Even though the numbers have been greatly reduced for this i-series, with less than half the teams that attended the previous event at the time of typing this, it looks to be one of the most competitive in a long time.

Although it still hasn’t attracted the numbers of Europeans that would have catapulted the tournament into the “undoubted classic” rankings, it has still attracted enough for it to be genuinely intriguing as to what will happen along the way and will throw up some fixtures to be remembered.

With the year coming to a close this will be one of the last events on the competitive calendar and there will be many teams vying for an I-series title, including some names with the potential to win and disrupt the streak held by the usual suspects. In there as well are some dark horses with the potential to cause upsets and as such if not win it themselves play a large part in shaping who the first place goes to. This is my round up of the teams that will be making the headlines over the weekend, one way or another.

Reason Gaming

.PhP
pR
Sneix
UN
GuardiaN

The current reigning champions and a team that have managed to avoid drawing any unwanted attention in the build up to the event. Shortly after i37 they felt a change was required, even though they were comfortable winners in the end, and out went the unfortunate bazy and in came an old friend in the form of Sneix. The feeling from inside the camp is that they are coming to this event as a much better team and I think the vast majority of enthusiasts might be inclined to agree… Just quietly, so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings. Although they would never come out and say it in public they are coming here with the attitude that anything other than retaining the title will be a disappointing event. Would you bet against them? They will face some much stiffer opposition this time around than they have here for some time, but they do come to the event well practiced having won the World GameMaster Tournament in Slovakia not so long ago. They are the team everyone will want to beat, but they have been in this position before and emerged on top many times. With inspirational captain Marek “.PhP” Kadek set to retire in the Summer of next year they won’t want to miss out on anything between now and then.

Player To Watch

Sneix – He’s the new guy and even though people will be divided on how big the shoes are he has to fill, it will be interesting to see if can fit into a team that is as much about teamwork and timing as it is about individual skill.

Team-Dignitas

beta
Hughsy
RattlesnK
Mx
PEZ

The new-look Team Dignitas dominated the most recent SLAP event and made even the second closest team in attendance look decidedly ordinary. They have every reason to be coming into this event already visualising another trophy in the cabinet and they’d have every right to after the calibre of opposition they schooled out in Denmark… But nothing is ever so simple and there are teams here they will face who will want to beat them for personal reasons. There are those that still speculate about the chemistry in the team and how they would react if things started going against them, and there are those that still question the ability of people in the team despite them having passed all of the tests so far. Whether there is going to be any truth in that will only come under the magnifying glass when the big games start to come thick or fast. Certainly there are not many teams that can match the will to win or the intensity of this current line-up.

Player To Watch

Hughsy – RattlenK may have won the MVP at SLAP, but not far behind him was his colleague who was simply incredible with a rifle in his hand throughout the entire event. If he brings the same form to this event then you can expect another masterclass of aim, crosshair control and fragging. Definitely a player to excite the neutral.

Fnatic

Proph
Blaze
AirRaid
Xertion
kajsk1ng

SLAP was something a write-off for everyone’s favourite Dutchmen. Their return to fnatic promised so much and then through a series of catastrophes their LAN performance was greatly impaired until it culminated with the worst kind of collapse, being 16 – 0’d at LAN by Germans. That is something that would especially wound a citizen of the Netherlands… Now they come to an i-series looking to set the record straight and prove it was a one off. Certainly prior to that they had been back to winning ways having picked up wins at OOF and FOM under the 4kings banner. The big question is going to be without the unsung hero and probably one of the best support players to grace the game, Darky, can the get back to where they were before events at SLAP placed doubt into everyone’s mind?

Player To Watch

Blaze – Back from his travels, back in the saddle but is he back to his best? The answer to that question is going to largely determine how far the lads go in the contest. On his day his rifling can be as good as anything you’ll see, but even the best fighters can struggle to shake off ring rust after a long time out of the game.

Power Gaming

HenryG
hudzG
Re1ease
wilzOOO
stingeR
A blend of former TCM and Dignitas names, on paper the team could be the one to cause the biggest surprises at the event. Everyone knows about the damage the “G-Team” can do when it’s in full swing, Re1ease has consistently caught the eye at every event he has played at, wilzOOO was in probably the greatest CS:S team to have played until VeryGames came along – you can have the debate as to who was better – and we are told that StingeR is finally ready to transfer his 1.6 form to Source… The team has been practicing hard before the event and under the tactical guidance of the most recent Team UK captain, Henry Greer, if it all clicks who is to say they couldn’t win the whole thing? The real test for this team isn’t going to be one of in game skills, but one of togetherness and resolve. Most feel that Power Gaming will either achieve the spectacular or spectacularly underachieve, but any opponents underestimating them will be in for a big surprise.

Player To Watch

stingeR – Everyone else in the team has been there, done that and enjoyed their shares of success and disappointments. For the Norwegian Source is still a game that he has yet to conquer and his team-mates will be looking for him to be at his best in the face of his toughest test yet in the discipline.

Fragmasters TOXIC

url
giftig
ritch
HaZ
Sliggy

A mix-team for just this event, having brought some old faces out of retirement and borrowed two players from the team that has just moved to Blight Gaming, it is impossible to tell exactly which way this will pan out. In HaZ, and it’s now starting to be said on the frequent basis that it deserves, they undoubtedly have one of the best players in the world and a character big enough to carry those around him when things aren’t going according to plan. Giftig is one of those solid players who has played at a level that only a handful can boast about. On the other hand they have unknown quantities… url returns to competitive CS:S after quite a lay-off and he comes into it with not a lot of practice under his belt. Will his experience and in-game intelligence carry him through against well drilled opposition? In a recent interview Richard Gibbs had also said he wasn’t as good a player as he once was, yet how much of that is a bluff, and how much will he want to do something few have the chance to do – eat their own words. In addition Sliggy is making a huge step-up in terms of the quality around him for a LAN event. Will he be able to hold his own in such company? Without these answers it is impossible to know whether to brand them underdogs or wily veterans sure to cause anyone problems. You can be sure that while they may well be having fun, they won’t be playing to lose.

Player To Watch

Sliggy – url may well be on a comeback, ritch may well be capable of anything, and HaZ may be one of the greats, but attentions should be on a player that could use this as a springboard to better things, or instead fall through the trapdoor after the slip of the hangman’s noose. In times of a dwindling UK talent pool it’d be nice to have a new name to mention.

Team Infused

Crazycat
tiLs
NaYDeN
X
TEGS

Another newly formed team, the new Infused squad would perhaps be better referred to as “Team Comeback” given that three of their number have been treading water on the peripheries of the competitive scene for sometime now. So it can be with a scene fraught with disappointments for so many of those who come so close, but not close enough, not just once but on a number of occasions. With the inclusion of a former Sydney Underground player, TEGS, they all have a touchstone for the big games that maybe have eluded some of their careers by that smallest of margins. However don’t be fooled into thinking they come here out of shape and ragged. It was not so long ago crazycat was the stand-out performer for 4kings at LAN79 and for Charity at OOF. At the second season of UK EPS tiLs made a comeback that should seen him on the MVP shortlist and was instrumental in the Andy’s Vent team he was part of punching above their weight to finish third overall. As for X he hasn’t forgotten about his fall from grace with FM Toxic and will want to show people that he was a scapegoat as opposed to a weak link in a chain. A team of individual talent that just needs one more ingredient to really make their mark, they must hunt for that galvanising factor at i38 and find it early.

Player To Watch

NaYDeN – Deliberately not mentioned above, he is the dirty secret of the UK scene. I refer not to the American player of movies gone by, but instead to the fact that right now he is at the top of his game and making bigger names look decidedly ordinary by contrast. This will, barring a disaster, be his break out LAN.

Twistedplay GlG

Callisto
Boostey
fearLess
ShiGeru
w1p

The GLG are a collection of players bucking the UK trend of not sticking together – although Denmark may be stealing that ready made association for good – and have steadily improved with each competition they have attended. The only problem? They are not overly concerned with or motivated by victory. If it sounds ridiculous to you then you have obviously not played against the. A merry band of part-timers that approach each LAN as something closer to an 18 – 30 holiday, defeat is never too frowned upon as it simply means more time down the bar. They aren’t making up the numbers though and have players that can hold their own with some of the better teams in attendance, and indeed they caught some bigger names than theirs off guard at the previous event where they managed a very respectable 5th / 6th finish, their highest to date. Their relaxed attitudes will never make them winners, but they will tell you that the real losers are the one taking it too seriously anyway.

Player To Watch

Callisto – By nominating him I open myself to the usual criticism and accusations of cronyism, but the reality is he is the player that is enjoying his semi-retirement from the game with some old friends and was a finalist at the previous tournament, playing exceptionally well. Between him and w1p you can expect some noteworthy performances.

Fragmasters SAPPHIRE

prDz
n3w
Fyx
mNTw
xXx^

The plucky Portuguese always seemed to go largely unnoticed at the previous tournament, even though they performed well and achieved a good 5th / 6th finish. The Portuguese scene is one that seems to be largely ignored by the rest of Europe even though it has slowly but surely been strengthening. This team represent the best in their country, having won the most recent XL Party event, and have been getting better and better thanks to the support of the Fragmasters / Sapphire sponsorship that has enabled them to get to more competitive events. You can expect solid teamwork and surprisingly good aim from these guys and they won’t be a pushover for any of the teams they come up against. They may lack that little bit of quality and experience that will help them get past the big boys, but they are certainly not to be dismissed out of hand and their levels of organisation may well put them in good stead against the newer teams around them.

Player To Watch

mNTw – A consistent rifler and a good clutch player, he has been the difference between his side winning and losing a round many times in the past and he is a player that always plays with a smile on his face no matter the situation.