It seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting Halo 3’s debut on the MLG Pro Circuit. The pro teams were undetermined, the strategies were undefined, and MLG’s vast community was anxious to see who would emerge as the first Halo 3 pro players. Since then, many teams and players have established themselves as some of the best talent in the game with two fantastic finishes early on in Halo 3’s lifespan on the Pro Circuit. However, we are far from the level of stability that was prominent toward the end of Halo 2’s lifespan. Because the game is still in its early stages, the level of skill shown at each event continues to grow rapidly as teams develop new strategies and gain a better understanding of how the game works. The possibility for an up and coming team to strike gold on the Pro Circuit still remains, and MLG Orlando may host the perfect stage for such a feat. 
The stage is set for a stellar weekend of Halo.
With the 2008 MLG Pro Circuit’s third stop kicking off on July 11th, the excitement is already radiating from the pros, amateurs, and countless fans who will be watching attentively from home. The fact that MLG Orlando signifies the 2008 regular season passing the halfway mark will likely create a newfound sense of urgency among the competitors. How they deal with this urgency, as well as how they’ve chosen to prepare themselves in the short amount of time since MLG San Diego, will likely dictate how well they perform. After MLG San Diego came to an end, a multitude of team changes occurred. The rampant amount of team changes resembles the early days of Halo 2, in which we saw many teams struggle to find a line-up that suited them best. To put things into perspective, all but two teams within the Top 8 have made at least one roster change since MLG San Diego. We’ve seen veteran teams part ways with long-time members, and breakout teams reduced to a fragment of their former selves. The effects of these changes will almost certainly be evident in Orlando, and it will be an intriguing story to tell once it’s all said and done. With that said, let’s take a closer look at the players and teams that are looking to shake up the standings by performing up to their potential in Orlando. For the purposes of this article, we’ll assume that no major upsets will take place throughout the tournament when discussing the possible matchups throughout the bracket. Fittingly, let’s kick things off with Str8 Rippin. In San Diego, Str8 Rippin put on one of the most dominant performances in league history, taking home first place while dropping just one game during the course of the tournament. Str8 came into the event boasting more preparation than ever, and the impressive performance that followed was a true testament to the “practice makes perfect” mantra. 
MLG Orlando 2007 gave Str8 Rippin their final championship of Halo 2. Will Orlando be their good luck charm again this year?
Having gained the overall top seed, Str8 now has a very desirable bracket to work through in Orlando. Str8 will face their first notable challenge when they take on the winner of Ambush vs. Fatal Images in Winners Bracket Round 3. From there, they’ll be pitted against the winner of the Classic vs. Triggers Down matchup for the right to move into the Winners Bracket Finals. Despite these matches though, Str8 Rippin may very well add another championship to their résumé if they can demonstrate the same level of dominance they did less than one month ago. Now, let’s take a look at Final Boss. To quote FearItSelf from a recent Triggers Down interview, “They (Final Boss) really have never had more to prove in their Halo career than they do right now. That can only make them even better than in Orlando.” Will that be the case, or will we see the most dominant team in Halo’s prolific history fall by the wayside? If history is any indication, Final Boss has always managed to rebound after a tournament loss. Only this time, they’re coming off of a seventh place finish instead of second—their previous career lowest placing. Final Boss has always played their best Halo under the intense scrutiny of their peers. Perhaps they were a little too comfortable in San Diego, which led to dropping matches against Believe the Hype and eventually Triggers Down. Whatever the case may have been, Orlando will be anything but a walk in the park for FB. First up will be XiT Woundz in Winners Bracket Round 2, followed by a match with a team they have developed quite a storied history with over the past two years; Carbon. If this match actually happens, it will mark the first time the two teams have met in Halo 3 during a Live Competition. 
Final Boss came up short in San Diego, finishing the event in a surprising seventh place. All eyes will be on them as they look to improve upon their performance at this event.
Moving on, let’s touch base on our San Diego runners-up, Instinct. As you may have heard, despite walking away with their best placing thus far in the 2008 season, Instinct dropped the newly acquired Snipedown. Subsequently, Instinct replaced Snipedown with the very same player he had replaced, Victory X. The move has been highly controversial within the community, and has generated an array of speculation as to the motives behind the move. Instinct’s route through the bracket resembles that of Str8 Rippin’s, as they have a fairly smooth road to the Winners Bracket Semi-Finals. Their first decent challenge should come in Winners Bracket Round 3 against the winner of High Life, sans Cpt. Anarchy, and a newly rebuilt Believe The Hype. Assuming they have no problems in that series, they’ll be paired against the winner of Final Boss vs. Carbon in the Winners Bracket Semi Finals. Of course, we can’t mention Instinct without then mentioning Triggers Down. The two teams are quickly developing a Str8 Rippin/Carbon-esque rivalry, which has been fueled by the recent roster changes that have occurred. The addition of Snipedown to an already powerful slaying squad could be the puzzle piece Triggers Down has been lacking thus far in 2008. However, the short amount of time they’ve had to prepare since the conclusion of San Diego could hinder their ability to capitalize on their potential. 
Triggers Down came up just shy in San Diego after a heartbreaking loss to Instinct in the Losers Bracket Finals. Will this event be the one they finally come out on top?
Triggers Down has one of the tougher brackets of the tournament which pits them against an up and coming Breaking Point in Winners Bracket Round 2, closely followed by an even tougher match in the following round. If they are to win both of these matches, they will once again find themselves in a battle against Str8 Rippin for the second consecutive tournament in a row. Even though the last series ended at 3-0 in Str8’s favor, Triggers Down arguably gave Str8 their biggest challenge of the weekend. Nearly every game ended in a white-knuckle fashion, and it would be interesting to see the two teams meet up again. That brings us to Classic. After giving Final Boss a run for their money in Halo 3’s debut at MLG Meadowlands, Classic put on a poor show in San Diego. The team failed to live up to the expectations of a large portion of the MLG community, and it’s safe to say that they’ll be looking to regain some respect in Orlando. Classic will be sporting a new roster in Orlando, which includes long-time Pro Circuit veteran, Naded. As a key member of Fatal Images in Meadowlands and San Diego, Naded has demonstrated an extreme amount of skill in slaying, strategy, and objective play. He has put up head-turning stats all season long, and should make a great addition to the team. Classic’s acquisition of Naded comes at a great time too, as the team has one of the more challenging brackets in Orlando. They’ll go up against Influence in Winners Bracket Round 2, followed by Triggers down in WBR3, and eventually Str8 Rippin, if they are able to upset the newly remodeled Triggers Down. 
Classic will be facing one of the toughest brackets in Orlando. Can Naded’s veteran experience bring Classic back to the Finals?
In order to make room for Naded, Fear was released from Classic. As a result, he has joined up with Gandhi, Best Man, and Defy to form a new team. For the second time this year, Gandhi and Fear will be forced to fight their way through the Open Bracket in order to earn themselves a place amongst their former teams. We here at mlgpro.com will be following the team throughout their journey in the Open Bracket every step of the way. Be sure to tune in to see how they perform. Last but not least we have Carbon. As we just mentioned, Carbon made a shocking move by dropping Gandhi in the days following San Diego. Cpt. Anarchy, formerly of High Life, has signed on to take his place on the 2006 National Championship team. Despite having massive shoes to fill, Cpt. Anarchy’s familiarity with the team may very well be the spark needed to jump start Carbon. Carbon will take on Chilled Reality in Winners Bracket Round 2, and will be paired up against Final Boss in the following round. As mentioned earlier, if this match were to happen, it would mark the first time Carbon and Final Boss have battled it out since the 2007 National Championships. Orlando should be a great experience for Carbon and their newfound teammate if they are able to continue to increase upon their previous placements. Chemistry is something that usually takes time and experience to achieve, and Orlando should be a great way to get them started in the right direction. 
With the help of newly added Cpt. Anarchy, Carbon will attempt to regain their dominance on the MLG Pro Circuit.
MLG Orlando will undoubtedly provide an action packed weekend full of triumph and defeat. While some teams will bask in the glory of Pro Circuit success, others will be forced to use the event as motivation to get it right the next time around. Whatever happens, be sure to catch all of the ups and down on MLG’s live video stream from the weekend-long event. In addition, be sure to tune in to MLG’s groundbreaking ESPN Saturday Night and MLG Championship Sunday broadcasts. We’ll see you in Orlando! |
