After months of rumors that Aussie talent Barcode was looking to move to an American team, the Aussie made his debut for G2 Esports at the HCS NA Super this weekend. Taking the fourth spot on the list, one that has already been inhabited by three different players over the past six months, Barcode made a statement with a standout performance that saw G2 defeat Spacestation Gaming 3-0 in their first pool match.
While all three games of the best-of-five series were a closer call than the final series score may suggest, G2 can be encouraged by the lineup’s immediate potential and ability to close out tight games. Barcode was a big factor in showing that potential, outperforming G2’s stat screen in games one and two.
The Australian was the only member of G2 who could keep up with Ace’s killer output from Spacestation and Deleted from Capture The Flag in the first game. With seven more kills to his name than his closest teammate, for a total of 26, Barcode’s performance proved essential in a match that went to overtime and only ended with G2 winning 2-1. This was despite Ace and Suppressed finishing the match with 13 and 10.7 KDA respectively, a worrying sign that Spacestation’s target game needs some major improvements.
Barcode also got a triple kill on Slayer on Streets in the second game, leading his team once again with 15 total kills in the match. Spacestation’s struggles in the series were only exacerbated when they falter in the face of a small lead in their favor towards the end of the game. A two-kill lead for Spacestation with 10 kills to go culminated in a 50-42 win for G2, which proved to be a momentum shift that Spacestation never recovered from in the third and final game.
Here are the final results of the Pool D match between G2 Esports and Spacestation Gaming:
- Capture the Flag on Catalyst: 2-1 G2
- Slayer on the streets: 50-42 G2
- Oddball on Recharge: 2-0 G2
Barcode left their Australian organization, The Chiefs Esports Club, after a six-month period of complete dominance in the region at the start of Halo Infinite’s competitive season. While Barcode and G2 won’t enjoy the same kind of record in the face of increased competition in North America, it’s clear that these greater heights and greater rewards are far more of a home for Barcode’s talents than their region of origin
G2 will continue in the HCS NA Super this weekend as they look to top Group D and stake their claim at the top of North America with their updated roster.