When Halo Infinite’s reigning European champion Acend announced its departure from the title—months after the organization failed to acquire an HCS partnership—the fate of its star players was up in the air. Their fates have finally been revealed, though, since Quadrant introduced its 2023 roster today featuring two of Acend’s top players to reinforce its pre-existing talent.
As a newly partnered organization with the HCS for Infinite’s second competitive year, Quadrant is putting it and Europe’s hopes on a lineup consisting of SLG, TchiK, Sica, and Lqgend. SLG and TchiK have been mainstays on Quadrant since the organization entered Halo in December 2021, while both Sica and Lqgend were just as loyal to Acend since its own entry and throughout its subsequent dominance.
The move returns Sica and Lqgend to a full French lineup after the final incarnation of Acend seen at the Halo World Championship featured them alongside two English players, Snipedrone and Respectful. The team only managed a disappointing top-12 finish at that event, despite the potential displayed by Europe at the Kansas City Major earlier that year with top-eight placements for both Quadrant and Acend. Acend remained almost entirely unmatched within its own region throughout 2022, but its performances against North American teams seemed to only worsen.
Quadrant’s previous roster ran into similar troubles, failing to even qualify for the Halo World Championship despite their impressive results in international events throughout the year. In the event when it mattered most—September’s Orlando Major—Quadrant experienced its worst finish yet as it bowed out in the top 20.
The talent on both rosters was undeniable, but it was clear that changes were needed if they were to properly threaten the North American region and have a shot at a deep run in 2023’s World Championship. SLG and TchiK have regularly been touted as Quadrant’s best players, as were Sica and Lqgend on Acend, so no doubt Quadrant hopes that pairing up the two dynamic duos will yield potent results in Europe and beyond.
Fans can see if the team can reach that potential when European Halo returns at the beginning of February, with all regions battling for their spots at the opening Major in Charlotte.
