MLG Anaheim Discussion

[Orangeremi]

Sorry Amercan, and other Instinct fans, (although I love all 4 players on that team) but they had no reason to boot off Ghostayame after Dallas. He was playing bad and they still placed 3rd. Had he been playing good they could have no doubt placed 2nd or even 1st. I mean, drop a player because you got 3rd? The only reason I could think of why they did that was they were bitter that Walshy whooped them in the LB Finals. As for all the people expecting Str8 to take Anaheim, I don't see the tD/Str8/tD/Str8 trend continuing. I see it going to Triggers Down or Final Boss. Soviet is overlooked talent. I can't predict the places 100% accurately, but I say
tD: top 2
FB: top 4
Instinct: top 4
Carbon: top 4
Str8: top 5
Classic: top 6
sQ: top 6
BtH: top 8
Dynasty: top 10
uTi: top 10

[MultiLockOn]

I love Triggers Down, and igoturpistola is fine and all....but he hair just makes me want to throw something at him.

[Pegasi Delta]

Originally Posted by Ladnil

Elamite seems to be Str8's Mackeo. He's indisputably great, and every pro on the circuit will sing his praises in an interview, but if somebody is going to go negative, it is going to be him. Then again, the same happens to Lunchbox, and I never hear anything about Lunchbox except how great an objective player he is, so chalk it up to how fickle the MLG forums are I guess.

I get where you're coming from with the comparison to Mackeo, but I can't help feeling that it's a little unfair in some ways :P. To me, Mackeo is a very dominant player with rock solid individual skill and a strong mind for the team mentality as well, it's not that I'd call him selfish by any means. But he does kinda try to run the game sometimes, often in a way which basically involves just running out when it's absolutely stupid to do so. Check out Ambush vs. SQ, TS Guardian at Dallas to see what I mean, Gandhi almost laughs at him for it.

But for Elamite, I feel his poor performance is often more telling of problems with Str8 as a whole rather than him being a weak link. It's been said time and again how he's the brainbox of Str8, T2 is happy to crown him the genius of the team, and he's hardly Mr. Modest himself at times...
I think what happened at Dallas is really starting to clear up Str8's inconsistency, in that we see the stats going down and the dominance that is Str8 at heart never appearing. And when you look top the stats, Elamite generally comes out as lowest when the team isn't doing what they should be. But look at the team roster aside from Elamite, you have Snipedown, and nuff said there. But then you have T2 and Legit, also extremely skilled individually in their own right. That's not to say that Elamite is letting down the skill of the team, he is more than good enough in his individual battles to dispel any such questions. But in terms of stats, of course he's gonna be down when Str8 as a whole isn't performing.

Basically the Str8 Rippin that just can't be beaten, the one we most certainly didn't see in Dallas, is a team that revolves around having that iron grip over the whole game as a 4 man team. When that doesn't come together in game and the team struggle, the other 3 have their more tank like individual skill to fall back on. This doesn't win them the game, they need more than the skill of all 4 to really be the team that they can be when they're on, and considering the skill that is on that team that's saying a lot, Str8 when they perform really embody the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, that's what makes Str8 at the end of the day. But does this mean that Elamite is a weak link? I don't think so, established team roles are still key, and even though Snipedown clearly fills the main slayer role, T2 and Legit's prowess as slayers in their own right leaves Elamite as one people look to when working out what happens when they lose. If Str8 only had 1 or maybe 2 real power players as most teams do, I don't think it'd be such an issue because it wouldn't be the three and one situation that we see with Str8 in stats. And to be fair, that iron grip on the game that I talked about earlier, the strategic side of that really seems to come straight out of Elamite's head. His strats are used picked up by other teams due to their sucess, and there's more to a Halo 3 team than even what happens in the game, odd as that sounds when I type it. And to the question of that being more of a coach's talent than a player's one, I'd argue that Elamite does more than enough to fill his role within those strats in game as opposed to just developing them. Just because that role doesn't always involve the pure slaying magnificance of Snipedown and, to a lesser extent, T2 and Legit, doesn't mean he isn't integral to the Str8 we all wanna see return at Anaheim. Tbh, when I see Str8 on form, the way Elamite plays within Str8 embodies what I love about Halo 3's strategic side as a 4v4 game more than any other player, even guys like SK, Heinz and Walshy.

@ Amercan, when you said that you'd edge toward Str8 over Carbon in R2, I think this all comes down to whether we see this true domination from Str8 or not, whether the team turns up, or just all 4 guys. If not, and if Carbon are as good as I think they're gonna be, then Str8 are gonna be in serious trouble. If Walshy and Shockwave can keep Naded's head in the game whilst setting him loose and doing their own thing as well, then I think Carbon will be rolling through Anaheim at full steam, and it's gonna take an on form Str8 or tD to stop them, though the latter of the two I'm more confident will definitely be in a position to do so. You just can't question tD on their consistency, especially with the current roster.

Originally Posted by Crippled Hobo

I'm starting to really like Carbon. People are starting to get tired of Walshy but I love how he joined Carbon right after getting dropped by SR.
Their fighting spirit is awesome because they always manage to get huge wins over teams like when they smashed Str8 Rippin. I think it's their tournament this time round though.

Walshy wasn't dropped by Str8, he's never been on Str8. He just left Instinct, but that was a mutual agreement from the team and himself by all accounts. But I agree that Walshy + Carbon = win. like I said above, I think they can place very well, but I still think that tD are still that barrier between them and first if they get through Str8, and I suppose Instinct as well. Though on that note, I completely agree with you Orange, I think those questions about Neighbor being the best of the best since he left Str8 are coming back again, and I'm waiting to see how FiS replacing Ghost pans out at Anaheim, I think they passed up a real long term shot at being truly good with him.

As for the WBF, tD are gonna be there. There's no question in my mind. Other team's gonna be either Carbon or Str8, and since that match up is pretty much definitely gonna happen in WB R2, one of those is gonna be in the LB from an early stage. Now I see Instinct in the LB Semi's, I'm sorry Instinct fans, but they're going to the LB after the WB Semi's against tD (and tbh, that's if they even make it past Classic, I mean who knows with Instinct nowadays?), which means they'll likely be facing either Carbon or Str8 depending on who won WB R2. If it's Instinct vs. Carbon in the LB Semi's then I'd give it to Carbon as long as they keep their steam, I've yet to see how they perform after being knocked in the LB early as might happen if Str8 really play properly at Anaheim. But still, overall I'd pick Carbon in that matchup. But if Str8 beat Carbon in WB R2, then that will probably mean that they're in that zone where even tD can't take them down. I reckon it'll definitely go to 5 games, that 5th game even being tD's real homeground in terms of pulling out the win, but I'm still edging slightly towards the Str8 that I hope to see come Anaheim. I still can't call it though, not with Str8 being so up and down and tD just being this rock of a team, getting steadily better and better like a Rocky montage played out before my eyes. The fact that the loser of this potential matchup will face Carbon in the LBF just complicates it further, and things edge so much around whether Str8 are really there or not, and whether Carbon can solidify what they had in Dallas in to a new top 3 force, and I still remain very hopeful that they can.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict a few matches leading to top 4. I think Str8 will beat Carbon WB R2 (or should I say hope? I genuinely don't know anymore), and face tD in the WBF. LBF will be Carbon vs. Instinct, and as I said I'd give this one to Carbon. I'm actually gonna guess that Str8 beats tD in the WBF, tD go on to beat Carbon in the LBF, then come back and win in the Finals. I know that means winning to best of 11, but if anyone can do that against a Str8 that's beaten Carbon then it's tD. I don't think Carbon could come back from one series down in the Finals even if they beat tD in the LBF. But I think tD have to potential to do that, if they even have to of course, since I'll call Str8 in the WBF, but I can't say I've really got that sure feeling inside. Which basically leaves:

1st: tD
2nd: Str8
3rd: Carbon
4th: Instinct

[Scobra]

Originally Posted by MultiLockOn

I love Triggers Down, and igoturpistola is fine and all....but he hair just makes me want to throw something at him.

I have a strong belief that his hair is actually an alien controlling his brain and making him win in an attempt to achieve world domination.

[Phreakie]

Im rooting for Instinct.
But ill be happy to see STR8 Rippin Come back for the win.

Anyways, I'll see you there if you're going.

[AmercanPsycho]

Originally Posted by Phreakie

Im rooting for Instinct.
But ill be happy to see STR8 Rippin Come back for the win.

Anyways, I'll see you there if you're going.

Haha, you are so lucky! I want an MLG Seattle! :D

[Orangeremi]

Originally Posted by Pegasi Delta

I completely agree with you Orange, I think those questions about Neighbor being the best of the best since he left Str8 are coming back again, and I'm waiting to see how FiS replacing Ghost pans out at Anaheim, I think they passed up a real long term shot at being truly good with him.

I totally agree. I'm not going to bash on him for leaving Str8 for FB, but I was definitely surprised when he did that, and still don't know why today. He's a great player, but he needs the team that can support his playstyle, and encourage him to work with them. Currently on Instinct, it seems his playstyle doesn't quite fit, forcing him to move out of his comfort zone. That's compared to Str8 and them making Neighbor the center of their team. Him leaving sparked Snip3down joining, and they've held together til today.
I also see Instinct being like tD last season, picking up and dropping players until they get the one that places them first, and they fail to succeed at the next tournament (possibly the National Championship)

[Pegasi Delta]

Originally Posted by Orangeremi

I totally agree. I'm not going to bash on him for leaving Str8 for FB, but I was definitely surprised when he did that, and still don't know why today. He's a great player, but he needs the team that can support his playstyle, and encourage him to work with them. Currently on Instinct, it seems his playstyle doesn't quite fit, forcing him to move out of his comfort zone. That's compared to Str8 and them making Neighbor the center of their team. Him leaving sparked Snip3down joining, and they've held together til today.
I also see Instinct being like tD last season, picking up and dropping players until they get the one that places them first, and they fail to succeed at the next tournament (possibly the National Championship)

Tbh, Neighbor is captain on Instinct, that in itself tells me that something's wrong. As you said, he needs the right team around him, the right environment in which to work (which when he does have - or did on Str8 - he is a beast and works as the center of a team, as opposed to just being a great player amongst a team needing a 4th man in the dynamic), and part of this is needing the right leader. I don't think he's ever gonna be at his best filling the captain role himself.

As for the comparison with tD last season, idk. tD had a driving force last season in SK, exactly that leader factor that I think Neighbor ironically needs considering he's supposed to be filling it himself on Instinct. Again I think the word that embodies tD is consistency, and I see their position now as the result of a strong, steady rise from a team that can't place top 3, to one that can and does, then one that consistently does as they are now.

I'd say that the comparison with Instinct would only be apt if SK had left tD just before they really became the indisputable top team that they are today. Cause Instinct too have come from a good, but not epicly good, top 16 team, to one who are really in the highest regard when speaking of Pro teams. But who brought them there? Walshy, and he's gone. They arguably had another shot with Ghost in a potentially great leader with a lot of wisdom to bring, but now not so much with the dropping and suchlike. Instinct need a front man, and quick, or questions are gonna keep being asked and we could see some of the work undone.

[Markus]

Str8 Rippin
Triggers Down
Instinct
Carbon

[Pegasi Delta]

Originally Posted by Markus

Str8 Rippin
Triggers Down
Instinct
Carbon

I still don't understand how people think that Instinct can place higher than Carbon, that is unless FiS brings magic gloves to Anaheim and somehow carries them. Sorry Instinct fans, love the talent on that team, but dropping Ghost was shooting themselves in the foot if they wanted to cement themselves as top 3.