Orlando Open Preview: Let's Look Beyond the Big Names
This weekend, the focus is on the pro teams duking it out. That’s great, and they deserve our focus; but what about the open teams? In a lot of ways, that’s where some of the most interesting action takes place. So sit down with Kaybesee and enjoy a preview of the weekend.
When you walk into a Major League Gaming tournament you see hundreds of young, aspiring gamers looking to make their mark over the next few days. In a few days, hundreds of gamers will walk into the Gaylord Palms with a plan, confidence, and a little bit of fear. These are Open Bracket Players, the majority of MLG’s competitors, spectators, and fanbase. With more than 200 teams entering the tournament, there is a lot to talk about.
Bluestrike asked me to write an article previewing teams that are attending MLG Orlando, so naturally I wanted to write about the Open Bracket Teams. Unlike the pros, the majority of semi-pro and amateur teams are different every event. This is mostly because of the location of the events and because of egos that are made or enlarged after placing well at a previous event. What ever the situation may be, these different teams create a more competitive and less predictable outcome for each event, something like myself enjoy.
Enough about that though, Orlando is going to be one of the best Open Bracket competitions we’ve seen since Meadowlands. New faces have emerged, old faces are going to reappear, and I think some new faces will break into the Top 32. Lets look at the teams:
Surprise
Coming off of a 13th place finish in Anaheim, Suprise has switched around their roster going into MLG Orlando. The new, talented players known as BRAKE and Goofy have teamed up with Advent, who placed 13th at MLG Dallas with Swagger Like Us, and Pro Circuit Veteran, Gun Shot.
This is an extremely capable team. With the addition of Gun Shot’s experience, this team has become a threat to some of the lower Top 16 teams. If they have maintained a good amount of practice, these guys could potentially walk away with some money in their pockets.
North of 49
Don’t worry folks, Canada will be represented at MLG Orlando. This team of veteran Open Bracket Players are coming into this event well practiced. They had an effective LAN over the winter holidays against Virtuosity, in which they put up some impressive numbers. Although they haven’t placed higher than 17th all season, these guys can defiantly break out into the Top 16 if they’re on their game.
Take Respect
After a surprising 15th place finish at MLG Anaheim, the Take Respect roster has only improved. They have picked up Art of War I haven’t heard of since this season’s opener at Meadowlands. This veteran player will defiantly add skill and smarts to this roster. I’m curious to see if they can maintain their Anaheim placing or if they’ll crack under the pressure.
Gimme My Money
Another surprise team at Anaheim, Gimme My Money walked away with a 16th place finish. I have never heard of a team doing so well. What was their secret? Teamwork. These guys have been together since MLG Columbus where they placed Top 40. After skipping MLG Dallas, they came into Anaheim with insane teamwork and took out some notable teams like Virtuosity.
Power
I feel compelled to include this team in my Open Bracket Preview. With all the media attention this team got after Anaheim, I am left with no choice but to include some insight on this team. Power is defiantly going to be a force to be reckoned with at MLG Orlando. The team has already scheduled LANs with Str8 Rippin’ and will be flying into the event a week in advance to recover from jet lag in time for the tournament. This is a crucial tournament for this team. They received praise after their Anaheim performance, but some have called the tournament a “fluke” for them. If they place high again at Orlando, then they’ll be considered a big threat going into 2010.
This is just a small list of teams going into MLG Orlando. Expect teams to come out of the woodwork and make a name for themselves after this event. For Open Teams, it all comes down to practice, skill, and some luck. Some of the best action, most exciting matchups, and devastating loses can only be experienced by coming to the events.
About the Author: Kaybesee
I’m a young guy.And I hail from Western Springs, IL. I started my career back in 2007 with Call of Duty 3. Since then, I’ve become addicted to FPS games. I didn’t play Halo 2. I don’t know why. Originally, I wasn’t going to even buy Halo 3. My friends pressured me into it. And now, I’m incredibly glad I did—today, I’m a writer for Gaming Lessons as well as the coach for the nineteenth place team at MLG Columbus.
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People really don’t take the open teams into consideration and those are your first opponents. There is no point in knowing how to defeat a pro-team if you can’t get past the open. For all of you players wanting to be in the top 8, you would do well to take note of the talent in the open bracket. Whether you use it for your own benefit, or for competition, I’ll leave that to you.