GotFrag.com - The first stop on MLG's 2010 PC circuit saw its conclusion with what was one of the most exciting grand finals in tournament history. Formerly known as Button Bashers, 
Numberone and 
Orangemarmalade greeted the 2010 MLG Pro circuit under a new name and sponsor (Loaded (Black)) as well as testing the waters with their new 
Satzz. There was a lot of talk regarding the Rogue / Mage / Priest lineup Loaded.Black brought to Columbus as the composition is regarded as being relatively week in season 8 gear by most of the American Arena community. Its hard to imagine the former members of Button Bashers, a team regarded as being one of the top in the tournament scene during its time, as being the underdogs but thats what they were heading into to this tournament.
But much to the surprise of players around the globe, Loaded.Black finished round robin play with an undefeated record, and a huge amount of confidence going in to the finals. They would surely need it as the team they were slated to face in the grand finals was Complexity.Red, a team they were very familiar with.
In a pre-tournament interview with Loaded.Black J.P McDaniels asked the team what they thought of the comp their rivals Col.Red were running, and how they thought their RMP stacked up against it. In response to this question Numberone dared Col.Red to face them in an RMP mirror and promised the results would not be the same as MLG Orlando in 2009 where Col.Red took the lower bracket finals 4-1 in an RMP mirror.
Having lost the previous series against Loaded.Black using their Mage / Lock / Druid lineup, everyone was predicting Col.Red would change comps, but would they accept Numberone's challenge and risk mirroring arguably the greatest RMP in the world?
Game One - Nagrand Arena
Loaded.Black -
coL.Red -
The gates swing open and from them emerges Reckful, Venruki, ,Sodah, Numberone, Orangemarmalade, and Satzz. We follow Reckful out of the gates as he sprints over to Loaded.Black and gets a sap off on Numberone, immediately opening on Orangemarmalade who Blinks into the pillar out of panic. Satzz gets a sap off on Sodah and opens up on Reckful. Reckful is able to survive the initial burst as Col.Red looks to start putting out some pressure while Numberone sits in a Blind / Sheep.
Using Shadowdance Col.Red is able to get Satzz to 20%, but Numberone is able to pick him back up and immediately the pressure is put back on to Reckful. Getting brought down to 20% himself, Reckful is forced to vanish away from the pressure with Pain Suppression. Satzz is able to get a re-stealth and begins to search for his rival Rogue. Reckful is able to get an amazing sap off on a stealthed Satzz behind the pillar, avoids Orangemarmalade's pet Nova, and immediately open up on Satzz. Reckful's Kidney Shot was dodged by Satzz who in turn put the pressure back on to Col.Red as Sodah sits in a full Blind followed by a DR Sheep without a trinket. Reckful is brought down extremely low but is saved by Cheat Death just as Sodah is able to get some heals out on him. Satzz is also very low at this point and Venruki is able to land a full sheep on Numberone, without heals Satzz falls and Col.Red takes the first game.
Game Two - Nagrand Arena
Loaded.Black -
coL.Red -
The gates open and Satzz is able to get a sap off on Sodah in very bad positioning behind the far pillar. Reckful gets popped out of stealth trying to get a sap on Numberone behind the opposite pillar, and is opened up on by Satzz. Sodah arrives to aid Reckful who is at half health only to get Blinded by Satzz.
The pressure on Reckful is immense and Sodah is forced to trinket, seeing an advantage Loaded.Black instantly switches to Sodah. Soaking up lots of damage as well as a full Kidney Shot Sodah is unable to bring Reckful back to full, and once Reckful emerges out of stealth he is immediately switched on to by Orange and Satzz. With very little health and the absence of Cheat Death, Reckful is brought down through a Pain Suppression. Game 2 goes to Loaded.Black.
Game Three - Ring of Valor
Loaded.Black -
coL.Red -
Thus far the Rogues have seemed to be the main focus of both teams. Reckful is a big advocate of the Shadow Dance spec even though a lot of players regard the Mutilate spec that Satzz is running with to be superior. As this is the third game in the series both teams are allowed to take a brief break to discuss strategies and change specs or compositions.
It is also important to note that both Rogues have also decided to gear themselves very differently. Satzz has been running with no more than 750 resilience, choosing to focus on damage before survivability. On the other hand Reckful has geared almost exclusively for defense, using PvP gear in every available slot and even choosing to run with the Corroded Skeleton Key as his second trinket (228 Stamina plus an on-use 6400 damage absorption shield).
However both teams decide to stick with what they have been running, and the third game begins almost instantly after the second. Both Rogues are able to remain in stealth after the elevators reach the top, Satzz opens up on Sodah and Reckful chooses Orange as his first target. Reckful has difficulty sticking to Orange as Sodah is forced to keep himself up through the massive damage being put on him by Loaded.Black and misses a couple of dispels.
With next to no damage or peels being put out on Loaded.Black as Reckful sits in Novas / Sheeps the whole game Sodah dies and Loaded.Black wins game 3. Reckful only does 5.1k damage the entire game.
Game Four - Nagrand Arena
Loaded.Black -
coL.Red -
This is championship point for Loaded.Black, and Col.Red is unable to make any adjustments to their composition until the next game. The game starts slowly, both teams not wanting to take any risks. Both Priests get sapped, but Orange is able to pop Reckful out of stealth with a Nova. Using his vanish in an attempt to get away, Reckful is brought out of stealth once again by an amazing Blizzard by Orange.
Satzz opens up on Reckful, who is forced to trinket kidney shot as Sodah sits in a Sheep / Blind. Reckful immediately uses dance to bring Satzz down to 30% while Numberone sits in a sheep. However Sodah is caught in a full sheep without a trinket (he used it on Blind) and Reckful is forced to go defensive, using his Skeleton Key trinket to vanish while Ruptured. Unfortunately the trinket fades before Sodah is able to shield him, and Reckful is brought out of stealth.
Both teams continue to pressure the Rogues and Reckful forces a trinket from Numberone with his Blind. Reckful is brought down to 20% health as Sodah sits in chain Sheeps, but he is able to live by landing an amazing Shadowstep seemingly around the pillar on Numberone. Reckfull sprints to safety and is able to get a re-stealth behind the far pillar. The rest of the players join him, and he is able to get a full sap on to Satzz. Reckful and Venruki switch to Numberone as Satzz sits in Sap.
With awesome peels coming from Orange, Numberone escapes unphased while Satzz gets a re-stealth. Sodah blows his trinket on a sheep predicting large pressure from Loaded.Black, but is immediately put in a full Blind by Satzz. Reckful uses cloak to avoid a lot of the damage and Col.Red is able to bring Satzz down to 30% while Numberone eats a full sheep and fear.
Satzz survives as his healer gets out of fear, but receives little healing as Numberone gets hit by a 3 second Blind moments later. Satzz runs around the pillar to avoid the damage, but Venruki follows him and Sheeps Numberone as Satzz is brought down to sub-10% health. With no heals, Satzz falls and Col.Red takes the 4th game.
Game Five - Blade's Edge Arena
Loaded.Black -
coL.Red -
Everyone at home is at the edge of Kintt's seat as Game 5 commences, once again with no changes from either team. Satzz gets a Sap off on Sodah, and opens on him seconds later only to get hit by Reckful's Blind. Satzz trinkets the Blind and eats a partial dance from Reckful. Sodah jumps off of the bridge to avoid some of the pressure, but leaves Reckful up top in a sheep.
With no peels from Reckful Sodah is forced to use Pain Suppression to try and keep himself up. Even with PS up Sodah is brought down to less than 2000 health, but out of some sort of miracle he survives. Instantly the pressure is returned to Loaded.Black as Satzz eats a full dance and is brought down to 30%. Reckful kicks Numberone's Divine Hymn, and Venruki follows it up with a Counterspell. Numberone gets feared as Satzz sits at 2000 HP. With Numberone in fear, Soda and Venruki are able to finish off Satzz, winning the game for Col.Red.
Game Six - Dalaran Arena
Loaded.Black -
coL.Red -
Because the score from their previous series carries over, the score is now 5-4 and Loaded.Black still needs only 1 win to take this best of 11 series. The game begins and Satzz opens on Sodah just as Reckful Cheap Shots Orange. Satzz uses Blind on Reckful who is forced to trinket so he can peel for Sodah. Col.Red focuses their damage on Satzz while controlling Numberone but isn't able to put out even close to the same amount of pressure that Sodah is taking. Orange is able to Nova Reckful while Venruki sits in a Sheep, and without any peels Sodah falls, and Loaded.Black wins the finals.
Never did anyone think going in to a tournament where almost everyone agreed RMP was not a viable comp that we would see an RMP mirror in the grand finals. Its almost poetic when you think about it. The comp that has remained strong throughout the entire history of World of Warcraft arena emerges victorious over all other teams in what was its weakest season as a composition. The de-facto RMP team in Button Bashers defeating their rivals, a team they had previously lost to, in an RMP mirror under a new sponsor and with a completely different Rogue. A true Cinderella story the likes of which competitive World of Warcraft arena has never seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment