Michael McGhee takes a look at the challengers and the no-hopers for the title at this weekends hotly anticipated Epic LAN.

After a long lay-off British players are beginning to dust off their favourite sleeping bags, clear their hard drives of all suspect images (we know who you are..) and take the game a little more seriously, all three of which can only mean one thing: LAN is upon us once more. That of course means that myself and our esteemed editor Richard will have to make yet another torrid journey to yet another shit village and report from yet another rubbish racecourse, ahhh I love LAN. A UK event in July? I hear you asking, knowing that the i-series is traditionally held late into the summer rather than at the peak. Well the guys behind the Epic LAN have done a sublime job of building up a stable and affordable event that serves as the perfect practice arena for the English hopefuls ahead of the larger i-series event.

Last year was the organisers first attempt at hosting a CS:S tournament and it was a huge success, so much so that they have doubled the prize purse this time around and opened it up to almost twice as many teams. Unlike last years event TF2 will not be featured at the 2011 edition, which means CS:S is now the main game. After a slow start with not many signups the past month or so has seen the scene band together to get as many sides there as possible and it now looks like we'll have a pretty competitive event on our hands. Sadly the biggest teams in the country have chose not to attend but that doesn't mean it's not going to be a hotly contested event, with Rasta xD, TLR, Dignitas, LiNK and GLG all making the journey to Uttoxeter to take part.

As with most LAN events i'll be taking a look at the teams who should be challenging for honours come Sunday afternoon, but if you're a betting man I'd advise you not to pay any attention, I have the touch of death when it comes to picking a winner.

Rasta xD

Rasta xD will be making their second trip to Epic LAN in the hope of successfully defending their title as champions. Last years event ended in a tense 2-0 win over their rivals BBoMM - now playing under the TLR tag. For most the victory was unexpected given the then recent success of the BBoMM team at the i-series prior to the event. Since their success at last years event they have gone on to shine at both the 30P LAN and i42, where they shocked numerous top players and teams with dazzling performances.

The team have been going through a rocky patch of late, with their star man Brandon 'weber' Weber choosing to swap England for Germany and their ever changing practice schedule, meaning they have had to draft in two mercs for the event. Rather than hampering their chances though it's likely that it will make them a better team as they have managed to secure the services of Epsilon star Henry 'HenryG' Greer and mTw talisman George 'hudzG' Hoskins - the G team reunited once more!

It won't be all plain sailing for the mix though as it's been shown in the past that names count for nothing when up against a well drilled team who have come prepared. I still expect a win for them, but it will be tough.

TLR

Forever the bridesmaids TLR will be hoping to put an end to their second place curse with a win this weekend, beating Rasta xD in the final could make it even sweeter. Their tournament was almost in jeopardy thanks to the ineptitude of the lovable Michael 'Chef' Robinson who has reportedly failed to book their hotel as well as their travel, forcing the team to scrape together their pennies and sell their bodies to fund their journey to the event.

For once they are coming into a tournament well prepared after changing Mike 'acky' Halliwell for the unrelenting tactical mind of Jamie 'jamem' Hall. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen as they're well known as a team who likes to play without pressure, choosing to work their magic on the fly rather than have a pre-made strat book. The players have been spotted checking and jotting on their notepads whilst trading ideas, a far cry from the beer guzzling, womanizing ways of the BBoMM days.

There are some strong teams here but it's TLR who pose the biggest threat to Rasta xD, things are looking promising for the team but they have a tough weekend ahead of them.

GLG

The ever dependable Good Looking Gamers are always a safe bet for a podium placing, consistently proving themselves to be one of the better teams in the country. This event however could prove something of a breakthrough for the team given their recent decision to kick things up a notch. Rumours have been circulating that the team may be split in two, with a hardcore element deciding to take things more serious and the others keen to remain as laid back and casual as possible.

Regardless of internal strife and possible roster changes they have a team bustling with talent and some of the most experienced players around. James 'PEZ' Perrot will not be in attendance this weekend as he's chose to leave the team behind, but they have secured the services of the Italian Stallion Gugliemo 'GugLi' Carrarro, a player who is considered one of the best in his country by most of the European scene.

Just how well prepared the team are is unknown but by the sound of things we're going to see a whole different beast at Epic LAN. Keep an eye out for these guys as they are definite dark horses for the title.

LiNK

LiNK Gaming were one of the shock success stories of last years tournament, they came from nowhere and proved to be more than a challenge for some of the more highly rated teams in attendance. Since then they have gone from strength to strength, causing yet more upsets at i42 where the players enjoyed their best LAN placing to date. As seems to be the case with most UK teams who make it big they have been hit by numerous changes as they seek players with a greater reputation or players of a supposedly higher level.

Since their success at i-series they have brought in Andrew 'bash' Christodoulou and the former Fragmasters captain Luke 'KritikaL' Green, each of whom should offer more than enough firepower to make the step up from mid-tier UK team to possible challengers. The thing that separates LiNK from the other teams in and around them is their desire to do well, the youthful exuberance that has escaped so many of the more long standing players. Backed by the tactical know-how of KritikaL and the raw ability of bash they should prove a stern test for any team here this weekend.

Team Dignitas

It's going to be an interesting event for these guys. On paper they seem like an eclectic mix of players thrown together in the feint hope they gel together, but nobody really knows how well they can do. They have heaps of experience from the two 1.6 players and the former CGS star and they also have two up and coming talents who will be eager for the chance to prove themselves, for two very different reasons.

Jamie 'choong' Day will be hoping to use this event as a springboard to greater things and this will be his first real opportunity to prove his worth with and against top players. Shane 'shaney' Smith on the other hand will be determined to show his former teammates in Rasta xD that they made a mistake in dropping him. Tom 'url' Chenery is a bit of an unknown quantity given his lengthy spell on the sidelines, and the last time I saw him in action he lost in an aim map competition to my housemate!

If things click and start off well these guys could do what the previous lineup failed to and actually win an event, but on the other hand things could go disastrously wrong. Lets just hope for the former.