A steady decline in the performances of Fnatic’s Halo roster reached a breaking point last weekend with a nightmare top-20 finish at the HCS NA Super, leading the organization to begin making sweeping changes ahead of Worlds. This started with today’s announcement that SuperCC and coach Casey “Strobe” Hebert have been released from the team and are “allowed to explore new opportunities.”
It was only in late June that Envore was similarly moved off of the roster, eventually replaced by ex-Spacestation player Rammyy after a trial period. But with the team’s tournament performances continuing to suffer and a lack of forward progress leaving them behind in the wake of amateur lineups, Fnatic deemed further changes to be necessary. As the announcement says, the partnered organization’s eyes are set on qualifying for Worlds, an essential task that the current Fnatic roster doesn’t look set to accomplish.
With the announcement also comes the news that Fnatic will be running further trials in the run-up to the Orlando Major next month. The org hopes to fill both the coaching role and the fourth player slot with people it can rely on to make the forward progress that Fnatic always aimed to nurture since the announcement of the original roster after HCS Raleigh. The removal of Strobe alongside SuperCC shows clear signs of how much blame the organization puts onto the leadership of the current team when it comes to the current string of poor performances.
Despite the tumultuous competitive season they shared, SuperCC still pulled at silver linings around his time with the organization. “Sucks how things worked out,” he said on Twitter following the announcement. “Had a great time teaming with some of my best friends in Halo, but best of luck to Fnatic and everyone on the team.”
Strobe was similarly positive despite the circumstances. “Really happy I got to come back with such a big name org,” he said. “Nothing but luck and love to the boys left on the team.”
Competition for the North American region will be winding down in the wake of the NA Super weekend, with only a few smaller tournaments left in the break between now and the Orlando Major in September. But it’s a crucial bit of breathing room for Fnatic, who have a lot of ground to cover in trials and practice for a chance at competing for even a top-eight spot this late into the season.
