FormaL makes Sentinels great again after Royal2 suspension

Esports News
December 13, 2021
Jordan Ashley

Halo Infinite has enjoyed one of the most successful launches for the series to date. Its esports scene has bounced back pretty fully too, with the HCS kicking off o a big audience. However, the early weeks of the HCS haven’t gone entirely smoothly. Especially not for the Halo Infinite Sentinels squad who were at the center of the game’s first cheating scandal. The org this weekend saw a player get suspended, followed by punishment for the whole team. However, their luck may have turned around as they’ve secured FormaL joining the squad.

Formal Sentinels

Royal2 Suspended

The first Major for the Halo Champion Series is getting pretty close, with squads having just a few days before things kick-off. Sentinels had up to now looked like one of the strongest teams in this early event. They secured the first seed and looked strong for the major. However, they were then accused of geofiltering. This is a form of cheating where certain servers are blocked out if the ping is too high. This helps the team to get a better ping and an advantage in the game.

The HCS issued a competitive ruling that said the player Mathew “Royal2” Fiorante was using game files that have been changed. This was confirmation that the team did cheat.

The player was suspended from the event and the team lost their first seed. Players didn’t react so well to the news, since only one player had been implicated. The game selects a server based on the best average ping for players, and Royal2’s preferred server wasn’t necessarily good for other players on his team. It may have been better for him, but his teammates were being put at just as much of a disadvantage as the other teams.

Royal2 is going to be suspended through to January, leaving the Halo Infinite Sentinels squad a man down for these vital early stages for the League.

FormaL makes a crucial Halo Infinite roster move

With Sentinels a man down, there could have been a bit of a scramble to secure another addition to their team. Thankfully, Matt “FormaL” Piper has stepped up to the team. FormaL is leaving his other team to take the spot on the Sentinels squad. This is coming in as a last-minute change that could cause chaos for the team’s practice. However, FormaL is definitely one of the stronger Halo pros out there.

His addition, while not something the team has been built around, is definitely a worthwhile replacement for the squad. Despite the chaos, it looks like Sentinels are going to remain one of the strongest teams going into the majors.

If you’re looking at predictions or Halo Infinite esports betting for the HCS, there are a few ways this could play out. Throwing in a new player to a team is always difficult at late notice, as the squad doesn’t have much time to start to gel. However, with the clear skill of FormaL and the existing Halo Infinite Sentinels squad, this is one of the strongest-looking teams going into the event. Fans will have to watch the major to see if this move pays off for them.