vVv’s First Halo teams

If you have read Apollo’s interview with vVv Gaming’s Lord Jerith, founder and owner of vVv Gaming, you know who and what they are about, and a few things kept them from picking up a Halo team. But you read right. They have!

If you have not heard or researched exactly what they are about and maybe thinking, “Aren’t they just another one of those Gears of War Sponsors?”

I want to let you know that they are not just some Gears sponsor, but much more.

Let me start off with a few words from Lord Jerith himself, “vVv Gaming emerged onto the competitive circuit in 2007 with its explosive Gears of War team, vVv Vision.”

With a start like this they seemed to help set a standard for Gears of War players from there on out. vVv is one of the most sought out sponsors for all games on the MLG circuit. They really only ever stayed with Gears because of MLG’s infamous “Rule #8.”

This rules 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.”

This rule really only conflicts with Halo 3 teams on a regular basis, but if anyone goes on main stage they need to follow this rule.

Along with Gears of War they also sponsor a wide range of players and teams from all different games. Feel free to check out their site at www.vvv-gaming.com. With gears and all other games included in the sponsorship line up, vVv Gaming is now sponsoring the Halo 3 teams, Take Respect and Afternoon Delight.

On vVv’s site, Take Respect has their own team page and there is no site of one for Afternoon Delight, but when I attended MLG Orlando 2010 this past weekend, I saw Afternoon Delight sporting vVv t-shirts and colors.

With these two teams scoring vVv sponsorships and earning the right to represent vVv Gaming, I would like to wish both Take Respect and Afternoon Delight the best of luck. Expect an interview with Take Respect coming soon!

2010 Details Breakdown

So, today MLG announced the first details of the 2010 season. I’m going to break it down so you don’t have to run and read word by word.

-Two events so far Orlando April 16-18, Columbus June 4-6….Only going to be four(4) events in the regular season, and the National Championship.
-First Online Qualifier will be for Columbus
-New Games Alright…So am i the only one pumped for this? For once MLG is doing something diffrent. Thats right Folks, Tekken 6 for the PS3…You read it right. The PS3. This will be the first PS3 Game ever on the curcuit. Also Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii will be joining the curcuit. We’ve seen SSBB before on side events, but nothing on the main circuit. Details have yet to be announced about number of players that can register for both, but yeah, we’ll see. Also this leads to a good questions of, how many people will attend for Tekken, i was checking out the gamebattles ladder and there are very few teams there. This leads to the problem that MLG will be stealing fans away from World Cyber Games(WCG) which has tekken on its circuit.
- MLG announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be the flagship Online Circuit game because “game’s lack of LAN lobby proved an insurmountable obstacle to our running a large-scale live competition that meets our standards” Hmm….Wonder when they decided this?
-They also hint at a “PC Revolution” that is happening in Columbus. My predictions: World of Warcraft, maybe StarCraft II? There are about 100 different options for this?
-Also, Where’s the Gears gone? With GoW gone, there will be less people there, but there could be potential for more Halo teams. I’m sorry to see this game go.

So yeah, MLG gave out a lot of information, but nothing that we really couldn’t figure out for ourselves, they just are confirming what Insider here told you during the last Orlando event. So for once, i’m going to end like them. More Info to come!

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!

Orlando Off With A Bang

The Major League Gaming 2010 championships are off and running. With the biggest crowd ever at a National Championship Event it should be a great weekend.

The first order of business was to announce the Stride Championship Player of the Year.   This year’s player is one of the most exciting players in MLG history.  Congratulations to Naded for a great season.  He has really found his stride(no pun intended) with Carbon.  As the number 4 seed they are gonna try an turn some heads in Orlando.

Also congratulations are in order for Tizoxic and Skyllus as they are they 2009 Old Spice Rising Star award winners for Halo 3 and Gears of War.

Allstar Classic wrap-up:

In Halo 3, the West Finally won their first Allstar Classic lead by strong performances all around. The Overall series in 6-1 in favor of the East.  In Gears of War they made it a clean sweep of the Allstar Classic with the West winning in a strong fashion.
A few side notes:

Players to watch for on Saturday-

1. Neighbor – He is playing better than I seen before and seems to have finally developed the chemistry with the twins that they have been lacking.
2. Elamite Warrior – Kyle is playing like the Elamite that helped lead Str8 to last years title.
3. Hysteria – Is playing very consistent and at a very high level
4. Walshy – Dave seems to have found his groove in Halo 3.  He is playing at a very elite level and if he gets hot might be able to carry Carbon to the finals

Studs flying below the Radar:

1. Defy – Looks great and is very underrated
2. SK – Is on the top ranked team but consistently gets over looked
3. Cloud/Demon D – These guys still get no respect

Need to know

1. Final Boss’s replacement of Sypher last week will be a huge questions mark.  If Sypher meshes quickly they can be great.  Let’s not forget Sypher was an anchor of consistency for that BtH team that finished third in Meadowlands.
2. Status Quo – Has reportedly looked very good in their LANs and they have something to prove.
3. Only three teams have beaten every other team this season and they are Str8 Rippin, Triggers Down and Believe the Hype.

Well, enjoy the weekend and be sure to check back for more analysis of the weekend.

Gears Of War Pro Rosters

*updated 1/2/10

Gears of War Pro Rosters:

1 THE NSAN3Z : KILLA , NICKMERCS , PREDATOR , Pris0n – 14650
2 MbN: The Business : ZKilla, Jae, Prospect, Cubano – 13290
3 AmazYn : Arctic, Calinorth, Orange, Skyllus – 12920
4 LeGaCy : JRibs, P Dot, Terror, Mephisto – 11470
5 Raw Talent : Spawn, Cream, Deadly, Xcel – 9250
6 Infinity : ATMOSF3AR , GENETIX , GoD6o3 , RAIN – 8080
7 Get Bronco : FALLOUT , Dpoints , Cinellz , Affinity – 7740
8 Simply UnderRated : Monk, Leon, Enmity, Uzzi – 6760
9 Death Wish : Procision, Mindtricks, Carlos, Blaze – 6320
10 Less Than Zero : Genesis, Crimbo, Wildebeast, Vishouz – 6200
11 vVv Vision : EtE , WINGOS , EVADE , KRIM – 5940
12 TakeDowN : Strep , cbfmonkey , iKnockK , xPoseidoNx – 4680
13 Riot Boyz : Dly , overkill , phazurr , Shredda – 4160
14 No Name Noobs : Stackz, Newnez, Plushi, Codine – 3248
15 eXplicity : Shadow , Wiese , B52Warrior , MainEvent – 2370
16 Synergy : StranGulate , NumsKull , inhale , Bobbyrice

MLGInsider looking for CoD and GoW Writers!

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

MLG Anaheim Wrap up

In case you have been living under a rock for the past few days and missed MLG Anahiem.  I’m going break down the final results of the weekend.  Lets start off with the flagship, Halo 3.

First off i would like to congratulate and give an honorable mention to team Power.  Power is a team from Europe who flew 14 hours to attend MLG Anaheim.  Jet lag and all else behind them, they stepped up to play against some of the very best in the world, and proved they could.  After getting knocked into the losers bracket the first round, Power fought through the losers bracket, going on a rampage, and ended up getting to the 5th round losers in the Championship bracket.  They finished the night in 19th place, a mere 3 spots short of being the first European team to ever place pro.  Could this be the start of seeing some rising players from Europe?  Maybe it is time that MLG starts thinking about an international event.

The championship round was played between Triggers Down and Str8 Rippin.  Str8 fought long and hard to get there, they played some of the best Halo I have seen in a while.  Knocking out teams like Carbon and a surprising Dynasty, two teams which seemed to give Str8 some problems.  TD and Str8 went into the series 3-2 with TD already in the lead.   A few games later the series was set at 5-4 with TD still in the lead.  With the wall being at Str8′s back they pushed hard and managed to get a 50-49 win over TD on Team Slayer on Construct.  This sent the series into Game 11.  Str8 fought hard but could not stop the reigning champs, finishing off the series with a 50-41 Amplifed Slayer Triggers Down Victory.  This makes Triggers Down the first Halo 3 team to win back to back Halo 3 events.  Can they do it again in Orlando? There is a lot of time, between now and then.  Can another team rise to the challenge and defeat them?  Only time will tell.

Congratulations to Power as well as our H3 Anaheim Champs Triggers Down!

Gears of War 2:

THE NSAN3Z, fresh off their recent roster addition of Prison, at first seemed to have some problems.  In the winners bracket finals THE NSAN3Z showed us a more aggressive side than we are use to and took Amayzn by storm.  Team Get Bronco, stormed through the losers bracket to face the THE NSAN3Z in the Championship round.  Get Bronco began to get desprate and managed to pull it togeather to win 2 games.  But in the end it was not enough. THE NSAN3Z came out on top.

Congratulations to THE NSAN3Z our GoW2 Anaheim Champs!

Call of Duty 4:

This is perhaps the last ever Call of Duty 4 National Championships and we were not disappointed.  With Envy Us knocking Fear out of the tournament, they moved on to play Xtravagent Icons in the Championship finals.  These finals contained everything from trash talk, to random people joining games, to Puckett calling a capture point a spawn point before catching himself.  It was a good series of games.  Going into the match Envy Us was down 3 games to 0 from their earlier loss to Xtravagant in the winners bracket.   Envy Us rallied in their first 3 games to tie it.  However Xtravagent rallied right back and won the next 3 games, ending the series with a 6-3 win.

Rainbow 6 Vegas 2:

Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 did not suprise anyone with fan favored Rage coming in first.

Congratulations to Rage our R6V2 National Champs!

World of Warcraft:

Congratulations to Button Mashers our MLG Anaheim World of Warcraft 3v3 Champs!

MLG announces MLG Orlando

MLG has finally announced officially that the 5th and final Major League Gaming Event will be in Orlando, Flordia on January 8 through the 10th.  But we already told you that.  MLG has also announced that Orlando will be an open event for Halo 3 and Gears of War 2.  Which means get your teams together and get ready for another event!  This is a very questionable move.  They have more or less removed a total National Championship event like in the past.  With Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and Call of Duty 4 being in Anaheim, and the Halo 3, Gears of War 2, and World of Warcraft being in Orlando.

Along with the FPS’s and Warcraft there is also a expanded EA Sports Challange which will feature Madden 10, NBA Live 10, and Fight Night Round 4. Which will offer more than $380,000 in prize money will be awarded over the course of the weekend.  This brings a few questions to mind.  Is this foreshadowing the possibility of an edition of another console to the circuit?  Or another one is, Will we see a new game on the circuit next year?  Maybe something other than a FPS?  Or even, with MLG aquireing a gaming company, and all their new sponsors….Could this possibly be the beginning of a Major League Gaming Video Game?  Only time will tell.

Dallas Wrap Up

Dallas was an event full of firsts and surprises! From the number 1 Halo 3 team Str8 Rippin being knocked out early and MLG having a madden side event, Dallas sure was entertaining.

Here are the placings for Halo 3, Gears of War 2, and World of Warcraft.

Halo 3.

1. Triggers Down

2. Carbon

3. Instinct

4. Str8 Rippin

5. Final Boss

6. Classic

7.  Under the Influence

8. Dynasty

The Winner of the Madden Challenge was  Jat Steele.

In second place was Problem.

Third place was taken by Derwi

Fourth place was Chow.

Gears of War 2:

1. Amayzn

2. MbN: The Business

3.  vVv Less than Zero

4. pT Retaliation

World of Warcraft:

1. eMg

2. X6tense

3. Complexity

Dallas Qualifier Update 3

With Dallas only a few weeks away, the Qualifier is slowly winding down.  Round 4 was played just a few days ago.

Halo 3:

In round four 1^st place Perfect Evolution defeated 12^th place Limelight and now moves on to play in round 5.

Also in Round 4, 3^rd place H! Voltage played against 18^th VzR and came out the victor and moves to play Perfect Evolution in the finals of the Winners Bracket for a chance to move into the Champions bracket.

In the losers bracket 23^rd place Divine Wind defeated 11^th place Autolaim and moves on to play 18^th place VzR in round 6.

Also 5^th place o0 Paradox 0o  defeated 7^th place OpTima and moves on to play 12^th place LimeLight in round 6.

Gears of War 2

In Round 4, 16^th place Crossfire 09 played 5^th e2k Composure, there is no score reported on this game yet.

Also 19^th place Delirium lost to 10^th place Annoy, Annoy now moves on to play the winner of the Crossfire and Composure game.

In Round 6 of the losers bracket Delirium will play either 29^th place FeaR or 26^th place Next Level.

Magnitude MgN will either place Crossfire 09 or e2K Composure.

GoW2 guys are slacking a bit…I’ve had a heathy respect for them when in the Columbus qualifier the top teams knocked out like 100 games a piece.  Slacking guys step it up.

MLG Announces MLG Anaheim

MLG finally has announced the 4th landing spot on the pro circuit.  It is officially Anaheim, California (which we reported in early July after some thorough investigating)

Taken directly from MLGpro:
Major League Gaming is proud to announce that the fourth stop of the 2009 Pro Circuit will take place in Anaheim, CA on November 6-8. The MLG Pro Circuit will feature top notch competition in Halo 3, Gears of War 2, and World of Warcraft, while the EA SPORTS Challenge will see top players duke it out in Madden 10, NBA Live 10, and Fight Night Round 4. There will also be a slew of spectator activities and events for fans of all ages.

MLG Anaheim
November 6-8
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Anaheim, CA 92802

MLG Anaheim is sure to be another exciting event, and passes will go fast. The only way to guarantee your spot at a pass for the Pro Circuit Competition at MLG Anaheim is to compete in the Online Qualifiers. The larger benefit of these qualifiers is that teams finishing in the Top 64 spots will earn ranking points which will help to improve their seeding at the Live Competitions.  As stated above, qualifiers serve as an opportunity to purchase a reserved Competition Pass for Anaheim (which as we all know…sell out in minutes). Registration for the Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 Online Qualifiers begins August 17th.

The MLG Pro Circuit is a spectacle that every fan should have a chance to witness.  Be sure to travel out to to Anaheim Live Competition and be a part of the madness and excitement which includes meeting the top Pro’s in the world. There are plenty of awesome spectator activities driven by the great sponsors with gameplay and activities for all (including prizes and opportunities to play the Pro’s).  Finally, the addition of the new competitions bring in more games in multiple platforms.  Learn more about being a Spectator.

MLG Anaheim will play host to the second event of the EA SPORTS Challenge. Top players in Madden 2010, NBA Live 2010, and Fight Night Round 4 will show off their skills as they play for huge prizes. Don’t miss out on all of the exciting action!

Dallas Qualifier Update 2

We are back with another Dallas Qualifier Update for Halo and Gears of War 2.

1st-Perfect_Evolution-  They are 14 and 2 on the ladder and are on a 9 match winning streak.

Their roster consists of: DuaIDEADZOMBIE, I LionH3art I, kpii, and o afyk o.

2nd-Amateur Hour-  They are 10 and 2 on the gamebattles ladder and are on a 10 game winning streak.  With their only 2 losses being to Global Popularity and -Rise Above.

Their roster consists of: AnnoyedCustomer, icemayyyne, stigmative rawr and The uUnforgiven.

3rd-H! Voltage- In second we have H! Voltage, they are 12 and 3 in the qualifier, with their only two losses being to Above the Law and Catching Fire at Dallas.

Their roster consists of: hV GlocKomA, hV Golden, hV HooZ and, hv lemonade.

4th-Above the Law-In third we have Above the Law, they hold a perfect record of 7 and 0.  Therefore they are on a 7 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: EEOR, MLG Mailbox, My Cure, and VyRiZz.

5th-o0ParadoX 0o-In fifth we have ParadoX, they are 9 and 2 on the ladder.

Their roster consists of: IDirr T, Krakiin,  NtG is InSane,  and zParanoia.

Gears of War 2:

1st-bT Retribution-In first we have Retribution, they are 16 and 1 with their only loss being to Volatile DL.  They are on a 13 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: LiiTeMaRe, Serphew, vXc ChuBZeRo, and XternaI.

2nd-[SPiRiT] F3-Gameaccess.ca- In 3rd we have GameAccess, they are 16 and 4 on the qualifier.

Their roster consists of: B 1 R DxM A N, F3 Will Care, MortaL Is F3, and SupRstaR o9.

3rd- TsC UpRise- In second we have TsC UpRise, they are 15 and 2 on the qualifier with their only loss being to e2K Composure.  They are on a 12 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: SkinZMercs, TriviuhM, WhiiTeKnighT and YounG Tack.

4th-Reality-In 4th we have Reality,  they are 14 and 3 on the ladder.

Their roster consists of: CarSoNz,  MJMeRCs, OveRate,  and Ruhverse.

5th-[e2k] Composure- In 4th we have e2k Composure, they are 11 and 2 in the qualifier.

Their roster consists of: Decryptic, iPabIo, SuPeR Ma77o, and WyIder.

Dallas Qualifier Update 1

With Dallas just over a month away, teams are working hard to get into the top spot on the gamebattles ladder.

Lets start off with the H3 ladder

1st-Perfect_Evolution-They are 11-2 in the qualifier, with their only two losses being to Catching Fire at Dallas and OpTima.  They are also on a 6 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: DuaIDEADZOMBIE, I LionH3art I, kpii, and o afyk o.

2nd-H! Voltage- In second we have H! Voltage, they are 10 and 2 in the qualifier, with their only two losses being to Above the Law and Catching Fire at Dallas.  They are also on a 5 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: hV GlocKomA, hV Golden, hV HooZ and, hv lemonade.

3rd-Above the Law-In third we have Above the Law, they hold a perfect record of 7 and 0.  Therefore they are on a 7 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: EEOR, MLG Mailbox, My Cure, and VyRiZz.

4th-OpTima- In fourth we have OpTima.  They are 5 and 2 in the qualifier, with their loses being to Underated 09, and Nothing Personal.

Their roster consists of: CHA0t1C AzN, Humanoidd, IInSaYnE and jokers w1ld.

5th-Catching fire at Dallas-In fifth we have Catching fire at Dallas.  They are 4 and 1 in the qualifier, they only have 2 people on their roster and seem to be looking for two.

Their roster consists of: assassin is cF and Pappacat is cF.

With only 1 game seperating the first 2 spots, who will be on top?  Its going to be interesting.

Now for some Gears of War 2

1st-bT Retribution-In first we have Retribution, they are 16 and 1 with their only loss being to Volatile DL.  They are on a 13 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: LiiTeMaRe, Serphew, vXc ChuBZeRo, and XternaI.

2nd-TsC UpRise- In second we have TsC UpRise, they are 15 and 1 on the qualifier with their only loss being to e2K Composure.  They are on a 12 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: SkinZMercs, TriviuhM, WhiiTeKnighT and YounG Tack.

3rd-[SPiRiT] F3-Gameaccess.ca- In 3rd we have GameAccess, they are 16 and 4 on the qualifier.

Their roster consists of: B 1 R DxM A N, F3 Will Care, MortaL Is F3, and SupRstaR o9.

4th-[e2k] Composure- In 4th we have e2k Composure, they are 11 and 2 in the qualifier.

Their roster consists of: Decryptic, iPabIo, SuPeR Ma77o, and WyIder.

5th-Introductions- In fifth we have Introductions.  They are 6 and 2 in the qualifer.

Their roster consists of: CarSoNz, MJMeRCs, OveRate and Ruhverse.

With the play off starting on the 19th the ladder is starting to heat up in a frenzy to grab a play off spot, who will come out on top?

Joe Pennacchio and SummerLAN

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe: It should be right at 30.

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

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

Insider: What about the Walshy for Ghost change?

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

Insider: What about Karma going to HaE for Hokum?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe: Thank you very much.

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

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

Insider: Any chance for a 4 team LAN giveaway?

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

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

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.

Columbus Update #1

As Columbus draws near teams are working hard to get a better rank in the Columbus online qualifier. Will one of these teams be the next semi-pro team like the Meadowlands winners Feel The Hype? Only time will tell, lets look at the top teams in the ladders.

Halo 3:

1. Hydra – In first place we have Hydra. Hydra is proving to be a formidable force. They are in first place with an amazing 18-0 record. They have defeated some decent teams in the rise to the top and are planning to keep going.
Roster: v RaBBiT v, OMG ITz Rambo69, GARB0 1, DeezaL Ehhh
2. XseSiVE- In second place we have XseSiVE, they also are proving to be a team to watch, they also have an 18-0 record and are actually tied for first place. They deffinalty have some talent and have defeated some good teams.
Roster: FONZO is APT, iReZzo, LLMeaJordan, oKrazed
3. 4-Deep – In third we have 4-Deep. They hold a record of 12-2 and are working hard to get out of third place. They are on a 8 game winning streak and don’t plan on stopping any time soon.
Roster: FD SavioR, IINoMercy, IVIeIo, Publicy
4. Kasper n Friends – In fourth we have Kasper n Friends. This team has worked hard and has earned their spot in fourth. With a record of 7-1 they only lost their first game and have won 7 games straight. With a little determination this team could be a force to reckon with.
Roster: be flawless, Bmw wmmmmmmm, Kasperrr, Mult0
5. Clown Shoes – In fifth we have a team who say they are not x-box live kids, but they seem to be able to perform well enough to have a record of 10-8 and are on a 6 game winning streak.

Gears of War 2:
Allow me first to say that these Gears of War kids are extreamly motivated.

1. Highest- In first we have Highest, they are currently in first place with a 12 game winning streak and a record of 48-9.
Roster: Dto Dreadful, Dto SticK, Dto Terrible, InsannitY
2. Less-Than-Zero- In second we have Less than Zero, they are in second place with a record of 37-4 and are currently on a 10 game win streak
Roster: CriMBo sLiCe, GhosttSniperr, LtZ Resistince, LtZ Wildebeast
3. Envious- In third we have a team with a 19-0 record and of course on a 19 game win streak. They have not played as much as the rest of the teams, but that 19 game win streak puts them up with the best.
Roster: FlNest, RaIph E, SK1LLSHOT, Xcells
4. LiQuiD ZeRo – In fourth we have Liquid Zero who has a record of 16-4 and is the only team in the top 5 without a winning streak.
Roster: inhaL3, SuprRemecy, xCounTeR, xDukeSkillz
5. Impulse- In fifth we have Impulse, they currently have a record of 13-2 and are on a 6 game winning streak.
Roster: ASCEND slyfox, i2kit iz2CluTcH, Im Broody, KnockKD

“The New Spectator Experience”

Let me be the first to admit that when I got the news about the “New Spectator Experience Fee,” I was not the happiest of gamers.  After attending nearly every event since 07, I was trying to figure out what they could really add for me to justify paying a spectator fee.  To be completely honest, had they always charged for it, I would have never thought twice about it.  Every event I have been to as a fan, player, or crew has been worth much more than $20. So after pouting and complaining to my FL, I decided to “Shut It Up” until after Meadows. So I did that and now I get to break it down exactly as MLG presented it and give my opinion and see who cares….

MLG says:  ”Witness the biggest and best gaming competition in the world”

My Take:  Well, for me, this is a gimme…who else runs a tournament like MLG?  Biggest  [Yes]  Best Gaming Competition  [Uh Yeah]

Worth paying the spectator fee? … I don’t know.  I will say that there were more “featured” stations with overhead TV’s and it always seemed like a Pro team was playing there, or on Main Stage, or at the Dr. Pepper booth (I think you get the point).  I must say,  it’s always been worth much more than $20 for me, so I guess I would just say “thanks for the 2 free years MLG.”

Worth the increase? I had to contemplate free in this, but after reading the paragraph, the answer is; YES, that it was easily worth a $20 increase

MLG says: “Spectators can get their name out as individual competitors in the Halo 3 FFA and Gears of War 2 Wingman Competitions”

My Take: MLG had a crazy sick setup for Gamebattles.  I think it was 16 stations laid out and mounted pretty sick.  I didn’t keep up with this competition too much

Worth the increase? Too early to tell…there’s still a tournament so we’ll see when it’s over

MLG says: “Interact with MLG’s Pro Players, Win Prizes and Get Free Stuff!”

I SaY:  In regards to the prizes and free stuff…whatever; but for the Interact with Pro’s: It Wuzzz Sick!!!  Pro’s were everywhere and all weekend!  The new schedule kept them in the venue pretty much every hour for all 3 days and you could see a Pro team playing at every moment of the weekend.  T2 was signing autographs, Walshy was taking pictures, Strongside, Totz, Ace, and Flamesword were dropping bombs of Kewl free gear with the “Status Quo” logo, Snipedown taking “pretty boy” mug shots with the fans, Legit, Elamite, sK, FearitSelf, Neighbor, Hysteria, Roy, Lunchbox, Ogre’s, and I could literally go on for hours. I easily saw a pro every 5 minutes.  For the Puckett fans … Yes, he was out there shooting “Puckett Rockets” with the crowd frequently.

Worth the increase? YES, ABSOLUTELY, NO DOUBT, WITHOUT QUESTION …Yup

MLG says: “Get the VIP Treatment by Becoming an MLG High Roller!”

I SaY: I didn’t see it, didn’t hear anything about it, and don’t care.  For me, MLG is about watching the Greatest gamers compete.  Getting a chance to meet them and talk is just cake.  Really, how many times do people really get to openly meet the greatest competitors in a sport?  Golf, rarely…NFL, rarely, etc, etc, etc… At the end of the day I just don’t care about this addition.  In fact for Columbus, lets do addition by subtraction and eliminate this.  Maybe I’m just bitter because I didn’t win, who knows?

Worth the increase? Nope

Final Thoughts: What sealed the deal for me?  It was on Sunday, when I look over and see fans playing on the stations and MLG had not taken them down early.  Dude, any gamer who goes to a MLG event and gets to “free play LAN” even for a few games has to agree that it’s worth it.  That alone is worth the $20.  I have not even mentioned Astro’s new fancy booth or the NEW Dr. Pepper MONSTROSITY of a setup.  They revamped this offseason and came back again with free Dr. Pepper (love the new Cherry) and BIGGER IDEAS.  2 stations with MLG Dubs (with a rumored 17 straight V’s by Seige), 8 stations for 4v4, some open play but ALOT of PRO SCRIMS, and some of the best looking can openers around.  Astro was Rockin a New Look with their new station equipped with a 4 station FFA loaded with Astro Headsets (Sw33t).  Props to Ball Park for free Hot dogs and Stride for the shirts and gum, all of whom added to the whole thing.  So a shout out to those sponsors and the others, but those are the one’s that stuck out to me.

"The New Spectator Experience"

Let me be the first to admit that when I got the news about the “New Spectator Experience Fee,” I was not the happiest of gamers.  After attending nearly every event since 07, I was trying to figure out what they could really add for me to justify paying a spectator fee.  To be completely honest, had they always charged for it, I would have never thought twice about it.  Every event I have been to as a fan, player, or crew has been worth much more than $20. So after pouting and complaining to my FL, I decided to “Shut It Up” until after Meadows. So I did that and now I get to break it down exactly as MLG presented it and give my opinion and see who cares….

MLG says:  ”Witness the biggest and best gaming competition in the world”

My Take:  Well, for me, this is a gimme…who else runs a tournament like MLG?  Biggest  [Yes]  Best Gaming Competition  [Uh Yeah]

Worth paying the spectator fee? … I don’t know.  I will say that there were more “featured” stations with overhead TV’s and it always seemed like a Pro team was playing there, or on Main Stage, or at the Dr. Pepper booth (I think you get the point).  I must say,  it’s always been worth much more than $20 for me, so I guess I would just say “thanks for the 2 free years MLG.”

Worth the increase? I had to contemplate free in this, but after reading the paragraph, the answer is; YES, that it was easily worth a $20 increase

MLG says: “Spectators can get their name out as individual competitors in the Halo 3 FFA and Gears of War 2 Wingman Competitions”

My Take: MLG had a crazy sick setup for Gamebattles.  I think it was 16 stations laid out and mounted pretty sick.  I didn’t keep up with this competition too much

Worth the increase? Too early to tell…there’s still a tournament so we’ll see when it’s over

MLG says: “Interact with MLG’s Pro Players, Win Prizes and Get Free Stuff!”

I SaY:  In regards to the prizes and free stuff…whatever; but for the Interact with Pro’s: It Wuzzz Sick!!!  Pro’s were everywhere and all weekend!  The new schedule kept them in the venue pretty much every hour for all 3 days and you could see a Pro team playing at every moment of the weekend.  T2 was signing autographs, Walshy was taking pictures, Strongside, Totz, Ace, and Flamesword were dropping bombs of Kewl free gear with the “Status Quo” logo, Snipedown taking “pretty boy” mug shots with the fans, Legit, Elamite, sK, FearitSelf, Neighbor, Hysteria, Roy, Lunchbox, Ogre’s, and I could literally go on for hours. I easily saw a pro every 5 minutes.  For the Puckett fans … Yes, he was out there shooting “Puckett Rockets” with the crowd frequently.

Worth the increase? YES, ABSOLUTELY, NO DOUBT, WITHOUT QUESTION …Yup

MLG says: “Get the VIP Treatment by Becoming an MLG High Roller!”

I SaY: I didn’t see it, didn’t hear anything about it, and don’t care.  For me, MLG is about watching the Greatest gamers compete.  Getting a chance to meet them and talk is just cake.  Really, how many times do people really get to openly meet the greatest competitors in a sport?  Golf, rarely…NFL, rarely, etc, etc, etc… At the end of the day I just don’t care about this addition.  In fact for Columbus, lets do addition by subtraction and eliminate this.  Maybe I’m just bitter because I didn’t win, who knows?

Worth the increase? Nope

Final Thoughts: What sealed the deal for me?  It was on Sunday, when I look over and see fans playing on the stations and MLG had not taken them down early.  Dude, any gamer who goes to a MLG event and gets to “free play LAN” even for a few games has to agree that it’s worth it.  That alone is worth the $20.  I have not even mentioned Astro’s new fancy booth or the NEW Dr. Pepper MONSTROSITY of a setup.  They revamped this offseason and came back again with free Dr. Pepper (love the new Cherry) and BIGGER IDEAS.  2 stations with MLG Dubs (with a rumored 17 straight V’s by Seige), 8 stations for 4v4, some open play but ALOT of PRO SCRIMS, and some of the best looking can openers around.  Astro was Rockin a New Look with their new station equipped with a 4 station FFA loaded with Astro Headsets (Sw33t).  Props to Ball Park for free Hot dogs and Stride for the shirts and gum, all of whom added to the whole thing.  So a shout out to those sponsors and the others, but those are the one’s that stuck out to me.

MLG Dallas will be the 3rd Event

***From MLGpro.com***
Major League Gaming is proud to announce that the third stop of the 2009 Pro Circuit will take place in Dallas, TX on August 28th-30th. This will be the fourth consecutive season MLG has made a stop in Dallas at the Hilton Anatole, and as always, it’s sure to be one of the biggest events of the year. MLG Dallas will feature top notch competition in Halo 3, Gears of War 2, and World of Warcraft, as well as a slew of spectator activities and events. 

MLG Dallas
August 28th-30th
Hilton Anatole
2201 Stemmons Freeway 
Dallas, TX 75207

MLG Dallas has historically been one of our most popular events of the Season, meaning passes will go fast. The only way to guarantee your spot a pass for the MLG Dallas Competition is to compete in the Online Qualifier. Teams finishing in the Top 64 spots will earn ranking points that will help to improve their seed at Live Competitions, as well as the opportunity to purchase a reserved Competition Pass for Dallas. Registration for the Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 Online Qualifiers opens June 8th.

The Business Wins

MbN The Business and TH3 NSAN3Z faced over the weekend for the champion ship match of the Gears of War 2 Online qualifier for Meadowlands.  Though Th3 NSAN3Z were the champions in Vegas last year, they were defeated by MbN the Business.  The Business won 3 games to 2 against the NSAN3Z.

Congratulations to MbN The Business and good Luck in Meadowlands!

Qualifier Finals

Halo 3

The winners bracket came to an end over the past week. With FeeL tHe HyPe dominated the competition and took first place.  Now they move on to play the winner of the losers bracket.

The match between intensityRising and Dedicated 09 will determine who plays FeeL the HyPe in the Championship round.

GoW2:

In the Gears of War 2 play off bracket MbN: The Business defeated DpG Fear to win the winners bracket.

For the losers bracket their is a  grudge match between DpG Fear and TH3 NSAN3Z. The winner will go on to play MbN: The Business in the Championship Match.

Qualifer Update

Its down to the Round 4, in the Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 playoff bracket.

Halo 3

In round 3 FeeL the HypE played THE UnDeFiNeD. Though The undefined fought hard they could not stand up to the first place FeeL tHe HyPe.

In the 2^ndmatch Sector 7 played intensityRising. Sector 7 fought hard but they could not match the 2^ndplace team intensityRISING

Now on March 12^th 1^st and 2^nd place teams will battle it out to be claimed Online qualifier winners! Who will win? Only time will tell.

Gears of War 2

In round 3 TH3 NSAN3Z came up against DpG Fear. Though the first place team from last year stepped up to the plate DpG Fear would not be denied. With that loss TH3 NSAN3Z is dropped to the losers bracket.

The next match was MbN The Business against Simply UnderRated. Though Simply underrated was ranked 15^th they played a top 8 game but still could not hack it.

In the final match MbN The Business will play against DpG Fear on March 12^th.

MLG Update Pt2

This is the MLG Update Part 2 for those of you who decided to stay away in the off-season or just lived under a rock.  We talked about some of the roster changes in Part 1.  You can read that here.  This article is to discuss the changes to the Pro Circuit.  There have been three drastic changes to the Pro Circuit.  The Circuit this year with have a modified bracket, a new Pro Points system and a will charge a fee for the first time for it’s new-and -improved “Spectator Experience”.

Let’s talk about the brackets first.  This year the Championship bracket play will start on Friday with the Open bracket play.  The top 16 teams will play the first round of the championship bracket on Friday.   Then the losing teams will then play 2 placing rounds for the loser’s bracket.   The top 16 Open teams  will still make into the Championship bracket  like in previous years, but they will go directly to the Loser’s bracket.  However, they will not face a top 16 team for the first three rounds.  This is actually  making it easier for an open team to make the top 20.

Next I want to address the new “Rolling Points System”.  MLG wanted to increase stability in the Pro Ranks and with this thought they changes the Points system.   Starting this first event,each team will carry over 50 % of their point totals from last season.  Then after the first event in 2009, the points from the first 2 events last year will expire.  One additional event from the previous year will expire after every event this year.  This will increase the stability of the Pro ranks and will increase the familiarity of the Pro teams with fans and hopefully will increase MLG’s following.

Finally, let’s talk about the New “Spectator Experience”.  The first ad biggest chance in this is that every event will have an entry fee now.  It will be $20 at the door or $15 dollars if purchased ahead of time online.  Now this fee is meant to cover the expenses associated with the new experience. 

New this year to the “spectator experience” will be the following features:

• Chill out in the GameBattles Arcade, play mini-games, and interact with other fans!
• Spectators can get their name out as individual competitors in the Halo 3 FFA and Gears of War 2 Wingman Competitions!
• Get the VIP Treatment by Becoming an MLG High Roller

Click here for more details on the spectator experience.

Qualifier Play-off #2

 

Halo 3

Round 3 of the Halo 3 Winners play off bracket was played in the past week! And we are here to bring you up to date on whos breaking out and coming up big!

First match is current 1st place team FeeL tHe Hype. They played and defeated 24th ranked SPiRit 3-0 and move on to play in round four which is on March 5th.

Next Match was UnDeFiNeD, who is in 5th place, against 20th placed team Total Audacity. Undefined came out big and defeated Total 3 - 2. They move on to play the 1st ranked team FeeL the HypE.

The third match is 19th ranked Sector 7 against ranked 11th In The Spotlight. Sector 7 came out to play and defeated In The Spotlight 3 – 0.

The final game is 7th ranked GIMME mY MONEY against 2nd place intensityRISING. IntensityRISING defeated them 3 – 0, and moves onto play Sector 7 in round four!

Gears of War 2

The first match played was 1st ranked team, TH3 NSAN3Z, against the 25th ranked team ReLease. Though ReLease fought hard they could not defeat TH3 NSAN3Z. TH3 NSAN3Z defeated ReLease 3 – 2.

The next match was Strength in Numbers who is ranked 12th against 4th ranked DpG Fear. Though they fought hard Strength in Numbers could not stop DpG from winning 3  – 1. DpG Fear now moves onto round 4 to play against TH3 NSAN3Z.

The third match is 3rd ranked vVv Destiny against 6th ranked MbN-The Business. MbN- The Business upset this top team 3 - 2 and now moves onto round 4.

The final match is another upset. 7th ranked pX I Fully Spaced was defeated 2 - 3 by 15th ranked team SimplyUnderRated.  Simply now moves on to play The Business in round 4 on March 5th

Passes 4 sale

Gears 2 Rd by Rd

MLGpro just released the Gears of War 2 round by round gametypes for the 2009 Meadowlands event.  You can see all bracket and matches below.

GoW 2

Open Bracket Game Types

Winners Bracket
Round 1
Game 1 – Execution – Ruins
Game 2 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 3 – Execution – Jacinto

Round 2
Game 1 – Execution – Security
Game 2 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 3 – Execution – Ruins

Round 3
Game 1 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 2 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 3 – Execution – River

Round 4
Game 1 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 2 – Execution – Ruins
Game 3 – Execution – Security

Round 5
Game 1 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 2 – Execution – River
Game 3 – Execution – Blood Drive

Losers Bracket
Round 1
Game 1 – Execution – Security
Game 2 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 3 – Execution – Ruins

Round 2
Game 1 – Execution – Security
Game 2 – Execution – River
Game 3 – Execution – Jacinto

Round 3
Game 1 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 2 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 3 – Execution – River

Round 4
Game 1 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 2 – Execution – Ruins
Game 3 – Execution – Blood Drive

Round 5
Game 1 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 2 – Execution – Ruins
Game 3 – Execution – Security

Round 6
Game 1 – Execution – River
Game 2 – Execution – Security
Game 3 – Execution – Pavilion

Championship Bracket Game Types

Winners Bracket
Round 1
Game 1 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 2 – Execution – River
Game 3 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 4 – Execution – Security
Game 5 – Execution – Stasis

Round 2
Game 1 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 2 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 3 – Execution – Security
Game 4 – Execution – Ruins
Game 5 – Execution – River

Round 3
Game 1 – Execution – Security
Game 2 – Execution – Stasis
Game 3 – Execution – River
Game 4 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 5 – Execution – Ruins

Round 4-Winners Bracket Finals
Game 1 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 2 – Execution – River
Game 3 – Execution – Ruins
Game 4 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 5 – Execution – Pavilion

Round 5-Finals
Game 1 – Execution – Ruins
Game 2 – Execution – Security
Game 3 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 4 – Execution – Stasis
Game 5 – Execution – Blood Drive

Best of 11
Game 8 – Execution – Security
Game 9 – Execution – River
Game 10 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 11 – Execution – Jacinto

Losers Bracket
Round 1
Game 1 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 2 – Execution – River
Game 3 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 4 – Execution – Security
Game 5 – Execution – Stasis

Round 2
Game 1 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 2 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 3 – Execution – Stasis
Game 4 – Execution – Ruins
Game 5 – Execution – Pavilion

Round 3
Game 1 – Execution – Security
Game 2 – Execution – Stasis
Game 3 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 4 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 5 – Execution – Ruins

Round 4
Game 1 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 2 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 3 – Execution – Security
Game 4 – Execution – Ruins
Game 5 – Execution – River

Round 5
Game 1 – Execution – Ruins
Game 2 – Execution – Security
Game 3 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 4 – Execution – River
Game 5 – Execution – Blood Drive

Round 6
Game 1 – Execution – River
Game 2 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 3 – Execution – Stasis
Game 4 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 5 – Execution – Jacinto

Round 7
Game 1 – Execution – Security
Game 2 – Execution – Stasis
Game 3 – Execution – River
Game 4 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 5 – Execution – Ruins

Round 8
Game 1 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 2 – Execution – Ruins
Game 3 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 4 – Execution – Security
Game 5 – Execution – Stasis

Round 9
Game 1 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 2 – Execution – River
Game 3 – Execution – Ruins
Game 4 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 5 – Execution – Pavilion

Round 10-Losers Bracket Finals
Game 1 – Execution – Stasis
Game 2 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 3 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 4 – Execution – River
Game 5 – Execution – Security

Placement Rounds
Round 1
Game 1 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 2 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 3 – Execution – Stasis
Game 4 – Execution – Ruins
Game 5 – Execution – Pavilion

Round 2
Game 1 – Execution – Security
Game 2 – Execution – Stasis
Game 3 – Execution – Jacinto
Game 4 – Execution – Blood Drive
Game 5 – Execution – Ruins

Round 3
Game 1 – Execution – River
Game 2 – Execution – Pavilion
Game 3 – Execution – Ruins
Game 4 – Execution – Stasis
Game 5 – Execution – Jacinto

Qualifier Playoffs

With Meadows coming closer and closer every week, the game battles ladder gets more and more competitive.

Halo:

The playoff, bracket for Halo 3 is on round 3, round two was played on Febuary 19^th. Round 2 will be played on Thursday February 26 at 9 PM.

In round two the first ranked team FeeL tHe Hype played the seventeenth team Major Moves. FeeL the Hype was victorious and moved onto round three to play SPiRit

Fifth ranked team THE UnDeFiNeD played against Dynamic and beat them three games to two. THE UnDeFiNed now move on to play twentieth Total Audacit.

<Elevate&q> who is ranked second, played against 19^th ranked Sector 7. Sector 7 was victorious three games to two. Sector 7 now moves on to play the winner of the match between 11^th ranked team In The, and the ranked sixth team Entropy.

Ranked seventh team GIMME MY MONEY played ranked 10^th team Under The Radar, GIMME MY MONEY beat Under the Radar, three games to zero. GIMME MY MONEY was victorious.

In the last match of round two 15^th ranked team Faith played against 2^nd ranked team intensityRISING. Intensity won three games to zero. GIMME MY MONEY and intensityRISING will now play for a shot at round three.

Gears of War 2

In the Gears of War 2 Play off bracket, there is some serious competition going into this ladder.

In the first match of round two first ranked team Th3 NSAN3Z defeated 17^th ranked team New Era, three games to zero and have moved onto round three, to play against 25^th ranked ReLease who defeated RioT BoyZ three games to zero.

Strength in Numbers, ranked 12^th defeated RL Pr0phEcy, three games to one, Strength in Numbers now moves on to play against fourth ranked team DpG FeaR, who defeated ranked 13^th team THE END.

Third ranked team vVv Destiny defeated 19^th ranked team, pT ReTaLiaTio three games to two. They now move on to play sixth ranked team MbN The Business.

Rank seventh team pX I FuLLy Spaced, defeated 23^rd ranked team, ReigN three games to one. Fully Spaced now moves on to play Simply Underrated, who is ranked 15^th. Simply Underrated defeated the ranked two team Infinity.

Stay tuned on MLGinsider.com for all your pre-Meadowlands news!

New Spectator Experience

Major League Gaming announced today that they will have a new spectator experience for fans at the live events beginning with the first event of 2009, MLG Meadowlands.  MLG has always been about growing the sport and proving that Professional Video Gaming is indeed a real sport.  In conjunction with this they have unveiled their newest treat for fans, the 2009 MLG Spectator Experience.

The new “Spectator Experience” has many new features that fans can enjoy.  Here is a list of the verbage directly from MLGpro.com:

Witness the biggest and best gaming competition in the world
• Over 25 hours of  matches over three days featuring MLG’s top pro players and teams!
• Newly expanded Main Stage during marquee matches and be a part of our live broadcast filming!
• Watch 208 Halo 3 and 144 Gears of War 2 teams fight for over $70,000 in prize money

Spectators can get their name out as individual competitors in the Halo 3 FFA and Gears of War 2 Wingman Competitions!
• Compete in the Halo 3 FFA and Gears of War 2 Wingman competitions on Friday and Saturday!
• The top finishers will be placed into a finals match on the Main Stage to fight for $1000 in total prizes!!
• A leaderboard page will be kept on mlgpro.com to put the best performers on display and help them make a name for themselves.
• The winner from each city’s FFA and Wingman competition will be invited to a special National Championship event at the end of the season.
• See full rules, details, schedule

Interact with MLG’s Pro Players, Win Prizes and Get Free Stuff!
• Meet your favorite players, take pictures with them, and get autographs!
• Major sponsors will be on hand with promotions, prizes, and giveaways every day of the competition
• Chill out in the GameBattles Arcade, play mini-games, and interact with other fans!
• Gather alongside thousands of old and new friends to celebrate MLG culture!
• Learn more about special activities in the sponsor booths

Get the VIP Treatment by Becoming an MLG High Roller!
• Get the word out about MLG and get people to drop your name when they buy their spectator passes
• The Top 5 referrers will earn special access and privileges at the Competition, including access to the Pro Players Lounge, a personal tour of the tournament with MLG’s co-founders, the ability to jump to the front of the line for the Halo 3 FFA and Gears of War 2 Wingman competitions, and much more!
• Learn more about the MLG High Roller Program here

The new “Spectator Experience” has one slight drawback, to offer all of these new features they will, for the first time ever, be charging a weekend “spectator fee” of $15 if it’s purchased ahead of time online.  At the door it will be $20.  Now the old FFA’s in the Halo 2 days cost $10 so if you love the FFA’s no big difference.  The difference will be for average spectator who comes just to view the competition and “get familiar” with MLG.  They may be less apt to pay the $20 dollars to watch for the weekend.  However, it’s only $15 if you pay online so it not that much money for the three day weekend for the MLG fan that buys it online, they are just less likely to get the additional walk-in traffic. 

Here is a quick quote from MLG Ceo Mike Sepso: (See the full Article here)

Spectators at this year’s Pro Circuit events can expect a significantly improved experience over previous seasons. From Free-For-Alls that will get you noticed, to tricked out sponsor attractions, to a new and improved Main Stage arena, this year’s Pro Circuit is an entirely different animal.

GB tourneys

Xbox 360 Online Tournaments

Gears of War 2 4v4 Fatal Feb
Registration: 1/24/2009 – 2/20/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/21/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/18/2009
Round Schedule: Mon/Wed
Registration Fee: 40 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $400
• 2nd Place Prize: $250
• 3rd Place Prize:
Join this tournament!

Halo 3 4v4 Fatal Feb
Registration: 1/24/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/2/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/29/2009
Round Schedule: Mon/Wed
Registration Fee: 50 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $500
• 2nd Place Prize: $300
• 3rd Place Prize:
Join this tournament!

Call of Duty 4 SnD Specialty
Registration: 1/23/2009 – 2/22/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/23/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/27/2009
Round Schedule: Mon/Wed
Registration Fee: 50 Credits
Tournament Size: 64
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $900
• 2nd Place Prize: $600
• 3rd Place Prize: 50 Credits
Join this tournament!

Grand Theft Auto IV 4v4 Team Frenzy
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/20/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/21/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/22/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits per player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $200
• 2nd Place Prize: $150
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

NHL 09 1v1 Shoot Out
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/20/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/21/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/21/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 64
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $175
• 2nd Place Prize: $75
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Rockband 2 1v1 Rockin Bash
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/20/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/21/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/21/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $75
• 2nd Place Prize: $30
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

F.E.A.R. 2 Crown Kickoff Tournament
Registration: 2/10/2009 – 2/22/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/24/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/27/2009
Round Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday
Registration Fee: 30 Credits per Player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $400 + Cre
• 2nd Place Prize: $200 + Cre
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits re
Join this tournament!

Gears of War 2 4v4 Frenzy
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/28/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday
Registration Fee: 30 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $400
• 2nd Place Prize: $200
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Shadowrun 2v2 Deadly Duo
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/28/2009
Round Schedule: NA
Registration Fee: 30 Credits per Player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 2
• 1st Place Prize: $200
• 2nd Place Prize: $100
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Madden 09 1v1 Blitz Bash
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/28/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday
Registration Fee: 30 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $100
• 2nd Place Prize: $50
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Unreal Tournament III Unreal Bash
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/1/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 16
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $75
• 2nd Place Prize: $25
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Halo 3 2v2 Deadly Duo
Registration: 2/12/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/7/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/7/2009
Round Schedule: Single day
Registration Fee: 30 Credits per Player
Tournament Size: 64
Team Size: 2
• 1st Place Prize: $400 + Cre
• 2nd Place Prize: $200 + Cre
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Fifa 09 1v1 Kickoff Tournament
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/3/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/7/2009
Round Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday
Registration Fee: 10 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $35
• 2nd Place Prize: $20
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Gears of War 2 4v4 Time For War
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/02/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/1/2009
Round Schedule: Mon/Wed
Registration Fee: 40 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $400
• 2nd Place Prize: $200
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Grand Theft Auto IV 4v4 Team Hijack
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/02/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/1/2009
Round Schedule: Mon/Wed
Registration Fee: 20 Credits per player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $200
• 2nd Place Prize: $150
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Guitar Hero World Tour 1v1 Rockin’ Bash
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/02/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/1/2009
Round Schedule: Tue/Thurs
Registration Fee: 10 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $30
• 2nd Place Prize: $20
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

NHL 09 1v1 Breakaway
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/6/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/5/2009
Round Schedule: Friday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 64
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $175
• 2nd Place Prize: $75
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 4v4 March Mayhem
Registration: 2/15/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/4/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/6/2009
Round Schedule: Wednesday/Friday
Registration Fee: 40 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $400
• 2nd Place Prize: $250
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Halo 2 4v4 March Mayhem
Registration: 2/15/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/10/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/9/2009
Round Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $200
• 2nd Place Prize: $125
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Halo 2 4v4 Time For War
Registration: 2/15/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/14/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/15/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $200
• 2nd Place Prize: $125
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Halo 3 4v4 March Mayhem
Registration: 2/15/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/2/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/25/2009
Round Schedule: Mon/Wed
Registration Fee: 30 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $325
• 2nd Place Prize: $200
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Playstation 3 Online Tournaments

Killzone 2 Kickoff Tournament
Registration: 02/05/2009 – 03/08/2009
Projected Start Date: 03/10/2009
Projected Finish Date: 04/03/2009
Round Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits per player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 6
• 1st Place Prize: $425 + Cre
• 2nd Place Prize: $225 + Cre
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits re
Join this tournament!

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 4v4 Time For War
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/20/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/21/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/22/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 10 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $125
• 2nd Place Prize: $75
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Call of Duty WaW SnD Specialty
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/20/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/22/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/22/2009
Round Schedule: Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits per player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $250
• 2nd Place Prize: $175
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Warhawk 4v4 Flyin High
Registration: 2/15/2009 – 2/20/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/21/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/22/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $250
• 2nd Place Prize: $175
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Streetfighter 1v1 Street Brawl
Registration: 2/12/2009 – 2/22/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/02/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/16/2009
Round Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday
Registration Fee: 10 Credits
Tournament Size: 64
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $100 + Cre
• 2nd Place Prize: $50 + Cred
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Madden 09 1v1 Blitz Bash
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/28/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $75
• 2nd Place Prize: $30
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

SOCOM Confrontation 1v1 Crossroads Under-the-bridge
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/1/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $60
• 2nd Place Prize: $30
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Call of Duty 4 SnD Specialty
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 2/28/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits per player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $250
• 2nd Place Prize: $125
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 4v4 Showdown
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/6/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/5/2009
Round Schedule: Friday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 10 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $125
• 2nd Place Prize: $75
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Call of Duty 4 4v4 Showdown
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/3/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/2/2009
Round Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits per player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $250
• 2nd Place Prize: $175
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Call of Duty WaW 4v4 Ready For War
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/13/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/12/2009
Round Schedule: Friday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits per player
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $250
• 2nd Place Prize: $175
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Warhawk 4v4 March Mayhem
Registration: 2/15/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/4/2009
Projected Finish Date: 4/20/2009
Round Schedule: Wednesday/Friday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 16
Team Size: 4
• 1st Place Prize: $150
• 2nd Place Prize: $50
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Nintendo Wii Online Tournaments

Super Smash Bros Brawl 1v1 Ballistic Brawl
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 2/27/2009
Projected Start Date: 2/28/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/1/2009
Round Schedule: Saturday/Sunday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $60
• 2nd Place Prize: $50
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Super Smash Bros Brawl 2v2 Dynamic Duo
Registration: 2/14/2009 – 3/1/2009
Projected Start Date: 3/3/2009
Projected Finish Date: 3/27/2009
Round Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday
Registration Fee: 20 Credits
Tournament Size: 32
Team Size: 1
• 1st Place Prize: $100
• 2nd Place Prize: $75
• 3rd Place Prize: Credits
Join this tournament!

Qualifer update #4

Here’s another update on the Online Qualifiers for Meadowlands!

Halo 3:

1. FeeL tHe HyPe- Still keeping their first place rank this team is now 26-2 and is on an 8 game win streak.
2. intensityRISING-This team holds second with their same 20 game win streak with the perfect record of 20-0! Still without playing a game since January 31^st
3. Elevate- Last weeks fifth place team Elevate has moved up to third place with a record of 18-4.
4. SyN DaFirm- DaFirm is back into the top 5 after being knocked out for a week. Their on a 5 game winning streak with a record of 25-7.
5. THE UnDeFiNeD TaLeNt-This team is back in the top 5 from a few weeks ago. They have a record of 22-9 and worked hard to get back up into the top 5.

Gears of War 2

1. TH3 NSAN3Z-This top team still holds the number 1 spot making them the team to beat. Their record is up to 70-13, still proving they have no limit to how many games they can play!
2. Infinity-This ranked 2 team from last year is proving to still be 2^nd best. But not for lack of trying. They are 56-14 and may overtake The Nsan3z soon.
3. vVv Destiny- This team has moved up from fifth place to third, making quick progress they may soon be able to take second.
4. DpG Fear-In fourth place we have DpG Fear. This team is a new team but took it by storm. Their record of 36-12 is proving they can move fast up the ladder. Their roster is: B1ackjak, FeaR Fallout, FeaR Mavo, and T5iNC.
5. lRLl Pr0phEcy- This team has been in and out of the top 5 for a while now. But with a record of 62-34 they may have just improved their odds of staying.

On a side note: Team pX I FuLLy SpAcEd from the #1 spot in the first update to 3^rd in the last was locked within the past week.

Version 6 Settings

Discuss this article in the forums.

MLG has just released the new game-types for both Halo 3 and Gears of War 2.  Both will be used for the opener in Meadowlands

Halo 3-

All maps are basically the same except the addition of a Custom Power up to Construct, along with minor spawn changes

All Games:

Primary Weapon = Battle Rifle

Custom Powerup Traits, Duration = 3 Seconds

Custom Powerup Traits, Damage Resistance = Invulnerable

Custom Powerup Traits, Shield Multiplier = 3X Overshields

Custom Powerup Traits, Shield Recharge Rate = 200%

Custom Powerup Traits, Player Speed = Unchanged

Shield Recharge Rate = 90%

Damage Modifier = 110%

Player Speed = 110%

Motion Tracker Mode = Off

Suicide Penalty = None

Betrayal Penalty = None

Team Changing = Not Allowed

Multi Flag:

Onslaught, Narrows, PitFlag

Team King:

Pitt, Construct

Team OddBall

Guardian, Lockdown

Team Slayer

Amplified, Construct, Guardian, Pitt, Narrows,

MLG v6 Ball:

Score to Win = 250

Ball Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%

Time Limit = 15 Minutes

MLG CTF Nar v6

Captures to Win=3

Flag At Home to Score = Enabled

Flag Return Time = 3 Seconds

Flag Reset Time = 15 Seconds

Flag Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%

Time Limit = 30 Minutes

MLG CTF Ons v6

Captures to Win = 5

Flag At Home to Score = Enabled

Flag Return Time = 3 Seconds

Flag Reset Time = 15 Seconds

Flag Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%

Time Limit = 30 Minutes

MLG CTF Pit v6

Flag Return Time = Disabled

Flag Reset Time = 15 Seconds

Flag Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%

Time Limit = 30 Minutes

MLG King v6

Score to Win = 250

Hill Movement = 2 Minutes

Hill Movement Order = Sequence

Time Limit = 15 Minutes

Re-spawn Time = 10 Seconds

MLG TS v6

Time Limit = 15 Minutes

Vehicle Set = No Vehicles

Guardian:

-Mauler on 150sec Drop Spawn

Narrows:

-Fixed Frag Grenade issue so that they will spawn every 30 seconds regardless of how many are on the map

-Fixed certain spawn points that were being blocked by map geometry

-Rockets drop farther making it more difficult to ‘dirty’ the weapon timer

Pit:

-Completely remade on Pit Stop to prevent people from entering the attics

-2 ledges created inside sword room to balance the ledge that already existed on blue side

-Crate added in corner of red courtyard to balance the object in blue courtyard

-Indicators added above the bases to indicate red and blue sides

-Rockets drop farther making it more difficult to ‘dirty’ the weapon timer

Onslaught:

-Adjusted barrier on top B that was slightly out of place and creating extra cover

Amplified:

-No Changes

Construct:

-Custom Power-up spawns at default missile pod spawn every 120sec. It does not appear at the beginning of the game and will first spawn at 13:00 game time

-Rockets drop farther making it more difficult to ‘dirty’ the weapon timer

LockDown:

-Creators: Nexn and Kronic Smoke

-Mauler is only real “power” weapon

-1 Carbine

-4 Plasma Grenades

Gears of War 2-

Execution:

Blood Drive,  Jacinto, Pavilion, River, Ruins, Security, Stasis

All Games:

Starting Weapon = Hammer Burst

Game Type = Execution

Total Rounds = 4

Round Time Limit = 5

Bleed-Out Time = 15

Friendly Fire = On

Weapon Spawning = Customize

Blood Drive:

Replace Boltok Pistol with Disabled

Replace Frag Grenade with Ink Grenade

Replace Scorcher Flamethrower with Torque Bow

Jacinto

Replace Mortor with Disabled

Replace Frag Grenade with Ink Grenade

Pavilion

Replace Mulcher with Torque Bow

Replace Mortar with Disabled

Replace Boomshield with Ink Grenade

Replace Frag Grenade with Ink Grenade

River:

Replace Mortar with Torque Bow

Ruins:

Replace Torque Bow with LongShot

Replace Boomshield with Ink Grenade

Replace Scorcher Flamethrower with Torque Bow

Replace Gorgon Pistol with Disabled

Security:

Replace Mulcher with Boltok Pistol

Replace Scorcher Flamethrower with Ink Grenade

Replace Boltok Pistol with Torque Bow

Replace Frag Grenade with Disabled

Stasis:

Replace LongShot with Boomshot

Replace Mulcher with LongShot

Replace Gorgon Pistol with Boltok Pistol

Qualifiers #3

What’s up guys … So we’re going to bring you up to date on all the newest qualifier updates! Lets start with Halo 3 First!

1. FeeL the HyPe – This team has proven that they deserve to be up in the top 5 by moving up to first from second last week. FtH is now on a 4 game winning streak over teams such as SyN DaFirm and Section One. This team is now 22-2.

2.intensityRISING - This team was knocked down from first place by FeeL The HyPe. This team has not played a game since January 31^st, and yet they are still in second place with a record of 20-0 this team is proven to be a force to be reckoned with.

3. Breakdown - For the first time we have a new team in the top 5! This would be team Breakdown. This team is another intensityRising in the making. Going 11-0 to achieve third place with a 11 game winning streak.

Their roster consists of: CHuBBz bD, Plasmaad bD, VVoNsHoT, and ZykLahN.

4. SecTioN OnE – In fourth we have Section One. This team was knocked out of third place by BreakDown. They hold a record of 19-5 with their most current lose to FeeL tHe HyPe.

5. Elevate- In Fifth place we have a new team. Elevate has taken the ladder by storm with a record of 15-4, and are currently on a seven game winning streak. This team has knocked SyN DaFirm out of the top 5 and is on their way to the top.

Their roster contains Casual on LIVE, Cobaltz on LIVE, Mini Gia, and Vol

Now allow me to move to the Gears of War 2 top 5 teams

1. TH3 NSAN3Z - In first place we have the # 1 team from last year Th3 NSAN3Z. Th3 Nsan3z have taken first from px I FuLLy SpAcEd. With an outstanding 66-12 record, they are proving that they are going for another national title. They are currently on a four game winning streak

2. Infinity– In second is the second place team from last year, Infinity. Infinity’s second place knocks pX I FuLLy Spaced out of the top 2. Infinity, with a record of 40-11, is gunning for that first placve spot and will not be happy with the second place finish they got last year.

3. pX I FuLLy SpAcEd- In third we have Fully Spaced. Infinity and Th3 Nsan3z have dropped this team into third place. Their record is 35-6.

4. Less Than Uno – In fourth we have a new team to the top 5. This team Less Than Uno is working hard to go for first. They have a record of 27-3 and are on a 8 game winning streak. They have a roster of: Lox CaMiLLs, MONS73R, NiteViZi0N, and RobZGod II.

5. vVv Destiny- In fifth we have vVv Destiny. vVv Destiny is working hard to keep a top five spot and move up in the ladder. They have a record of 34-15 and are on a five game winning streak. vVv is notorious for putting out amazing teams so watch out for these guys! Their roster is vVv Enmity, vVv Mephisto, vVv Requiem, and vVv StorM.

All these teams are showing great potential. Those GoW2 teams are working hard and are playing just INSANE amounts of games in order to keep their rank. There has been a total of 253 games played in the top 5 alone.

That’s it for this weeks update! Keep checking MLGinsider.com for all your news, rumors, updates, interviews and much more!

’09 Pro Circuit Info

Updates for the 2009 Circuit and Next MLG location!

From MLGpro.com
MLG is proud to release a flurry of information regarding the 2009 MLG Pro Circuit. In order to house all of these exciting details, we’ve launched a new and improved MLG Pro Circuit Section which will make it easier than ever to access vital info for the many different ways you can get involved with the Pro Circuit. Within you will find just about everything you need to know about the Pro Circuit tour, the Online Pro Circuit and Online Qualifiers, as well as spectator and online streaming info. We’ll be adding to the new Pro Circuit Section regularly, so be sure to check back often! Click on the link below to enter the 2009 Pro Circuit Section and begin exploring all that this year’s Pro Circuit has to offer!

MLG 2009 Pro Circuit Section

In our ongoing pursuit of perfection, we have made some changes to the Pro Circuit format, outlined below:

New Rolling Rank Points System
The first major change to the Pro Circuit is the addition of the Rolling Rank Points System. In short, the Rolling Rank Points System ranks/seeds players based on the four or five most recent Live Competitions. To kick off the 2009 Season, Halo 3 Players will retain 50% of the Pro Circuit Rank Points that they earned at each of the 2008 Pro Circuit Competitions (excluding the Vegas National Championship). 2009 Live Competitions will be worth 100% of their value until the 2010 season.

As each new Live Competition takes place, the Rank Points from the oldest valid Live Competition will expire and be replaced by the most recent one, creating a new total. For example, Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 Meadowlands Competition will expire at the end of the 2009 Meadowlands Competition. Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 San Diego Competition will expire at the end of the 2009 Columbus Competition. Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 Orlando Competition will expire at the end of the third 2009 Competition. Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 Toronto and Dallas Competitions will expire simultaneously at the end of the fourth 2009 Competition. When 2008 Pro Circuit Rank Points expire, they become Expired Pro Circuit Rank Points.

The idea behind rolling rank points is that players will have a more stable point value attached to them. Players carry 50% of their points from the previous season, which expire after each corresponding Competition this season. GoW2 Players should assume that their 2009 Pro Circuit Rank Points will roll over to the 2010 Pro Circuit in the same fashion, should GoW2 be chosen as a 2010 Pro Circuit Title.

For a graphical representation of the Rolling Rank Points system, Click Here.
To view the new and improved Player Points Page, Click Here.
To view the new and improved Team Points Standings, Click Here.

Revolutionary Championship Bracket Format
The format of the 2009 Championship Bracket has been changed. Championship Bracket play will now begin on Friday with the Top 16 seeded teams fighting it out in the first round of the Winners Bracket. Teams who lose in the first or second round of the Winners Bracket will play in another new addition to the Pro Circuit, Placement Rounds. These matches are not elimination matches. They determine where teams will fall into the Losers Bracket. With this new system, fans will be treated to pro gameplay all weekend long.

Click Here to check out the New Championship Bracket Format.

Boost Your Seed for Live Competitions with MLG’s Online Qualifiers
The 2008 Pro Circuit Online Ladders have made a return in 2009 with a new name and some big changes. Now known as Online Qualifiers, these pre-event competitions will have teams fighting it out for an improved seed at MLG Live Competitions and a reserved team pass for the next Live Competition. Unlike last year’s Pro Circuit Online Ladders, Online Qualifier Rank Points are cumulative throughout the season. This means that players who do not plan on attending a Live Competition until later in the Season may begin competing in the Online Qualifiers to improve their seed now. Online Qualifiers are available for both Halo 3 and Gears of War 2.

MLG’s Online Pro Circuit Returns
The 2009 Online Pro Circuit will feature both Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. The Online Pro Circuit brings all of the competition to your home. Running in a similar format to the Pro Circuit Live Competitions, the Online Pro Circuit lets players compete against other players for awesome cash prizes and pro status. Each competition takes place online, making it much easier for players to participate.

The players who are successful enough to earn pro status will enjoy many of the same benefits as pros for Live Competition titles, such as access to the Pro Players Association, editorial coverage, team sites, and potentially even team sponsorships.

Registration for the Online Pro Circuit is now open for both Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2.
Click here for more information about the MLG Online Pro Circuit.

Gears of War 2′s Pro Circuit Debut
The 2009 Season will feature the debut of Gears of War 2 on the MLG Pro Circuit. With a new Pro Circuit Title comes a fresh start, new teams, new pro players, and the birth of new and exciting rivalries.

Expanded Spectator Experience
The 2009 Pro Circuit will also feature a significantly expanded spectator experience. While we’re not ready to share with you all of the details just yet, we can say that this season will engage spectators like never before.

The next MLG Circuit stop after Meadowlands is going to be Columbus Ohio, June 5-7. The games featured will be Gears of War 2, Halo 3, and World of Warcraft!

Also if i may…I would like to say that this new point system is not a good idea…This system will make it

'09 Pro Circuit Info

Updates for the 2009 Circuit and Next MLG location!

From MLGpro.com
MLG is proud to release a flurry of information regarding the 2009 MLG Pro Circuit. In order to house all of these exciting details, we’ve launched a new and improved MLG Pro Circuit Section which will make it easier than ever to access vital info for the many different ways you can get involved with the Pro Circuit. Within you will find just about everything you need to know about the Pro Circuit tour, the Online Pro Circuit and Online Qualifiers, as well as spectator and online streaming info. We’ll be adding to the new Pro Circuit Section regularly, so be sure to check back often! Click on the link below to enter the 2009 Pro Circuit Section and begin exploring all that this year’s Pro Circuit has to offer!

MLG 2009 Pro Circuit Section

In our ongoing pursuit of perfection, we have made some changes to the Pro Circuit format, outlined below:

New Rolling Rank Points System
The first major change to the Pro Circuit is the addition of the Rolling Rank Points System. In short, the Rolling Rank Points System ranks/seeds players based on the four or five most recent Live Competitions. To kick off the 2009 Season, Halo 3 Players will retain 50% of the Pro Circuit Rank Points that they earned at each of the 2008 Pro Circuit Competitions (excluding the Vegas National Championship). 2009 Live Competitions will be worth 100% of their value until the 2010 season.

As each new Live Competition takes place, the Rank Points from the oldest valid Live Competition will expire and be replaced by the most recent one, creating a new total. For example, Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 Meadowlands Competition will expire at the end of the 2009 Meadowlands Competition. Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 San Diego Competition will expire at the end of the 2009 Columbus Competition. Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 Orlando Competition will expire at the end of the third 2009 Competition. Pro Circuit Rank Points earned at the 2008 Toronto and Dallas Competitions will expire simultaneously at the end of the fourth 2009 Competition. When 2008 Pro Circuit Rank Points expire, they become Expired Pro Circuit Rank Points.

The idea behind rolling rank points is that players will have a more stable point value attached to them. Players carry 50% of their points from the previous season, which expire after each corresponding Competition this season. GoW2 Players should assume that their 2009 Pro Circuit Rank Points will roll over to the 2010 Pro Circuit in the same fashion, should GoW2 be chosen as a 2010 Pro Circuit Title.

For a graphical representation of the Rolling Rank Points system, Click Here.
To view the new and improved Player Points Page, Click Here.
To view the new and improved Team Points Standings, Click Here.

Revolutionary Championship Bracket Format
The format of the 2009 Championship Bracket has been changed. Championship Bracket play will now begin on Friday with the Top 16 seeded teams fighting it out in the first round of the Winners Bracket. Teams who lose in the first or second round of the Winners Bracket will play in another new addition to the Pro Circuit, Placement Rounds. These matches are not elimination matches. They determine where teams will fall into the Losers Bracket. With this new system, fans will be treated to pro gameplay all weekend long.

Click Here to check out the New Championship Bracket Format.

Boost Your Seed for Live Competitions with MLG’s Online Qualifiers
The 2008 Pro Circuit Online Ladders have made a return in 2009 with a new name and some big changes. Now known as Online Qualifiers, these pre-event competitions will have teams fighting it out for an improved seed at MLG Live Competitions and a reserved team pass for the next Live Competition. Unlike last year’s Pro Circuit Online Ladders, Online Qualifier Rank Points are cumulative throughout the season. This means that players who do not plan on attending a Live Competition until later in the Season may begin competing in the Online Qualifiers to improve their seed now. Online Qualifiers are available for both Halo 3 and Gears of War 2.

MLG’s Online Pro Circuit Returns
The 2009 Online Pro Circuit will feature both Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. The Online Pro Circuit brings all of the competition to your home. Running in a similar format to the Pro Circuit Live Competitions, the Online Pro Circuit lets players compete against other players for awesome cash prizes and pro status. Each competition takes place online, making it much easier for players to participate.

The players who are successful enough to earn pro status will enjoy many of the same benefits as pros for Live Competition titles, such as access to the Pro Players Association, editorial coverage, team sites, and potentially even team sponsorships.

Registration for the Online Pro Circuit is now open for both Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2.
Click here for more information about the MLG Online Pro Circuit.

Gears of War 2′s Pro Circuit Debut
The 2009 Season will feature the debut of Gears of War 2 on the MLG Pro Circuit. With a new Pro Circuit Title comes a fresh start, new teams, new pro players, and the birth of new and exciting rivalries.

Expanded Spectator Experience
The 2009 Pro Circuit will also feature a significantly expanded spectator experience. While we’re not ready to share with you all of the details just yet, we can say that this season will engage spectators like never before.

The next MLG Circuit stop after Meadowlands is going to be Columbus Ohio, June 5-7. The games featured will be Gears of War 2, Halo 3, and World of Warcraft!

Also if i may…I would like to say that this new point system is not a good idea…This system will make it

Qualifiers #2

Qualifiers #2

We want to continue our coverage of the Meadowlands Qualifier ladders for Halo 3 and GoW. True to our word, we are back with another set of qualifier updates! Lets get right into it with the Halo 3 ladder!

1. Intensity Rising- This team has proven to be one of the most formidable teams out there. Putting together an insane record of 20-0 this team has shown that they deserve first place. Having won nine games in just under five days.

Roster: a Pure Gangster, Aries cAries, DestiNNN, HS GregoR

2. FeeL tHe HyPe – Feel the Hype has taken second place from Section One. And with a record of 14-1, they are on a thre game win streak. Having lost only one game to Intensity Rising, they are proving a worth opponent.

Roster: THE Main SlaYer, LuCKY SHoTTT, Mister Excels, Proto X TyPe

3. SectioN One- S1 takes a drop this week from second to third place with a record of 16-4. This team is in a battle for second place with Feel the HyPe. This may be the beginnings of a rivalry between SectioN One and FeeL tHe HyPe.

Roster: S1 Focus, S1 Knite, S1 NexttoGodly, S1 Pullout

4. Uprising DP’s – They have managed to hold on to fourth place with a record of 12-2. Their two loses have been from Feel the Hype and Bean Dip and Crackers(49th).

Roster: Mayhem i, Lokiiiiiiiiiiii, I Maxtron, Supaflyyyy

5. SyN DaFirm – Holding onto fifth place with a record of 13-3. Their most recent loss came at the hands of In The Zone(16th).

Roster: iBloodraven, FuLL CLiP Ryu, NuKe 95, Stree7Sweeper

Gears of War 2

1. pX I FuLLy SpAcEd – In first place for GoW, we have another amazing record. Fully Spaced also has a 22-0 record! They are mounting a climb to first that will be hard to catchup with. In this insane spree they have beaten the two top teams from ’08, NSANE and Infinity.

Roster: CarSoNz, Doctor Niick, HBM J Ribs, HBM Xcells

2. The Nsan3z -These guys have been putting some serious work in. They are in second place with an incredible record of 40-9. They are on a three game losing streak, having lost to Checkmate(17th), ReLease(4th), and Infinity(3rd).

Roster: NSAN3 NICK, NSAN3 KILLA, NSAN3 PREDATOR, NSAN3 WARR1OR

3. Infinity – Infinity placed second in last years events having 27404 pro points total. They are in third with a record of 27-6 and are on a two game winning streak.

Roster: Amazemint, I G3N371X I, Infinite 6o3, TheUzzi

4. ReLease – This team placed 14th in Dallas and has proven they have what it takes by taking fourth place. They are in fourth with a record of 28-6.

Roster: ReL Eternity, ReL aFFiniTy, ReL StiKKie, ReL TeK S NeO

5. The Business – The Busines has been knocked out of third place, but has also been doing some work andknocked Raw Talent down to eighth place. They have a record of 34-14, and are on a two game win streak.

Roster: GhosttSniper, CUBANO YaH DiG, Immortal Spawn, sP o Deadly x

Check back next Monday for our next update, and keep checking out MLGinsider for all the latest up-to-date rosters, LANs, Rumors, and all things MLG!

Qualifier update

 

This is the first of many weekly updates for the Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 Qualifiers for Meadowlands. We will do our best to keep you in tune with the development of the online Qualifier Ladders.

Let’s Start with the Halo 3 Ladder:

1. intensityRising – This team has taken the ladder by storm going on an impressive 11 win streak. Their record is 11-0. They are sponsored by High Society and have their own website intensityrising.com. Their roster consists of:
   a Pure Gangster – (Captain)
   Aries cAries
   DestiNNN
   HS GregoR
2. SectioN One – is a major competitor in the ladder. With a record of 17-3 they could soon take first place. This team took third place in the Fall Gamebattles ladder and is sponsored by DirectEffect.org.uk. Their only 3 losses are from FeeL tHe Hype and Dedicated 09. Their roster consists of:
   S1 Focus-(Captian)
   S1 Knite
   S1 NexttoGodly
   S1 Pullout
3. FeeL tHe HyPe – is among one of the teams that has gone undefeated so far. With a perfect record of 8-0 they have defeated teams such as SecTioN OnE and Twisted Elements. FeeL tHe HyPe is currently looking for sponsors and is coached by Coach Bossmayne. Their roster consists of:
   THE Main SlaYer-(Captian)
   LuCKY SHoTTT
   Mister Excels
   Proto X TyPe
4. Uprising DP’s – is in fourth place with a record of 7-0. Only on win behind FeeL tHe HyPe. Their roster consists of:
   Mayhem i-(Captian)
   Lokiiiiiiiiiiii
   I Maxtron
   Supaflyyyy
5. SyN DaFirm – has taken fifth place with a record of 10-2. Their only 2 losses were from Fallout and Gimme My Money. The SyN roster is:
   iBloodraven – (Captian)
   FuLL CLiP Ryu
   NuKe 95
   Stree7Sweeper

Let’s Move on to the GoW 2 qualifier ladder for MLG Meadowlands

1. pX I FuLLy SpAcEd – Fully Spaced is in first place with an outstanding record of 18-0. They have beaten some top name teams to earn their spot. They have defeated the number 1 team from last year, Th3 NSAN3Z. They are sponsored by Project X Gaming. Their roster contains:
   CarSoNz – (Captain)
   Doctor Niick
   HBM J Ribs
   HBM Xcells
2. The Nsan3z – took First place last year in the events with a total of 29300 pro points for Gears of War. The Nsan3z hold second place with a record of 27 and 4. Only behind first place by 15 xp in the gamebattles ladder. Their roster consists of:
   NSAN3 NICK – (Captain)
   NSAN3 KILLA
   NSAN3 PREDATOR
   NSAN3 WARR1OR
3. The Business – is in third place with a record of 28-11. Four of their losses come from top teams from last year. They have lost 3 games against TH3 NSAN3 and 1 game against Infinity. Their roster contains:
   HighDistortion – (Captain)
   II PrO5p3Ct II
   JaEMeRCs
   B0T ZK1LLZALOT
4. Release –  has placed 14th in Dallas last year. Their record is 21-4. Their team consists of:
   ReL Eternity- (Captian)
   ReL aFFiniTy
   ReL StiKKie
   ReL TeK S NeO
5. Raw Talent – is currently holding fifth place. Their team record is 21-8. A few of their losses are from Th3 Nsan3z and Px I FuLLy SpAcEd. Their roster contains:
   GhosttSniper – (Captian)
   CUBANO YaH DiG
   Immortal Spawn
   sP o Deadly x

Check soon for the next qualifier update!

Meadows ’09

–From MLGPRO.com–

First 2009 Online Qualifiers Registration Open Now! Earn Ranking Points in Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 for Meadowlands The first Live Competition of the 2009 MLG Pro Circuit is set to take place at the Meadowlands Expo Center on April 3rd-5th, and we are pleased to announce that Read more

Meadows '09

–From MLGPRO.com–

First 2009 Online Qualifiers Registration Open Now! Earn Ranking Points in Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 for Meadowlands The first Live Competition of the 2009 MLG Pro Circuit is set to take place at the Meadowlands Expo Center on April 3rd-5th, and we are pleased to announce that Read more

GoW Team Ladder Winter ’09

I wanted to check in on the Gears of War 2 winter ladder to see how things are going and get an idea of who might be some of next years top teams on the GoW2 circuit.  There does appear to be a couple early favorites.  “Project X Gaming ‘Fully Spaced” and “Team Elusive ^” are the early leaders in 1st and 2nd place with records of 76-2 and 82-7 repectively . Read more

GoW Team Ladder Winter '09

I wanted to check in on the Gears of War 2 winter ladder to see how things are going and get an idea of who might be some of next years top teams on the GoW2 circuit.  There does appear to be a couple early favorites.  “Project X Gaming ‘Fully Spaced” and “Team Elusive ^” are the early leaders in 1st and 2nd place with records of 76-2 and 82-7 repectively . Read more

Vegas National Championship and All-Star Classic Rebroadcasts Available

From www.mlgpro.com

The complete rebroadcast is now available for MLG Championship Sunday! Check out the seven hour broadcast below, along with ESPN Saturday Night, Allstar Classic, and Pregame Show! Read more

Allstar Classic Results

The 2008 All-Star Classic has come to an end here in Vegas, and for the third consecutive year, the East Coast has come out on top. Taking the overall series 12-9, this was the closest All-Star Classic in its three year history. Congratulations to all of the Eastern All-Stars, as well as the MVP’s of each game. Based on their individual performances, Pistola (Halo 3), JWHOJCA5H (RSV2), and Co-MVP’s, KILLA and PREDATOR (GoW). Read more

Allstar Classic Rules and Gametypes

These are the rules and gametypes that will be played in the Allstar Classic in Vegas.  Check it out so you know what to expect.  Historically, I beleive the East has won all of the events,  so we’ll see if the West, who will most likely be favored, can break that streak. Read more

Allstar Rosters are Official

The official rosters for the Allstar Classic have been released by MLG.  Three game titles will be played Halo 3, Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.  These are the rosters for each game titles.  Read more

Crysis of MoB Rage on Vegas 2008

From Gamebattles.com :    Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 will be one of four games taking center stage at the MLG National Championships later this month. No doubt, players, teams, and even spectators, are doing everything possible to prepare. The winners of the Rainbow Six National Championship will receive $20,000 in cash. As if that’s not enough incentive, consider this: the MLG Dallas winners, Iconz, will be present and hoping to take their success to the next level. They will also be wearing bright, red targets — at least to everyone else. R6V2 player Crysis, who will be competing in the Championships, sat down to discuss the upcoming event.

GameBattles: First off, what is your gamertag, and what team do you compete with?

Crysis: My Gamertag is Crysis, and I play with the team MoB Rage.

GB: Describe your team’s MLG experience.

Crysis: We all have a good amount experience. CoMPacT KiLLeR, BlOoD n GlOrY, and I attended all of the MLG events last season, and JwHoJcAsH attended four of the events last year. Jwho took home the National Championship last year, Glory has won three events over two years, and CoMPacT KiLLeR and I have each won two events.

GB: Rank yourselves among the other teams competing. Who do you think is the favorite to win, and where do you stand in relation to them and the rest of the competition?

Crysis: I would have to say Iconz is the favorite. After their victory in Dallas, it really put them on the map as a top team and a big threat. However, with that being said I feel very confident in our abilities as a team. We were less than 7 seconds away from beating them, and being in the finals. If we execute our strategies and play to the best of our abilites, we will win.

GB: In a best-case-scenario, where teamwork is clicking and luck is on your side, what teams do you think might still pose a challenge, and why?

Crysis: Honestly, if that were to happen I don’t think many teams at all would pose a challenge. However, Iconz would most likely be the biggest threat, because of their style of play and good team work.

GB: What are you and your teammates doing to prepare for the competition? Any practice sessions or strategies?

Crysis: We practice just about everyday for as long as possible. As far as strategies, we have changed every single one of our Dallas strats in order to compensate for our weaknesses, allowing us to play to our strengths.

GB: Do you and your team compete on other online games, such as Halo or Gears of War, or have you considered doing so?

Crysis: As a team, we really don’t play any other games. We used to get on Saints Row 2 and mess around a little bit, but nothing too serious. We plan on sticking to Rainbow for now.

GB: Do you have plans to compete with the same team in future MLG events, perhaps even the finals again next year?

Crysis: We have actually discussed this, and we plan to stick together next season as long we continue to have success. We all have a great time playing with each other, and get along really well. As long we continue to have success and get along there is no reason to stop it.

Best of luck to all who are competing, and special thanks to Crysis for giving us a little bit of insight as to how things are shaping up. It will surely be an event to remember! Hope to see you all in Vegas!

Genetix sits down with GameBattles

New Gears or War 2 Ladder on Gamebattles

Vegas National Championships – Rounds and Gametypes

The 2008 National Championships are fast approaching. MLG’s commissioner, John Nelson, has released the round by round gametype list for Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Gears of War, and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Read more

National Championships in Vegas

   In the city known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World”  and “Brightest City on the Planet”‘ comes the the professional gaming event of the year, the Major League Gaming National Championships.  Where twenty-four teams will fight for $346,000 dollars in prize money over three events.  

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