MLG: Return of the Legit!

You read it right folks, we have just confirmed that if Legit can land a spot on a Top 7 team he will be competing in DC.

Now checking out these teams here, he has a lot of options. He would fit really well on Carbon i believe, while Walshy and SK are solid players they are not play makers!

Insider sits down with Buk57

Alright, in a continuation of our Pre-Raleigh interviews, i managed to sit down with the man from Power, Buk57! Fresh off their win in the ECL! Here he is!

Apollo: Alright, so the ECL just recently had its first event.  What was it like to play close to home in a major event instead of flying over here to the US.

BuK57: Yeah, it was the first event of many I hope! It was actually kind of strange to have an event in the UK seeing as the last one we attended was back in November 09! But it was really good to see the European turn out and see what all the new players had to offer. Events in the UK/EU haven’t really excited us before ECL, mainly because of we’ve became so used to attending MLG events which overshadow most of the events here. ECL was different though, definately the best and most proffessionally ran event I’ve attended in Europe.

Apollo: So, how does it feel to win the first major European event?  Also to beat out Fnatic who turned alot of heads over here in the US.

BuK57: It feels great, it was an event where we had to show we were the best in Europe again. After making a team change dropping Baxter and picking up MVP. Also some people were doubting us to be the best so it was nice to prove them people wrong. Beating Fnatic, well to be hones they were our only competition for the event. Especially with them coming off a good finish at MLG Columbus, and me and my brother missing that event for exams. In theory they should have had the advantage, as well as a 6 Team pre-lan that Fnatic hosted which we were banned from attending! So yeah it felt really good beating our ex teammate Baxter and Fnatic possibly the most confident team in Europe and to show we’re still #1.

Apollo: So, you haven’t competed in an MLG event in a while is that correct?

BuK57; Yes, our last event as a full team was Orlando in April so we’ve not been to one in 3months. But we now hold 13th seed for Raleigh thanks to MVP and Reaction teaming with ZooWuu and Fearris for Columbus and Fearris stepping down from the team to give MVP captaincy and us the locked pro seed for this event.

Apollo: So how do you guys feel going in with 13th seed right after coming off a huge win in the ECL?

BuK57: We’re feeling really confident about Raleigh as the 13th seed, and the 1st place finish at ECL. Especially with out bracket which seems to be making it very possible for us to break Top 12 and maybe even further. Although our online practice is limited due to EU teams basically giving up on halo 3 now because of no more events before Reach is released so there’s no EU teams to practice against, and practice across an ocean isn’t always the best!

Apollo: Speaking of Reach, since Raleigh is more or less the last Major Halo 3 event because most teams will be playing Reach.  Are you and your team going to continue in Halo 3.  Or will you be making the switch and playing Reach if you attend more MLG events.

BuK57: We’re going to be playing Halo 3 at DC definitely, trying desperately to get that last place in the Top 8 Championships. But after that our team will be moving over to Reach. Hopefully for Reach we can start off strong with a Top 16 seed and work our way into the higher placements throughout next season. Instead of having to start off like we did in halo 3 with a huge seed disadvantage to the teams who have been competing all season.

Apollo: So, you guys were the first whole European team to come over and compete in a MLG event.  How far do you guys think you have come since then, and how has MLG changed in your eyes.

BuK57:Yeah, last year we were the first full European team to attend an MLG event for Halo 3. I think we’ve improved so much since then and also became more professional in the way we act around the community and with other players. Back then when we were playing we were unknown except for being good online! Now we are placing highly at MLG events and now even being seeded next to players who we used to look up to when we played. So we’ve came a long way since our first event in Anaheim.

MLG has changed in my eyes to become more of a social experience now as well for me and my team, we’ve met people we would have never met outside of gaming and halo and its just amazing to meet thousands of people that all share the same interests in gaming as you.

Also MLG has changed for the international side of it, there has been players from the UK, Sweden, Netherlands, and Australia attend events now, its just a sign that MLG is growing and more and more people are getting involved in it.

Apollo: So, back to ECL here for a few moments.  I managed to check out some of the footage on the live stream and saw a good number of pictures from the event.  How did the first ECL event go?  What did you like about it?  Hate about it?

BuK57: It went great, biggest EU event for console games so far. Things i liked about it were, they provided Astro equipment for each station like at MLG events, the mainstage looked great and there was a large audience area to spectate it. And also the prize money was good! Hate? I didn’t really hate anything, the only thing which annoyed me was the scheduling which sometimes caused delays and we had to play one match quite late at night after MVP and BUK 20 had gone back to the hotel already, so we had to call them and get them to come back and play!

Apollo: Sounds like a fun time Hahaha, so is there anything you would have changed for the event?

BuK57: I’d say that there shouldn’t been more games on main stage if it was possible, and maybe get people to save the later games in the tournament on memory cards to upload after the event for VoD like MLG do. Other than that nothing really that I’d like to change.

Apollo: So with Raleigh coming up next weekend, do you have any pre-event lans planned?

BuK57: We don’t have any pre-event LANs scheduled no. We tried to organize some with other Pro teams but some of their players couldn’t make it. And like i said Halo 3 teams in Europe now have given up! And just concentrating on Reach, so we’re going into the event without a LAN, however we’re going to try and fit in some series in the Pro Lounge on the Friday of the event.

Apollo: Haha, i’m sure you guys will be able to, if worst comes to worst you could always chill in the Dr. Pepper Booth and get some games in.

BuK57: Yeah, we’re normally welcome to play on there which is nice. So we should be fine getting some last minute practice against the other teams.

Apollo: So, with coming into the event with 13th seed, is there any pro team that you do not want to play?

BuK57: Ha! I can’t say really theres a team I don’t want to play. However I’d like to avoid Status Quo, their teamwork is amazing from what i’ve heard from MVP and Reaction who played them at Columbus.
And on the otherside of that, I’m really looking forward to playing the new Str8 Rippin’.

Apollo: Haha, your not the only one.   This is going to be an interesting event for the pro teams, a lot of teams made some serious changes.   What do you think about the new Carbon?

BuK57: The new Carbon i think are going to be one of them teams who either do amazingly well or get a low top 8 finish. I’ve heard they aren’t looking as strong as the other teams but that’s just rumors. Although I’ve played the full team online on american host kind of recently and I got an Overkill vs. them! But yeah that’s online. I think they’ll either place Top 3 or a low Top 8 finish depending on how well everything goes on the day.

Apollo: Alright dude, at risk of my internet crapping out again i think we’ll call it an interview, would you like to give any shout outs before we’re done

BuK57: Yeah just shoutouts to Power Gaming, the management, Steelseries, the rest of my team of course and all of our fans. Who I hope will be supporting us next weekend at MLG Raleigh

Insider sits down with Smalls

Whats going on folks, haven’t posted one of these in a while! Well we got some huge changes coming so i figured it was about time we posted a new interview! I present, the man himself! Smalls the coach of Heaven and Earth!

Apollo: Alright so,  you first appeared on the circuit under Vanity Gaming, and helping with the 09 Columbus events manning the live stream of the event that Liquid Lightning sponsored.  How did you manage to go from camera man to Pro Coach?

Small: Working on websites like Vanity Gaming, Gaming Workshop, and Gaming-Lessons definitely opened doors of communication to some of the pros. I have worked along side Kill3n for quite some time now so that definitely influenced my choice of becoming a coach. I was a competitive player for my first few events and always had thoughts of coaching. When things with my websites kicked up I started having to sacrifice time spent on playing for the website or vice versa. I got to the point where I couldn’t continue doing both. I figured that this would be a great time to go into coaching because I wouldn’t have to keep my individual playing skill up and I could focus on my website a little more. I also knew that I would have something over a lot of other coaches because I was a player and I knew the game on that level. So one thing led to another and I started communicating with a few pro teams including Ambush. Several days later I was on the team and ready to go!

Apollo: So, after coaching Ambush for a few events, what made you make the switch to Heaven and Earth

Small: Coaching Ambush was fun and all but I did not want to stop there. I saw myself having the potential to be a top coach and I wasn’t content until I could prove that. Coaching Ambush was a great way to start coaching because it was a team I knew I was definitely good enough to keep up with them. After the event, a few roster changes took place and we picked up Poweezy and Ice Vayne as our other two players. Ice Vayne brought his coach along with him to the team because he was friends with everyone on Ambush and there was a potential sponsor involved. It was not at all an upset. No hard feelings about the team change. Ambush said I did a great job coaching and shouldn’t feel like I got dropped. Things just didn’t work out in my favor. I went teamless for awhile and talked to several teams including Warriors, Darkest Hour, and tried to get through to Heaven & Earth. I didn’t have too much luck for awhile but then one day I got offers from all three teams. I definitely wanted to go with Heaven & Earth but a big thanks to the other 2 teams for considering me as a coach.

Apollo: Speaking about top coaches, what do you think about Tom’s decision to go without Lammie?

Small: I think Lammie and Coach Tom are both great coaches. I have a lot of respect for Tom and there has to have been a reason for the change or it wouldn’t have happened. Tom takes the coach position very seriously so he definitely knows what he is doing there. I am sad to see Lammie off of Str8 because they have teamed for quite some time. Coach Tom, on the other hand, is a great coach. He is one of my biggest influences as a coach. I know Str8 will be in great hands with this switch. Much love for Lammie though!

Apollo: Speaking of Str8, what do you think about the scores of the 6 team LAN?

Small: Im actually surprised by them. I think the new Str8 line up has a lot of potential and I really want to see them succeed. I know that there is a crazy amount of skill in Halo now so losing to these teams is definitely not something to be ashamed of. I did expect to see a lot more from Str8 though. Hopefully between now and tournament time they can get things together and pull off some wins.

Apollo:One of the largest topics spinning around the MLG forums is the Str8 score of 0-22..Just on your opinion, do you think its because their not clicking or is there something missing on the team?

Small: I think it has to be both. I feel like a drastic change was good for that team as far as the roster changes go but it seems to me like something isn’t right. I haven’t had the time to really sit down and evaluate the new Str8  Rippin’s gameplay. I can’t pinpoint exactly what the problems are but anyone can see there is really something that hasn’t clicked yet. Like I said, they are playing some of the best teams in the world so maybe it will be a different story once they get a little more time as a team and more experience under their belt.

Apollo: Lets move away from the teams a bit, and move towards Raleigh.   I’m sure everyone has seen your post about the Live stream at the LAN.  How did you manage to hook up with Red Bull for all of this

Small: The Red Bull LAN was a huge surprise! Everything pretty much came out of nowhere. We all knew Dave (Walshy) still had the Red Bull sponsor but we had no idea that all of this would come up. My team told me about the LAN under a week ago and then I started getting emails from Red Bull about it. They are wanting to get back into the groove of things and get more involved in gaming so they obviously started with Dave. They wanted to get Carbon a good LAN before Raleigh so we happened to get picked. Red Bull is testing the waters with this one and they have already talked about flying Nezir and me out for the next one!

Apollo: You mentioned that you are part of Gaming Lessons, how did you come into that site?

Small: Kill3n and I opened are websites and we wanted to get to the point where we could work with Tsquared. After working for awhile and talking to T2, we finally set things in stone. It was going to be Kill3n, T2, and me running a brand new site but we crossed paths with Bluestrike who runs the GL site. I have always wanted someone to work with that I could talk “nerdy” with. Bluestrike filled that role and for once in the last 3 years of running websites like this, I did not feel like a 1 man army when it came to building a website. Now that all four of us are united, we know we can make something truly amazing. We decided to bring Gaming Lessons in to our network of websites. We now consist of Gaming Workshop, Good Game HQ, Gaming-Lessons, and a few more unannounced or unofficial websites.

Apollo: So, you are one of the more active coaches around, sort of like Bravo, can we expect to see some goofy videos? Maybe you and Mike(StrongSide) having a dance off or something?

Small: Goofy videos is definitely a possibility! I take a very nice HD camcorder to each event for filming whatever comes up. As far as the dance off is concerned, Mike would get completely “out-danced” so I don’t think he would agree to letting it be on camera. I think he would be too intimidated by my moves. Expect some video footage to be released after Raleigh. If anyone has any ideas for videos, let me know!

Apollo: Dude…I’m feeling a dance off haha

Small: Haha we will see!

Apollo: Alright man, wells thats about all i got haha, so any shoutouts before we finish this sucker up?

Small: I always have shout outs! Let’s see here…I always feel bad for forgetting people.

Shout out to the following:
My girlfriend, the most amazing girl in the world, Steph aka I Heart Small. Love you <3
Kill3n
Tsquared
Coach Tom
Nezir
StrongSide
Cpt Anarchy
Sypher
Dersky
D Moralize
Weapon X
The old Ambush
Buckness
Karma
Phaze II
Sicknehss
SnipesxuPnDownx
Darkest Hour (good luck round 1!)
All of my friends and family
All of my and Heaven & Earth’s fans (We love you guys!)
The 4th Watch
Im Lemonjello
All of the other pro players and coaches!

Also, be sure to check out the official Heaven & Earth team site and Facebook page!
http://teamhae.com (Will be up within the next few days)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heaven-Earth/145386675488936 (“Like” us or I’ll find you!)
and last but not least…
RED BULL!! <3

ECL Comes to Life

For the past two MLG Seasons, European teams have been flying over from the UK to participate in MLG because there is nothing like it over in Europe. But that has all changed today. As you sit and read this, in Liverpool, England, they are gearing up for their first ever Halo 3 event. But wait…Theres more, they not only have compotition in Halo 3. But also in, Call of Duty ModernWarfare 2, FiFa 10, and Super Street Fighter 4. The event will take place over the course of July 30th to August 1st and will offer a prize total to somewhere around £25,000. Its an impressive figure…But when covereted into US Dollars, comes out to $39, 152

Now folks, some of you i’m sure will laugh at this and what not. But let me tell you. Even though the ECL is literally just getting started. They are miles away from a certain…..other…league we all know. They are working closely and using the European Halo3 forums which shows a lot of willingness to cooperate on both sides. They already have a major partner. On August 17th ECL announced that the will be partnering with game developers and publisher, Capcom. Now CapCom is not just going to be a pretty face, no no no. They are adding to the prize pool, giving out prizes that haven’t been announced yet and will be giving a random prize to one of the top 8 Street Fighter players.

They have also come into partnership with Iiyama, a monitor and tv company which will help supply the events with monitors. Also they have added 4 monitors up for prizes but no details as to how they will be given away yet.

And of course you have the partner ship with astro.

And finally one of the UK’s game stores Game Station is a major sponsor for them.

Now for the rules and such. They’re pretty much standard. No plug and play, no cheating, no totally offensive trash talk.

They do however have a “side” event you could call. They do not allow spectators to use they’re equipment at all but you can bring your own console and after the venue is done with each day of compotition.

They also offer 1 day and 3 day spectator passes which I feel, is a major deal. At 1/2 the 3 day passes price its a good deal if family, girl/boy friends want to come and check it out, or even for the average joe walking through the convention center wants to go check it out.

Make sure you guys check out their event www.ecl.eu over on their media page!

Good luck to all the Euro teams competing in ECL!

From the Insider Desk!

Well folks, its been a while we know.

Well it has all not been in vain. We’ve been hard at work after an exciting Columbus. This down time between Columbus and Raleigh has been awesome to do a metric TON of behind the scenes work. We’ve been hard at work, and in the coming weeks once our wheels start rolling we’re going to be bringing you more stuff then EVER!

We’re going to be doing more give aways, more gear reviews, more interviews, making more people mad at us, than ever before. Now i can not talk about a large amount of it. But folks let me tell you. Some of this stuff makes me want to quit the site just so i can get involved in some of these give aways!

Now you all have probbably read this far and are tired of me saying “I can not tell you” well, now is what i can tell you. We are going to be introducing a few new writers to the MLGInsider staff, we’re going to revamp MLGInsider(again to like version 3.0). We’re going to be working with quite a few diffrent people to make the whole MLGInsider expirence more than you would expect from a “tabloid” website as some call us…Not to mention any names *cough cough* MLG Forums *cough cough*. But nah, we love you all!

Now onto a side note of things that I have been doing both for the site and a little insight into my life. Also, i hope that Trent will add his own section to this.

Well for starters, work. Yes, i have a job other than this. I work at Target and if anyone reading also works there, you know its true when i say, they own your soul. I’m back in electronics as one of the “electronics team members.” And if they do a certain thing by the time i get back…I have to do an Irish jig at the team meetings for a week. Other than that lots of school, i attend Duquesne University. Took some summer classes for the heck of it.

Insider wise, working with some company’s to get some awsome gear to review. Hopefully work out some deals with them for our fans out there ^.^.

Next up is vacation. I leave today for the wonderful sunshine state of Flordia. Going to New Smyrna Beach for about a week then heading a bit more south for another week or so. So if anyone is from the Flordia area and wants to LAN it up or knows of any LAN centers, either leave comments below with LAN center info or an screen name or something. I’ll be taking my laptop along as well

Team Changes and Rumors(*Updated*)

Keep checking back, we’re updating them as we get confirmations

Updates:
Best Man to TD
Enable from sQ to Carbon
APG from Free Agency to Carbon
GhostAyame to Str8 Rippin
Solider187 to Str8 Rippin
Chig from Free Agency to Classic
APG from Carbon to Classic
Enable from Carbon back to sQ
- Destin from Free Agency to Classic
- Walshy and SK from Free Agency to Carbon
- Aries from Active Rush
- ICON forms consisting of Mimic, Aries, Jesse Peace, Max/Pro
- With Icon forming knocks Ambush out of top 16 status
- Batmayne, Frosty, IceVayne and Poweezy to Active Rush
Catagory 5 picks up ZooWuu and Snake Bite
-Darkest Hour picks up Robbie B
-KillerDrew from HaE to Free Agency
Power Reunites

Roster:
Instinct – Roy, Lunchbox, Cloud, Elamite
Final Boss – OGRE2, Victory X, FearItself, Pistola
Believe the Hype – Demon D, Maniac, Heinz, Snipedown
Classic – Chig, Tizoxic, Destin, A Pure Gangster
Status Quo – Flamesword, Ace, Assault, Enable
Carbon – Defy, Naded, Walshy, SK = 8,830
Triggers Down – Hysteria, Neighbor, Totz, Best Man
Str8 Rippin – T2, Legit, Soldier187, Gh057Ayame
Heaven and Earth – Cpt Anarchy, Strongside, Sypher
Darkest Hour – Twylight, Legend, Robbie B
Warriors – BRAKE, Goofy, NocturnalKernal, Noob
Illuminati – Gilkey, Thuggish, Elumnite, Karma
Category 5 – Thrust, Dersky, ZooWuu, SnakeBite
iCoN – Mimic, Aries, Jesse Peace, Max/Pro
Active Rush – IceVayne, Batmayne, Frosty, Poweezy
Power – Reaction, BUK 20, BUK 57, MVP

Free Agents:
Ant
KillerDrew
Destin
Fearris
Eli
Mazement

Columbus: Brits, Aussies, and Astros

My Columbus Story:

http://www.mlgpro.com/content/blog-entry/307459/Columbus-Brits-Aussies-and-Astros

or if your lazy:

Columbus Blog:

Let’s start off with Thursday. After leaving Pittsburgh, PA a little late I finally get on the highway around noon. I had a 4 hour drive ahead of me. Fast forward 4 hours. I finally ended up In. Centerville Ohio. I stop some random place to grab a drink and use the restroom. I ended up in an Arbys where it was totally open, It had lights on and a sign that said open. But there was absolutely no one inside, I looked around, asked if anyone was there. Finally gave up and left. I hopped in the Car and drove to Sterlings house where I met my team(Friday Night Flights) as well as Victorious Secret, FnaticMSI(European Team), and Frenetic Array(Australians). It was freaking insane 15 or more people in the house at any given time. I saw some of the best Halo I had seen in a while before Columbus that night. The games between Fray and Fnatic were simply awesome. What made it even better was all the different accents and various forms of trash talk. Both teams were the nicest guys outside of Halo. But when the game starts up, they are a different group of people.

The LANs started off early and did not end till about 1 am. As I said before it was some of the best Halo I had seen in a long time. All three teams were just unbelievably skilled. Fnatic, Fray and vS were some of the most evenly matched games there. Even though Fray mostly won the series, but the LAN was a great opportunity for all four teams. As for FnF. We lost both series we played 7-0. But it helped us a great deal more than it could ever hurt us. We knew what we were doing wrong. What we needed to fix as well as what was ok. It gave us more of a feel to the teams chemistry than playing XBL or even LANing with lesser teams could ever do. So after watching Fray bag on Voltage more. They make fun of him so much I’m surprised he deals with it, but its all in good fun. It makes for a good story. At one point one of Fray, Slayer I believe, stood up and screamed its like the Halo Olympics. We had the English, the Australians, and us Americans.

After chilling with everyone for a while and after getting 7-0ed by vS, Sterling and I head out to pick up Monoxide from the Columbus airport. So after an hour drive we manage to get to the airport. We had my TomTom and Sterlings Iphone for directions. We decide to go with Sterlings Iphone for some reason. We start following its directions and it takes us the complete wrong way. It tells us to get off at like 3 wrong exits and down some random roads. Then the hotel is right in front of us and it tells us to turn around. We finally make it into downtown Columbus when we get onto a two way road. We make a left going by what my GPS says but we notice we could have gotten there without going the way we did. So we were in the process of doing a U-Turn when Sterling yells it’s a one way road and we can’t U-Turn. Even though I knew it wasn’t I stopped and made a left instead of the Uey. Sterling’s major fail, however he did come out clutch in the end because we found the back entrance to the hotel a few yards down the road. So Sterling failed and clutched it out at the same time. We drop Monoxide off and try to head back to Sterlings place. But we got lost in downtown Columbus, we followed the highway signs and they just sort of stopped. So we pulled off and set up the TomTom and managed to get back on the highway after about 20 minutes of driving around downtown Columbus. We finally pull into Sterlings house at like 1am where we began to clean up after everyone left. Ended up with like 4 giant bags of garbage filled of cans, steak and shake bags, subway wrappers and general crap. After the clean up was done we went over some GP then basically chilled and finally hit the sack for the night.

Friday

Well, Friday was game day. We woke up early, got dress psyched ourselves out for the day ahead. We ate lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and hopped in the car for the hour drive to the venue. We showed up just as warm ups started so we were pretty happy. We first got into the venue we saw that the line to “the Cage” aka: place to buy stuff was short so we hopped in line. After waiting for like 20 minutes, my team handed me their money to get them stuff and they went to warm up. After another 30 minutes filled with talking with some guys about WoW, Halo and some various other things and watching him win some MLG Gunners. I finally made it to the booth, bought a few of the MLG Columbus shirts for myself and the guys then headed back to find them. I found them chilling around and looking for another team to warm up against. We found a younger looking team to play. We 6-0ed them without much of a problem. During the 7th match one of them unplugged his controller and stormed away. They were young but had a lot of potential. If anyone from that team is reading this keep gaming guys. You guys have a lot of potential!!

Anyway, after that it was time for kick-off. We hung out with Fray for most of the event. We watched them get a bye first round thanks to a no-show. We then got called and went to business. We got a bye first round so in round 2 we played Within Reach, one of the teams I was considering coaching before FnF. So I knew people on it. We 2 – 0ed them pretty easily and moved onto round 3. We finished in time to watch Fray 2-0 49 Yellow Dragons, the number 1 amateur team. We then were called to play against Young Money the fifth amateur team. We got 2-0ed by them but played 2 close games. We lost 5 -4 on Heretic Flag. I won’t make any excuses they out clutched us. We made some extremely clutch plays but they were more clutch. Over all was a good series. After the match someone in the crowd said I had balls for wearing my MLGinsider shirt which I laughed at. We were done for the day so we followed Fray around and cheered them on. Later on that night we were supose to be staying with Victorious Secret for the weekend, but could not find them, so we hung out in the food court and luckily enough they showed up. We grabbed the stuff out of my car and headed up to the room to crash. After watching Euro Trip with ReVamp for a bit we all finally passed out.

Saturday:

We woke up early on Saturday to head down for warm ups. After warming up for a while and not having to play till losers 3. We basically hung out and wandered around the venue. Finally was our turn to play, losers 3 was against Hugging Bigfoot. They were good but we 2-0ed them pretty easily. Then we played AbR which was sporting one of my locals. We got badly outslayed in the first slayer game type but managed to clutch it in game 2. However the last game type was our weakest slayer, still however we managed to only lose 50-40ish. That ended our spree at Columbus, but did not even come close to stopping the fun.

We cheered Fray, Fnatic and vS along most of Saturday. I met up with the guys from Team e2k, and checked out the X-Fuel trailer that was located across the street from the venue. Had a 100 inch projector screen and were playing Guitar Hero on it. It was pretty tight and got some Kontrol Freaks from them. So on my way back into the venue, out of the blue I decided to text Flex4 to that number for the Bic drawings. It said to show them the code, so I did. They told me to come back at 8:30. So I hung around for a while then headed over at 8:30 not thinking much of it. So I got there and they began calling out numbers that they texted people. Two kids managed to get their number called but they weren’t the owner of the code they entered their family in and they weren’t present at the event at the time being. The rules said you had to own the phone, have the code, and be present. So after waiting for a while for them to get them there. They began calling codes again. At this point I’m like I’m not going to win, and my phone is about to die. As soon as it goes off they called my number. I was like OMG are you serious. I told them it was my number, gave them my phone number to confirm. They said I won if I could get the phone on. Lucky enough I had my phone charger in my bag and was like. Dude do you have an outlet. I have my phone charger come on dude. Luckily they were awesome people and let me plug it in. Next thing I knew I was the proud owner of some Astro A40’s and a mix amp. Have to get some new tags for it and all but they are sick. At this point the kid who won before is still complaining about winning but them not giving it to him and his mom or someone shows up. She starts going at it with them and they tell her the rules and how they gave him like 5 minutes to get them, it was getting pretty ridiculus. She then glares at me and is like “Maybe this kid will be nice.” At this point I’m like seriously lady come on. The guy luckily said something like, he looks nice enough but he is not going to be that nice. At this point the Bic girls are getting really annoyed cause the kid had been complaining to them for like 20 minutes while the drawing continued. So finally I signed the paper that said I received the grand prize and went back to watch Fray.

My teammates were completely ticked at me because I won and would not sell them. Even though I had just bought Astro A30’s which I am probably going to return. So we watched Fray lose to Ambush. After that we headed down to the food court and had a bite to eat and chilled for the rest of the night.

Sunday:

Sunday was a day of rest. We slept in till about 11. Went and watched the consolation rounds of Fray, Fnatic and Victorious Secret. We generally hung out and had a good time. After a long weekend I decided to call it an event. I said my good-byes to Fray, vS and my team and started the 3 hour drive home. I missed Sunday Night however I got home in time to watch the re-broadcast of it.

So that was my Columbus event. It was a blast. Loved meeting our Australian competitors and the Europeans. Those guys are about as cool and as nice as they come. It was a great event with a really sweet ending.

Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!! Oye Oye Oye!!!!

Check out pictures from the event on my facebook www.facebook.com/dbahle

The Foreigners!

It’s really amusing to see that MLG can be so oblivious outside of their own little bubble.  When you read back over their open bracket breakdown you see that they barely even mention Fnatic MSI and Frenetic Array.  They take no time to do roster update or even talk about their histories.

Anyway, it’s very exciting to see these two teams making waves in the event.  It really is time begin seeing a more consistent international showing.  Power has fairly well, but we have really no other international showing in the Halo 3 scene.  These two teams look as if they will continue to make waves for some time.

Quick Day 2 update:

Frenetic Array was beat 3-0 by Warriors in the first round of the Championship winners bracket.

FnaticMSI had Ambush down 2-0, but Ambush rallied back and won three straight games to take the match 3-2.

With Frenetic Arrays experience, with 9 first place finishes in Australia, should help them as they battle through the losers bracket.  Regardless, neither of these teams should be over looked.

MLG C-Bus 2010 AM Halo Bracket Update

Frenetic Array, the number 1 team in Australia, has shown up to prove they can compete against MLG’s top teams at MLG Columbus 2010. Winning their first match of the day against Scratch & Sniff because they did not show up, Frenetic Array moved on to winners bracket round 2. During round 2, Frenetic Array had to face off against number 1 seeded AM team, 49 Yellow Dragons. They had won over 49 Yellow Dragons to move on once again to winners bracket round 3. Look for more updates coming soon!

4 Team Lan

Friday Night Flights, Victorious Secret, FnaticMSI and Fray LAN!

Now Fray vs Fnatic

Next FnF vs vS

Then who knows!

Jtv: http://www.justin.tv/fnfsterling

MLG’s Newest Deal with Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. has signed a deal with MLG today, June 2, 2010! This means that Mad Catz can now use MLG logos and the name on their products. MLG and Mad Catz are planning on coming out with PC and console controllers and fight sticks.

With Mad Catz in almost every electronic section in any store you walk into, this is a really great thing for MLG. In my eyes, anything to get MLG out there to the masses will make it one step closer to running like any other sports league and begin flying high.

Darren Richardson, President and CEO of Mad Catz had a few things to say about this collaboration.

Richardson stated, “Both professionally and as gaming enthusiasts ourselves, we have tremendous respect for MLG and its talented competitors.”

He went on to say, “This new affiliation provides us the opportunity to work in close collaboration with the world’s best gamers and is a further example of Mad Catz’ commitment and capabilities to develop and globally distribute accessories which provide an unsurpassed gaming experience to professional competitors and hard-core gamers.”

Sundance DiGiovanni, co-founder and new CEO of MLG had this to say, “As one of the world’s leading gaming accessories companies, Mad Catz is the ideal partner for MLG as we look to take our gameplay to an even higher level. Our competitors demand the highest quality accessories available, and that’s why we chose to work with Mad Catz. Their commitment to excellence is unsurpassed, and we can’t wait for our competitors and fans to have a chance to play with the upcoming line of Mad Catz MLG Products.”

Will this mean that we will finally see controllers that are not broken out of the package or have players dealing with the problems of slow turning controllers? Maybe Mad Catz and MLG can finally come out with the controller that players don’t need to search through fifty different controllers to feel comfortable when their existing controller breaks. I can’t wait to see these products in stores, at MLG events, and most of all, in our hands!

I hope MLG and Mad Catz knocks one out of the park and brings us what the are striving for and think we deserve. I would like to congratulate MLG on this deal and welcome Mad Catz to our community as MLG’s newest sponsor. Be sure to post your thoughts below and come back for more MLG news coming soon!

Battle Royale drill down

With Columbus not a week away, MLG is starting to come out with its customary preview articles. After reading their “Battle Royale” I wanted to bring to light some of the teams that MLG skimmed over, including doing some research on the international competition.

1) Frenetic Array – fray Voltage, fray Benno, fray Slayer, fray heff.
Here we have one of the first Australian teams to compete at an MLG event. This teams has been putting some serious time into playing since they decided to attend. Lately they have been turning heads but have gotten a bad wrap for it. Many people are blaming it on their connection. But they are THE top in Australia for a reason. With nine, yes nine first place finishes in Australian Halo since the start of 2009, they will not be happy with anything less than a 1st place finish in MLG.

2) FnaticMSI – Baxter, ZicKneX, Riotz, Inspired2Kill- While MLG does acknowledge that they are the only all european team competing in the tournament. What they have failed to mention is that they have placed well before. They do not have 350 pro points for no reason. They have been here. They know the drill, they are coming to do more than sample the American life. They are coming to take some. Lets look at the players on their team.
Baxter, has 252.5 points, he’s placed amazingly at two events.
ZicKneX, has the other 97.5 team points. ZicKneX is known as prehaps one of the best snipers in Europe. He has proven himself both across Europe as well as in MLG, and has produced perhaps one of the best montages to date, The Forgotten Hero.
Inspired2Kill, has not competed in the MLG scene before but is know in Europe. He is perhaps one of the smartest players that i have seen in a while and has a ton of potential.
Riotz, has left his mark in Europe and is looking to do the same in MLG. He is proclaimed as one of the rising stars of European Halo.

3) Young Money – Talent, Homicide, RoYaL2, Minority
This is a team you do not want to mess with. With Talent and Homicide this team has potential to break out along with the rest of the top 8 AM teams. If Talent and Homicide can get in sync and get in a rhythm there will be no stoping this team.

4) Pain X - Polka Dot, Seb, Chizump, Wonka
This is a team that makes me feel a little fuzzy inside when i look at this roster. It is great to see some of the veterans coming back to Halo. Seb and Wonka are no stranger to top 16 play and this team will do great things.

5) Infamous – Broly, Hangman, HeLLuVa, Xambler
This team needs little introduction. If you guys have paid attention over the years you will notice all of these players are good and at least semi known. Broly, and HeLLuVa have been known since back in the Halo 2 days.

Ohhhh…And by the way…Umm…. .MLG, what about Power?!? They have a picture there and a caption, but are not listed. But also, last time i checked they are considered an “Amateur” team even though they have 16th seed? What gives???? If they hold 16th seed they should be considered pro. Its been that way since it started. I mean seriously, what gives!

Columbus AM LANs

While everyone is focused on the Pro LANS that happen before an event, not many people pay attention to the AM LANs. This is perhaps one of the most promising AM events yet, so AM LANs are more important than ever.

LANs:

FnaticMSI, Fray, Friday Night Lights, Victorious Secret:  Tuesday through Thursday

We will be updating the list as the week progresses and will have pictures from some of the LAN.

If you have a Pre-Columbus LAN and would like added to the list, either comment below or feel free to send me a message over AIM at InsiderApollo!

MLG WoW 2010 Info

Its time for MLG World of Warcraft competition again people! That’s right! One of my favorite things to watch on the Circuit is back at Columbus 2010. With the start of the season, I wanted to let everyone know what is to come in C-Bus, in later the three regular season events, and the ever-anticipated MLG WoW Championships.

Starting with C-Bus, Columbus for short, we will have the top 16 teams from all over the world squaring off to claim the MLG World of Warcraft Columbus crown. As always, these games will be held in 3v3 format and we will be held round robin style. The teams will be separated into two groups of eight teams and the round robin style tournament will begin. Once two top teams from each group are found, they will move onto the double elimination championship bracket. The winner of championship bracket will take home a cool $15,750 in cash prizes.

Now after Columbus, we will see the circuit moving to Raleigh North Carolina. With this event, we see a few changes in the WoW and all events after coming our way. Lets start with the online qualifier. This is going to be held prior to the event and will be open to anyone wanting to play. The four top teams from the qualifier will earn invitations to the next MLG event. The top two teams will also win hotel stay for the next MLG event. Along with these four teams joining the MLG WoW Circuit, we will see the top four teams from the previous event, four teams MLG invites, and four open registration teams that will be determined by passes that will go on sale prior to the event. That makes a total of 16 teams that will be seen competing starting in MLG Raleigh.

MLG is going to determine who attends the 2010 WoW Championships by awarding ranked points after each event. These points will determine which of up to eight teams will compete in the 2010 WoW Championship and a chance to win that 2010 crown later in the season.

For everyone that can’t make it to events, MLG is also promising to kick it up a notch this year. They plan on doing this by giving us Live Stream competition like always, a brand new WoW Primetime Show, and select matches from the Online Qualifiers being shown from GotFrag.com and MMO-Champion.com.

Be sure to glue yourselves to the MLG PC Circuit this year and have fun watching old and new faces rise through the ranks and fight for the number one title each and every event. With C-Bus coming June 4-6 and the rest of the season bringing us new competitors, more coverage, and even more game play, I can’t wait! Be sure to check back all season long for up to date information and all your MLG needs right here, at MLGinsider.com.

Insiders Reach Breakdown

Well folks, here we are, less than a week away from the Halo Reach Beta! Now they have already told us…. No Customs for you! So we’re just going to have to fight it out in their playlists.

Now we have seen all of the basics so far. New armor layouts, armor attachments, new weapons, gametypes, and the list goes on.

Now the question lies in, will Reach be MLG Competitive. And the answer is….We’re not sure yet! Going on what has been shown so far, it could go both ways as i’m sure many people could tell. It all comes down to 1 key factor. Customization.

The reason Halo 3 was as successful as it is even though it isn’t as near as competitive as Halo 2 was. Is that we(the players) could make, and play the game however the heck we wanted. 300% speed and plasma pistols? You got it. Banshees and Hornets on Construct. Have a blast.

Sure in reach we’re going to have different weapon layouts, armor abilities and game types. But are we going to have control of what weapons we have in each layout? Can we not choose a layout and have a base starting weapon? Do we have to be equipped with armor attachments? These are the questions that will determine if its MLG Material.

Lets check out the amor abilities:

Sprint – Feel the need, Spartan? Engage this Ability for a burst of speed that’s great for quickly covering ground or escaping sticky situations.
My Thoughts: Ehhh, not bad. Has promise. But if you can sprint away with a flag whats the point? Would need to be regulated

Active Camouflage – Go off the grid by engaging Active Camo. Your enemies can’t kill what they cannot see. Stalk, seek, and destroy.
My Thoughts: A whole team with camo? Seems kinda pointless. Would also need to be regulated by MLG

Jet Pack – Fly like a bird. Target your opponents. Laugh maniacally.
My Thoughts: No….Just No..

Armor Lock – Become invincible, but immobile. While you’re locked down, Elites can’t touch you. Also has an EMP effect
My Thoughts: Seems like a good idea. Would need to see how it plays first.

Evade - Play with your food! As an Elite, you’ll be able to bob, weave, and juke to get into the most effective combat position.
My Thoughts: 6 words. Can you use as a Spartan. Would be an epic addition to MLG

Lets take a look at some of the new gametypes shall we?

Headhunter- The object of the game is simple: every player you kill drops a skull. Collect as many as you can and deposit them into one of the designated territories to score. First to 25 wins unless a player manages to earn the elusive “Skullamanjaro” by capturing ten skulls all at once.

Has alot of potential. Would test your slayer ability to the fullest. Then test teamwork, communication, and objective play.

Stockpile

Two teams scrap over four neutral flags. Flags are scored by bringing them into your team’s designated territory and protecting them until the timer reaches zero. Flags are collected every sixty seconds.

Could work very well. Depending on how the scoring positions are set up.

Generator Defense

Three Spartans defend three generators from an all out assault launched by three Elites. At the start of each round, you not only get to pick from a broad selection of Loadouts, you also get to choose your general spawning location. Choose wisely. As an Elite, you’ll need to destroy all three generators to win the round.

Hmmm…..another No. Just not for MLG

So basicly what it will come down to is customization. If we have as much control in Reach as we do in Halo 3. It will be a great game. What we need is the ability to create our own presets. If Bungie gives us these. Reach will be a good addition to the circuit.

Your Thoughts on Reach

Well folks, the beta is pubic now and we here at Insider would like to hear your thoughts on it? Will it make it into MLG next season? Guns to over powered? Guns underpowered? Anything at all.

Lets hear it!

Insider Reach Beta Give away!

Whats up guys, MLGInsider managed to score a few beta codes! So we’re giving them away! I won’t reveal the number we have but we have a few.

So you want to know how you win right? Well here’s how! The person who sends me the best reason why they should have the beta gets it! Other than that I’m basically going to choose at random! Message me on AOL: InsiderApollo!

Congrats to Undead who won the Insider Beta Code!

No more sorry!

Keep Checking back for some more awesome stuff coming your way this week!

Str8 vs BtH Lan Results

That’s right folks right now Str8 Rippin and Believe the Hype are hard at work. and are deep into their second series.

Series one ended with 8-3 Str8 winning the series.

However

Series two is underway 7-3 BtH cleaning house.

With the weekend of LAN’s over the final results of the lan are 44-33 BtH!

Congrats to BtH

Heads-Up with Flamesword captain of Status Quo

We got to sit down with Michael Chaves (aka Flamesword) the captain of Status Quo about their off-season changes. So check it out and let’s hear your thoughts about the new SQ!

Trent: Well, coming into the 2009 season you guys were touted as one of the top up-and-coming teams in Halo 3. The season wasn’t terrible, but it was definitely less than what was expected from you guys. What would you attribute that to?

Flamesword: We basically just never showed up to the event. We definitely had it in us, but like I said we just never showed up on gameday.

Trent: You seemed to never be in sync, but you showed flashes of what people expected! Was it a lack of practice, lack of chemistry or something else that caused that?

Flamesword: I think it was the cause of something else, but I just can’t explain. After Side left the team we started practicing less, so that might have had something to do with it.

Trent: Fair enough, since the Orlando National Championships both Legend and Totz have moved on and you have teamed with two very talented up-and-coming players in “A Pure Gangster” and “Enable”. How is this team different than the Status Quo team from last season?

Flamesword: Time will only tell, but I like the feel of this new squad because so far we listen to each other without complaints. Also, everyone is playing a lot more, so I’m happy to be able to sign online and game with a teammate right away.

Trent: Let’s look at your team. If you were to really analyze what you all bring what would you say are the strong suits of each individual player on your team, yourself included. Along those same lines, what prompted you to pick up APG and Enable?

Flamesword: I’m not sure yet because it’s a new team. We pushed for Enable because he’s a sick team player and APG is the next dominant force I believe.

Trent: Well, what changes would you like to see for the 2010 season in the league as a whole?

Flamesword: I want more events and maybe more Cali events. Its so sick out there.

Trent: On the topic of this coming season, have you heard much about the upcoming combine?

Flamesword: Nope, I just know its in Nashville.

Trent: Right, well we’re headed back to Orlando in mid April. Any predictions from the new Status Quo?

Flamesword: Looking at it right now, I feel this will be the best SQ so far. I have 3 young players on my team that just want to win and show they can hang with anyone. Also, Ace and myself are going all out this year to prove that we’re top players.

Trent: Last couple questions. With regard to the transactions that have been made so far regarding the other top teams, who do you think improved the most?

Flamesword: Instinct, they just look solid.

Trent: If you had to pick one, what team do you think didn’t do so hot?

Flamesword: I think they all improved. I think the level of competition will increase this year.

Trent: This will definitely be a year where there is more parity between the top teams. Any surprise teams to look out for?

Flamesword: To early to tell right now. Most teams haven’t really begun practicing.

Trent: Fair enough, well thanks for your time Mike. We’ll check back with you before the event to get your thoughts then as well.

Flamesword: Alright, thanks.

Well, There you have it! You agree or disagree with what Mike thinks lets hear it below.

The reality behind MLG’s Combine

Well recently Major League Gaming announced their first Doritos combine, a lot of people have been looking forward to these combines and more information on what these Combines are going to be about. Well now we know a good majority of information. The real question is, what is this going to mean for you? The players that wish to compete view this as their “big chance” to go pro. They announced this with only a month and 22 days away, think that is enough time? Well i am not to sure.

Now we get to the real meat of the situation, what these combines mean to you. First lets start off with what we do know.

DATE: March 26-28, 2010

What it means- Like i said before They announced this with only a month and 22 days away, teams with sponsors are rushing to get their sponsors the information so they can get to the events. Which means sponsors are scrambling to get funds together in a time where our economy is struggling as it is.

VENUE: The Gaylord Opryland Resort
2800 Opryland Drive
Nashville, TN, 37214

What it means to you -Nice venue, so at least it is going to be a nice.

WHO CAN COMPETE: The Combine is an amateur-only competition that is all about putting the spotlight on upcoming talent. No pro players are eligible to compete in the Combine.

What it means to you–Now this is the most interesting part of the whole thing. MLG has stated that “The Combine offers what so many of you have been asking for: a clear way for amateur players to shine and prove that they have what it takes to make it to the MLG Main Stage. ” Therefore, who can compete is a contradictory statement. They want amateur players, which means non-professional players. Yes any teams outside the top 16 are considered amateur. But what about those teams that have placed top 16 before, or those teams that place consistently top 20 or even 32. Which makes teams like, Ambush, Take Respect, North of 49 able to compete in the Combine who are not at an amateur level. Which pretty much means that they will start with the amateur players with no points, and with no one to stop them, will run the bracket and take home an easy spot. Which will be the complete opposite about what they are trying to accomplish with them.

COMPETITION FORMAT: Halo 3 4v4 (256 team bracket) and Halo 3 FFA (1,280 player bracket). 4v4 Team Passes include automatic entry to the FFA.

What it means to you – Yeah, same deal as the normal events, but the FFA will be interesting. With every player of the 256 teams able to enter, it will allow players from top teams as i stated before to run the events.

HOW IT WORKS: Fight your way to the top of the heap in an all-amateur tournament. Winners will get awesome prizes, including some cash, free travel and accommodations, as well as a reserved Team Pass for the following Pro Circuit Live Competition. Any competitor that stands out has the chance to be personally evaluated by an MLG Pro.

What it means to you — Perhaps MLG forgets that we have teams like Ambush, North of 49 and Take Respect who are and have teams that are top 16 caliber but lack the points that it takes to be considered a “pro team” therefore, this will not be an amateur tournament.

REGISTRATION DATES: February 23 for Halo 3 4v4; February 24 for Halo 3 FFA.

What it means to you– Registration is closing in and hardly gives teams enough time to scramble for money to get to the events.

Well, MLG says they will have more information coming so we’ll have to see what they will do with the combine.

Congratulations to BtH our National Champs!

MLGinsider would like to congratulate Demon D, Clutch, Cloud, Maniac, and Mazsik for their first place finish at MLG Orlando and their big check of $100,000 dollars!

We would also like to congratulate Classic for their second place finish and Carbon for their third place finish

MLGInsider looking for CoD and GoW Writers!

Think you know alot about Call of Duty?  Or how about Gears of War?  Well here is YOUR chance to shine.  MLGInsider is looking for 1-2 intern writers for both Call of Duty and Gears of War!  If your interested in being an MLGInsider intern, all you have to do is e-mail me at Apollo@mlginsider.com or message me on AIM at InsiderApollo and i will send you an Internship application.

Happy Thanksgiving from MLGInsider

The staff at MLGInsider would like to wish you and your families a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  Gobble Gobble

A Turkey Day Poem:

T is for turkey on Thanksgiving Day,
H is for “Hurry, I’m hungry!” we say.
A is for Auntie, she works and she mends,
N is for Native American friends.
K is for kitchen, the oven’s on low,
S is for silverware, set in a row.
G is for Grandma, the one we love most,
I is for inside, where we’re warm as toast.
V is for vegetables, eat them we try,
I is for icecream on top of the pie.
N is for never do we have enough dressing,
G is for Grandpa, who gives thanks for our blessings.

~Unknown~

MLG Turkey Day:

T is for the thanks you give when you win the game.

H is for everyones new favorite MLG map.

A is the word you call the scrub, who just ran you over in a ghost.

N is for Neighbor, will you ever miss a shot.

K is for knowing, that guy was right behind you.

S is for calling out, the “The Sniper is up!”

G is for a call out, on a map forgotten.

I is for the lone Ogre, there use to be 2.
V is for the Vets, who know this game so well.

I is for Instinct, will you ever be on top?
N is for Canada, you finally have a team.
G is for Good Times, gone but never forgotten.

~Apollo~

Carbon vs. Status Quo LAN

Carbon vs. Status Quo LAN

I’d have to say, that even though this LAN was very short, it was some of the most thrilling Halo I have ever had the chance to watch.  The series’ were back and forth, with both teams mirroring each other in games won per series. However, play was stopped after a 2-0 lead by Status Quo in series 5, because Naded’s hand was cramping up from all the destruction he was dishing out. Of course, everyone was pretty worn out by the time that play stopped, considering that series 5 was the third series being played that night. Overall, it was an amazing LAN and all of the guys from Carbon are very cool, down to Earth people. I’m sure we will be LANing again soon.

Series 1    Series 2     Series 3    Series 4    Series 5    Total LAN
SQ 8            sQ 3               sQ 6        sQ 5            sQ 2          sQ  24
CbN 3        CbN 8           CbN 5    CbN 6        CbN 0      CbN  22

Clearing the fog around SQ

With this being my first article, I’d like to take a few lines  to clear up some of the mess that has been following Status Quo around for  quite some time now.  Foremost, no money has been paid to any of the players  that the team has acquired over the season, with the exception of the  expenses that our sponsorship, provided by my father, has paid for.  My dad  has always supported my brother and I, one-hundred percent, in whatever we  have decided to pursue, and likewise, has supported our choice to compete in video game tournaments.  The sponsorship is nothing out of the ordinary, and  it covers the basics, such as, airfare, hotel, food, etc.

Another question that is commonly brought up about the team is,  “How did ToTz end up on the team to begin with?”.  Starting back in 2005, I became good friends with FlamesworD over Xbox Live and we never lost contact  with each other. After Orlando, Status Quo dropped Prolific and was in need  of a fourth teammate. My brother was gaming very hard at the time and was  improving exponentially, so I suggested a tryout to FlamesworD and the rest  is history. They improved their placing from top 24 to top 12 and almost  beat Ambush for top 8 in a heartbreaking series, that I probably never will  forget.  We get a massive amount of unnecessary disrespect for being more  well off than other people, but that is okay, because haters are always going to hate.

Finding Home

During the course of this MLG season, Status Quo has struggled  to settle on a roster that would fit the family like atmosphere and hold up in tournament play.  Once upon a time, at the  WinterLAN, MLG¹s top professionals from all over the country gathered at the Fries¹ House (it¹s my article, so I¹ll call the house by my name) for some epic halo action. Status Quo, at that point, consisted of FlamesworD, ToTz, S1y Fox, and Swisha.  S1y Fox never showed up to the LAN even though his plane ticket was purchased, and that event started the snowball (no pun intended).

It was the 2v2 tournament, where Ace teamed up with FlamesworD and became a dominant force that only StrongSide and, the Grand Master of Halo, Walshy, were able to take down in an eight game epic that was birthed from a three game series.

StrongSide saw the talent in FlamesworD and Ace then, and played numerous 4v4 games with ToTz, seeing potential in all three rising stars. StrongSide was in-between teams at the time, and after a few phone calls, decided to join Status Quo. The team practiced religiously and LAN¹d more times than some top teams do in a whole season, before the first event took place.  Nevertheless, they didn¹t live up to the hype that was built up around them, and everyone on the team was disappointed because they knew
their own potential, but did not perform at the event.

After another seventh place letdown, StrongSide was off to bigger things by reuniting with Final Boss, leaving Status Quo in search of
a fourth.  Believe the Hype, aka Cloud, had just released In The Clutch, and he looked like the best bet for the team. Even though Clutch performed well at the LANs and the team functioned very well against Triggers Down, something just didn¹t click at the event and Status Quo ended up with an, inexcusable, tenth place finish after a loss to an ³on fire² Dynasty for top 8.  After Dallas, Clutch left to join up with Cloud, and the core three from Status Quo were left without a fourth player, once again.

Luckily, Legend was dropped from Classic in the midst of a “hurricane” and Status Quo was able to acquire him before Classic realized that they had made a mistake.  This has been the best addition to the team since Ace was added to the team at the WinterLAN. Legend is a seasoned veteran who knows the game back and forth, and can also put up some Pistola-like numbers with a good supporting cast, but that isn¹t what he is here for and it isn¹t even something he cares about. What he really cares about, is what everyone on the team cares about the most: Winning.  I think I speak for the team when I say that it does not matter how ugly a win may
be, we will definitely take it if it brings the team closer to the number one spot.  Legend reminds me of Walshy, with his knowledge of the game and willingness to teach, but I think he packs some serious fire power (he dropped a positive 94 kill to death ratio at Dallas).  His mentoring of the young players will be key in the success of the team, because Heretic is now the dominant map on the circuit and, with that, Status Quo is at a huge disadvantage by being a new team to Halo 3.   However, this will only make them practice harder than ever.

I truly believe that Legend is the answer to the inconsistencies that have plagued Status Quo in tournament play so far this season.  This weekend Status Quo will LAN Carbon, who broke the mold with the acquisition of Walshy and Naded by placing second.  With all the scheduled practice, there should be no excuses this time around, and we should see a totally different Status Quo. After all, a Status Quo firing on all cylinders has yet to be shown to the 500,000+ watching the live stream, maybe this will be
the event where every head starts to turn.  I honestly believe that Status Quo has found home with the addition of Legend, and I guarantee they will come out on fire Friday night at Anaheim.

MLGInsider in Rd 3 of Melee in Manhatan

Hey, I would like to invite people to come out to Maumee, Ohio on Friday October 23rd 2009, to cheer me as I represent MLGInsider while competing in the Melee In Manhattan tournament round 3.

Round 1 and 2 summary

I easily won round one only having won 3 games in round 1. In each game the opponent got no more than 5 kills on me.  One game i went 8-1 with my only death being a stick from my own plasma grenade being bounced off a bubble shield.  Round 1 ended quickly

In round 2 there was an odd number of people at the event.  Therefore who ever had the most kills in match 1 got a bye into match 2.  My first opponent did not stand a chance.  With him saying how good he was I defeated him 15 to 0 and got a perfection out of it.   I got a bye into the 3rd set of matches, where i played some like 23 year old guy who was talking a bunch of smack.  He got even more pissed when I would strongside away from him when I was 1 shot.  Game was winding down and with a about 20 seconds left I was up by 1 kill.  He was screaming his head off to fight him like a man and was flipping out swearing at the TV and everything.  When the game was over I reached over to shake his hand and tell him good game.  He told me ” I ain’t touchin your hand dude.(Insert string of swear words here) He’s cheatin over here.”  He proceeded to storm out basically crying and as he slammed the door shut everyone was dying laughing.

After that I was gaurenteed a spot in round 3.  We still played for 1st, and I won 8 to 3.  It was a good game the guy had some skill.

So if anyone is in the area and would like to come cheer on MLGInsider or even boo us out, feel free to show up and say hello, I will most likely be wearing some sort of MLGInsider clothing so I should be easy to find.

On a side note: I will be running Heritic FFA’s and 1v1′s open to anyone who wants to although i would prefer people who are moving into round 3.  Also i would love to meet some of the people i will be competing against!  Feel free to send me a friend request on Xbox Live.  MLGInsiderApolo is my GT.

Last Day for MLGinsider Intern Apps!

Today, September 29th 2009 is the last day that MLGinsider will be accepting Intern Applications.  If you have not recieved one, or would like to join.  Please E-Mail me at Apollo@mlginsider.com or contact me on AIM at InsiderApollo.  I will be on AIM all night and check my e-mail once an hour.  Please message me and i will get you an application ASAP.

Instinct and Status Quo Rosters

Ok, we are finally able to confirm both the Status Quo and Instinct rosters.

Let’s start with Instinct.  First off, Ghost was let go partially due to his play in Dallas and partially due “personality conflicts”.  He’s a great player and will definitely land on a solid team.  After Ghost’s release two players were actually being considered for the 4th spot; Fearitself and Strongside.  From discussions we’ve had with those close to the situation, they ultimately went with Fearitself because they felt he rounded out their team the best.

Contrary to the stupid rumors going around that Strongside and Neighbor would never play together again cause they “don’t get along”, they actually are extremely good friends and have no issues playing with each other.

Now on to Status Quo.  For those who don’t know Clutch actually made the decision to go back to BtH before he left Dallas.  So it was no surprise to those involved when he made it official a few days later.

A few people close to the situation said that the reason Legendpimps left/was kicked from Classic was a butting of heads due to his strong personality.  He was picked up by Status Quo as their 4th player a few days ago.   We decided to wait to update because Legend was also being pursued by a few other top teams and had considered one other.

Personally I think the strong personality that Legend has will be an asset to a young Status Quo team that could use and outspoken leader.  He has also proven to consistently play at a level that puts him on the border of that upper echelon of players.

Side note:  I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ghost wind up on Final Boss as their fourth, not only from a talent stand point, but also from an experience stand point.

MLGInsider ODST FireFight Review

As many of you are aware, gamestop recently launched a demo setup of FireFight mode in Halo 3 ODST.  They have been bringing it around in a special ODST HellJumper truck.  The truck is an old army truck, it weighs 28,000 pounds(which is 14 tons).  I managed to log a decent 1 hour of gameplay. How it works is you get in line, and they send people 8 at a time into the back of the truck where they had 8 systems hooked up to 8 plasma screen tv’s.  You had 10 minutes and infinite lives to rack up as many points as possible.  We were told in actual firefight on the ODST game you will only have 7 lives that are shared between your team.   They will not let you play on legendary and you are absolutely not allowed to play as Sergant Johnson. Somehow I ended up playing as him anyway.

The controls are the same except there is no equipment.  The X button has been taken over by visor mode.  This may sound useless at first but it works wonders as I will explain later.  There is no motion sensor, your ODST can not jump as high or throw grenades as far.  If you think your going to melee kill a brute like in H3.  You better be ready for it, its not an easy task.  You do not regain health if you get damaged, so you need to be careful.  The most important thing, one that every MLG player can relate to, is teamwork.  You will be hard pressed to tackle a hunter by yourself.    Anyway…Lets get on with the actual review and my comments….

You start out with the SMG and Pistol(this may be changeable..not sure).  Upon first firing the guns your going to notice the guns actually recoil, so you can’t just spam the trigger and hope to kill something, this actually requires some what of aiming.  It takes a while to get use to, but you do eventually.  Halo 1 fans rejoice, they have brought back the Halo Combat Evolved Pistol. Unfortunately it’s not as we fondly remember.  It seems to do less damage and it has a smaller clip so you need to pick your shots. In my personal opinion, sounds like a little laser gun. (Phew Phew Phew sound).  It does have a very nice scope though.  The SMG is a very efficient weapon, even at long range  it can be put to excellent use due to it having a scope as well.  The only downside is that it has a small clip as well.

Next up is the visor mode. This is a really helpful feature as it allows you to see enemies, friendlies, and invisible brutes.  It is excellent for finding new weapons!  I used the pistol scope and managed to find rockets and a sniper rifle.  The map Crater, it is a semetrical map with 2 bases facing each other.  In the opposite base you spawn in there is a sniper up top and a rocket launcher on the bottom.  You can not be afraid to pick up and use enemy weapons, you run out of ammo fast, so be prepared to use that spiker, and plasma rifle.  Because you are not a spartan, your melee’s basicly are horrible compared to what we are use to.  If you do it to a brute and he does not die, he will swing and knock you back and you go flying.  The enemies come at diffrent times and are usualy announced with a good old fashion Reinforcement call…The drones(bugs) sometimes have shields along with the brutes..It takes 2-3 sniper shots to kill a brute. 1 shot to break shields…1 to break armor…and 1 to finish him off.

Teamwork is a huge role in ODST Firefight.  The brutes are shielded and take alot of shots to kill. Brutes carrying hammers seem to have even more health.  The skulls rotate randomly; one second it is on the “Grunt Birthday Party” and “Iron” then it can switch to “Storm” and “Tough Luck”.  It adds a good amount of challenge to the game.

I said up at the top that we had infinite lives, but in the regular version you only get 7.  In each of the 10 minute rounds we did we managed to only die about 7 or 8 times on normal. So it is going to be very interesting.

I stood in line for a total of something like 5 hours for a single hour of gameplay.    My thoughts … it was WELL WORTH IT!  It was an awesome experience and I would personally buy ODST for only this game if your sitting on the fence.   Don’t buy it for the maps, buy it for “Firefight”!  They give you some free gear like a sick little mini-helpmate for playing, and if you get the most points on your team you get a licence plate cover that says, “My other car is a Warthog”.  Below are some pictures of the stuff!  Hope you guys enjoyed my thoughts on ODST!   “Helljumpers, Feet First into Hell!”

Controller directions they gave us^

Other side to the card^

license plate cover^

Mini-Helm^

Mini-Helm 2^

The Truck^

Naded – New Man or Finally Understood

If you watched MLG Dallas you saw the tournament that Naded had.  It was very similar to the tournament he had in the National Championships in 2008 in Vegas.  He seemed like a “new man”.  The question really is why?

Here’s how I see it.  If you watch Naded’s play historically you will see that he has played on some talented teams.  He had a great fit with Carbon in the national championships and then they parted ways becasue Carbon just felt he took to many chances and wanted to try the more conservative and consistent Soviet.

They never seemed to put it all back together until MLG Dallas this year.  The difference for both Carbon and Naded is this …. “They’re like a glove”.  They are a great fit for each other.

The knock on Naded is not his talent. He is one of the most dynamic players in the game.  He is one of maybe a handful of players in this league that can turn and entire game on his own.  The reason is of course his talent, but that’s not all he has a confidence that causes him to take chances , but also puts him in positions that others don’t get in to create dynamic game changing plays.  Now all this sounds great, the problem is that he also puts his team in bad positions when his gambles backfire.

Now here is why Carbon is such a great fit.  Carbon has three consistent, solid players that are extremely experienced and team oriented.  They are the perfect trio to compliment Naded.  They have the consistency and ability that they are able to effective neutralize the oppositions advances till Naded respawns.  This is a team that was overlooked, but as teammates they fit as well as any foursome in the league.

With the cat now out of the bag… I am interested to see what will happen in Anaheim in November.  Lets hear your thoughts sound off below.

Walshy Does it Again?

Yes, once more Walshy defeats the team that dropped him.  He has a great tournament and finishes in second with a team that was put together a month ago.   This raises a few questions in my mind: Is Walshy not quite the team oriented player we thought he was? Has he lost the drive to push him over the top? Or is he just messing around with all of us?

This is something I’ve actually given quite a bit of though to.  Let’s go back to 2008 in Toronto.  Walshy gets dropped by Final Boss for Neighbor.  He decides to team with Roy, Lunchbox and Soviet.  After looking like he might be on his way out of the game in the previous tournament in Orlando, he comes alive in Toronto.  His Br is on point and he appears to be playing like the Walshy many of the longtime MLG fans have seen.  Instinct upsets Final Boss and Walshy  compares the ogres to the Olsen twins and says, “It was like taking candy from a baby, but the baby fought harder.”

Fast forward to Columbus 2009, Instinct finishes 5th and Walshy again looks as if he’s might be what is holding the team back.  They make a big move and drop Dave for Ghostayame.  (Que the dramatic music) Walshy teams with Shockwave, Defy and Naded a month before MLG Dallas and again seems revived and has a great tournament beating Str8 3-0 and eliminating Final Boss and Instinct enroute to a 2nd place finish behind Triggers Down.  Now here’s the real question.  What gives?

Does he just lose motivation on the team’s he’s on?  Is he just a scape goat for teammates to blame him? Maybe to both?  While I can’t explain how his play changes so drastically when he gets dropped by a team, all I can say is that he has become a nightmare for teams.

Allow me to play a scenario out for you … Let’s say Carbon has a couple bad tournaments in a row and once again the blame gets placed on Dave.  If you’re Carbon what do you do?  You look back at FB and Instinct and realize it’s a curse to drop him, but maybe you feel like he’s what’s holding you back.  I can’t answer that question, all I know is that the guy pulls upsets out of his redbull hat like a genie granting wishes.  He has shown he gets fired up and still can compete at this top level, I know I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side.

What do you think?  Sound off below?

Orlando = Championships?

We have been told by reputable sources close to MLG that the Major League Gaming Championships will be in Orlando, Florida. This actually coincides with the many rumblings that we have heard. So, it looks like all you Floridians are in for a treat.

Please Note: Locations for MLG events are not final until MLG Commisioner John Nelson announces the location.

Insider Internship?

Hey, are you looking for a place to intern at? But you don’t want to go to the same old place most other people go to?  Do you have a passion for gaming?  Do you follow MLG?  Do you want to do what i’m doing right now?  If you’ve answered yes to a few of those then your in the right place.

MLGinsider is opening up 3 Internship spots on our staff.  Internships will be official with paper work, and would look great on job, college or any other resumes!

For more information regarding the internship spot please contact us by either the Contact Us tab.  Or you can contact me at apollo@mlginsider.com or on AIM at InsiderApollo.
Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Best of luck Sypher

We here over at MLGinsider would like to wish the best of luck to Sypher and his family as they go through this incredibly hard time in their lives. Please feel free to show your support and encourage Sypher and his family below.

For those not aware of the situation, Sypher, due to personal family issues, will not be able to attend Dallas, so Believe the Hype only now has 3 team members after the roster lock. We would like for this article to serve as a voice so that MLG will let Believe the Hype Change their roster with little to no problems. I encourage you to support the cause and wish Sypher the best of luck.

Best of Luck Sypher hope that all is well

from mlgpro forums -posted by Sypher

A couple of weeks ago my parents were fighting and my mom wanted some time to think and I thought my family was going to be destroyed because me, my brother and my father had to live in a hotel because my mom didn’t want to see my father or us because we look like him. My father was destroyed. I couldn’t leave him by his side and I thought my family was done for but my mom took him back. I’m not sure what he did but I think he cheated on my mom. My mom took us in and I thought we were back to normal but she was just dealing with him for the sake of me and my brother. I awoke yesterday finding that they had been fighting all morning and they agreed on a divorce in front of my brother. Now not only can I not leave my father because I have to hang around in a hotel for a bit but my brother was my only way to go to Dallas. I thought I was able to go alone but my parents said it’s too dangerous. I begged my brother to go but he just told me how could I be thinking of a god damn video game at the time and to be honest I have to agree with him. I wish this could of went any other way but my life as of now is seriously going down the ****ter quickly. I know this is the worst possible time to say this but it’s not like I ****ing planned this whole operation.

Day 2 Td Vs SQ

series 4

Narrows ctf -TD 3-1 ……..TD up 1-0

Pit TS – SQ 50-49 ……… Tied at 1 to 1

Construct King – TD 250-236 …… TD leads 2 to 1

Onslaught CTF – TD 5-0 ……… TD leads 3 to 1

Guardian TS- SQ 50-33 ……. Td  Leads 3 to 2

Pit Ctf – SQ 3-0 ……… Tied up at 3 to 3

Construct TS SQ 50-40 ………. SQ leads 4 to 3

Lockdown ball TD 250-153 ……… Tied up at 4 to 4

Narrows TS TD 50-37 ………. TD Leads 5 to 4

Amp TS TD 50-46 ………. Td Leads 6 to 4

Guardian Ball …….TD 192-130 ………  TD wins series 7-4

Series tied at 2-2 TD leads games 24-20

Series 5

SQ leads 3-2 in series

SQ leads games 29 to 26

Series 6

Tied series at 3 to 3

Sq leads in games 34 to 32

TD and SQ LAN Updates

Here are the scores for day one of the Triggers Down vs Status Quo LAN!

Series 1

Game 1: CTF Pit ………..SQ wins 3-0 with Heinz uncharacteristically gets no kills  …….SQ is up 1 game to 0

Game 2: Narrows Slayer……..SQ wins 50-34 …………SQ is up 2 games to 0

Game 3: Guardian Ball …….TD Wins 205 to 179 ………..SQ is up in the series 2 games to 1

Game 4: Onslaught Flag ………..SQ Wins 5-4 ………..SQ is up 3 games to 1

Game 5: Pit Team Slayer ……..TD Wins 50-29 ………..SQ is up 3 games to 2

Game 6: Narrows CtF ……….TD Wins 3-2 ………..Series is tied up 3 games to 3

Game 7: Guardian Team Slayer …………SQ Wins 50-33 …………..SQ is up 4 games to 3

Game 8: Construct King ………SQ Wins 250 to 176 ………SQ is up 5 games to 3

Game 9: Lockdown ball…….tD Wins 214 to 207 …………SQ is up 5 games to 4

Game 10: Amp TS …….tD Wins 50-47 ………Tied at  5 games to 5

Game11: Construct TS ………SQ Wins 50-47 ………SQ Wins Series 1 : 6-5

Series 2

Game 1: CTF Pit ………..tD wins 3-2  …… tD is up 1 game to 0

Game 2: Narrows Slayer……..SQ wins 50-47 …………Tied up 1 game to 1

Game 3: Guardian Ball …….TD Wins 187 to 174 ………..tD is up in the series 2 games to 1

Game 4: Onslaught Flag ………..TD Wins 5-1 ………..TD is up 3 games to 1

Game 5: Pit Team Slayer ……..SQ Wins 50-38 ………..TD is up 3 games to 2

Game 6: Narrows CtF ……….TD Wins 3-1 ……….. TD is  up 4 games to 2

Game 7: Guardian Team Slayer …………TD Wins 50-41 …………..TD is up 5 games to 2

Game 8: Construct King ………TD Wins 239 to 226 ………TD is up 6 games to 2

Game 9: Lockdown ball…….SQ Wins 250 to 127 …………TD is up 6 games to 3

Game 10: Amp TS …….SQ Wins 50-44 …….. TD is up  6 games to 4

Game11: Construct TS ………TD Wins 50-40 ………TD Wins Series 2 : 7-4

Series 3

Game 1: CTF Pit ………..SQ wins 3-2  …….SQ is up 1 game to 0

Game 2: Narrows Slayer……..SQ wins 50-48 …………SQ is up 2 games to 0

Game 3: Guardian Ball …….TD Wins 200 to 195 ………..SQ is up in the series 2 games to 1

Game 4: Onslaught Flag ………..SQ Wins 5-1………..SQ is up 3 games to 1

Game 5: Pit Team Slayer ……..TD Wins 50-48 ………..SQ is up 3 games to 2

Game 6: Narrows CtF ……….TD Wins 3-1 ………..Series is tied up 3 games to 3

Game 7: Guardian Team Slayer …………TD Wins 50-49 …………..TD is up 4 games to 3

Game 8: Construct King ………SQ Wins 250 to 160 ………Tied up 4 games to 4

Game 9: Lockdown ball…….TD Wins 250 to 87 …………TD is up 5 games to 4

Game 10: Amp TS …….SQ Wins 50-26 ………Tied at  5 games to 5

Game11: Construct TS ………SQ Wins 50-44 ………SQ Wins Series 3 : 6-5

Day one wrap up SQ lead in series 2-1 , but TD leads in games 17-16.  I can’t wait to see what day two holds.

Good or Bad to Drop Mackeo from BtH

Good Decision or Bad to Drop Mackeo?

A few weeks back, Believe the Hype had dropped Demon D, in order to pick up Mackeo, who at the time was a free agent. I believed that this move would help the team, but may run the risk of possibly harm it with no middle ground. But my curiosity wouldn’t be satisfied because a day or so later, the news was announced that Mackeo was dropped so Believe the Hype could pick up their old
teammate, Demon D again. The reason for dropping Mackeo, or as stated by Cloud, was, “Demon D fits our style more; charging and such.” I believe however, that if Believe the Hype were to keep Mackeo that the team could’ve potentially been the best team.  I say this because the team is already solid with Sypher as a main slayer, Cloud doing whatever is needed, and not to mention the team has arguably the player with the best BR in the game.  With the addition of Mackeo, who can go off at anytime and just slay unbelievably good, this team would be hard to stop. However, it could have gone completely the opposite way (but it appears we’ll never know) .  Too many players that focus on slaying and not enough players focusing on the objective portion of the game could present a setback.  Nevertheless, we will not get to see how this team could’ve done with the addition of Mackeo since he is no longer on the team.

Overall I think that it would have been a good decision to keep Mackeo simply because he could’ve been that person to help “push” Believe the Hype to the next level and a higher spot then they finished in the past few event.

More roster changes!

Our sources have informed us of a few new roster changes. The “Mac Attack” aka: Mackeo is teaming with  Tizoxic, Nexus, Gilkey  on Ambush. Which gives ambush 6272.5 points.

Our sources are telling us also that XiT Woundz has lost Luck and Bonfire.  Luck is said to be teaming with Darkwing, CuCuy and Drasai  who seem to be locals from Texas.  Our sources are telling us even though Luck said that Xit Woundz seed is being dropped this may not entirely be the case.  We will know within the next few days whats going on with XiT. Rumors are that Bonfire may either be retiring or go into the free agency.  We will let you know the latest on the XiT situation as we get it.

Cpt Anarchy is now on Uti and appears willing to play though AM with them.

SummerLAN Winner

The winner of the SummerLAN Giveaway is Robert Golden from Staten Island, NY.  Robert and a friend will be flying out to the SummerLAN and will have the opportunity to hangout with 30 of the top pros in Halo 3.  From July 15th through July 19th Robert will be apart of one of the biggest events of the year.

Be sure to watch MLGinsider.com July 15th – 19th as we will be streaming video from the SummerLAN live.  Stay tuned for more details.

The Insider Source on the 4th MLG event

Our sources are telling us  that the 4th 2009 Major League Gaming event will be in Anaheim, California on November 6th through the 8th.  The last event held in California was San Diego 2008, the second event with Str8 winning their first of several for the circuit including a National Championship.  Anaheim should lead to a larger crowd than San Diego and sure to be a very exciting event with plenty of rowdy gamers screaming for their teams.  I look forward to a great turnout from the West Coast Gamers in BIG fashion.  The MLG community has many players and fans on the West Side and this location is great and hopefully a record crowd.

IMO, and their are no rumors or news on this…strictly my opinion!!!

This sets up for what could be a National Championship in Disney/Orlando.  To me, that is exciting (and I believe it will be a full tournament, not just top 8).  While Vegas is nice and a great city…for the gamer demographic, Orlando is much more “gamer” friendly for gamers, fans, and the parents.  If this happens, I believe it will be that largest and GREATEST National Championship ever because the fans will be going absolutely nuts.  This Great tourist attraction in Disney for with a fun atmosphere for all ages and families and I call it a WINNER.  Imagine the finals with thousands watching (And I believe new fans will attend this)!  WoW

Another reason I think this will happen is the association with ESPN.  The economy is what it is.  Disney owns ESPN (and I’m sure their fine financially), however, I believe it would be a great way to increase visitors during these slow times and get Disney some great exposure with this demographic.  Now, that is all  opinion.  I have never had a single conversation, email, or caught wind of anything in the works.  This is simply my opinion as a “student of the sport” if you will.  If it holds true, then I just got lucky with some deductive reasoning.  If not, then I just wasted your time and mine, but I hope you enjoyed

For the record:  I hope it’s true!  I think it would be the greatest NC ever!  It think it will bring a huge crowd never before seen because it’s the perfect place for the perfect competition (To me, MLG events are one of the greatest competitions of all Sports).

Joe Pennacchio and SummerLAN

We sat down with Joe Pennacchio to talk about the upcoming SummerLAN and all the roster changes.

Insider: Well, I want to start by asking how the response has been for the SummerLAN Giveaway.

Joe: The response has been better than we thought. It has been so good in fact, that we are going to extend the deadline to Wed the 8th at 3:00pm Central. The drawing with be done and announced by 5pm central time.

Insider: What decided to make you take the task of doing another LAN?

Joe: After the WinterLAN we realized how much fun it was and we saw an incredible meshing of different players from different teams. They were playing together for the first time, it brought the new talent together and meshing it with old talent. It gave lower level pros and high AMs the opportunity to showcase their skills. Not to mention certain the ability to see pros play together that have never played together before on the same team.

Insider: What is estimated number of Pros and top AMs that will be in attendance up to?

Joe: It should be right at 30.

Insider: Ok, lets switch gears for a sec, what do you think about all the teams changes that have taken place?

Joe: Well, I think that a lot of team changes are unnecessary, but that being said, I think that a lot of these pros think that if you don’t come in top 3 or better you need to change something instead of practicing more.

Insider: What about the Walshy for Ghost change?

Joe: I have a lot of admiration for Walshy. He is a great player and doesn’t the credit he deserves and people get too locked in on stats and K/D ratios. I think he bring a lot more to the table than just that. He knows the game as well or better than anyone. He is a great fit for Carbon. Ghost I don’t know enough about, from what I hear he is a very good player. Both teams really got what they wanted and will be fine. After a series of moves by Strongside, Carbon ended up with Naded who will be a good fit as well.

Insider: What about Karma going to HaE for Hokum?

Joe: That might be a very explosive pick up for HaE. They have been looking for that kind of player and got one finally. This may be a very good home for Karma.

Insider: What are your thoughts about Strongside leaving SQ? Let’s follow that with your opinion of their pick up of Clutch?

Joe: First off, with Strongside it was very difficult, but I understood his choice to go to a different team. Strongside had given us a ton off knowledge and confidence that we will carry with us forever. I can only thank him for that. He is a great guy and all I can say is that Status Quo wishes him the very best. I also think that my boys FIS and Strongside sitting next to each other at the events will be pretty sick. Regarding the Clutch pickup, we had a number of options. Things that a lot of the forums kids had no clue about from top guys to other pros. We whittled it down to a couple of choices and ended up deciding that Clutch was the best fit for SQ. Clutch brings a lot of energy and excitement to our team which I think we really needed. He is also a great kid who I think would definitely be a great addition to the SQ family. I say family because our team truly has a family atmosphere to it. We spend a lot of time together and everything win or lose is done together.

Insider: Well, you called BtH as your darkhorse for Meadowlands and called Classic your darkhorse for Columbus. So who is it for Dallas?

Joe: We’ll wait see after the SummerLAN, but I really think SQ will surprise a lot of people.

Insider: Where do you see SQ finishing in Dallas with the addition of Clutch?

Joe: We are a new team bonding together. There are a lot of good teams not just 3 or 4 as at other events, but I think that we will have a modest approach and we’re trying to land top 16. I mean, how we finish better than top 16 without Strongside and with players like Totz and Flamesword on our roster.

Insider: Come on…. Top 16 …. Seriously?

Joe: Actually, if you believe what you read in the forums and the community, that’s all we get credit for. So why talk people into believing that we’re a threat.

Insider: Ok, I get that, but where do you seriously see you guys finishing?

Joe: Going back to the knowledge of the forums and the community, with Totz and Flamesword and no Strongside we don’t have a chance. I will say this, at Columbus people forgot to look at the whole picture and failed to see that on SQ everyone had a role. We were a complete team, each player had their responsibility and our ultimate goal was to win. No one cared about stats. However, after looking at the Columbus stats and hearing all the chatter on the forums, we saw people failed to realize that Totz, for all the bashing gets, led all players in Columbus in objective time. I believe Flamesword was top 3 in objective time at Meadows. They do whatever it takes to win. I think now without Strongside we have a little different approach to our team strategy than before. I think everybody will be pleasantly surprised at the new SQ. I know I am.

Insider: What one thing are looking forward to most about the SummerLAN?

Joe: I can’t wait to see who the winner is and how excited they will be to hang with all the pros. I wait to see you out here Trent. I think you’ve been a great addition to the MLG community and everyone is finally realizing you are a credible source for MLG news.

Insider: Well, I truly appreciate it Joe and I’m looking forward to getting up there for the LAN. Thanks so much for taking timeout for us.

Joe: Thank you very much.

Insider: One last question… Any LANs setup before Dallas?

Joe: Yeah as a matter of fact, we have a couple things lined up. One is a four team LAN with us, tD, Classic and Carbon. We not sure of the dates but it will happen. We are trying to set a couple more up with Str8 Rippin and possibly someone like FB, Instinct, Ambush etc.

Insider: Any chance for a 4 team LAN giveaway?

Joe: Trent, that’s a good idea. I didn’t think of that but maybe a very good opportunity for someone to come up and watch four tops teams scrimming.

Well, there you have it folks be sure to take advantage f the extended opportunity to register for the SummerLAN giveaway.

MLG Insider Exposes Hacker AK47

Update:  Word has been sent to us from someone claiming to be affected AK47′s hacking.  This individual claims to have obtained all of his personal contact information and passing it on to the proper authorities or organizations (I would think those interested would be the Credit Card companies, Banks, and Microsoft off the top of my head).  Now, we are not sure what this means, but it is interesting if true.  However, we have no way to determine is this is 100% accurate at this time.  If this does hold true and the proper authorities do care, I can’t help but to think about 2 sides to this situation:

First, if this young man does indeed face legal action and identity theft is tied to his name, he could have a tough time at some points in his life launching a career.  That is ashame for what may be a very talented kid and may add challenges to him starting a life.

On the other side of that:  If all reports are true and he continued these actions knowing they were wrong (or illegal), then he obviously felt above the law and that can start the domino affect.  Think about this… do you think at some point 40-50 years ago Bernie Madoff committed a crime less significant?  Probably and had anybody exposed him and officials prosecuted him at that time then thousands of people wouldn’t be out of Billions of dollars right now.  (I am not saying a XBL hacker is equivalent, but I believe a majority of serious crimes begin with a lesser criminal offense going unpunished)

We will continue to follow these sources frequently and validate them or discount them.  Stay tuned and keep the feedback coming.  The more feedback, the more we know, the better we do.

From an Anonymous Source …

Reports from undisclosed sources have potentially identified the account hacker known in the community as AK47. This Hacker is well known for all of the wrong reasons and not very well liked. Rumors are that this person has stolen tags of many players, specifically Pro Players with the most recent and well known being TSquared, GT: T2 is Rippin (and that may be important, read below). The amount of Gamertags stolen by this individual or group is unknown, but what is known is there have been many and the Gamers want it to STOP.

These sources claim the real name of AK47 is Eliott Mandighomi (not sure which Eliott M though). There has also been more personal information spreading through the XBL community (specifically H3) about the unpopular and disliked hacker which may indicate that the community is fighting back against these actions. Maybe finally enough is enough and there should be consequences for stealing personal information, credit card info, MS points, paid in full Gold accounts, and lists of people who paid to be friends with pro’s and on and on and on.

That raises an interesting question to me. Is this identity theft which is punishable by law? Is it no different than any other form of stealing? In fact, it may be even something bigger in my opinion. Let’s take a look:

First, Halo 3 is a business in every aspect now. There are many players who pay to be on particular friends lists. They also pay for those spots to play with those gamers and part of that business includes those who pay up to $115/hour for lessons. So if a Pro Player sells spots on his friends list for $50, then that list is potentially worth $5,000. For some top pros, this number can jump to $200 to $300 which means that any one list can be equivalent to purchases over $10,000. Now, tie that into identify theft and money put into a tag and there may be some legal recourse.

Next, selling accounts has become a big business with many websites solely devoted to that. In some cases, accounts sell for close to a $1000 depending on stats, rank, exp, and many other factors. Basic 50′s alone sell for an average of $75-$100 from what I can tell from surfing.

Now, some would say it’s just stealing an account…No Big Deal. That may be true, but in most cases that’s just the beginning. How easily we forget the person who has to cancel their credit card, then all of the automatic payments, check for fraudulent charges, lose access to credit until new cards are issued, etc, etc, etc… It’s a lot of frustrating work, ALL OVER A GAMERTAG (Dude, get your own)

Finally, the lasting effect!!! Why are Pro’s so closed to random gaming? Duhhh, thanks AK. Why do they make most of their profile’s private? Thanks AK. Why does it seem they act uncomfortable and leave when they don’t know everyone? Thanks again to AK and all of the Hackers for turning gaming into a self preservation job rather than a good time with players from everywhere. And lets not be foolish, AK is not the only one who has nothing better to do than steal Gamertags (that even sounds ridiculous) and frustrate the community and for what…I’ll never know? I hear respect is a goal and he mentions that in his bio for his GT: AK Jacked this…whatever dude, get respect the right way, EARN IT.

MLG Insiders goal is to grow the sport of Professional gaming. However, after receiving countless amounts of emails, maybe we should help in being the voice of protecting our community beyond the pro’s. For every T2 who gets hacked, there may be hundreds or a thousand that nobody hears about so those potential criminal offenses go unnoticed.

Been hacked or know someone?  Sound off below

FB StrongSide?!

This just in from a very reliable source who is close to the situation.

Final Boss has just dropped Mackeo.  Mackeo is now a F/A.

Final Boss Roster: Ogre 2, FearItSelf, Victory X, Strongside

We will update you when we ourselves have more information!

Apollo’s Columbus Journal

Check out www.flickr.com/mlginsiderapollo for some pictures of the event.

Friday Morning:

After sleeping through my alarm I get a late start on my way to Columbus for the tournament. So I get on the road around 8ish leaving Pittsburgh PA. I make a wrong turn and go 30 miles in the wrong direction so I have to turn around and waste another 30 min just to get back to the right way. 30 minutes later i’m back on the right track and heading towards Columbus Ohio for the 2^nd stop on the MLGpro circuit tour.

After driving for 4+ hours I eventually made it. After navigating around the outskirts of Columbus I arrive at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Columbus. Which is connected to the convention center. After meeting the guys from Insider and dropping my bags off in the hotel we head out to the venue to see whats going on. We get in around 12:30 where they are just finishing setting up so we got some time to walk around and hang out for a while. After about an hour or two people start coming in as the let the competators into the venue.

As the place starts filling in games get underway on the featured stations as well as in the Dr Pepper booth. After hanging around with Rob at the Dr. Pepper booth while watching Status Quo rip through a bunch of assorted pros and random players. After watching for a while I begin walking around the venue, as I go over to the Gears of War 2 and World of Warcraft stations…I notice that the lighting is really bad over there so I can not take very many pictures. Over the next few hours many pros as well as other players start showing up and begin to warm up. Around 5:15 or so opening ceremonies begin and the game is on.

While the main stage and featured stage was going, a few teams were scrimmaging over at the Dr Pepper booth suck as Str8 vs Ambush as well as Status Quo and Ambush. After walking around and meeting a few people I know Trent(Rodn3y) comes over and tells me we need to go out to the VIP party with Vanity Gaming and Breaking Benjiman. After eating a really nice dinner at Boston’s Gormate Pizza shop(Which I recommend to anyone in the Columbus area) I got my picture taken with a guy from Breaking Benjamin as well as getting one of my tour shirts signed. We head back to the hotel where I need to re-make a sign for TD Mazsik(I didn’t spell it wrong it was Trent) and type this article up. I’d like to thank the guys over at Vanity Gaming and Liquid Lighting for the awsome time.

Saturday:

Saturday roles around and we are awakened to a noise that sounds like a bio hazard alarm. It freaked me out, we then realized that it was Robs phone. So we get up and hang around the room for a little bit. I re-make the sign I told Mazsik I would have(and I do have it). Flamesword comes over to the room and chills with us for a bit then goes back to his room as Trent and I go over to a Bagels to grab some breakfast. We then we head out of the convention center to go to StarBucks which is “right across the street” according to some guy. “Across the street” turns out to be something like 3 ½ blocks. So after we go into the Starbucks we head into the convention center to watch the starting matches.

After an interesting day of various gameplays including watching The New Order being knocked out and getting top 48. We wonder around the venue for a good time, getting autographs from Instinct, Carbon and an assorted amount of pros. Around 6 o’clock we head down to eat dinner, we ended up eating with Status Quo, and they’re the coolest guys ever. After talking about the glory days of Rainbow 6 Broken arrow, 007 and Splinter Cell. SQ heads out to practice before they’re 8:30 game against Chilled Reality. We hang around for a bit then, head back up into the event. We walk around and generally chill for the next few hours till ESPN Saturday Night where Str8 Rippin played Instinct. When that match was over we got up and went to watch SQ play against Chilled Reality. We ended up watched the game next to Ace and Elamite’s mom who is one of the coolest people ever. Once that game was over, we started back to the hotel room.

While waiting for the elevator to get back to our floor. A bunch of people joined the “weight watchers” and took the stairs instead of waiting. We pile into an elevator that is going down to the main level which is only one floor down, with SK, Jade, Clutch, and Seppso along with some other people, the elevator is packed. We reach the main level and some lady asks if we are going up, silly question……So we expect to head up to our floor after this, but no, we go down to the pool. When we reach the pool theres this one guy who just got done swimming. He looks at all of us in the elevator and as the door shuts, with barely any room to spare he jumps in. Clutch then calls him a warrior who. Then when he stops the door from shutting he screams “who let this random into the elevator.” We’re on our way up with Clutch making comments about chlorine. We all get off on the 11^th floor except for Seppso. So then I get into the hotel room and sit down to do some long needed writing.

Sunday:

So I wake up around 9 with plans to go to the venu early to get seats to the main stage. I wait for Rob, and Trent to get showers then head out grab some breakfast and what not. I grab a great banana nut muffin from the restaruant in the hotel, then I grab a bottle of OJ from the cafe right outside the convention center. Its around 10:15 or so. I go into the venu and main stage is already filled with a line with about 50 people in it. So I walk around to watch the featured stage for a while. After wandering around watching the games at the station and in the event I head out to grab some lunch. Where I find a guy dressed like Jack Sparrow. I couldn’t help asking him where the rum is and where’s his jar of dirt.

After lunch I head back in and walk around for a bit. I stoped by the featured station and watched SQ’s match against Classic. Status Quo is a group of crazy guys, once they find their play style togeather, these guys are going to be the team to beat. They’re also some of the niceist people you’ll find. I learned a lot by just watching them play. After they’re unfortunate loss I went over with some local kids I met up with and we all got our butts handed to us in streat fighter by some crazy kid, all he did is sit back with Ryu and shoot the little Kameahaa’s(i wasn’t aware Goku was in Street Fighter). We gave him an easy 7 wins, I headed over to the DP booth to watch some random 4′s. Then Championship Sunday started. There wasn’t much of a line to get into Main Stage so I got in line. B

ut they forced us back to sit down and like 20 people shoved their way to the front. It was a lot of fun watching TD vs FB. Although Puckett lost the game for TD. At one point one of the TD squad was coming up elbow behind FB. Puckett called him out more or less in his commentating and the FB member turned and destroyed him. Way to go Puckett. These two kids who were sitting behind me were talking about FB and one of them made the comment that Mackeo should be called “The Mack Attack” and I completely agree. For all the hating people do on him….He deserves a nickname.

So after Str8 finshed TD off I decided to head for home, 4 hour drive ahead of me, so I left after closing ceremonys. It was a great time meeting Trent and Rob from insider for the first time, as well as Taylor the guy who’s working with us, hanging with SQ was insane. They’re all really chill guys. So thats about it for me. It was an awsome time over there in C-Bus.

Officially SQ InTheClutch

It is Official….. We have just received word from sources close to the SQ camp that Status Quo has officially offered the 4th spot to InTheClutch.  It happened around 8pm Eastern time.  I think Clutch will be a very good fit.  We’ll continue to keep and eye on their scrims online for you .

Congratulations to Wes, InTheClutch, on making what is still a very underrated team in my opinion.

The SQ House – Flight Schedules

From a very reliable source we have been told that there will be a few guests at the Status Quo house over the next week.  

Our source told us the InTheClutch actually just landed and is on his way to the house.    Also mid week Heinz will be flying in to play a bit and finally Walshy will be flying in over the weekend.  

We are not assuming anything yet, just bringing you what we found to be very interesting news.

HaE Karma????

Yes it true.  We’ve confirmed it through our sources and as of 5:00pm Eastern time.  The new Heaven and Earth is  Killerdrew, Poweezy, Perplexity and Karma.  Ben is replacing Lester (aka Hokum) after Columbus.  Lester seemed to have some other things on his mind.  The the question now is will HaE be sponsored by vG or will some one else.

Strongside Leaves SQ for Carbon

It appears the prospect of teaming with former Captain and good friend Walshy was too much of a temptation for Side.  He called a few people last night to explain that it was a very difficult decision for him to make, but that in the end he felt that a move to Carbon was in his best interest.  

Side spent quite a bit of time playing with Totz over the offseason and Status Quo has had their moments where they shine and moments that they’d rather forget.  They played poorly in Meadowlands and placed 8th.  Then in Columbus, due to a roster submission technicality, they had no coach and still placed in 7th place.  They didn’t necessarily play well in Columbus, but had they had a coach they probably would have finished around 5th.

So now with Side on Carbon their new squad is Walshy, Shockwave, Defy and Strongside.  This is a team that will be competitive, but I don’t know if they can beat the top teams right now in Triggers Down and Str8 Rippin.

Vg The New Order Top 48??

Vanity Gaming Team “The New Order” got bounced for an unfortunate top 48 finish.  This is a very disappointing finish for the Golden ticket winners and is by far the worst finish for Karma and Naded in quite sometime.  Maybe their worst ever.  

On a side note … In the LB round 2 Chilled Rality and Escape the Fate went to six games.  That’s right I said six games.  They actually had a tie in game five at 50-50.  This forced a replay of game five from scratch and Chilled Reality advanced this time.

Follow MLGinsider on Flickr

Whats up guys…I created a Flickr account and am going to be using it to post pictures and what not over the course of the weekend…Most are going to be up at night but a few are throughout the day…So yeah if you want to follow us at Columbus check the link below starting tommarrow night!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlginsiderapollo

Updates on Twitter and by Text

If you want the best, most unbiased updates available on the web or through the air sign up for the MLG Insider Text Updates or follow us via Twitter on your phone.  Well be updating our twitter as often as our fingers can handles without getting writer’s cramp of course.  We’ll also be bringing you round by round updates on your mobile phones via sms text messaging as well.

Insider Bracket Analysis for C-Bus

Here is the breakdown of the first round of the C-Bus brackets from the Insider Analysis team.

1.     Triggers Down – Triggers Down is just too talented for The Dynasty they will sweep this series 3-0.

16. The Dynasty – Got a gift in the form of The New Order Missing the Roster cut.  They won’t win a game in this series .

Prediction: 3-0 tD

 

9. Classic – Best Man and Chig are two nice pickups for Classic.  While I think the Chig pickup is extremely beneficial the Best Man pickup is so-so in my opinion.

8. Status Quo – The haven’t practiced yet as a team since Meadowlands.  The do habe a four team lan coming up  soon.  They will be ready and practiced up.  Watch out Classic, 3-0 Status quo over Classic.

Prediction: 3-0 SQ

 

7. Ambush – Ambush will be motivated by a very poor showing in Meadowlands.  I see them coming out and playing closer to their potential. They have the skill to run with other teams.

12. Xit Woundz – They are in disarray a little bit.  ItWasLuck has changed things around and they picked up two semi unknown players.  They are hard to get a “beat” on I think they win be more competitive in C-Bus though.

Prediction: 3-1 Ambush

 

15. Apocalypse – These guys could be really good or really bad, depending on how they mesh. 

4. Final Boss -  Regardless of how Apocalyse plays I think Final Boss runs away with this one, big time.

 

Prediction: 3-0 Final Boss

 

2.     Instinct – This shouldn’t even be close.  Instinct is too smart, too talented and too experienced.  The also have quite a bit to prove since they have not yet won an event.  

14. PT End Result – They do have some good skill and might get lucky and win a game but I don’t see it happening.

Prediction: 3-0 Instinct

 

11. Check Your Pulse – I’m not sure if Makowski and NocturnalKernal are ready for this level yet, but they’ll get introduced real quick.

6. Believe the Hype – The are out to prove Meadowlands wasn’t a fluke.  They picked up Soviet which makes them better theoretically.  They need to play a lot and get chemistry with Dimitry to try and repeat, or improve on what happened in Meadowlands.

Prediction: 3-0 BtH

 

5. Carbon – Once again Carbon is hit or miss, they have been a picture of inconsistency with their tournament play in Halo 3.  They picked up Defy who isn’t quite the individual player Soviet is, but he actually may be a better team player than Dimitry. 

10. Heaven and Earth – Good to see Hokum back with these guys. They have as more than enough talent to compete at the top level.  They need to squeeze in some practice time with Hokum before the event to continue to move in the right direction.

Prediction: 3-1 HaE, in a series that could be close or a blow out.

 

2.     Str8 Rippin – These guys still are the reigning National Champs.  They can be very dangerous when they’re on.  A big difference between Meadows and C-Bus is that they will actually be practicing online, something the couldn’t do before Meadows.

15. Darkest Hour – The don’t really have a chance in beating Str8 on paper, but that’s why we play the games.  The might pull a game or two, but I think straight will be too focused.

Prediction – 3-0 Str8

vG The New order to play from AM

According to Karma himself, he was 2 and a half minutes late to register for pro status.  So New Order and their “Golden Ticket” winners will have to play through the open bracket.  This will mark the first time in years that Karma will play in AM.  

This is very disappointing to see that all the hype of the “Golden Ticket” to be a pro was for not.  Our hope is that MLG might reconsider and cut vG New Order some slack on this one.

Golden Ticket & New XiT Wounds

Thats right people! VG announced their full roster. After a roster dispute with Soviet leaving the team,  VG decided to pick up 2, Tensor and Tetra Shot.  The new VG roster now consists of Karma, Naded, Tensor, and Tetra Shot.  I think the entire community is anxious to see what they can do with this new roster (considering the unprecedented “Golden Ticket” opportunity).

Also, XiT Wounds has finally announced their new roster. This recent roster change has gotten mixed feelings from the community. Their new roster consists of ItwasLuck, BonFire, Sasquatch, and Mr. Frisky….They take 13th Seed for Columbus

My personal opinion (not reflected on the site at all) is that this will benefit the team if they put in the work.  I know Sasquatch and have played with Frisky before and they are definitely some of the most unknown talents out there…If your looking for an upset team, this is it.

MLG Insider would like to congratulate Tensor and Tetra Shot and wish them the best of luck!!!

Wow … roster changes Galore

Now Soviet is on Believe the Hype and Clutch and BtH dropped Syphur.  Defy is no longer on Classic he has since left to join Carbon.  

We have reason to believe that Soviet may have been dropped we’ll let you know for sure.  As for vG The New Order our contacts at Vanity Gaming have said that The New Order will definitely still be picking up one from the “Golden ticket” contest. It is not certain whether they will pick up two now or if they will pick up a f/a.

Now on Twitter

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