Day 1 of the North American Halo Championship Series is in the books and the relegation portion of the tournament is over. The weekend began with four teams vying for two spots in the HCS Pro League and after all was said and done both teams that were defending their spots were the two to qualify for the next season. Team Allegiance and Enigma 6 were able to fend off The MoneyMatches Team and 3sUP Enterprises in a double elimination format to retain their places, leaving their amateur counterparts empty handed.
Enigma 6 met adversity early in the tournament during its first round match against 3sUP. The top amateur team was able to trade blows with E6 and take it to a tense Game 7 but it was the highlight plays of Jesse "Bubu Dubu" Moeller that put E6 in a place to win the series and advance to play against Team Allegiance for one of the two Pro League openings.
Team Allegiance faltered during its match against E6 and was sent to the losers bracket finals where it awaited the victor of 3sUP and TMMT. 3sUP won its series 4-2 and sent TMMT home while it advanced to play Team Allegiance in a do-or-die series with the winner taking the final coveted spot available in the HCS Pro League next season. Team Allegiance took an early 2-0 series lead with wins on Fathom, Capture The Flag and Plaza Slayer. 3sUP responded with two wins of their own on Plaza Strongholds and Coliseum Capture The Flag. 3sUP had the momentum in its favor after those two wins but, as had become the pattern, Team Allegiance won the next two games to take the series 4-2 and reclaim its place in the Pro League.