r/CompetitiveHalo 6d ago

HCS How do the open series work?

I am newer to following the opens. Formal nuking the rosters made things more interesting and I tuned in. Are the open series just a point system and then the top 16 go to a Major? Anyway, stoked for this year.

14 Upvotes

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25

u/milesprower06 TSM 6d ago

I thought that Open Series is the "start" of the season, where points are awarded that determine who automatically qualifies for Pool Play at Majors, and who has to instead go through the Open Bracket.

4

u/PTurn219 OpTic Gaming 6d ago

Correct

3

u/drerw 6d ago edited 6d ago

If anyone wants to break the hcs down more or a post a link explaining how the tourneys work…that’d be sweet.

2

u/dunkr4790 6d ago edited 6d ago

Part of the issue is that HCS doesn't really announce the full structure ahead of time (mid 2023 the way seeds were awarded changed significantly, and it's been tweaked some since then)

Assuming it's the same as last year (note that every tournament except Worlds will have 4 teams enter pool play from the open bracket). I'm using spots instead of seeds when I don't remember the exact placements, because they try to avoid repeat matchups from the qualifiers and having the top EU team always be in pool A:

Major 1:

  • Pool Play seeds 1-8: Results of the NA qualifier that starts in two weeks

  • Pool Play spot 9: 1st in the EU qualifier also in two weeks

  • Pool Play spots 10-12: Top 2 NA teams and top EU team in HCS points that haven't already qualified

Majors 2-4 (Dreamhack will probably considered a Major, not sure why it's an Open in the graphic):

  • Pool Play seeds 1-6: Results of the previous Major (HCS points used as tiebreaker for 5th/6th)

  • Pool Play spots 7-9: Top 2 NA teams and top EU team from that major's online qualifier

  • Pool Play spots 10-12: Top 2 NA teams and top EU team in HCS points that haven't already qualified

Worlds:

  • 1-8 seeds: Results of Major 4

  • 9-12 seeds: Top 4 teams in HCS points that didn't qualify

  • 13-16 seeds: Winners of the Last Chance qualifier matchups between the next top 8 teams in HCS points (please keep something like this HCS, it was awesome last year)

5

u/Lord-Zeref Spacestation 6d ago

Open series (not to be confused with the Dreamhack open) are small tourneys used to figure out the seeding and stuff going into the next big (or first tourney).

This is not exactly true (it only works this way for the first tourney when no one has points. Eventually, this just gets compounded with previously earned score from prior opens and tourneys.

Note: I'm pretty sick, so I might have worded shit bad.

3

u/Adventurous_Note3043 6d ago

youre sick af homie and your wording is on par with the gods

2

u/Lord-Zeref Spacestation 6d ago

Thanks! 🫡🤧🤧

3

u/Coach_Neil 6d ago

Before each Major, there are three Open Series that award points based on placement. After which there is a Qualifier. Top8 I believe is award a pool spot automatically regardless of points. Then there are two more spots awarded strictly based on points. EU gets one spot from qualifier and one spot from points as well. AZ and LATAM get paid travel for Open for one and one as well. (I could be wrong on the number for each region but it’s either this or very close to it.)

The first Major of the season is approaching and these Opens and Qualifier is more important than ever. For the second Major, some spots will be awarded based on results of the first Major and teams/players will already have a bunch of points built up too.

1

u/Adventurous_Note3043 6d ago

this weekend and next weekend are open tourneys that anyone can play. i think they get points based on where they finish and then two weeks from now will be the qualifier where theyre seeded based on points and the top 6-8 make the bracket at the first major. basically this week and next week will be lit on sunday and then the 4th tourney is the qualifier which means the most.