PITTSBURGH (July 26, 2022) — The Pittsburgh Knights captured the title in the $50,000 Halo Championship Series (HCS) 2022 Mexico Regional this past weekend (July 22 to 24) at the Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City. It marks the first major regional LAN in Latin America for Halo Infinite.
By winning the Mexico City championship, the Knights are automatically qualified for the HCS Orlando Major taking place in Florida later this year. In Orlando, the top 12 teams will qualify for pool play in the 2022 Halo World Championships at Washington’s Seattle Convention Center.
In Mexico City, the Knights team of Atzin ‘Atzo’ Pulido, Irving ‘Drift’ Ramirez, Josbe ‘Tapping Buttons’ Valadez, and John ‘Pelu’ Montoya, won the Grand Finals in a bracket reset by winning two best of seven series to earn the title.
Entering the tournament, the Knights had won 21 consecutive events in Latin America without a loss since the introduction of Halo Infinite. However, in the HCS Mexico Upper Bracket Final the Knights lost their first match, making their path to the Grand Finals much more difficult.
But the Knights registered a win in the Lower Bracket Finals earning a spot in the Grand Finals. There they defeated the team (CintaNegra) that beat them earlier to extract revenge and earn the championship. It was the first time ever in HCS history that a team won the Grand Finals in a bracket reset.
“This is the most significant victory for our Knights Halo team since the squad was added to our roster in late 2020,” said Knights General Manager Garett Bambrough. “I’m really proud of how well the team performed against outstanding competition and under some difficult circumstances.”
“Now we get to compete against some of the best teams in the world in the Orlando Major, as well as attempt to earn a spot in the 2022 Halo World Championship,” added Bambrough. “Although it will be an extremely difficult path to the World Championship, if we play up to our ability I see us definitely contending for a spot.”
