Top 6 Best Halo Players of All Time

Among video game aficionados, Halo is one of the most well-known and popular video game franchises in modern history, with thousands of players worldwide, a devoted fanbase, and an extremely competitive gamer culture. While many people play Halo recreationally, some of the most devoted players enter Halo tournaments to test their playing skills against other skilled opponents. Of these, a select few have risen above the rest as some of the greatest Halo players in history. Here, we consider the top six best Halo players of all time.

Who are the best Halo players of all time?

1. OGRE2
2. LethuL
3. iGotUrPistola
4. SnakeBite
5. Snip3down
6. Walshy

1. OGRE2

• 47 Tournament Championship wins
• 19 Tournament Runner-Up finishes
• Part of the “God Squad” with iGotUrPistola, Lunchbox, and Roy
• Part of the twin-brother duo of “OGRE1” and “OGRE2” with his brother, Dan Ryan
• $295,293.42 in tournament earnings

The username of American Halo player Tom Ryan, “OGRE2” is the most successful competitor in the history of Halo tournaments, with a 13-year career that lasted from 2003 to 2016. Over the course of his career, OGRE2 won over 40 major Halo events in those years, often playing alongside his twin brother, Dan Ryan (who goes by the screenname “OGRE1”). The two brothers, both born in 1986, began their rise to fame in 2003-2004, emerging as part of the Xbox Connect group “Shoot to Kill” (StK). That same year, OGRE2 attended his first Halo tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, where Team Shoot to Kill came in second place. However, at their next tournament, the iGames Nationals, OGRE2 and OGRE1 placed first, starting a long track record of winning.

 In 2004, the OGRE brothers formed a new team, “Domination,” which won multiple events immediately and was named the Halo World Champions in 2004. In 2006, Team Domination rebranded itself “Final Boss,” remaining a dominant force in the Halo community, but in 2008, after a long series of wins, the team began to struggle slightly as old members shuffled about. After reorganizing in 2010, OGRE2’s team resurged, winning all three of that year’s final events. After Final Boss placed 10th at the opening MLG Dallas Tournament in 2011, OGRE2 left the team and joined “Instinct,” a strong team that won three of the next five events. OGRE2 briefly retired from gaming in 2012 but returned in 2014, reforming Team StK. In 2015, OGRE2 left the team and joined two others, “EnVyUs” and “Denial eSports,” in quick succession, but in May of 2016, he officially retired from Halo competition. In all, over the course of his career, OGRE2 accumulated $295,293.42 in prize money and is currently ranked #630 in overall earnings and #117 in earnings among American players.

2. LethuL

• 28 Tournament Championship wins
• 17 Tournament Runner-Up finishes
• Part of the dominant “CLG” team with Royal2, SnakeBite, and iTz So Frosty
• $672,250 in tournament earnings

Tony “LethuL” Campbell has been a star Halo player for over ten years, ever since entering his first competition, the MLG Columbus Tournament, in 2010. That year, he and his team, “Fire Breathing Franks,” placed 26th overall. However, soon afterward, LethuL and his new team, “Vicious Intent,” managed to improve drastically, placing first at MLG D.C. 2010. Lethul then joined “Sicker Than Yo Average,” a team that won the MLG Dallas 2010 Reach Exhibition. SyA then renamed itself “Impact,” placing second at MLG Dallas 2011 and 11th at MLG Columbus 2011. After this disappointment, LethuL joined Team “Evil,” which he soon left to join “Infamous,” a team that achieved major success by being the first to defeat “the God Squad'' of Roy, Lunchbox, iGotUrPistola, and OGRE2. In 2012, LethuL joined “Dynasty” and then “Avengers,” placing fourth and third at events that year. LethuL joined a few teams in 2013 but never placed higher than second with any of them. 

His return to first place came after he rejoined one of his old teams, “Believe the Hype,” in 2014, winning the ESL MCC Launch Invitational. LethuL then joined Team “Evil Geniuses” in 2014, winning five straight events through 2015. In 2016, LethuL joined Counter Logic Gaming, a decision that upended a number of teams, causing an intense shuffling in the Halo community. As a member of CLG, LethuL nearly won the X Games Aspen 2016 invitational but was narrowly edged out by his old team, Evil Geniuses. However, CLG did win the NA Regionals that year and the Halo World Championship, where LethuL and his teammates took home the first-place prize of $1,000,000. Since 2016, LethuL has won seven major events and placed second in two for an overall career of 28 first-place finishes. His total earnings amount to $672,250, ranking him #209 in highest overall earnings and #30 in highest earnings by an American player.

3. iGotUrPistola

• 25 Tournament Championship wins
• 11 Tournament Runner-Up finishes
• Part of the “God Squad” with OGRE2, Lunchbox, and Roy
• $386,635 in tournament earnings

Often referred to as “the Wizard,” Justin "iGotUrPistola" Deese is known throughout the Halo community for being one of the hardest players to eliminate in-game, with an uncanny ability to stay alive. iGotUrPistola, often also referred to simply as “Pistola,” first stepped onto the Halo stage in 2007, winning free-for-all competitions at MLG Meadowlands 2007 and MLG Chicago 2007. In that same year, he joined his first team, “Send You Packing,” and later joined Team “ViciouS,” though neither team placed highly. 

Pistola’s first team successes came in 2008, when he joined Team “Ambush,” placing 10th at MLG San Diego 2008. The team then went on to finish fourth at MLG Orlando 2008. Though Pistola’s team did not ever place in the top three at any events that year, he had begun to be noticed as a player, and his career really took off in 2009. In that year, he joined Team “Triggers Down,” winning their first event, then placing second at MLG Columbus 2009, and winning again at both MLG Dallas 2009 and MLG Anaheim 2009. 

TD was all set to win at the 2009 MLG Orlando National Championships, but a controversial malfunction with one of Pistola’s teammates’ Xbox consoles forced them to replay a game, which they then lost. In 2010, Pistola joined “Final Boss,” and in 2011-2012, he was a member of the infamous “God Squad” along with Roy, Lunchbox, and OGRE2. The team won many events together, losing only to Team Infamous at MLG Raleigh 2011. Pistola went on to achieve many more victories with many other teams but was sidelined for much of the season in 2014 due to a wrist injury. He returned in 2015, and since then, has won four major events, placed second in two, and placed third in three. iGotUrPistola’s earnings amount to $386,635, and he is ranked #422 in highest overall earnings and #77 in highest earnings for American players.   

4. SnakeBite

• 22 Tournament Championship wins
• 20 Tournament Runner-Up finishes
• Part of the dominant “CLG” team with Royal2, LethuL, and iTz So Frosty
• $671,000 in tournament earnings

Beginning his Halo career in 2006, when he was only 11 years old, Paul “SnakeBite” Duarte was initially unable to join a team due to his age and joined the free-for-all competitions as a result. His success there led him to join his first team, “Just Chill,” in 2007, though the team was rather unsuccessful. At MLG Meadowlands 2008, SnakeBite appeared with a new team, “Calm Mentality,” rising through the ranks to place in the high 20s. SnakeBite’s big break finally came at MLG Dallas 2009, when he joined Team “Relapse” to finish in 11th place. In 2010, SnakeBite joined “Warriors,” earning his first cash prize by placing fifth at MLG Raleigh and MLG D.C. The team then placed 7th at the National Championships, taking home $10,000. Team “Warriors” continued to place respectably throughout 2011, reaching a height of second place at the MLG Providence Championships in 2011. Afterward, SnakeBite and teammate Royal2, a well-known duo, joined Team “Status Quo,” winning their first event at the MLG Winter Championship 2012. 

In 2014, SnakeBite and Royal2 joined “Shoot to Kill,” a team that included Heinz and OGRE2. Together, the team placed highly in events over the next two years, winning Iron Gaming Columbus 2014. StK was then acquired by Counter Logic Gaming. In 2016, SnakeBite’s team dominated the HWC NA Regionals, due much in part to SnakeBite’s strategies, and then went on to win the Halo World Championship that year, taking home the $1,000,000 grand prize. SnakeBite went on to win the Halo World Championship in 2017 as well, and since then, he has won ten more major events, placed second in another ten, and placed third in two. SnakeBite has earned a total of $671,000 in prize money, good for #210 in highest overall earnings and #31 in highest earnings for American players.     

5. Snip3down

• 39 Tournament Championship wins
• 24 Tournament Runner-Up finishes
• Part of the “Evil Geniuses” team with iGotUrPistola, Lunchbox, and Roy
• $432,026.84 in tournament earnings

Born in 1991, Eric “Snip3down” Wrona began his Halo career at MLG Meadowlands 2008, finishing in an impressive seventh place as a member of Team Ambush. After his promising start, Snip3down shuffled through various teams before finally settling with Team “Str8 Rippin,” with whom he won MLG Toronto 2008 and the MLG Las Vegas Championships 2008. In 2010, after a couple of poor finishes, Snip3down left “Str8 Rippin” to join “Believe the Hype” and then joined “Dynasty” in 2011. After joining “Carbon” in 2012, Snip3down joined “Elite 4,” during which he played alongside Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and finished second at AGL 2 Columbus. Snip3down then rejoined “Ambush,” winning AGL 3 Chicago and AGL 5 Nashville. In 2014, Snip3down joined “eXcellence” and “OpTic Gaming,” and then joined Team “Evil Geniuses,” with whom he placed second at Iron Games Columbus 2014, where Snip3down was named the event MVP. 

Evil Geniuses, now joined by LethuL, went on to dominate in 2015, winning many events, and Snip3down was voted the MVP of the season by his peers. Snip3down and EG would go on to win five consecutive events through 2016. After LethuL left EG in 2016 to join Counter Logic Gaming, he and Snip3down developed a rivalry in which Snip3down drew first blood by winning the X Games Aspen 2016. However, EG was later swept by CLG in two events. Since 2016, Snip3down has won five major Halo events, placed second in seven, and placed third in eight. He has accumulated a total of $432,026.84 in prize earnings, which leaves him ranked #362 in highest overall earnings and #65 in highest earnings for American players.

6. Walshy

• 33 Tournament Championship wins
• 13 Tournament Runner-Up finishes
• Part of the famous “Shoot to Kill/Team 3D/Final Boss” team with OGRE1, OGRE2, and Saiyan
• Most consecutive MLG tournaments won by a single player (9)
• $180,864.36 in tournament earnings

A former professional game player and current eSports caster, David ‘Walshy” Walsh is often referred to as “Captain Clutch” and set the record for most consecutive MLG tournaments won by a single player, with nine back-to-back wins under his belt. Walshy began his career in 2003, playing in the AGP 2 Tournament as a member of Team “GV,” but not placing highly, though Walshy himself impressed by finishing eighth in the free-for-all competition. That same year, at AGP 3, Walshy’s new team, the “Psycho Soldiers,” finished in the top four, while Walshy won the free-for-all competition. As a member of Team “FFA,” Walshy won MLG Chicago 2004 and MLG Atlanta 2004, after which Walshy left the team to form Team “Domination” with KillerN, OGRE1, and OGRE2. Team Domination won four straight events, after which Walshy, OGRE1, and OGRE2 created a new team, “Shoot to Kill,” which won five more events, completing Walshy’s nine-win record. 

After gaining a sponsorship from 3D, StK became “Team 3D,” and won three more events. Team 3D dominated until 2006, after which it was rebranded “Final Boss,” winning four events in 2006 and placing second in three. Walshy remained with Team Final Boss until 2008, racking up six more first-place finishes and two more second-place finishes. Walshy then joined Team “Instinct” in 2008, enjoying a respectable run with four second-place finishes at major events. In 2009, Walshy joined Team “Carbon,” which managed to place second at MLG Dallas 2009 and 3rd at MLG Anaheim 2009 and the MLG Orlando Championships 2009. However, afterwards, Carbon slumped, achieving a height of only sixth place in their next five events. Afterwards, Walshy joined Team “Ambush” in 2011, and then Team “Turning Point.” However, he was unable to place above seventh, and in March 2012, he retired from gaming. Walshy remained active in the gaming industry, becoming a sportscaster for Halo events, as well as a coach and a streamer. In 2014, he became one of the permanent casters for the Halo Championship Series, commentating full-time at every event. In his 72-tournament career, Walshy accumulated a total of $180,864.36 in earnings, which ranks him #1083 in highest overall earnings, and #195 in highest earnings for American players.

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