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

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

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.

On the Inside with vVv Gaming

Well folks…We’re back! After a small delay in posting, we’re back in action! We’re going to bring you more interviews, more news, more guides than ever before! And man do we have a way to kick it off. With the first of hopefully a handful of interviews with the leaders of some of the largest gaming communities and sites out there!

First up is Lord Jerith, founder and owner of vVv Gaming!

Apollo: Alright why not start off by introducing yourself.

LordJerith: I’m Jerry “LordJerith” Prochazka, the owner of vVv Gaming.  I’m a 39-year old consultant from Chicago, IL. I have eight years experience as a business research consultant on human capital projects with Accenture. I also have special expertise in the design, implementation and analysis of human capital research, particularly in the analysis of quantitative data, as well as qualitative data analysis.  I have proven expertise in award application processes.  Before working with Accenture, I had 12 years experience in nuclear engineering as a propulsion plant watch supervisor and nuclear training specialist for the United States Navy.  I received a BS with Distinction from Old Dominion University and attended graduate school in the Master of the Arts Program for Social Science (MAPSS) at the University of Chicago.

Apollo: Alright so vVv is one of the largest gaming communities out there, one of the “Old School” communities if you will.  How long has vVv been around?

LJ: : vVv Gaming emerged onto the competitive circuit in 2007 with its explosive Gears of War team, vVv Vision

Apollo: Hmm, so what did you think of Visions 2nd place finish at Orlando.

LJ: I think they did great.  The team has great chemistry and is exciting to watch.  We expect great things from them in 2010.

Apollo: So, vVv already has one of the top Gears teams on the circuit, have you ever thought of trying to recruit one of the top Halo teams?

LJ: Halo is a complicated puzzle.  It all comes down to the infamous “Rule #8” of Major League Gaming.  Let me explain further. The rule states: “Players and Coaches may not appear on a Main Stage Station with sponsor insignia that is not approved by MLG or conflicts with MLG sponsors.  Players and Coaches may be asked to wear MLG apparel during Main Stage activity.” So, we have been very hesitant, as teams are instructed to take off their sponsors clothes, and put on MLG branded clothes. However, This year with the combine, we feel a bit better about giving Halo 3 teams an opportunity to represent and be sponsored by vVv Gaming. This year with the combine, we feel a bit better about giving Halo 3 teams an opportunity to represent and be sponsored by vVv Gaming : vVv Sector 7 for GB, vVv Supernatural for GB and the Combine, along with vVv Ultimate for the combine.

Apollo: So speaking about the combines, what are your thoughts on them? Good Idea? Bad? Great for advertising?

LJ: I think they are a very good idea.  I think MLG, in order to try to get consistency, artificially stacks the deck for its pro players.  The combine provides teams with an opportunity to compete with less of the deck stacked against them.  I understand that sponsors want consistency, but MLG should invest in training coaches and teams to work through problems.  vVv Gaming tries.

Apollo: So lets talk about vVv for a minute,  what made you think to create a gaming community and did you think you would be so successful?

LJ: When I bought the XBOX 360 in November of 2005, I took a close look at XBL, and thought, “this will change everything.”  So, while playing CoD2 with a small clan, I realized that this could grow much larger.  People will want an identity and community in this chaotic space. It wasn’t until Gears released in 2006, however,  that we had an opportunity to break into the competitive scene.

Apollo: So, did you attend Orlando?

LJ: No, I did not.  I never attend the nationals.

Apollo: Is there any reason why you do not attend nationals?

LJ: I spent several years in Orlando, Fl for Naval Nuclear Propulsion School.  So, I know the city pretty well. As far as why not nationals, it is the end of the season, and from a recruiting standpoint, we know things change pretty significantly at the end of the season, and turnout is usually the lowest.

Apollo: So do you play competitively at all?

LJ: Not at all. We do not allow staff to compete. I coach players in Gears behind the scene. There are exceptions (i.e. our Halo3 manager vVv Solid, but our basic rule is staff does not compete, but they can coach.

Apollo: Simple enough, other than Gears, what other games do you play online?

LJ: : I finally just found the time to finish Assassin’s Creed 2.  I play games like Dragon Age, Aion, Total War series and King Arthur.

Apollo: So, we all know that vVv has a large standing in MLG and on the Xbox 360, but what about the other consoles? or the other leagues like the WCG

LJ: I try not to say much, but I think our accomplishments speak for themselves, check out our wiki page. We had the bronze metal winner representing team USA for Guitar Hero at the World Cyber Games World National Finals in Chengdu, China last year, if that helps give some idea. Not to mention our FIFA player, vVv Michs, also represented Team USA for FIFA in China. On the PC side, our Call of Duty teams, Left for Dead teams and Counter-Strike: Source teams all finish top 4 in their divisions.

Apollo: With all you guys have done, surely you get many teams wanting to represent vVv, how do you determine which teams will and which teams will not

LJ: It depends.  We turn down 88% of all applications, and We turn down 95% of team applications. Mostly we want teams that understand the business side or are opening to learn about the business side. Many teams make the mistake of wanting money from vVv Gaming, without explaining how it will benefit vVv Gaming. Most teams clearly do not think through their worth.  They will say, we will represent vVv Gaming to our fullest.” We always ask, exactly what does that mean?
The problem is that many teams feel that being skilled means something, and quite frankly, that is just the tip of the iceberg.  We often refer them to this video: http://www.vvv-gaming.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34305 , also, saying “we will get vVv known.”  We just show them our list of accomplishments and say, “more than we are?” How would you do this?

Apollo: Would you like to give any shout outs out before we wrap it up here?

LJ: Yeah actually I would, I want to give a shout out to vVv Vision, Steel Series, KontrolFreek, our awesome staff and amazing community.

Alright guys there you have it. Know an awsome site? Want to see an interview with the owner? Submit the site link and why they should be interviewed to me at Apollo@mlginsider.com or InsiderApollo on AOL. Lets here them!

Insider sits down with vVv Konvict

Well readers…..You have asked and you are receiving! We received a large amount of mail over the past few weeks asking for Gears of War interviews and I’m bringing you the first of many Gears of War articles! I sat down with Konvict from vVv Vision! He’s a great coach and a really nice guy, with a lot to say! That’s enough from me though, now onto him!

Apollo: Why not start off by introducing yourself

Konvict: Well my name is Kristopher Burger, I’m from Old Bridge Nj, and  currently coach one of the top GoW2 Teams in the nation. that team is vVv Vision formally known as Type-Z Vision during Orlando where the team took 2nd at the National Championships along with hefty prize of $20,000. We are also the newest professional team to be added to vVv-Gaming where the Vision saga first Started.

Apollo: So most everyone pretty much knows the roles of a Halo 3 Coach, but what does a Gears of War Coach do?

Konvict: Basically we have the same job as the Halo coaches just scaled down a little, We do basic weapon timing, call outs when they come in handy the most and also keeping the team in line and pumped up which is the most important part of being a coach. We also do other various tasks on counting shots left in power weapons and also keeping them informed with the time remaining in ink clouds etc.

Apollo: So what first got you involved in MLG?

Konvict: What first got me into MLG was Rainbow Six Vegas & Gears of War back in 07, I liked playing RB6, but I enjoyed watching the excitement in Gears.

Apollo: What first got me into MLG was Rainbow Six Vegas & Gears of War back in 07, I liked playing RB6, but I enjoyed watching the excitement in Gears.

Konvict: I never played them on the circuit, but I competed in online tournaments, local LAN’s and of course Gamebattles

Apollo: So what do you think about the rumor that they are going to remove Gears of War 2 off the circuit

Konvict: Personally, I don’t believe it will. It was a rumor that was started due too a lack of teams showing up. I believe if they keep decreasing the turnout at each event this season it will be removed. As for this year I believe it will stay on and this may be the final year we see this on the Pro Circuit, I believe it will do good though, there has been a drastic rise from the GoW community lately and that’s a good sign.

Apollo: So in Halo we have like Slayers, Support, Objective players, are equitant in Gears or how do you characterize players?

Konvict: Well in gears we have Host, which is usually the heart of the team since the Game revolves around host basically, but sometimes its not always true since on LAN settings the gameplay is quite different, that depends on a lot of factors though. We have power weapon players who their skill varies with our small slew of power weapons we have. We have our basic support and slayer players, but they are host most of the time they fit into that category.

Apollo: What are some of those factors?

Konvict: Well the game is very different when you transition from LAN to Online and vice versa, its a very host based game, and well who ever has the better connection usually wins. On LAN though the game is much smoother and you can actually play the game with the correct settings and not have to glitch your Xbox every time you have to play the game.( For most of you Halo players you may not know that Gears has had a lot of title updates from the original release causing it too have different smokes between LAN and online due too the update being server side).

Apollo: So, what is your most memorable moment from Orlando?

Konvict: My most memorable moment during the event was the feature station match against Legacy and My team playing for top 4, we were so hyped up and loud it was crazy especially when the games was down to the wire. It was one of the best matches at the event by far and I will always remember it.

Apollo: What was your feeling when you realized that you were in the top 2?

Konvict: From my perspective I was just like wow, I was excited and happy I had fun and even though I coached I was part of GoW history coming from the 13th seed in the event and placing second we had host over 1 team the whole event. This will be a memory I will never forget.

Apollo: So, if you could change 1 thing from Orlando what would it be?

Konvict: : What we did right before the championship match, there was a 30-10 minute intermission before the last match we decided to go outside and get a break, but we should’ve warmed up and got ready for the match like THE NSAN3Z were we wasted valuable time and I believe that cost us 1st place and the title of National Champions, we were on fire until we took that short break we lost our adrenaline and momentum.

Apollo: So, I know it has little to do with you, but what are your thoughts on the MLG Combines?

Konvict: My thoughts on the combines that they released this year are definitely a good idea it is a good start for Amateur teams trying to make a name for themselves along with good publicity for MLG, also a good way to get more people to experience a “mini-event” that’s close to home.

Apollo: Do you think there should be any changes to the Gears circuit in the 2010 season?

Konvict: I think there should be little tweaks that are fixable that would make the events a little more comfortable for us. Little things such as more seating, a better mainstage maybe more projectors, along with possibly some more content and coverage for Gears, we just want to be recognized nothing special.

Apollo: : You’ll defiantly be seeing a lot more Gears content on this site! I promise you that

Konvict: : Thanks, we hope to grow our community with you guys!

Dr Pepper Ultimate Winter Break Update

With MLG Orlando 2009 fast approaching, things are beginning to fall into place. On December 16^th, the Dr Pepper Ultimate Winter Break came down to the semi-finals. The match ups were Effin Ninja (1) VS. Perplexion! (28) and u knw ron rig (19) VS. CAMO n GTFO (2). The favor of the ladder, Effin Ninja, came out of his match victorious and beat 28^th seeded Perplexion! 2-1. In the 2^nd match of the semi-finals the underdog, 19^th seeded, u knw ron rig, pulled the upset over CAMO n GTFO 2-1. Each of these series was hard fought and both players deserve to be in the finals come Orlando. I got a chance to sit down with both players with a little interview.

Congratulations on earning your spot in the Dr Pepper 1v1 finals in MLG Orlando! Why don’t we start off with telling me a little about how you got into the game and 1v1s.

Effin Ninja: It started off with halo 2, I was 13 and I was visiting family in Arizona and my brothers were playing Halo 2 on XBL and I never heard about it. I asked to play and they said, “No, you’re to young and you will suck.” I got XBL and Halo 2 when I got home and ended up surpassing my brothers in skill 10 fold. So then GameBattles halo 3 1v1s came out and I was bored and realized I was the best.

Gjjonii: First of one of my friends named Richie Kumar or as we call him “Kumz”, I was over his house one day and he was playing Halo 2 and I had no idea how to play or what to do. But I was having so much fun so when I left his house I went out and bought me a copy. So time went on and I was pretty bad at Halo 2 but then when halo 3 came out I saw it as a chance to be the best at something!

Effin Ninja, since you came into the playoffs as the number 1 seed you must have been confident. On the other hand gjjonii, you came into the finals as the 19^th seed! It is pretty impressive that you took down the number 2 player on the ladder. How did you guys feel coming into the playoffs?

Effin Ninja: To be honest I knew that I would win. The only competition I had was on the other side of the bracket, Chaos, but somehow Gjjonii beat him. I can guarantee victory on LAN.

Gjjonii: I felt confident that I could beat anyone since before the playoffs began I beat Effin Ninja.

Seems like you are both very confident in your game. That should make a good performance for us watching at Orlando. How will you guys prepare for the finals in less than a month?

Effin Ninja: My teammate Aye Rab is the SMARTEST 1v1 player on guardian, HANDS DOWN! He is going to be scrimming me everyday until the event.

Gjjonii: Personally for me I will just practice a lot probably against a lot of people I know that are good that didn’t make it to the finals. Like, I will try different playing styles against different people and see which one works best.

Do you guys have Event or LAN experience and do you think it will change the way you take your 1v1 at the Orlando finals?

Effin Ninja: I have been to 2 events so far, 5th round event 1 but Aye Rab and I carried. Second event I placed 26^th and went +27 in pro bracket. The only thing that will change from XBL to LAN is the shots that my opponent won’t eat.

Gjjonii: I have a lot of LAN experience at like local tournaments like NJhalo and other places, but Ninja has more experience at events and has points.

That crowd can be pretty daunting. This being the first Halo 3 1v1 on the main stage, how do you guys plan to win them over? Anything special?

Effin Ninja: I know that I have a lot of people who have already been messaging me saying they will be there cheering me on. I would say that I play on having a fan club there, but I will win the crowd over with my gameplay.

Gjjonii: I guess to tell you the truth I will be very nervous in front of all those people, but I know Ninja really well so this is gunna be fun.

Now I’m no Chris Pucket, but I think its time for a Zaleium speed round. You guys ready?

Effin Ninja: Bring it!

Gjjonii: IM READY TO DESTROY!

1v1s or 4v4s?

Effin Ninja: 4v4s.

Gjjonii: Both.

Camo or Sniper?

Effin Ninja: Sniper.

Gjjonii: Sniper.

Sneakers or Sandals?

Effin Ninja: Sandals.

Gjjonii: Sneakers.

Slippery Pickle or Naughty Armadillo?

Effin Ninja: Naughty Armadillo.

Gjjonii: Naughty Armadillo.

TD or STR8?

Effin Ninja: Neither, my team.

Gjjonii: TD.

MLG Insider or MLG Insider?

Effin Ninja: MLG Insider? LoL!

Gjjonii: IDK, that’s a tough one…

Good luck in Orlando guys. I know I will be there cheering you both on. Be sure to hit me up! Before I wrap this up, any shout outs?

Effin Ninja: Shout out to my boy Aye Rab, Nate, and Motas who started my competitive gaming career.

Gjjonii: Hell ya to Nick Gjoni, Nate, Richie Kumar, Bee Shey, Zember, CrickCity, Ninja’s brother Jon, and to my last opponent Chaos aka Scottie! They’re many more but not enough space.

Gjjonii wanted me to spread the word that he is going by the name Mac Baby at the event. Orlando is sure to be an exciting event for both 4v4 Halo teams and our 1v1 finalists. These two finalists have already won themselves a all expense paid trip to the Orlando National Championships. Be sure to tune in for them battling for $2,000 prize and the Dr Pepper Ultimate Winter Break crown on January 8^th-10^th at the MLG 2009 Orlando National Championships!

Interview with Xtravagant

Whats up guys…I got a chacnce to sit down and talk to Xtravagant, the #1 Call of Duty team out there and a great group of guys.  Here’s what they had to say!

Apollo: Alright, so guys how does it feel to come from being a team that was kind of in the shadow of Fear and EnvyUs to a team that is #1 in the league and just won the National Event?

Rambo: It feels pretty good to be honest. Me and BigTymer never really got into the MLG scene till the 09 season so it was kind of hard for us to get a spotlight over those 2 teams who completely dominated the 08 season.

Bigtymr: We’ve always been around a top eight team in 09 but it feels great to finally break through to the top, and now carry that confidence into modern warfare 2.

Sharp: I was on fear so i don’t know how to answer that.

Apollo: Hahahaha alright, well how do you feel about out placing your old team?

Sharp: Pretty good considering they were predicted to win and people said we would come in 3rd

Apollo: So what do you guys think about MW2?

Apollo: So, if you guys could change 1 thing from Anaheim, what would it be?

Big: Personally, I think the gameplay is alot smoother, but the maps on Cod4 are hard to compete with when it comes to balance and competitive layouts.

Rambo: Fun game. New stuff to learn. Same gameplay. Its hard to tell down the road how it will be played in MLG, but i think it should be a pretty interesting game to watch and compete on.

Sharp: Some things need to be changed for it to be competitive so its not so noob friendly, but overall I think it will be better than COD4.

Apollo: What do you guys use class wise?

Sharp: Fahmas.

Rambo: Nukes.

Apollo: Rambo pullin out the big guns…What are your thoughts on the gun selection?

Big:  ACR is the best gun in the game, everyone will see in the near future

Sharp: Famas, ACR, M16, and the scar are the best so far.

Apollo: Cool, have you guys played Capture the Flag yet? If so how do you guys think it plays competitve wise?

Big: I think it is the new main gametype for competitive play in Modern Warfare. It takes tons of strategy and teamwork, and makes for some intense game play

Rambo: Yea definitely the funniest most competitive game type there is so far.

Apollo: So i hear you guys have been playing some GB, whats your record?

Big:  I think 25-1 at the moment, probably should be undefeated but we got caught up with some bad settings against a decent team

Apollo: I guess its better to be lucky then good then lol

Big: Sometimes hahaha.

Apollo: Have you guys been playing any privates with any other pro teams?

Rambo: : I played a custom with some of the XpL, nV and FeaR guys. No one really knows what they are doing yet… Once they come out with MLG variant settings we will most likely look into scrimming good teams.

Apollo: So, now that we have seen that there is no LAN lobby, do you see MW2 being at MLG events?

Big: Talked to a few guys from MLG, and unless IW fixes this problem, chances are that everyone will be playing pro circuit ladders once again….

Rambo: Well, according to insiders from MLG(Not MLGinsider), they already have been in contact with Infinity Ward about the problem. So right now its really up to IW and how much they want their game to be Lan compatible.

Apollo: So, if you guys could change 1 thing from Anahiem, what would it be?

Rambo:  Bowling match vs walshy…

Apollo: You bowled with Walshy?? I notice the dots? What ended up happening?

Rambo: Well we originally suppose to do it on thursday night. But we ended up waiting at the airport 5 hours for our sponsor and such so that didnt happen that night. We rescheduled the meeting for sunday night, so myself, punisher, bigt, fierce, hastro, sidroc,doubt and sloburn ended up going to the bowling center 3 blocks away from the venue. It ended up him not showing as some of his friends and mlg staff were also at the bowling center getting texts from his saying he had personal issues to deal with, so ill have to say he got scared! lol

Apollo:  OHHHH Big words…Takin on the Walsh…I want to see this bowling match lol

Apollo: So you guys are currently 17th on the gamebattles ladder, have you guys encountered any teams that show any sort of promise in MLG?

Rambo:  We scrimmed a couple of good teams so far, most of them are more interested in playing that Gamestop ladder. But on gb we havnt really played anyone worthy of a mention.

Apollo: Have you played against any known Rainbow 6 Vegas Pros?  If so how are they fairing against the vets

Rambo: Imo, some of them will be successful, but i doubt any of them end up being as good as everyone thought they would be. Rv6 and mw2 have completely different mentalities on how to win games and gun fights. I just don’t think the Rainbow players will have that great of a decision making skill that is needed to be pro on the cod scene.

Apollo: So how many total nukes have you dropped?

Rambo:  Big 0! haven’t even tried it yet. Pubs are pretty boring so i just played snd till 70

Apollo:   Alright, time for some rapid fire questions, are you ready?

Rambo: For sure, lets do this!

Apollo: FMAS or M16?

Rambo: FMAS.

Apollo: Tar-21 or SCAR?

Rambo: Tar 21.

Apollo: Modern Warfare or Modern Warfare 2

Rambo: Modern Warfare.

Apollo:  Search and Destroy or Domination?

Rambo: Domination.

Apollo: Favorite 2 weapon attachments?

Rambo:  Holographic Scope and Silencer.

Apollo: Favorite Movie?

Rambo: Forest Gump and Rambo.

Apollo: Last question, Favorite MW2 map

Rambo: Highrise.

Apollo: Any shoutouts before we finish up?

Rambo: All the frenchyz trying to go pro, its not impossible.

Apollo:  Alright dude, its been a blast doing the interview thanks a lot!

Xtravagant is an amazing group of guys and i wish them well in Modern Warfare 2.

Interview with CRA, now Oasis

Apollo: Hey whats up everyone, I got a chance to sit down with the entire team of CRA or Clean Rich Adolescents.  The winners of the Halo 3 Anaheim Qualifier.  This is a group of great guys and i wish them well at Anahiem!

BlakeumZ: Before we start the interview out, I’d like to clear up a name change really quick.  On the ladder we are known as “Clean Rick Adolescents”, but the name is too long for the events so we will be attending Anaheim as “Oasis”.

Apollo: Alright so how about starting off by just introducing yourselves(Name, where your from, what got you into MLG, anything else you can think of)

Ashes: I’m Ashes (Mike Cholko), I’m from Philadelphia, PA, I got into MLG about 4 years in Halo 2 just by playing team hardcore and hearing about it, and I loved the concept of BR start and competition at a high level, I got into a party with GH057ayame after a game of Team Hardcore and didn’t even know who he was at the time, added him as a friend, and that’s when I really started to get into things

BlakeumZ: My name’s Blake Roberts, I’m from Tigard, Oregon.  I first got into competitive MLG through local tournaments held in our downtown city.  Through those I met CAK, my future teammate – who was insanely better than me.  Through about 6-8 months of solid improvement, I eventually got onto CAK’s level and began running with him for various LAN, and online tournaments.

CAK: My name is James (CAK69), i was born in the state of Oregon and continue to thrive in my birth place. I got into the game during the end of Halo 2, I was not a very solid player, but i continued to practice. Then i started taking competitive gaming seriously during the beginning halo 3. After placing well during local tournament I found that i had potential.

VictuMM: My name’s VictuMM (Matt Kunke), I’m from Clackamas, Oregon. I first got into MLG a little bit back in Halo 2 by running MLG customs with my neighbors. Although I wasn’t very into it back than. I got really into it in Halo 3 just by playing MLG playlist and starting to go to LAN’s and local tournaments.

Apollo:  Have any of you attended MLG events before?

CAK: I attended Meadows 09.

BlakeumZ:I have lanned at local events H3 probably 20+ times, however no.

Ashes: I attended Philadelphia, 2005

VictuMM: I have not gone to any; this will be my first one.

Apollo: With Anaheim so close, are you guys nervous at all about the event?

Ashes: I’m not worried about the event; I’m just worried about missing a few college classes on Thursday/Friday, and maybe Monday.

VictuMM: I’m not very nervous; I’m more pumped up and excited.

Ashes: Yea, VictuMM has his smarties ready.

CAK: No, I feel confident that our team will pull through; we just have to continue to put in hours for practice.

BlakeumZ: I’m not worried at all – these guys are the best teammates a guy could ask for.  We all want the same thing, and NO ONE is stopping us.

Apollo: When I tell you guys that every team that has won the Online Qualifier that MLGInsider has interviewed has gone o n to place at least top 32 in the event, does this make you guys nervous at all?

VictuMM: I think we are very capable of placing top 32.

BlakeumZ:We don’t get nervous, just excited.

CAK: It adds some pressure to our shoulders, but i believe we can live up to that.

Ashes: No, it makes me feel even better about our chances.  Who wouldn’t like to hear a stat like that?

Apollo: That would have to be whoever gets paired against you in round 1.

VictuMM: Hahahaha

Apollo: So, do you guys plan on sticking together after Anaheim?

Ashes: As long as we can get a sponsor afterwards, sure.  I’m going to be going on Christmas break from college for a month, and as long as we’re a good team with a sponsor I’ll dedicate time when I’m home to keep practicing, otherwise, nope

Apollo: How long have you guys been together as a team?

VictuMM: Cak, Blake and I have been teaming for about 2 months

BlakeumZ: Cak and I – for quite a while.  We picked up Victumm about 2 months ago.  Ashes recently hopped on board 3-4 weeks ago through Victumm.

Apollo: When Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 comes out are you guys going to switch to that or stick with Halo?

Ashes: Stick with Halo, I haven’t played any other video game since 2004

BlakeumZ: What is Call of Duty?

Apollo: If you guys get into the pro bracket and end up facing a pro team, which team would you guys not want to face?

VictuMM: I heard that Str8 Rippin did not want to play us.

BlakeumZ: Str8 Rippin – They may have stumbled in Dallas, but I’m confident they’ll regain #1 come Anaheim.

Ashes: I wouldn’t want to face Triggers Down, Hysteria’s trash talk might hurt VictuM’s feelings.

CAK: I personally would not want to play Str8 Rippin, because i know how dissappointed they were with their placing at Dallas. Their going to come out guns blazing.

Apollo: Do you guys have any LANs set up for the  days before anahiem?

VictuMM: We actually have one for tomorrow. But it will only be the 3 of us over here in Oregon.

CAK: Yep, just the 3 musketeers.

Ashes: I’m just going to be split screening with a local here in Philly to get used to the resolution change on Wednesday, otherwise I’ll just be on Xbox Live.

Apollo: Alright guys, that’s about it for me…Got any shoutouts before we wrap things up here?

BlakeumZ: Bigups to Rhymesayers, Ent, Wembley Park, Senses <3, and ShadowfireZ for his sick sig he’s made us!

VictuMM: Shout out to Cpoon and Ned Flanders. haha

Ashes: Im going to have to give a shout out to my close friend Christian (TT69z), he let me borrow the mythic Halo 3 disk to practice Heretic. I also have to give a big shoutout to Colin (Recycle), he is letting me barrow is Astros for Anaheim.

Apollo: Alright guys, thanks alot and good luck.

Interview with Connect 4

Apollo: Hey, whats up everyone, I got a chance to sit down with Connect 4, formally known as Anarchy.  They hold the 7th seed in Rainbow 6 Vegas 2.  Their a great group of guys and here is what they had to say.

Apollo: Hey, guys thanks a lot for doing this, why don’t you guys take a quick second and introduce yourself.

Berg: Hey, my name is James Berghaier. I’m from Philadelphia, PA and my friends got me into SOCOM originally but back in Rainbow Six Vegas FBI Bloodline (Plague, Rocco, Clipse, Reverend, & Soulja) introduced me to MLG.

DarkZone: I’m Dark Zone aka: Matt from Indiana, I’m growing up in Indiana……there is corn EVERYWHERE     so i just started playing games since I was a little kid and eventually started going to MLG events in 2005.

Minard: I’m Steven (The Ripper) Minard. I got xbox for Christmas 2 years ago and my first online game was battlefield. And i liked the game, then i got Vegas 2 and i used to love using a spas 12 on the back stairs at calypso casino. I finally met Waters and i joined a nice clan on gamebattles the first pros i met who got me into MLG were tekknique, Jwho, and all the people from Body Count on Vegas 1, I wanted to be like them so I tried playing MLG and i was nasty at it.

Digital: I’m Michael Mackowiak, From Seminole FL, Don’t know what really got me into gaming.. Just being a kid I guess.

Apollo: So I have heard you have gone through a roster change within the past few weeks, would you care to explain what happened?

Digital: Pemby & Synikal were unable to attend Nationals which kind of left us in a bind. We had a few options that weren’t looking so good and then 1 day DZ approached us. We decided that since he already has 2 National championships under his belt and a lot of experience he could be a good help to the team. And Minard was more of the wildcard but he’s shown up when we needed in scrim and got 2nd in the FFA Event at Meadows before the Rainbow circuit started in SD. After all the doubts people have about him, he’s more than ready to go to LAN and rip.

Minard: Actually its more like riiiiiiiiiiiippppppp!

Apollo: Alright so Minard, how do you feel about these guys picking you up?

Minard: I feel good, even though this is my first LAN even with a real team i am very confident. Especially going in with a Captain like dark zone, he has had great outcomes, and has alot of experience, and i think we can make it to the top

Apollo:  What place will you guys be in going into Nationals and how are you guys preparing?

Dark Zone: We are going into Nationals in seventh place. As for preparing, first, if we can get dig to grow up we would like to finish going over callouts and strategies.    We are also the newest formed team attending and are behind on building up to what a team should be. If we put in the work I expect a top 4 placing.  But, if people act like they are in middle school, we should place around 6th.

Apollo: Alright so, do you see Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 being on the circuit for next season?

Minard: Not a chance.

Apollo: Do you guys have plans for after Nationals? If so what are they?

Berg: We’re probably all moving to or at least going try to out Modern Warfare 2.

Apollo: Alright, so what do you guys think makes Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 different from the other shooters on the circuit?

Berg: The shooting is different. This is mostly because of recoil. We don’t have perks that make it less realistic, but we do have one of the worst cover systems known to man. Also, in our game 1 person can take a game over at any point and time somewhat like Halo:CE. Whereas in other games while you can have a big play, but you can’t take control.

Minard: You also can not cook grenades or stick people with them.

Apollo: So, how are you guys feeling for nationals?  Are you guys excited? Scared?

Berg: Personaly, I”m excited. It has been a year since I got to play on LAN. We’re no longer limited by connections or any of that. And scared is something we’re definitely not. We know who we have to beat and what we have to do to beat them. We’re prepared to go ahead and do that…

Apollo: So Minard, you mentioned before this will be your first LAN event, are you nervous at all?

Minard: : No, not at all. I’m going to do my thing, and my team going to do theirs. Nervous isn’t in my vocabulary.

Apollo: So what would you guys say one of your greatest strengths as a team is?

Dark Zone: I defiantly think its our attitude, some of us are determined while other have something to prove, I think we all want it bad enough to win. All we have to do is go out and do it.

Apollo: What would you say the most difficult aspect of MLG Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 is?

Berg: Most likely finding teams to scrim against.

Dark Zone: Yeah without a doubt

Minard: For sure.

Dark Zone: To compensate a lot of the times we have to play against Gamebattles teams that have horrible connections and use horrible weapons like the AK.

Minard: Ohh and Dark not being able to leave our spawn area also hurts us a lot.

Dark Zone: Yeah, I’ve been having connection issues lately.

Apollo: So with Nationals coming up is there one team that you do not want to play?

Berg: No, I think by the time Nationals comes we’ll be prepared for anything that comes our way.

Apollo: Alright guys, that just about does it for me.  You guys have any shoutouts you would like to give send out before we are finished up here?

Minard: Yeah I would like to thank Synikal for giving me this opportunity to go to Nationals.

Interview with FeaR Moho

I got a chance to sit down with Moho from DpG FeaRthe Number 1 Call of Duty team out there.  Here is what he had to say

Apollo: Thanks a lot for doing the interview.

Moho: Not a problem at all.

Apollo: How does it feel to know that you have won what may have been the last Call of Duty 4 PCL?

Moho: It feels good! If there is any PCL that me and my team have played and won it would be this one. There is no greater feeling then winning the last PCL and heading into Modern Warfare2.

Apollo:  Speaking of Modern Warfare 2, I know that Infinty Ward has spoken with you about testing the game.  Have any plans been made or have you talked with them at all about it?

Moho: We are not sure if it will be before or after the game releases till they fly us out to the headquarters. But we do know that it will be a competitive gamers meet that we will be participating in.

Apollo: So do you think that means you could potentially be playing against other MLG teams that you know? Or perhaps some WSG teams.

Moho: Well, what they have planned for us im sure they dont have planned for other MLG teams. This was decided back in 08 when we won nationals. Im sure what they are going to do is host a open house building that is lan like and have all competitive gamers test the game out. That is just my speculation.

Apollo: What do you think about what we have already seen about Modern Warefare 2? What are some of your expectations of it?

Moho: I think its going to be hands down the best game anyone has ever played. With the expectations that is applied to infinity ward I DOUBT they will dissapoint. Some of my expectations are that it heads to the pro circuit and it out shines all other competitive games and gets the attention it deserves.

Apollo:  What are your top 5 favorite guns?

Moho:  I dont think I have a top 5. I think its a top 2 type of thing. My main two guns are the Mp5 and the M16 and as for a side arm I like to use the deagle and the USP. The colt 45 is not bad though.

Apollo: Do you have any plans for when Modern Warfare 2 comes out? Any first night scrims of deathmatch or Capture the flag?

Moho: My plans for when Modern Warfare2 drops are to just play play play and get to know the game and try to understand how everything works.

Apollo: With Modern Warfare 2 being a new game, with new guns, do you believe anything will carry over skill wise?

Moho: I think alot will carry over. But the same time I feel that the people that were good at COD4 in the beginning are going to be the good people in this one. It takes time to adjust to any new game. But shooting wise I think its all the same.

Apollo: Are there any teams that you have seen either in the PCL or online in general that have potential to go pro?
Moho: Well, DyNaStY is a team that I think is an up coming team that has potential to make pro status. Other than that, no one.

Apollo:  What do you feel separates a normal team from a Pro team?

Moho: I think the thought process between the two are TOTALLY different. The difference is casual and non casual. The casual team only plays for fun and the pro gamer plays to win

Alright I got 1 last question from a community member that sent me one in, and that question is this

Raseri asks: Whats was your most memorable moment in Rainbow 6 Vegas?

Moho: Probbably losing to professional skills in the MLG A tournament by one of our players disconnecting.

Apollo: Alright that’s about all the time we have, any shout outs before we go?

Moho: Shout to babyyy…the team…..all the fans……DpG Gaming for all the support……Kontrol Freak….Turtle Beach……Evil Controllers……Kiaeneto for gettin our nasty shirts…..and to all the haters

VoD Analysis: Assault

This week we are going to look at one of MLG’s upcoming Halo 3 pros Assault. With his recent growth in popularity the sky is the limit for this young player.

http://www.mlgpro.com/content/link/290941/Assault

Near 11:28 Assault grabs one of his biggest chunks of time with the ball in the game. You can tell Dynasty’s communication is really on point from here on out through the game. Unfortunately Classic destroyed this set up by sending in two members from Car and one flanker from B maze.

At 10:12 when Assault spawns, his mindset is to clear off Pink Tower. He picks up three quick kills with a very clean BR, showing off his long range shot. Assault provides awesome support in this game.  At 9:50 he is grabbing ball time, and fearlessly puts himself out to put shots on enemies across the map at the A base.

Dynasty is three players down when Assault spawns at 8:52. Assault makes a clutch play by keeping the ball out of Soldier’s hands.

Classic countered Dynasty’s play style to perfection not only in this game but on The Pit especially. They seemed to always know where everyone was. Midway through this game around 6:56 seemed to be the turning point where Classic flipped things around in their favor. At multiple times, Assault appears flustered and loses individual battles he normally would conquer.

When Assault spawns at 4:49 he starts to get things going again, and almost single-handedly abolishes Team Classic.

When you pour your heart into every game inside a series like Assault, and still manage to come up short in the end your team is demoralized. Classic got the best of Dynasty in this Placement Round match up because of their shots being on, and apparently great callouts. I was not fortunate enough to watch the Dallas broadcast but I am happy to see that The Dynasty moved on through their bracket on Saturday into Sunday, and left with an 8th place finish.

Due to its’ tight quarters and being a fast paced Foundry map, Lockdown appears to be the most team-oriented objective game type on the circuit right now. The Car base and Pink Tower are mostly used for protection, and height advantage respectively. If your team has a “lockdown” on these side bases, this opens up opportunities for your team to set up with the Oddball on the A and B bases. Throughout this game you can see Assault has a lot of talent up his sleeve. He maneuvers through the map with his team always in sight. What continued to amaze me was his ability to stay alive. It appeared late in the game that Dynasty knew the series was over and folded.

Elamite VOD Analysis

Kyle was the one who was on fire in the Columbus Finals for Str8 Rippin.  We’re gonna look at game 1, TS Pit, of the finals and see what he was doing that worked so well.

VOD Link:  http://www.mlgpro.com/content/link/283300/Elamitewarrior

Off the break He and T2 push rocks. The key here is he stays alive. This allows him to push back in with Legit to kill SK at 14:40. Again he stays alive and pushes back in again getting shots on Pistola and Heinz and once again he stays alive. At 14:12 he takes a different angle seeing that they keep spawning in Needle pit and gets a great angle to help out T2 with Heinz and Pistola. He then gets a four on SK. Notice his use of the floor to provide himself cover. From 13:50 to 13:32, there are no shots fired, but you need to see the way he uses angles to cover T2’s back . Even more so look at his use of the walls and angles as cover.

At 13:29, look at how he nades green, jumping up from pit giving himself some protection from Hysteria who is carrying rocks. He makes the smart play at 13:25 in killing the rocket guy who is one shot even though he ends up dying. The reason this is smart is because of the threat the rock guys poses. If he had waited then Hysteria would be full shields with rocks and now SK would also be in their needle pit.

On respawn he takes a body shot from blue tower and waits for his shields then pushes through long hall to slow down the tD rush and prevent the spawn trap. Even though he dies it was a very smart play b/c the rest of Str8 was able to clear training and the tower.

At 12:40, good teamshot with T2. Good push with Legit. Even though Legit died he was able to provide enough support that he and Tom were able to take out 2 guys. Notice how he runs sideways on training to keep his back to Hysteria and not give him the side headshot.

12:10 – He pushes in a little too far chasing Pistola and got caught by SK. On respawn rocks drop at 11:56 and he nades green. Notice at 11:50 he peeks and sees rocks aren’t there. He doesn’t run into green knowing that most likely tD already has rocks. Instead he waits for a possible surprise attack. At 11:40 look how he uses the bridge as cover to stay alive in his br fight with SK. At 11:15 trying to be sneaky, but they knew he was there.

At 10:50 he sees SK is engaged with Legit and pushes in. He gets a easy double due to Hysteria’s poor awareness in the situation. He sees Heinz going for OS and puts shots on him. Heinz burns OS, but here’s the key rather than chasing and fighting him during the short invincibility period, he waits for the invincibility period to wear off knowing his shields won’t have recharged yet and then gets the kill. This is a brilliant heads up play.

At 10:10 he picks up an easy kills thanks too a good call out by Legit. He then duck into a nice little hiding spot . He nades 1st br b/c he knows Legit is shooting from green so to get him Pistola must come 1st br. Again notice how he stays alive. He pushes Pistola in Mauler b/c he knows Pistola in 1 shot and he is half shields. At the 9:00 mark he out br’s Pistola, again using the wall as cover.

On spawn he has a great escape from Heinz who has rockets. Heinz gets killed and he is able to sneak up to Pistola who picked up rocks and Pistola kills them both. With Str8 having an 8 kill lead he pushing directly across on respawn trying to keep pressure on tD. He makes Pistola 1 shot, but he gets cleaned up by Heinz.

Next spawn he watches long hall and trades shots with Heinz. Realizing they are up 46 – 40 he backs off an patiently waits for members of his team to spawn so they can push for the last four kills.

At 6:45 all 3 teammates are going training and tower, so he moves just outside of long hall where he can’t be seen . This allows him to watch Blue room, Green box and get a jump on anyone coming through long hall. As they push training and bridge he pushes long hall. He runs into Heinz and Hysteria and backs off allowing his teammates coming through training to flank them. Snipedown takes out Hysteria and he pushes right back through long hall. Unfortunately they all spawn in Mauler and he is taken out.

Analysis: The single biggest thing that stood out to me was his ability to stay alive. Through the use of cover and knowing when to push and when to back down. He was able to stay alive. This did two things specifically. First, it allowed him to put more shots on people to help his teammates. Second, because he stayed alive he was able to pick up numerous easy kills and had more opportunities to get kills for his team. This is one of the better examples of how to use your brain and use cover to stay alive longer.

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.

The Theory of TeamShooting

I am sure this has happened to everyone who reads this. Your playing with your team, they call someone who is two shots out and you move in for the kill. You turn the corner to find him..and his teammate. Here is the moment of truth, you have two choices, 1) rush in ninja the full shield guy and get a beatdown on the one and teabag their bodies, or 2) retreat and regroup. You chose option number one. All of this has happened in a split second. You rush in and are dead before you have had a chance to even shoot. This is the teamshot, perhaps one of the most yelled things in matchmaking and customs alike. TEAMSHOT, TEAMSHOT, WE NEED TO TEAMSHOOT!

What is really teamshooting? The full team blasting one guy? Or just a duo taking down the overshield guy. The answer is both. As a team, teamshooting comes with set ups. I know its going off topic but a good setup is where the teamshot is most efficient. You should set up so you always have a teamshot, like on Guardian. The elbow set us is a prime example. One or two guys snipe two can cover top gold, bottom mid, top mid, top green, blue window, snipe lift and camo. Top/Bottom green can cover top and bottom mid, top green, blue window, snipe-lift, snipe 3, snipe 1, bottom and top green also. There are overlapping fields of fire which is why when a good team sets up its difficult to break.

What makes a pro team pro? Some special pills? Modded controllers? None of those, its their team work, more often than not they will make better decisions and are more aware than most other players. While they generally are better at these thing, what puts them way above is their teamwork.  Put a group of four random pros together and they will play very well together.  It is not just because their pro, but because they have awesome communication. With great communication will come great teamshooting.

Lets look at some of the asthmatics behind the BR first. It takes 4 shots to kill one person on LAN(online it is questionable). Each burst does about 25% damage to you. There are 3 bullets in each BR burst. Which means it takes 12 bullets to kill someone. Lets say that from full shields to death you have 100 points of damage. Take 100 and divide it by 12 and you get 8.33333. So each individual bullet will do 8.333 repeating points of damage to you. After the third shot your shields will be down. That takes you down to 74.9 health. Which the next shot will kill you. This is with a normal BR.The MLG settings have the BR at 110% damage which means each burst will do 27.5 points of damage per burst. Which means in MLG each bullet does 9.16 points of damage. It takes you 10.9 shots to kill someone in MLG. Basically 11. Which means you have a whole 1 bullet to hit nothing but a dead body. This is assuming all shots hit him in the head.   For body shots, it takes around 6 shots to kill a player, give or take(assuming all shots are in the body) Which means that each bullet does 5.556 points of damage to the target. It takes 13.51 bullets to drop the opponents shields.

Lets put this into practical use in what I said before, the Guardian elbow set up with Team Oddball. Red team has the ball sitting on elbow, with player R1 and R2 sitting on snipe tower, player R3 with ball on elbow, and player R4 on middle green. Blue team is spread throughout gold, and blue. They know they need that ball so they organize a push. Player B1 is set up to go over snipe lift, B2 is set up to go into blue window to put shots on R4 on top/mid green. B3 is going to push bottom middle and B4 is going to go top mid and push to green. They move at the same time. B1 goes over snipe lift and R1 and R2 go to lift side of snipe to put shots, at the same time R3 drops ball and puts shots on the guy lifting. He will be dead before he is ½ off the lift because assuming all 3 bursts hit it would only need 1 more shot to kill him. They then would take out the guy top middle team shooting with the guy top green which would drop him 1 shot(assuming all bullets hit). At this point the guy B2 has gotten R4 one shot and he will drop down to bottom green. B3 would be just coming down to bottom green. R3 would see him put shots on him along with R4 when he comes around the corner. B2 would attempt to make a move up to snipe 3 because the R1 and R2 would be S2/Elbow putting shots on top mid, and bottom green. Which would leave Blue team all dead, and Red would be all up waiting for the respawn.

Or another situation(does not happen)

Both teams are standing still Team A is going to be shooting 2 people at a time, team B is going to be shooting each person individually. Team A will be putting out 55 points of damage against one person while Team B puts out only 27.5 points of damage. The outcome will be, Team B will all be down but Team A will lose 2 people.

Teamshooting is not only an easier way to win a match, it encourages teamwork.  Teamshooting is not only all four players shooting. It could just be your friend and you, or a group of friends. Many people want a explanation of why teamshooting is better. The reason is as complex as Halo 3 is. Teamshooting means you have a decent team. Constant teamshooting means that there is a decent amount of awareness not just self-centered playing. Team shooting should not be judged by total number of assists.

Teamshooting is not only a result of decent call outs, and teamwork, but it is a start to building a better team. Teamshooting can either make or break a game. It is not necessarily the answer to all your problems, but it helps out a lot and will come with practice and playing together..

Heads Up w/XiT Sasquatch

Apollo: As you all may know…One of the most controversial moves happened over the past few weeks . Both with the vG golden ticket and Xit Wounds picking up two completely unknown players. Those two players are Mr. Frisky and Sasquatch. I got a chance to sit down with a friend of mine, Sasquatch one of the brand new faces on the circuit.

Apollo: Thanks a lot for doing this interview

Sasquatch: Not a problem, always willing to talk to a friend!

Apollo: Thanks dude, anyway, you’re one of the brand new faces on the curcuit and kind of really came out of no where. Give us a little background on yourself, what got you into gaming, and how you got on Xit Wounds.

Sasquatch: I have been gaming since I was 5. My first shooter I played was Golden Eye 007, but I really didn’t get into shooters seriously until Halo: CE. I played Halo 2 religiously during Highschool and Frisky and I always tore up local 2v2’s and crashed LAN parties. Halo 3 came out when we both went to college, and initially, we went to two different schools. His didn’t allow TV’s/videogames, so he transferred to my college (Valparaiso University) this year.

As for getting on XiT, college played an important role in that as well. I am majoring in Civil Engineering and I really don’t have the time to practice until im done with finals May 12th. Luck and Bonfire also are in college and they put school and their future over Halo, just like everyone should do. Anyway, long story short, Me and frisky were looking for two, Bonfire was going to retire, and XiT woundz would no longer be a team since Str8 Pimp and Elumnite were leaving. So thanks to our awesome sponsor, all four of us can go to Columbus, keep the XiT team alive, and do what we all enjoy- play some competitive Halo. Dream come true.

Apollo:Civil engineering, sounds rough. How do you, and the rest of your team, balance school, life, and professional gaming?

Sasquatch: Really, I try my best to put my schooling first. Engineering is takes up a lot of time. I believe Shockwave recently blogged on how much time management skills it takes to fit halo into college life and an engineering workload. I think everyone on our team tries to manage their college and personal life first, and then fit halo in when they can.

Apollo: I’ve heard you guys arn’t planning to start playing till middle of May, how do you guys plan to compinsate?

Sasquatch: A lot of team practice during those 2 weeks and I plan on putting a ridiculous amount of individual practice in those 2-3 weeks. T2 said he was going to put the most mlg games in out of anyone going to Columbus and is up for any challengers. I’m going to have to play quite a bit to get more in than him. [laughs]

Apollo: There have been a lot of people questioning you and Frisky. I know from experience that you guys are legit. How are you planning to respond to all the “haters”.

Sasquatch: Well not through the forums, haha. Really, just put in the practice and play to the best of my ability. If I do well people will still dislike me, if I do bad people will still dislike me. It is a losing battle- so im just going to go out to Columbus, play my best, and have blast doing it.

Apollo: How are you feeling possibly going up against top teams that have been togeather for a while?

Sasquatch: I’ve watched a lot of VoD- the teamwork at the professional level is nasty. A good example is FB- they click so well together. Im hoping to get as much teamwork down as possible before the event, but it will be hard to beat teams that have good chemistry, However, this is Halo 3, crazy things happen!

Apollo: Now, I know your an extremely skilled player, but how does it feel to be playing with players that are either the same skill or more skilled?

Sasquatch: As the team captain of all of my previous teams, I always felt like all the pressure was on me to do the best. I had to call out the most, slay the most, and keep my teammates’ heads in the game. It was very stressful during practices. Now, I am no longer the captain, have very talented and smart teammates, and won’t feel the pressure of having to “do everything”. I can rely on my teammates more than ever.

Apollo: Do you guys plan to stick together beyond Columbus? Or is this a one event teaming?

Sasquatch: There are several factors. Obviously, it really depends how well we play together. Also, the next event is in Luck and Bonfire’s home state. They have a lot of local friends that would love to attend MLG Dallas with them. I am not worried about the future now though, I’m worried about performing well as a team at Columbus.

Apollo: Tell me a little bit about each of your teammates.

Sasquatch: ItwasLuck is the best team player I have ever played with. His callouts are precise, he has massive assists, does the objective, and still manages to post the kills. I think we will click well. Bonfire is just a beast. He is a massive slayer and has a solid sniper. I don’t know him as well as tyler(luck) because he has been busy, but from the VoD I watched and what I have seen while playing, he is an excellent player. Frisky is my roommate, as I mentioned before, and we have been playing with each other for over 4 years. He is has always been the “elamitewarrior” on every team I have been on. When a custom power up is up, he will make sure that the other team doesn’t get it. He is versatile and can do just about anything that he is asked to do. He is the least selfish player I know.

Apollo: What controller setting do you use?

Sasquatch: Bumper jumper, inverted, 5 sens

Apollo: What are some of your personal goals in Columbus?

Sasquatch: Do well as a team and individually, meet some old friends, and make some new ones, and have fun.

Apollo: Alright now we’re going to do a little part that we here at insider like to call..Rapid Fire.

Sasquatch: Lets do it!

Apollo: Rockets or Snipe?

Sasquatch: Snipe

Apollo: Camo or OS

Sasquatch: Camo

Apollo: Team least looking forward to playing in Columbus?

Sasquatch: Triggers Down

Apollo: Favorite pro?

Sasquatch: Walshy

Apollo: Pit or Guardian?

Sasquatch: Pit

Apollo: Flag or Hill?

Sasquatch: Flag

Apollo: Winners of Columbus?

Sasquatch: Instinct, they are nasty!

Apollo: Alright dude…That’s about all the time we have…Any shout outs before we go?

Sasquatch: My two new teammates, Luck and Bonfire, Frisky, Poppy, Sky’s the Limit Enterprises, Paul, and my Mom lol. Oh mlginsider.com and my boy Apollo!

Keep an eye on the site where i’m going to be doing gameplay analysis of Sasquatch, also keep an eye out for my interview with Mr. Frisky and my gameplay analysis of him also. So stay tune!!

Head’s up w/ Vanity Gaming Founders

We got to take some time and sit down with the Cofounders of Vanity Gaming; vG Small and Vanity. Here what they had to say about Vanity Gaming;  where it came from and where it’s going.

 

Trent: How was Vanity Gaming born?

vG Small: VanityGaming was born back in 2006 in the days of Halo 2 when Vanity first met Tetra Shot , who just won the ”Golden Ticket,” coincidentally. Vanity was then introduced to many other pro-players. Being from a family of business people, he thought he would be able to help them with sponsorships and advertising pro-services. The rest is history

Trent: Where does the name “Vanity Gaming” come from?

Vanity: Well at the time I wasnt expecting us to become as succesfull as we have, so Elamite and Fossik suggested that we call it Vanity Gaming as Vanity was my tag in order to say thanks to me for helping them out.

Trent: You guys came from out of no where and have more sponsored teams now than any other organization. How have you acquired all this success so quickly?

vG Small: We have spent countless hours into building up the site alone. I truly believe that when other gamers saw this organization uprising, they wanted to get involved, seeing how it could be the next big impact on the gaming world. There has been a tremendous amount of dedication from our staff (graphics, writers, etc.) which got us off to a great start. Since the day I joined VanityGaming, Vanity and I have gained an incredible amount of trust in eachother. Without this trust, I don’t think we would be where we are now. As far as the sponsorships go, Liquid Lightning has been truly amazing. They have been very supportive of our organization and goals. Check out llenergy.com!

Vanity: It’s been a great experience working with such dedicated pros and staff members, we’ve also had a really friendly forum community and that is the back bone of vG, to thank everyone we’re partnering up with Liquid Lightning and holding a party at MLG Columbus where the band Breaking Benjamin will be playing a live acoustic set  So watch out for free tickets on our site!

Trent: I’ve been hearing about this VIP party and I must say I’m very excited. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this in MLG yet.

vG Small: Ya, I can’t wait to talk to a pro. (laughing)

Trent: Well …. you guys are now sponsoring 4 teams, The New Order, High Society, Team Vanity and Team Evasion (from the UK). Where do you go from here?

vG Small: Well, due to recent roster changes, High Society was disbanded. We are going to continue our partnerships for the other 3 teams and we are looking to pick up another team after Columbus. From here, we will continue to support our teams and players in the community.

Vanity: Who knows we might even do a team Golden Ticket! We might as well call ourselves vG and the Gaming Factory!

Trent: (Laughing) Wow … a team “golden ticket” that would be an incredible opportunity for many of the up and coming teams. Are you going to sponsor as many teams as you can or will you just increase the levels of sponsorship for a limited number teams?

Vanity: Yes I think 4-5 will be our max. I want to help focus on making business relationships and more partnerships to further what we already do for our teams, There has been an idea in the pipeline about putting together a business module to give to gamers help to equip themselves for approaching businesses for sponsorships.

Trent: I think that would be very helpful being that the hardest part for any team is understanding how to approach potential sponsorships. Even realizing what to ask for is difficult.  Being that you are now “in the thick” of  MLG. Where to you see yourselves and MLG in say 3 years.

vG Small: Hard to say…Assuming the Halo series will still be a very popular game then, I think we will be very solid. I know Vanity and I have high hopes for this organization and I believe we will carry it out for many years. I can’t completely comprehend what it would be like then. If we continue to expand at the rate we are now, we could essentially be huge. Vanity and I have many long term plans and goals for the site and we would love to reach these milestones.

Trent: Vanity?

Vanity: Yeah, we just want to be apart of this great community which together every website, spectator and player has helped shape and as long as we have this strong growing community who knows were gaming will be in 3 years! Hopefully at the Olympics….(laughing)

Trent: Very cool guys. Well I have what I need right now we’ll definitely do another one in C-Bus. Anything you want to say to the community, fans players and peeps before I let you guys go.

vG Small: I want to give a few shout outs to some strong supporters. Parfrey – thanks for your graphic contributions to the site; Zero Point, Legacy xIFCx, vG Bane -thanks for your amazing support and encouragement; The New Order – you guys are awesome, especially Kill3n ; All the Pro-Players on the site, Shout out to Jason Blades, Thanks to my mommy, and last but not least, my MM (laughing) Don’t ask

Vanity : Yes sir here goes! Parfrey, ElamiteWarrior, Squire 2 , Fossik, Tetra Shot,Waldo, SK, FearItSelf,,Venom, Haggie, Mando, Mackeo, all of our teams, all of our instructors, Karma and Brett couldn’t of done it without those guys! Liquid Lightning And the best Coach on the circuit Killen! Hope we didn’t leave anyone out!

Trent: Thanks for you time guys.

vG Small: My pleasure

Vanity: Thank you man

There you have the “Vanity Gaming” from the Vanity guys themselves.

Heads Up w/Cloud

We got to go Heads up with Cloud from the breakout team in Meadowlands Believe the Hype.  BtH has a history of being a bracket breaker. Last year in San Diego they gave Final Boss their first ever finish out of the top 2, bouncing FB in 8th place.  Cloud is one of those guys who is well known amongst the pros and has been around for a while, but was never really known by the fans.  Guess what Scott?  They know who you are now after BtH’s 3rd place finish and record setting upset run. Here what he had to say about Meadowlands.

Trent: What did you guys expect going into Meadowlands?

Cloud: I knew we would do really well, like we did or we were going to do bad and get top 12 or something, kind of like a hit or miss. What I wanted at least was top 6 though.

Trent: Top 3 though, wow….

Cloud: Yeah, it was pretty unexpected, and it felt great. Looks like all our practiced paid off.

Trent : What was the feeling like after upsetting Classic round 1?

Cloud: I was expecting to beat them like we did. Still felt good to know that we were good on LAN and not just on xbl.

Trent: What about the next round with tD?

Cloud: It felt awesome beating the two teammates that left me to team with tD. No one was expecting us to beat them or even get past classic, it was a great feeling.

Trent: Now the the upset of #1 seeded Str8 Rippin, that had to be great?

Cloud: Yeah definitely, it felt really good to just see Clutch going off and when we were up in that Pit TS game by like 10 I knew we were going to win. It was just sick.

Trent: You guys were just on fire. I spoke with Joe Pennachio and he called you guys his darkhorse team, but I was still shocked at three straight upsets? Did it sink in right away or were you in a state of shock initially?

Cloud: It honestly felt like we had won the event after we beat them, everyone was just coming up saying congrats. It was my first time finishing top 3. I just wish we could have done better on Sunday, but yeah I guess it was more of a shock rather than it sinking in.

Trent: Okay, so coming into the Instinct game what was going through your head?

Cloud: I thought we were going to win. I got a little flustered when they beat us in those 2 really close games.

Trent: You seemed to be really down after the series  and it seemed to affect your play against tD the second time.

Cloud: Yeah, it definitely affected our gameplay as a whole. I was really upset about losing and I had a terrible attitude playing against tD. My being like that makes myself play bad and hurts the rest of my teammates, we just werent into the games.

Trent: Okay, so here’s what everyone wants to know. Straight up, was it a fluke or can you guys repeat that performance in C-Bus?

Cloud:  We are going to repeat our performance in Columbus.

Trent: (laughing) Wow … You heard it here first. BtH top 3 again in C-Bus. How does this event compare to the upset of FB last year in San Diego?

Cloud: I’d say that our upsets at Meadowlands were a lot better because we placed better and upset more teams.

Trent: Well we’re  gonna play rapid fire, you ready?

Cloud: Ok go

Trent: Most dangerous on the circuit?

Cloud: D3M0N D

Trent: Wow … Favorite teammate so far

Cloud: Clutch

Trent: Boxers or Briefs

Cloud: Boxers

Trent: Stickys or frags

Cloud: Stickys

Trent: Br or Sniper

Cloud: Sniper

Trent: OS or Camo

Cloud: OS

Trent: Objective or Slayer

Cloud: Objective

Trent: Favorite player to watch

Cloud: Neighbor

Trent: The team you would least like to face opening round in C-Bus.

Cloud: Does not matter

Trent: Well, I’m about finished. Any shout-outs before I let you go?

Cloud :My teammates, Atrophy, Maniac, Snuff

Trent: Anything for the fans or your opponents?

Cloud: I’d like to see some BtH chants going at Columbus. Thats about it

Trent: Well Scott, thanks for your time it’s been a lot of fun man. Looking to see you again in C-Bus. Good luck to you guys.

Cloud: Yeah see you there.

Believe the Hype now has the confidence to go with the skill.  They could once again be a very serious threat to the top teams in C-Bus.  Best of luck to Cloud and BtH.

Fragtality Interview

Alright what’s up everyone! I got a chance to sit down with one of the guys from what some people are saying the best montage out only second best to the Str8 Rippin montage itself. I’m talking of course, about Fragtality, check out the link below for the montage and check the most recent Montage Weekly for my review of Dualtality

http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5185703

Apollo: Thanks a lot for doing the interview.

Fragtality: Anytime, thank you for having me.

Apollo: What gave you the idea to do Dualtality with Sticktality?

Frag: Well, sticktality and live close to eachother and have been freinds since 3rd grade. We got into the Halo scene together, and aways teamed. In Halo 2, I made a few montages that were pretty popular. Sticktality could never make one because he did not have a capture card. Thanks to Halo 3′s theatre mode, we immediately realized I could capture his footage for him, so I was set from day 1 to do a video together with him; it’s something I always wanted to do. The name dualtality just hit me one day about 8 months ago, and I was set on it ever since.

Apollo: What made you decide to edit it yourself?

Frag: I’m a perfectionist and I wasn’t satisfied with the work that other editors offered. The only person I would feel comfortable with would be Zola, and of course he was busy with the Str8 Rippin Montage. Originally, I had another editor myself. However, I wasn’t exactly satisfied with the quality of work I was recieving. One day when I was out of school sick, I decided to download Sony Vegas and just play around with my footage just for fun. I did about a minute, and showed my freind Kindred what I had done, and the first thing he said was that I needed to drop my current editor and edit myself. At first I thought it was unrealistic since I had no real experience as an editor, but he convinced me to do it, and 5 months later here it is. I am really happy I did it, it turned out great, and I’ve learned so much, I’m thinking about majoring in video related fields for college because of how much i’ve learned over the last 5 months.

Apollo: You say that was 5 months ago, and you’ve been wanting to make a montage with him since halo 2…Exacltly how long have you been planning on making this montage?

Frag: I didn’t get into Halo 3 until Summer time, so maybe a month of 2 into last summer was when we began looking for an editor. That was around the time we really started taking the idea of a dualtage seriously since we had gotten some sick footage within that time.

Apollo: What got you into gaming and MLG?

Frag: I played halo 1 with some freinds from my basketball team back in 3rd grade; the year Halo 1 came out. Alex (or sticktality) and me always destroyed everyone else out of our group of friends even though sticktality didn’t an xbox at the time. We didn’t know anything about Halo xbc or tournaments or anything. Around the time cs for xbox came out, Alex got his xbox with an xbl subscription, and I got an xbl. We played cs casually until Halo 2 came out, which was where everything started. Naturally we realized there were tons of people out there who were way better than us (very humbling since we never had any competition with out group of friends). As we kept playing we got better and met knew people through the minor clan match system (some people may remember the name Four2o from way back when) and eventually met some people who attended a few MLG events in 05. I was then told that MLG was coming to my city (St. Louis) in the summer time. Since it was so close, we of course decided to go to MLG St. Louis in 05. We went with some local friends and got absolutely destroyed; I remember that we didn’t even make it into the actual tournament. It was an embarrassing, yet unforgettable experience that really sparked our interest to begin playing more seriously. We’ve been playing ever since except for my 6 month break when halo 3 first came out (decided to play css with my friend Anesthet1k instead since I didn’t exactly like H3 when it first came out. When CGS died, both Anesthet1k and I decided to get into h3 along with sticktality. When we saw the first 08 h3 event, we realized how much we missed it and we had to get back into it.) We plan on going to h3 events as soon as we feel we are ready to go to an event and place at a pro level.

Apollo: Do you guys plan on making a second dualtage?

Frag: It all depends on the footage we get. I’m sure eventually it could happen, but not for a while. I need a nice long break from editing Halo so I can focus on enjoying the rest of my senior year with my friends and just playing the game of Halo as opposed to editing it. Dualtality 2 could happen in the far future, though………….. But no promises.

Apollo: That would be a great day. So you don’t plan on editing anymore?

Frag: Yes, everything I’ve learned over the past 5 months really sparked an interest for me in the video editing field. I don’t plan on doing any official projects for a while, but I am definitely going to enjoy expanding my knowledge with After Effects, and learn how to model 3D objects as well as animate them. That’s one thing I didn’t get a chance to do, special thanks to Robosteeze and Ell for modeling the 3D work in dualtality. Also, the work zola did using Vue for the 3D environments in Str8 Rippin’s intro was outstanding. I also want to learn that program; it’s so powerful and can create the most stunning atmospheres. He did a great job on the Str8 Rippin video. It was really cool getting a chance to work side by side with him on the HD recordings of the footage and of angles he needed. That’s actually one of the reasons why Dualtality took 5 months to edit; there was about a month span where I didn’t have time to work on it due to angles that needed to be done for Str8 Rippin.

Apollo: So you know Zola?

Frag: Yes, he edited my first big video (trinity). We’ve been friends over since and I recorded the angles and clips for him (I believe he had another capturer help with the recording of the actual clips as well)

Apollo: A lot of people absolutely love the 2nd Anberlin song “Fin” you used. Many people have never heard of it before. How did you come across such a great song that hadn’t been used before?

Frag: Ok, so my friend Tom (anesthet1k, the dude I played css with and now Halo) has this awesome stereo system in his car, and one day during the winter he came to pick me up so we could go grab some fast food somewhere, and he had the song blasting with his amazing stereo system. It was the most epic song I had heard in my life. I asked him what the name of the song was; and I knew that from that moment on If I ever made another video, I would use that song.

Apollo: Where did you ever come up with the title Dualtality?

Frag: Usually a montage of 2 people is called a “dualtage”, and since me and alex both have “tality” at the end of our name (suffix means “death”), the name just kinda hit me one day, and stuck with me ever since It was very appropriate because it fits the theme of us being as a single unit(since we always teamed I thought this was a good idea), which inspired me to have the 2 different helmet halves coming together as 1 for the logo.

Apollo: Well that’s about all the time we got! Any shoutouts before we go?

Frag: Yeah, I’d like to take a second and thank Sticktality for getting a ton of sick footage. Ell and especially Robosteeze for doing an amazing job on the 3D modeling, Vastly and Kindred for giving me their oppinion on my work during production. Anesthet1k for helping me in a ton of miscellaneous ways, such as mixing the “Fin” song, participating as an extra whenever I needed people for the cinematic scenes. Also, a shoutout to Yasha for hooking me up with the new maps and being an absolute boss at doing incredible jumps. That’s about it. Once again, thanks for having me, and I’m glad you guys enjoyed Dualtality.

Heads Up w/ Totz

We sat down with the youngest Pro on the circuit, Anthony Pennacchio,  a.k.a. Totz.  We got his feedback on their newest acquisition and how he feels heading into this exciting first event. So here you go.

Trent:  What does it feel like to be so young and be on one of the top teams in MLG?

Totz: It feels great to get this chance to compete and play with all these good players. I don’t know, I hope I can be the youngest player to win an  MLG event?  If that’s still possible

Trent: You guys picked up Strongside in the off-season. Did you think you could get him to team with you guys the whole time or were you as surprised as everyone else?

Totz: I was defiantly so surprised, I couldn’t believe it.  The way it happened was crazy.  It was supposed to be me Flamesword, Swiisha and Sly, but Sly didn’t show up to the LAN so we were picking up Ace.  Then Heinz, Mackeo, Victory and Side were teaming and Heinz went to tD.  Side was confused and just went to us.  If Slyfox had gone to the LAN none of this would of happened, or if we picked up Cloudy Cloud this wouldn’t of happened either.  It was great the way it turned out.

Trent: Now, how much has playing side by side (no pun intended) with Mike benefited you.

Totz: (Laughing) Well, its actually been a lot of help.   It’s crazy how well he handles things.  We can even be in a scrim and if someone does something wrong we will talk about it even in game. Which isn’t good, but then we learn the situation a lot better and honestly it helps a lot having him here.

Trent: Have you seen our bracket predictions?

Totz: Yeah, I saw us losing to Instinct. (laughing) I don’t know about that.  I think that in this tournament there will be a lot more surprises than these fans can handle.

Trent:  That kind of leads me into my next question. You guys have beaten everyone but tD in the LANs. Can you beat tD in Meadows and what team that you’ve beaten in the LANs scares you the most?

Totz: Well yeah,  I definitely see us beating tD.  They are definitely a good team though.  I mean that bracket is going to be crazy, but the team that scares me the most is FB.  I mean we didn’t play enough games to really see what will happen with us and them.  Just the fact that Ogre 2 is going against Strongside will be very heated, I hope we beat VG so we can play FB

Trent: So here’s a tough question for you.  Being young and new to the “Top of the League” how do you think you will handle the pressure of a big game on Mainstage. Possibly main stage in bracket semi’s against Instinct or a game of that nature.

Totz: Well I just look at it as a way for the people to see what I can do.  I mean everyone will be nervous, but I’ve been in a lot of those situations in my life, were there was much more pressure than this. I am actually really excited to play at this level.

Trent: That a good approach to take into it. Let’s switch to you gamertag for a sec. I noticed you are now only Totz.  Did big brother “Joe Fries” stop calling you “Baby Totz” when you become able to take him in halo.

Totz: (chuckling)No, no. I just thought it was time to change it up.  I didn’t like the “baby” part, so I had to go with ToTz.  Which I will be playing with at the event, just so everyone knows there isnt two different ”ToTz”

Trent: How much time does Papa Joe spend watching you guys practice?

Totz: A lot.  He watches every single LAN game and 3/4 of our online scrims.  He gets really into it and he actually reads every post on the forums. Which is pretty is funny to me.

Trent: So if I went on the forums and challenged the “LAN Man Joe” to a 1v1 he would read it?

Totz: Yeah,  he definitely would read it.  I’m telling you he is up to date on every post,.  He is addicted to reading what people have to say about SQ.  (laughing) “LAN Man Joe” is a great nickname.

Trent: Well, do you know who Jack Johnson is?

Totz: Yeah, I like his music

Trent: Ok, I’ve had some people giving me slack about my Strongside comparison. I said in the interview with mike that he’s more chill than a Jack Johnson Cd. What are you thoughts?

Totz: (laughing) That is 100 % true.  I love that 1 song called “Banana Pancakes” or something?  It reminds me of Side on a beach,  NO HOMO though.  With his old school long hair.

Trent: That’s too funny … It’s one of my favorite songs actually.  Well, we’re gonna play rapid fire now. You ready?

Totz:  Yeahhhhhhh

Trent: Best sniper on the circuit?

Totz: Neighbor, Snipedown or Hysteria… it’s 2 close

Trent: Best sticky nades on circuit?

Totz: Me, no doubt. (laughing) I am crazy with those blue things.

Trent: Player, past or present, you most look up to in halo?

Totz: I have a few, but Walshy, Side and Neighbor for sure.

Trent: Boxers or briefs?

Totz: Boxers, brief aren’t roomy enough (said with a smirk)

Trent: (Laughing) Now Mike hinted in his interview that you’re not a big fan of xbl and that maybe, just maybe, you whine about it a bit. What do you have to say to that?

Totz: Oh my god, I cant stand it.  It’s terrible and I complain a lot.  Ii cant help it. (laughing)

Trent: Okay, before I let you go, what do you want to say to your SQ fans?

Totz: I want to say thank you for everyone cheering us on in Meadows and on the forums.  If you see me I will be handing out some  Status Quo gear. (laughing) So, if I think you guys are real SQ fans then I will hook u guys up.

Trent: We get gear right?

Totz: Oh yeah.  Some apparel.

Trent: Okay, just making sure. Any last shout-outs before I Let you go?

Totz: I want to say hi to Art of War and CMG and Rudy, and last but not least Bert, Bulletz, Parma and yo Sneaky. Also thanks MLG Insider, I love the site keep it up.

Good luck to Totz and the rest of SQ in Meadowlands.

Heads Up w/Strongside

I got to sit down with a guy who is Halo.  He created “Strongsiding” and is known for his ability in ridiculous situations to stay alive.  Who is this mythical monster who wields the rockets and sniper more effectively than most?  Ok, enough fancy talk,  it’s Michael Cavanaugh a.k.a. Strongside.  The blond bomber who’s more chill than a Jack Johnson CD.  Here’s what he had to say:

Trent: First off, for those who don’t know, where did “strongside” come from?

Strongside: The name “StrongSide” came from a classic movie “Remember the Titans” They yell leftside! strongside! It means there rightside is there stronger side to take the ball and honestly i thought it just sounded cool so I made it my gamertag.

Trent: AHHH…. Love the movie. Now this off season you made the move to SQ. What prompted that?

Strongside: Yes, I joined SQ. I wanted to start something new with some young guys and build as a team. Last year was a rough season for me and I thought I didn’t play to my potential. I thought teaming with some young guys that loved the game would bring the H2 Strongside back. I lost my drive to play and was about to quit at one point. After playing with these guys at “The Winter Lan” at Totz’s  I saw the potential and talent that Totz and Flamesword had.  I knew Ace was a good player already and he knew how to play.  I was thinking that if I could teach them the game and show them the ways we could do it. It was what Walsh did with me when I first joined final boss. So I thought I could do it with these guys.

Trent: Are you surprised at how quickly you guys have meshed as a team? You have beaten some great teams in your recent LANs.

Strongside: Yeah, it has surprised me a bit. It feels like we have been teaming for a season already with all the practice we’ve put in.

Trent: Well,  you seem to be rejuvenated by these young guys. Has “Side” found his “second wind”?

Strongside: Yeah, I’d say so. I’ve been playing almost non-stop since I joined up with this new team. I’ve been visiting ToTz’s house a lot so it has been really easy to build chemistry. We have had our whole team together so many times at his house and that has really helped the most.

Trent: Now, just for a minute, let’s go back to last season. You started off with a bang in Meadowlands and even had Sundance saying you were going to be the season MVP after one event. What happened for things to sprial downhill like they did for both you and the team?

Strongside: Last season was very different for me. Before Meadowlands, last year, I put in almost the same amount of time that I am putting in now. I really wanted to see my team do well all season. After winning the first tournament, I thought it would be easy to win the rest of the events and I lost almost all drive to practice. As for the team, it seemed like we lost our camaraderie. It was like we weren’t a team anymore. That eventually broke us up.

Trent: Lets hear your top 5 for Meadows, in order. (laughing) No Pressure.

Strongside: 1st –  sQ that’s my only prediction.

Trent: Ok,ok …. we’re gonna play rapid fire now…. have you seen this yet?

StrongSide: yup

Trent: Best gamertag on the circuit

Strongside: FearitSelf

Trent: Loudest?

Strongside: CallMeGod

Trent: Books or music?

Strongside: Music

Trent: H2 or H3

Strongside: H1

Trent: Guardian or Lockout

Strongside: Lockout

Trent: I figured that one… boxers or briefs

Strongside: Briefs

Trent: Man after my own heart…Ball or flag?

Strongside: Ball

Trent: Rockets or Sniper

Strongside: Sniper

Trent: Camo or OS

Strongside: Camo

Trent: Your favorite player

Strongside: Kobe

Trent: Implusive or thoughtful

Strongside: Thoughtful

Trent: Your surprise team of the year other than SQ

Strongside: Believe the Hype

Trent: Okay these are for SQ only.  Best sniper

Strongside: Ace

Trent: Best with rockets

Strongside: FlamesworD

Trent: Most likely to just go totally off?

Strongside: ToTz

Trent: Hates Xbl the most

Strongside: ToTz (laughing) errr… (still Laughing)

Trent: Eats the mosts

Strongside: Ace at  P.F. Changs!

Trent: Reallly? What’s the most you’ve seen him eat?

Strongside: At a Brazilian Steakhouse, he ate for 45 minutes straight. No lie.

Trent: Ohhh … those places are great I can’t blame him … We’ll have to take you guys if it comes to Orlando again.

Strongside: Sounds like a date.

Trent: Most definitely … Trent  or Robbie …. (laughing) careful remember who doing the interview

Strongside: Trent all the way.

Trent: Yeah baby, (laughing) you catch that Robbie? Well, this has been a lot of fun man.  What would you like to say to your fans?

Strongside: Keep it Real and thanks for all of the support for Status Quo.  Make sure to show your support at Meadowlands, so you can score some Official Status Quo Fan Gear!

Trent: Nice …. Last thing, I was talking to Mason He said he’s looking forward to some fun banter in round 3.  Any thoughts?

Strongside:  He better bring his “A” game, because it’s hard to bash ToTz when his volume is at Max. There won’t be any 1v1′s this tournament, and if there were, I think Mason and I both know who would win.

Trent: (laughing)That hilarious. Any last Shout outs before I let you go?

Strongside: Joe Fries for going huge today give him some plus rep on the forums. Good luck to everyone going to Meadows!

Trent: Well, good luck to you in Meadowlands and see you online. Thanks for the interview

Strongside: Yeah, thank you for the interview

Thanks again to Mike for the interview.  He’s a very chill guy and exactly what you see is what you get.  Good luck in Jersey to Mike and the rest of SQ.

LilSeb Interview

We sat down with the 16 yr old LilSeb.  A pro halo 3 player for Chilled Reality.  Talked about his trasition to CR and had a bit of fun.  Check it out.

Insider: Let’s start with last season. What was the first year in a new game Halo 3 like for you?

Lilseb: It was pretty good, but it had its ups and downs for me.

Insider: What do you see as the biggest difference in halo 3 from halo 2?

Lilseb: The whole game I feel that halo 3 is no where near the same game as halo 2. In halo 2 there was more team shooting and holding down positions and stuff like that. In Halo 3 its more about being aggessive baiting and switching.

Insider: Very true. You made a team change to Chilled Reality this off-season tell me how that came about.

Lilseb: Well, after Dallas I kinda knew that my team was not going to stick together. On Sunday night after the finals I was talking to Kristian (CallMeGod) about teaming next season he said he was down and we started running games a few weeks after Vegas it felt good so we stuck together we made alot of team changes before Chilled Reality came to our final roster for the opener.

Insider: Twylight was the latest edition, what prompted you to pick him up?

Lilseb: Well, before we picked up Twylight it was Me, Eli, ArtofWar and Callmegod. We were doing good but Kristian and I felt like we could do so much more with a player like Twylight. When we ran games with Twylight everything was clicking and everybody was feeling good about Twylight possibly being on our team. So we picked him up.

Insider: Now you guys are being a little overlooked it seems. Everyone keeps talking about SQ and Ambush. What are your thoughts about it? Is it good to be overlooked going into an event?

Lilseb: I believe that it is good. There is no pressure to live up to someone’s hype. We just go into the opener with our heads on one thing, winning.

Insider: We’re gonna play “Rapid Fire”…. quick questions and quick answers. Best Team – Str8 or Instinct – Why?

Lilseb: Str8 They just have it all

Insider: Most underrated team?

Lilseb: Carbon

Insider: Most Overrated?

Lilseb: Ambush

Insider: Pro with the prettiest girlfriend?

Lilseb: (laughing) I don’t know….

Insider: Funniest Pro on the Circuit?

Lilseb: Eli

Insider: Loudest Pro on the circuit?

Lilseb: Mackeo

Insider:(Laughing) Last two …. Pro with the best hair?

Lilseb: Me (with a smirk)

Insider: (Still Laughing) Best looking pro? …. can’t say yourself and no it doesn’t mean you’re gay

Lilseb: (Laughing) Neighbor

Insider: That’s great… What would you like to say to CR fans?

Lilseb: I would like to say to CR fans believe in us and we will be making some upsets at Meadows

Insider: Any shout-outs before I let you go?

Lilseb: Twylight, Eli, CallMeGod and all the CR Fans Much Love

Insider: Well, thanks for your time Seb hope you enjoyed the interview.

Good luck to LilSeb and Chilled Reality.  Have a great season.

MLG Song Guy?

 Discuss this article in the forums.

Many in the community have begun to see multiple songs popping up sung by some guy playing his guitar.  They are amusing and have great lyrics.  He is slowly becoming known to many in the community as that “Funny MLG Song Guy” .    Well … we tracked him down and talked with him about how this all got stated and where he’s headed from here.  Ladies and Gentleman, we give you Bryan “MLG Song Guy” Simon.

Insider: You’re becoming known as the “MLG Song Guy”. Can you give us a little background on how it all got started?

Bryan Simon: One day at work, I was browsing the web. I saw a video of a guy playing a song about Geometry Wars. I thought it was pretty neat since I myself am obviously a musician. I decided that there was enough stuff in the Halo 3 Forums on Bungie.net to work with, so I wrote a song about all the things people talk about : Elites in Swat, BR’s not 4-shotting, Digital Ph33r, Grifball, etc. That song was popular and I had requests to write more, so that’s kind of where it has evolved from.

Insider: Let me back up just a step… Where should people go to find more of your songs?

Bryan Simon: All of my songs are on my YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/brysi. If people are more interested in downloading the mp3′s for their iPod’s or other music devices, they can be downloaded at http://bryansimon.blogspot.com

Insider: Awesome … You mentioned that you’ve had requests. How many request do you think you’ve had? What is the funniest one?

Bryan Simon: There has been a couple requests from people, mainly suggestions for song ideas. However, recently Neighbor told me that he would be forever mine if I wrote him a song. I couldn’t pass that up so I wrote something out and put it to the tune of “My Girl” by the Temptations. It turned out pretty well. I think the funniest idea someone has ever suggested would have to be “Gold Bars Make You Rich.” I mean heck, with the price of gold these days and the situation the economy is in, you might as well try to make money if you can. Even if that involves selling your Brigadier General!

Insider: Ha, Ha that’s too funny. Can you give us insight as to what you’re working on right now?

Bryan Simon: Well, I just released a song called “I Won’t Teabag On The First Date” as a Valentine’s Day special. It’s pretty funny and it’s probably my favorite musically and lyrically. I’m working on a song for Snipedown and T-Squared (part of an MLG Pro series), and I’m working on another called “Don’t Wear Recon – It Gives You Cooties.” As we all know, when ODST comes out many people will be able to unlock Recon armor. This is an attempt to stop everyone from wearing it so that people who have Recon will still feel somewhat special. I am also working on a top secret project which you’ll hopefully see on MLGPro.com very soon.

Insider: Nice… Hopefully, you will eventually have time to sneak one for MLGinsider.com in there (wink, wink)

Bryan Simon: Absolutely, I definitely enjoy songwriting and seeing how I can incorporate different people or places into the song. It is a challenge as far as rhyming and pulling together meaningful text into something that will make people smile.

Insider: Well .. My friend I must say you have the gift, it would appear. You have any intentions of making a cd for iTunes sales?

Bryan Simon: I don’t really know legally how much I’m entitled to do that. Maybe it’s not an issue, but I didn’t know if Bungie or Microsoft could sue me for it. I’ll probably just remain content with YouTube hits and this kind of exposure.

Insider: Well… You definitely seem poised to become the Adam Sandler or Wierd Al Yankovic of the Halo 3 world. Which wouldn’t be terrible company.

Bryan Simon: “You know I’m fat, I’m fat, you know it.” … “I like the white stuff, baby, in the middle of an oreo. The white stuff” … Ahh, Weird Al.

Insider: Ha ha …. exactly. Anything you would like to say to your adoring fans?

Bryan Simon: I want to thank everyone for listening to the songs. I’ve enjoyed writing them. My hopes have always been to put a smile on your face so hopefully I’ve at least accomplished that much through the voice squeaks and wrong chords.

Insider: Well… Bryan if there’s one thing I believe I can say speaking for the community it’s that we enjoy your songs and they definitely brighten the boring days at work when we all sit on youtube and watch them. Thanks for you time man.

Bryan Simon: It’s been a pleasure!

Insider: Any last shout-outs before I let you go?

Bryan Simon: I’d like to shout out to SpYdA MuNkY, Tenacious Nacho and IX ScArReD XI for being my biggest fans, Neighbor for being a great player and adding me to his F/L (brag) and to MLG Insider for this opportunity.

Insider: I’m telling you your wife you didn’t say her.

Bryan Simon: He he he … she’s a nub. I’ve tried to get her to play Halo 3, but she’d rather watch Grey’s Anatomy. So that’s fine with me…I don’t have much room in my backpack anyway!!

Insider: Ha ha … Well best of luck to you Bryan and definitely continue writing as we love to hear them.

Please check out Bryan Simon’s Songs at: http://www.youtube.com/brysi and at http://bryansimon.blogspot.com. Spread the word to all you friends so every time we see a Brigadier General or those three beautiful gold bars in matchmaking we’ll all yell “Gold Bars Make You Rich.”

1v1 wk7

This week’s winner Novak (IVovak) took his crack at Neighbor.  We were anxious to see if he could be the first in our contest to take Neighbor down.  He unfortunately wasn’t able to do so.  He lost in consecutive games 15-1 and 15-1.  This pushes Neighbor’s contest record to 7-0.  Will any of the winners beat him.  We’ll see … wink, wink.  Novak had a great time and here’s what he had to say about the experience.

Between the FFAs and 1v1s the whole time was enjoyable. I don’t really play 1v1′s, so I knew I would do terrible, but it was still pretty cool. I lost control of camo in the first game, and Neighbor pretty much dominated. I think I was only down like 1-0 three minutes into the second game and thought I might have a chance, but I fell off the map and was at -1, and knew there was no way I would win. I was picturing him sitting there laughing to himself, ha ha. Good luck to anyone else who is chosen to play, you’re gonna need it. Puckett doesn’t call him a sneaky beaver for nothing, he is all over the map and doesn’t really give you any opportunity to kill him. I’d like to say thanks to the staff at MLG Insider for giving me this opportunity, and also to Neighbor for letting me kill him a few times. Shout-outs to Martin 2 and the GoO.

Dun, dun, dun, dun duuuuhh …. Can he be beat?   Well, only time will tell.

Map Callouts

This article was made to hopefully educate those playing the MLG PLaylist and make matchmaking more fun for all of us because we can speak the same language.  We will be continually adding more maps until the resource is complete.  I undestand you may call something by a different name this is just to be basic guide feel free to change as you see fit. Thanks for your patience and enjoy.  Read more

H3 Spawn System

Respawn Areas

This article was courtesy of Devinish, Thanks!!

Probably the some of the most mystical and intriguing things about the spawn system in Halo 3 are the respawn areas. If various spawn points are placed in a respawn area, they act like a joined unit. If something happens inside of the respawn area, it will affect all of the included spawn points. This is called the spawn point’s “weight.” Weight refers to the probability that a player will spawn there. Here are the factors that contribute to a spawn point’s weight, followed by the estimated weight of each factor:

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xXx -Coach of ’08

 

With everyone talking about the new Instinct and xXx winning the 2008 Pro Choice Award for Coach of the year, we asked Joe Festinger(xXx), to sit down and talk about this season’s coaching experience.  Joe is one of the most seasoned veterans in the coaching ranks.  He is arguably the most knowledgable coach on the circuit.  Here’s what he had to say: Read more

xXx -Coach of '08

 

With everyone talking about the new Instinct and xXx winning the 2008 Pro Choice Award for Coach of the year, we asked Joe Festinger(xXx), to sit down and talk about this season’s coaching experience.  Joe is one of the most seasoned veterans in the coaching ranks.  He is arguably the most knowledgable coach on the circuit.  Here’s what he had to say: Read more

Interview w/EnVyUs

MLG Insider has the privilege of sitting down with BgR EnVyUs the 2^nd place finishers at the 2008 CoD 4 National Championships in Las Vegas. We want to know what exactly it takes to be on the pro level and what their plans are for the 09’ season.

Apollo- Most people do not think of Call of Duty being an MLG game. What makes Call of Duty different than any other games on the circuit?

EnVyUs-Call of Duty 4 is by far the most intense fastest game on the circuit with game types like domination and sabotage the speed and intensity is nonstop. Game types like search gives the spectators a chance to settle down and see high quality strats and tactics at its finest.

Apollo- What got you into gaming?

EnVyUs-We all were around the amateur to semipro status for halo and joining tournies and watching other pros be successful makes you want to be greater or equal to what they have achieved..

Apollo-Do you play any other games other than Call of Duty?

EnVyUs-At the competitive level we’re at right now, it’s hard to play other games mainly because no other game is like Call of Duty.

Apollo-Tell us a little about your BgR Sponsor ?

EnVyUs-Well we were fortunate enough to come in contact with BragGameRights (BgR) about 3-4 months ago at a local tourney at their land center in Duluth. We clicked and began talking about making BgR a household name for gaming. BgR has done more for EnVyUs than we ever could of expected and we are so grateful to have a sponsor who is not only caring about who he represents but his players as well. You can get a wide range of stuff from Games to Xbox modifications and t-shirts. Pretty much Coy Christmas and BragGameRights is the people you want to talk to when it comes to gaming or LANing and all your Xbox needs.

Apollo-How did your team come together?

EnVyUs-Through season 1 of GameBattles. 3 of us already were trying to play this game on a serious level and we came in contact with another player who was on another team and told him about our plans and goals and the rest is history.

Apollo-How do you guys prepare for matches online?

EnVyUs-No different than any other team, we just like to go over the matches by scrimming and making sure everyone is on the same page. Because in a game like this where the maps can be big you need to make sure all areas are covered,

Apollo-How does it feel to be the first seed in the first event Call of Duty has ever been at? Does it feel surreal or anything like that?

EnVyUs- Going into Vegas as the number 1 seed meant a lot to us just do to the fact we are one of many teams that has stuck together. A lot of times when a team loses the point the finger and try and put blame on someone. At EnVyUs we feel it is nobody’s fault but our own. So we try and just prepare better for the next match if possible.

Apollo-When you first began playing Call of Duty could you see yourself being a pro gamer?

EnVyus- Quite Honestly Yes. We all knew that we wanted to achieve pro “status” at a game for 2008 and Cod4 was the one we chose. We just set our minds to it and just played through all the ups and downs. Overall it has been a great experience and we cant wait to see what 09′ brings.

Apollo-What is EnVyUs’s motto or something you stand by as a team?

EnVyUs- “Not just a team, Were a Family” this is said because a lot of the times you are looked at as just online friends and what not but you spend time with these people and they become friends. We have gained close friendship with a lot of people and to be honest we are thankful.

Apollo-Why did you choose Call of Duty over the other games out there?

EnVyUs-Cod4 has such a wide range of gun skill and tactics many games out their don’t have. You need to always be on point and hit your shots because at a pro level you only get one shot to take.

Apollo-What does it take to be the best at Call of Duty?

EnVyUs-Time and Practice. Quick reactions and not to get frustrated because as an individual player you can turn your whole team around and change a game.

Apollo-Have you made any money off of online tournaments for Call of Duty?

EnVyUs-Yeah, as a team we made 20,000 in tournaments and products of the 08′ season.

Apollo-Does your team plan on going into Call of Duty: World at War?

EnVyUs- Not sure yet. We are going to go in the same direction MLG goes.

Apollo-Do you have any shout outs to give out?

EnVyUs- Big shout outs to BragGameRights and all their employees, not to mention Coy for all the support and help he has shown us this season and the next. Also Pro Statz as well as “Kill3n” for coaching us in Vegas and in the future. Halifax for being a solid teammate for the Holiday Classic Tournaments. Last but not least all of our fans and people that always support us and cheer for us.

We would like to thank MLG INSIDER and Apollo for giving us the opportunity to do this interview.  EnVyUs “Always & Forever”

Game analysis: Ace from Breaking Point

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Major League Gaming Launches MLG Gives Back

Major League Gaming Launches MLG Gives Back

 From www.mlgpro.com

While many members of our community are already involved in community service and volunteer efforts individually, all major sports leagues have corporate divisions that rally their collective impact for people who are less fortunate than so many of us. As the biggest Read more

Interview w/Mazsik – Coach of tD

We took some time with Mazsik, the coach of Triggers Down, to see his thoughts on Dallas and the upcoming Vegas.  Here’s what he had to say:

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Post Dallas – Fearitself – Interview

I love to watch Fearitself play.  He is one of the best and most consistent players in the game.  We got the opportunity to sit down with Justin after Triggers Down’s exciting win in MLG Dallas.  It was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, finals in MLG history. 

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Mackeo Interview w/MLG Insider

 We got to spend some time with the “Mack” of team Classic, Mr. Mackeo.  He has had quite an interesting ride this season. So we wanted to get his perspective of how things are shaking out this season.

Insider: Let’s start with the question that is on most people’s mind.  Why did you leave Triggers Down?

 

Mackeo: I think I was the captain on Instinct and all my past teams b/c I have always been tremendously respected by my teammates in the past, on tD that was not the case.  My reputation was took a big hit from teaming with tD.  I truly feel it wasn’t my responsibility for our placing b/c it a team game. I’m looking at the rest of the season as a reproving period for myself and I think that although I won’t be the captain of team Classic, I will still be very respected.

Insider: We know you and Victory X play very well together.  How have thing meshed with Ant and Soldier?

Mackeo: We really haven’t played much together so far, but the thing like about this team is I think its a team very much like Instinct.  They might now always make the best decisions, but they rely and have faith in their teammates and they will make the right play to recover from it.  The number one thing we are working on is rushing as a team.

Insider: Where do you see Classic finishing in Dallas?

Mackeo: 3-5 as long as we’re playing fairly well.

Insider: Who to you see getting the 8th spot in Dallas and who’s your biggest competition?

Mackeo:  I think that Legendz will get the 8th spot in Dallas.  I think the most crucial match up for us is the RD1 match-up with Instinct.  If we beat Instinct we’d have a shot at Str8, but we wouldn’t be counting on it. Then we would face Carbon for top 4, instead of Legendz then FB for top 4.  I’d say top three is our goal in Dallas, but I’d be happy with top 4.

Insider: That would really build confidence for you guys going into Vegas.

Mackeo: Yeah, I think that confidence is going to be key for us, but we have a pretty bad bracket for Dallas so we are just hoping to make the best of it.

Insider: You’ve been playing since Halo 2.  How much Longer do you see yourself playing, a year, 2 years, 5 years?

Mackeo: Basically, as long as I’m on top.  I have fun with it and the money is nice.  I mean as long as I’m able to attend college while playing it’s a pretty good thing I think.

Insider: What is your favorite memory from Halo 2? 

Mackeo: Without a doubt, beating the undefeated Carbon 3-0 at the 2007 opener with my new team “The Agency”.

Insider: Halo 3?

Mackeo: When my longtime friend Victory left me for the first time and then we beat them in the LB finals in San Diego for my first ever top 2 finish.

Insider: What do you think about the number of transactions that have happened this season?

Mackeo: I’m not really a fan of them and I think it’s bad for the league. Last year there was like one big transaction last year and this year it’s been non-stop. What happened with me and Final Boss should never happen to a player.

Insider: What did happen?

Mackeo: Long story, short, they told me that they really wanted me and got me to leave my team, which I really didn’t want to do.  I was really good friends with my team and thought that we were the best team if we played to our potential. After leaving my higher placing team they boot me off and I’m left team-less.

Insider: What went through your head?

Mackeo: I was like this can’t be happening, this shouldn’t be allowed to happen. 

Insider: How did you end up joining Triggers Down?

Mackeo: They needed a 4th and I needed a team.  I really wanted to prove myself, but it seemed like tD’s heart wasn’t in it in Toronto.  I kinda got discouraged, but we did place pretty decent in Toronto though.

Insider: So did you feel blamed for Toronto?

Mackeo: No, I don’t feel like tD blamed me for the loss, it was more of the community .  From their POV tD just won and was the hottest team out there.  From our POV we didn’t practice hard and it seemed like no one cared.  TD is full of great players. it just appeared they weren’t motivated in Toronto. The reason I applied for free agency was b/c I’d be wrecking and never even get a “good job” or any respect.  Then we’d somehow start to lose and they’d make it look like it was my fault.  It  was a mixture of me being super motivated and them not being motivated.

Insider: How did you end up with Classic?

Mackeo: Well, we lanned with Classic before Toronto and they were great at communicating and gave me the respect I deserved.  I’ve always been good friends with Soldier, Ant and obviously Victory.  I wanted to be with a team that appreciated me and would be motivated with me on it.

Insider: Well we’ve definitely come full circle now.  Any shout-outs or final words for your fans before I let you go?

Mackeo: Expect to see the duo return! 

 

 

 

 

There you have it.  You can see that Mackeo if very motivated to redeem himself and prove that he wasn’t the reason Triggers Down placed poorly in Toronto.  This should be a great tournament to watch in Dallas.

Shockwave Interview w/MLG Insider

 MLG Insider recently sat down with one of the Halo grandfathers in Shockwave.  This guy’s has been around for a while and still can play with the best of them.  He is the Captain of team Carbon and they have set their sights on redemption in Dallas.

 Insider: What were your thoughts coming into Halo 3?  You guys ended the last couple years of Halo 2 playing really well.

Shockwave: I was pretty excited going into halo 3.  The only real bad part was that almost everyone got a 3 or 4 month head start on us b/c we needed to practice for the final event of 2007 in halo 2.

 Insider: I never thought of that.

Shockwave: Yeah, it was pretty annoying playing against people who had been playing for the last few months, especially since I didn’t bother with it.  I wanted to win the National Championship in Halo 2.  So Halo 3 was the last thing I wanted to play.  The game itself is fun, although I didn’t enjoy the default settings.  I remember being one of the first people to change the damage modifier and speed to 110%.

Insider: What was the deal with Scott (Ghandi)? I know he wasn’t practicing a lot b/c of school, but was there anything else?

Shockwave: There were a lot of personal issues.  He did not have the best practicing schedule, but over time it felt almost as there was a gap forming between him and the rest of the team.  One of the most important things for a team is team compatibility, and we lost that.

Insider: Why did you guys choose Carlos?

Shockwave: We had been friends with Carlos for almost 3 years. Ghost and Anarchy are best friends and he always hung out with us at the tournaments. So when Ghandi couldn’t practice, Carlos generally subbed for him.  After San Diego we just couldn’t deal with it anymore and when Ghandi was dropped Carlos was our ideal choice.

Insider: A lot of people were surprised by that decision. What would you say to those people?

Shockwave: Carlos has proven he is a talented player that can compete at top level, given as he was on Str8 Rippin in Halo 2.  Unfortunately, he has had poor performances in his last two tournaments.  The only thing I can say is that he is still on our team and we still have confidence in him.

Insider: He seems to just be playing too safe and not really relaxing and enjoying the competition.

Shockwave: He hasn’t played like himself at a competition yet.  As soon as he finds his comfort zone, which he believes he found on Sunday in Toronto, he will be a force.

Insider: Looking into Dallas, what specifically are you working on?

Shockwave: I think the major thing for our team is not necessarily practice. We have practiced enough and we know how to play against and beat good teams.  It’s just going to come down to performance at the tournament. We obviously will be working on our teamwork, strategies and our shots, but the next step is for us to perform like we can at a tournament.

Insider: Ben seems to be really down on himself now.  He is incredibly talented and one of the best when he’s on.  Have you guys spoken about him just relaxing and going after it like he did last year?

Shockwave: Ben only gets down on himself after tournaments.  During the time between tournaments he is usually relaxed and focused, but after two 7^th place finishes, he knows we could have done better and that is why he is down.

Insider: Well, what are your predictions for Dallas?  Who gets the 8^th spot and how does the top 8 shake out?

Shockwave: I think either Legendz or Antigravity will get it, both have talented players.  Within the top 8 it will be another crazy tournament and I don’t even want to try and predict it.

Insider: How are things between you and Scott (Ghandi)?

Shockwave: The split was not on very good terms.  We don’t talk and we basically ignore each other. Hopefully, one day we’ll forgive each other.

Insider: Who is your toughest competition?

Shockwave: I don’t think there’s a toughest competition.  Each team is unique in how they play Halo 3, and each brings their own challenges.  Obviously, Str8 has proven to be a top team, along with Instinct and FB.  Depending on who tD picks up they should be extremely good too. Classic can turn it on at any moment, and Ambush has very nice teamwork.  Each team will be a challenge.

Insider: Any shout outs you want to give or final words for Carbon fans?

Shockwave:  Thanks to everyone who has supported us this year.  We really appreciate it, probably more than you think.

Thanks to Chris for taking the time to talk about what’s going on inside Carbon.  We wish Chris and Carbon the best of luck in Dallas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Heinz from Ambush

We took some time to catch up with Heinz from the up and coming team Ambush. We got his thoughts on Toronto and the upcoming Dallas playoffs. Here what he had to say.
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