Competitive FPS legend Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper has swapped Halo teams at the eleventh hour in light of Sentinels needing a fill for HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh following Royal2’s suspension.
It has been a dizzying day in the Halo esports scene. Despite winning a $25K online tournament on December 11, the following hours dropped one bombshell after another on the Sentinels lineup.
Matthew ‘Royal2’ Fiorante was officially suspended and the team was forced to forfeit the top seed as the latest HCS ruling declared his ‘geofiltering’ actions to be in direct violation of the rules. As a result of the controversial decision, it was believed that Sentinels would miss the first Infinite LAN tournament.
“If Royal2 is found of any wrongdoing, we just won’t be going to Raleigh,” Tony ‘LethuL’ Campbell Jr. said on Twitch.
However, moments after these comments, Sentinels are now locked in for Raleigh again. This time, though, they’ll be playing with FormaL in place of Royal2.
On a serious note, this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I appreciate the guys on SSG, it was fun to learn the game together, and I wish them the best of luck. I’ll be playing with SEN for Raleigh, should be a spicy weekend. I’m still #OpTicForever though.
— OpTic FormaL (@FormaL) December 13, 2021
“FormaL is leaving for Sentinels,” Halo veteran Aaron ‘Ace’ Elam revealed on Twitter. “Less than 24 hours to find a [fourth player], Halo truly is back,” his coach Kyle ‘Elamite’ Elam followed up.
After teasing the news himself, FormaL quickly confirmed his spot on the Sentinels lineup, having suddenly parted ways with Spacestation Gaming.
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“This was too good of an opportunity to pass up,” he explained. “I appreciate the guys on SSG, it was fun to learn the game together and I wish them the best of luck. I’ll be playing with SEN for Raleigh, should be a spicy weekend.” To clarify his ongoing situation with OpTic Gaming, however, FormaL also noted that he’s still “OpTic forever.”
“We want Matt to have a chance to compete, even if it means he has to play for our toughest opponent,” Envy & OpTic Co-Owner Mike ‘hastr0’ Rufail said.
Raleigh just got a whole lot more interesting. @FormaL pic.twitter.com/smDR5Gwww5
— OpTic Gaming™ (@OpTic) December 13, 2021
Moving into the first Halo Infinite LAN event, Sentinels will be competing with the following lineup:
- LethuL
- SnakeBite
- Frosty
- FormaL
Royal2’s suspension expires on January 28, 2022. It is currently expected he will rejoin his long-standing Sentinels teammates right away.
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Who will fill for Spacestation and where FormaL will play after HCS Raleigh, however, both remain unclear. We’ll update you once we’ve confirmed details.
