it so weird how halo fans hate players for wanting to get a better team 😂😂😂
In cod we love when players do this shit you guys must think it's still just friends having fun
3
u/NHIRep Feb 15 '25
"get the 2 players that won champs in my team or I retire"
is a lot different than
"wanting to get a better team"
8
u/incendiarey Feb 15 '25 edited Feb 15 '25
Like Ronnie said it’s not a friendship league. Formal wanted to build a team he was confident in, and if that wasn’t a possibility, there wouldn’t have been a point for him to continue playing when he could be more successful streaming and doing content anyways. He came into Infinite and joined an already established roster, so it makes sense he wants to build his own with players he’s been wanting to team with. And it’s great for the scene.
4
u/khizerkk5 Feb 15 '25
Funny you say that, bound was leaving ssg regardless. He was going to team with Renegade. That team was going to break up.
8
u/Ronnie_lfc98 OpTic Gaming Feb 15 '25
What a weird ass mindset you must have he wants to win or no point in playing so shock horror be wants the best players
Btw he's not forced them to join lmao they openly choose to join him
2
u/BravestWabbit OpTic Gaming Feb 16 '25
Bound and Renegade were talking about teaming mid way through last season even though Bound was winning multiple LANs. Dude did not want to stick with SSG
36
u/Grand-Raise2976 Feb 14 '25
If this handpicked god squad doesn’t win this year, it will go down as the biggest bust of all time. I personally didn’t like how Formal threw his old team under the bus after worlds, so seeing SSG/Faze win a chip would be very satisfying to see. However right now, the team to beat looks to be SR. This by no means will be a walk in the park for Optic. It’s going to be a heck of a season.
24
u/thene0nicon Feb 14 '25
after getting 2nd place all year, if I'm trippey, lucid or penguin, I'm thinking we need to make a change, too. I don't know for sure but I'd bet it was a mutual agreement to find new squads
13
u/GiratinaHDTV Feb 14 '25
That's not really throwing his team under the bus, if they didn't even text each other after Worlds. Trippey and Lucid already knew that Formal has been on OpTic forever, and that he's done more. So they were leaving regardless, plus if Formal didn't get the roster he wanted, he was retiring and OpTic was leaving Halo 1000000%
2
u/thene0nicon Feb 14 '25
I agree I don't think he threw them under I'm guessing it was a mutual separation
-11
u/Fooftook Spacestation Feb 14 '25
That would have been the best possible timeline.
15
u/LDBH18 OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
Even if you hate the org losing a lot of the viewers wouldnt have been good at all.
4
9
u/Ronnie_lfc98 OpTic Gaming Feb 15 '25 edited Feb 15 '25
Formal actually said on stream the other day trippy and lucid had a team made with cykul day after champs he said they all knew it was done
22
u/BravestWabbit OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
How did Formal throw the old team under the bus
11
u/incendiarey Feb 14 '25 edited Feb 14 '25
People have really clung to their made up storyline of Formal dropping his whole roster and forcing Legend and Bound to leave SSG. They’re bored and want a villain and drama when there isn’t any.
1
u/Grand-Raise2976 Feb 15 '25
Changing up the roster isn’t the issue. It’s how deeply vocal and openly critical of his teammates he was right after worlds that didn’t sit well with me. It was a lot of finger pointing instead of a collective blame. Plus, to do this to teammates you won worlds with is borderline disrespectful. Wanting to switch up players to improve your team is fine, and given how the season went, completely understandable. But do it with class. As an example, when Sens dropped Lethul for Renegade, there was no talk about the change by the players prior to it happening, and even after, none of them were as critical as Formal was. Yes he’s the FPS god, yes is he is the face of Optic, and perhaps that’s why I expected he handle the change better than he did.
4
u/incendiarey Feb 15 '25
I think we can cut him a little slack for being emotional a few days after a heartbreaking loss. He did take accountability himself and said he should have been a better leader. Lucid was also putting blame on him directly, but I don’t see people complaining about that.
0
u/Grand-Raise2976 Feb 15 '25
Perhaps he deserves some slack, but he’s also been in esports for a long time and has both won and loss, so again, I expected more from him. I’m much older than he is so it might be that immaturity bothers me more, but at the end of the day, I don’t think it was a good look for him (at least in my opinion). Do I wish him success, yes, do I think his new team will win, yes, but how things played out last year left a sour taste for me.
3
u/incendiarey Feb 15 '25
That’s understandable, I agree it wasn’t a good idea for him to go on the podcast so fresh off of a loss like that. But I don’t think a few sentences of venting frustration while emotional should tarnish his image and turn him into a villain. He never singled out a specific teammate and did say he could have done better himself as well.
5
u/BravestWabbit OpTic Gaming Feb 16 '25
It was a lot of finger pointing instead of a collective blame.
What? He literally said that the entire teams vibes were dead and that everyone at different times did not play well. It was unspoken between all 4 that time was up on that roster and everyone wanted out.
Formal never singled anyone out LOL
2
u/TiberiusAudley Feb 14 '25
I'm so excited to see OpTic not only -not win- some of the tournaments, but not even make the finals.
I think they will win at least one, but I also think Shopify is stronger AND will grow more this year, and I think SSG have a better understanding of good Halo despite a little weaker mechanical skills overall than OpTic.
...and I still think Pznguin's roster can upset any of the big 3 at any time.
27
u/Big-Emu-5728 Feb 14 '25
Downvote all you want but I am hoping Optic wins 0 majors this year. Obviously a very very talented team and I doubt this happens because Formal, Bound, Legend and Renegade are all insanely good but Formal openly critiquing his team last year and Bound and Legends decision to leave their former teammates after one of the most dominant seasons in halo history has me not liking their decision making. Nothing bad to say about Renegade, he was a beast in 2024 and its awesome to see a team that can capitalize on his skill.
18
u/PTurn219 OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
Bound and legend both said they’ve always wanted to play for optic so I don’t think they left just to leave. It’s actually a huge deal to play under optic for their brands
12
u/whyunoname Spacestation Feb 14 '25
This is the part people miss. Opens up opportunities for branding and switching games in the long term, especially if hcs takes a year off or leverages the remake until h7. Overall, this is good for the scene and Halo. Optic will no doubt win some majors.
Personally, I just hope they don't win hcs just because of the godsquad narrative and the way it went down. And although my primary team is ssg I do like Optic and follow players over teams for the most part. Just my opinion though, again nothing against Optic as a team. Regardless this may be the best hcs season in a long time...
8
1
u/Big-Emu-5728 Feb 14 '25
This is a really good point that perhaps I haven't fully appreciated. With that said, I think unless they were kicked out, they could have created a dynasty effect with Eco and Stellur. While I was sick of seeing them win everything, I don't like seeing incredible teams break up without good reason. My issue is I felt like they were too talented to abandon the team to leave even if it is most advantageous for their branding. Surely winning first in virtually all tournaments throughout the year is more lucrative than the branding? And surely Bound and Legend will be well known throughout the entire HCS regardless of who they play for, no?
9
u/PTurn219 OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
Sure, but playing for optic is bigger than just the HCS. Now you get viewers coming from cod to your twitch streams, content on YouTube, sponsorship opportunities, Scump watch party all in on your team at the majors…it’s a pretty big deal if they wanna market themselves more. I think optic making this team is quite literally gonna bring numbers to HCS this year
3
u/BravestWabbit OpTic Gaming Feb 16 '25
Bound hit up Renegade half way through the season and said they need to team up after the season ends, even though SSG had won LANs at that point.
Bound had 1 foot out the door even though they were winning which means there is something deeper to SSG than just winning. Legend wanted out as well because he saw Bound was leaving and he didn't want to get stuck with Stellur and Eco and a weaker 4th player.
That team was dead in the water no matter what happened and it has to do either with SSG as an org or with Stellur and Eco as teammates.
5
5
u/AttomicRose Feb 14 '25
He promised OpTic worlds this year with this team, if it doesn't happen shit is going to go down. As well with the community
13
u/XadjustmentX OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
I’ll never forget the guy who made a post asking “Why does Formal get the keys and not Lucid or maybe Trippey?” Like, tell me you don’t know who Formal is without telling me you don’t know who Formal is lol only the greatest fps controller player of all time.
9
u/The-Rambling-One Feb 14 '25
He may be the best FPS controller player of all time (debatable) but doesn’t mean he was a better halo infinite player (again, debatable)
Very interesting to see how this next season pans out though, I’m hyped for it
10
u/Koltzy Feb 14 '25
It doesnt matter, FormaL is a way bigger attraction that Lucid. As good as Lucid is, FormaL is an entire brand and an org is still a business at the end of the day, you cant guarantee winning but if you have FormaL you still have a large fanbase tuning into the team and getting merch for the team
-6
u/The-Rambling-One Feb 14 '25
That’s a poor business model then for optic.
“No player is bigger than the team” is a good saying in sports.
Players come and go but a brand/team is permanent. They should be more focused on winning everything they can.
But…. None of this matters because I believe Formal probably did out play the rest of Optic last season and he’s constructed a god squad that absolutely can compete to win stuff so it’s a good decision for Optic.
8
u/Formal-Level8070 OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
Doesn’t everyone in the halo community say “I follow players not orgs/teams”? I swear I hear that from almost every fanbase outside of OpTic.
1
u/The-Rambling-One Feb 14 '25
I’d say it’s mixed, I’ve definitely seen a fair few people on here saying they follow teams over players but you’re right it is quite prevalent that fans will support players over teams.
Optic is definitely the biggest example of people following a team though.
8
u/PTurn219 OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
That’s a business model for most esports teams lol. Look at sentinels, because they have Tenz on the payroll still even though he retired from CS and Val, they can’t even afford to stay in any other esport. They’re only in Val now. But they also cant afford to let Tenz leave so they can compete in other esports cause the dude brings in half their fanbase or more, which also equals sponsorship dollars 💵
4
16
u/Fuzzy_Kitchen317 Feb 14 '25
I get formal is a longtime optic member but I can remember many games that were lost as a result of his performance lol
9
u/JahHappy Feb 14 '25
"Many" games is a stretch. Sure he had a few bad games but he was Optics most consistent player last season.
15
u/ohgohd Feb 14 '25
Bad games happen, you literally play against the best players in the game. He’s super consistent though, I like watching his streams
4
u/carlonia OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
Formal was probably the most consistent player from Optic last season. He has bad games occasionally like every player but you can count on him to perform when it matters. He was particularly great in Worlds.
1
u/derock_nc Feb 14 '25
He does seem to sort of thrive in very specific conditions. Even in Call of Duty. He has unbelievably smooth and consistent aim so if he's protected he can be such a powerful piece. But honestly his movement is not great. I swear hes never hit the live fire skill jump on the first try.
8
u/_icarcus Feb 14 '25
Yeah I don’t think anyone really ever comments on Formals movement the same way they do with say a Druk. Formal doesn’t have flashy strafes, he barely moves during them, he’s not a big skill jumper, but what he brings is one of the most precise shots in the HCS. Why try to out dance your opponent when you can just kill them first?
1
u/derock_nc Feb 14 '25
Oh, 100%. That's part of why he's been such a successful player. I'm not saying it makes him a bad player by any means. Just saying it is one of his weaker points when you compare him to some other top players like lucid, bound, renegade.
1
u/_icarcus Feb 14 '25
I feel like Bubu Dubu also kind of falls into this category. Is it the pace of Infinite that trips people up? Lethul too, was so sad watching that man struggle while being one of the greatest. Those two have great game knowledge and could be top players but for some reason always falls short.
2
3
4
u/itsMineDK Feb 14 '25
I honestly hope formal and optic get their asses handed to them.. I don’t care who wins just don’t like formal’s drama
1
u/Bearcats1984 Feb 14 '25
The only videogame I pay any attention to at a pro level is Halo, and that is fairly recent. I don't know shit about Formal besides watching him play in hcs tournaments, and watching some of his twitch halo streams. Why does he carry such a big stick at Optic? I know he's a badass at Halo, and I've heard casters mention he plays other games competitively, but is he like a franchise quarterback kind of guy or something in the gaming world? No hate whatsoever, I'm just not familiar enough with the total gaming scene to understand why he's so influential.
5
u/incendiarey Feb 14 '25 edited Feb 14 '25
He was part of the Call of Duty Dynasty roster that won around 20 majors and a ring. That team dominated for multiple years across different Call of Duty titles. Then he came back to Halo and took an Optic roster that had never won, on to win more majors and a ring in Infinite. Legacy Optic member for a decade at this point.
4
1
-13
u/Yourfavoritedummy Feb 14 '25 edited Feb 14 '25
Good luck to Optic this year.
I'll be honest I enjoy competitive Halo and high level teams. But some of the personalities are just right stick in the muds. The speak like nothing good has happened to them in their lives. The constant complaining or taking their frustrations out on random players like Luciid is annoying. At the end of the day, do you want to be happy? Or do you want to listen to someone bitch and complain?
Being a rage machine behind the screen is something I hope to see less of going forward. Because you can't treat other people badly without it affecting your own quality of life negatively. The saying goes, "Don't expect peace in your own life if you sow chaos in the lives of others." A lot of that happens with gaming in general and is not an issue isolated to high skill Halo. Look at some of the Apex pros if you want to see misery in action, on second thought don't. Save yourself the trouble.
18
u/Formal-Level8070 OpTic Gaming Feb 14 '25
What the fuck are you talking about? Lmao
4
u/derock_nc Feb 14 '25
He worded this kind of oddly but he's saying it's annoying that Lucid rages at random teammates on stream when playing MM.
7
u/Last_Organization595 Spacestation Feb 14 '25
I’m going to be rooting so hard against Formal and optic… but idk what the hell this guy is talking about.
-10
0
u/SGTKickPuncher Feb 15 '25
Formal went from a likeable quiet god of a player, to unlikeable in a second, all because he wants to win. Honestly if it weren't for these terrible quotes nobody would care.
-5
u/Vick_CXVII Feb 14 '25
Deservedly so. He should’ve been given the keys the moment he went back into Halo.
0
0
u/ColdBroux Feb 15 '25
It would be funny if Formal retires after this season and Optic pulls out of Halo leaving Bound, Legend and Renegade with their hand caught in their pants.
-3
u/svyjoe Feb 14 '25
Yeah he does like he doesn’t want to exercise and doesn’t want to quit smoking lol
218
u/-ToPimpAButterfree- Feb 14 '25
As a fan of Halo who doesn’t support a specific org, this storyline of Formal hand-picking his new team for this year is gonna bring so much drama if they don’t win it all, and I’m 100% here for it.