EPT
![[image loading]](/staff/p4NDemik/MSpaint/MLGp4ndemik.jpg)
So I got back Monday afternoon but this is the first time I've had to think about the weekend.
All in all it was great. Got to meet so many people, saw so many games, so many enjoyable moments. I'll stay away from writing a gigantic wall of text as I need to sleep and prepare for next weekend eventually (I'm going to Bonnaroo this weekend o_o). Before I discuss any details I want to pass on a few things that I think can really help any first-time MLG spectators.
First thing is first: Wear comfortable shoes that provide sufficient support. Especially if demand for seating at the SC2 stage continues to exceed what MLG can provide on site. MLG said they will definitely get more chairs but it is a good problem to have demand that continually surprises and I hope the fan support continues to surpass expectations. If you plan on walking around and watching a lot of open bracket games and games on the featured stage this is crucial. You will be on your feet for hours on end and by Sunday it takes a toll. Those white sneakers I wore for the race were so bad for wearing to the venue -_-
Get real. Plan ahead with comfortable kicks.
*Caution: Shibby is much faster IRL*
Secondly I would encourage you to get some kind of twitter app if you have a nice phone and if you don't, get tweets texted to you from selected accounts that are following other games (as long as your cellphone plan can support it). If you are like me and you want to follow the entire tournament you have to accept that you can't catch everything yourself, but if you utilize twitter you can stay on top of results and happenings without having to run back to harass the girls running the brackets towards the entrance of the venue every 10 minutes between games. I'm behind the times and have a crappy sidekick (idk honestly, sliding screen) but the first two days it was crucial for updates via Twitter. I set it up the night before I left and was glad I did.
Finally, don't forget to drink a lot of water. You may want to drink nothing but free Dr. Pepper during the day and beer during the nights but don't forget a water bottle!
The relay the first day we got there (btw thanks so much motbob for driving!) was a lot of fun, just a few steps slower than MLG! Shibby was really fast, as were HB, Tyler, and the final runner for MLG (Detach I think was his nick?).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfYfOKnhadI
Exhibit A: Shibby smokes me and MLG wins
Exhibit A: Shibby smokes me and MLG wins
As for the actual play days I'll run through the games I saw the best I can:
Day 1: Checked in, greeted a lot of people and went in to watch the first match of the day,
IdrA vs 
MC. The atmosphere of that game set the tone for the entire weekend. The cheers at the hatch planting and probe getting killed were hilarious. If IdrA didn't have the support of the legions of fans going into the event, these games got everyone's attention right off the bat. The main stage was visible almost anywhere you were standing in the StarCraft section of the event so I decided I would spend as much of my weekend trying to watch non-main stage games and following the main stage games from afar (or near if the match was at station A or 3 which were very close to the main stage). I tried to LR via tweet as much as I could and I hope someone got use of it but I with the ~10 followers I had I dk how many people it helped.So the first match after the IdrA/MC I saw was
July vs vVvDwAy, which was quite lopsided but it was awesome to see July's perspective from so close. July took it 2-0 and I moved on to find another match. mOoNan vs SjoW and Gretorp vs SLush were playing close by and I decided to set up shop there. The SjoW MooNaN series were some good back and forth TvTs from the perspective I watched (MooNaN's) and SjoW ended up winning 2-1. When I shifted my attention I was surprised to find out Gretorp Slush game 2 was only just starting. I stuck around there and ended up watching a 55 minute (SC2 time) TvZ, one great game. Chances are you haven't seen it as it wasn't broadcasted but take the time to watch it on x8 at least. Gretorp got ahead and at several different times was up 1 or 2 bases on Slush, but man is that Canadian a fighter. He stuck in it with great infestor/muta play and won, with Gretorp slamming his headphones down in disgust. I felt so bad for Gretorp but left the games with a whole new level of respect for Slush. While Gretorp isn't the level of an MMA or other top Terrans, IdrA could really learn from Slush's fighting mentality. Great game.![[image loading]](/staff/p4NDemik/TableorGraph/GretorpvsSlush.jpg)
SC2 gears can barely handle the madness of Gretorp vs SluSh on Typhon Peaks
From there I watched a bit of
MMA vs mOoNan (I really enjoy TvT) but decided to leave early and head over to the Halo stage. I grew up playing video games with Strongside (a veteran of the circuit) all through grade school, so I said hi to him when he was signing autographs and then sat down to watch his match when they took the stage. They lost a tough 5 set match, which was very entertaining considering I had a reason to back a side. Over the course of the weekend I wasn't able to watch a match they won but it was awesome seeing him again and look forward to going to more MLGs to cheer for the Warriors or whatever other team he may end up on.From there I caught the tail end of
DarkCell vs ThisIsJimmy as I waited for July vs OpTiKzErO. I don't recall the results as I was pretty preoccupied with waiting for the July Optik game as I thought it would be the first real challenge on his way through the open bracket. It wasn't. It was really evident to see how July's aggression could affect the opposing player's mindset watching these games. Optik may have been able to move out onto the map once the entire 2-0 series as constant ling aggression really kept him on his back foot. The series ended with July winning on Xel'Naga, bouncing between Optik's natural and 3rd expo in a way that made me think of a cat just playing around with its prey. July's ZvP is just really scary, wish I could have seen his FP view of it but he was on the inside side of the playing area -_- .That was it for day 1 as far as I recall, wish I could have seen more games but I was glad I didn't miss that Gretorp Slush game as it was really a treat even if it was
Day 2: After getting my ass handed to me in Hot_Bid bullshit the previous night I slept in just a bit and got to the venue to start watching games. I watched
GosI[Terran] (Major) play Darkcell and win 2-0, don't recall much from the only game I saw. I slipped in to watch my friend play another Reach match and then went over to see how DeMusliM was doing in his first major event (?) since coming back to action. It was then that I found out about Pokebunny and CatZ getting walked over which seemed really unfortunate as I understood it was an error in communication between refs and players and they ended up losing their chance at winning their open bracket. It was a great event but this was the one thing that left a bitter taste the whole weekend. After seeing July's ZvZ first hand I really think CatZ's style would have had a shot and I would hate to be in Poke's position, distraught and pacing after losing a match without even getting to sit down to play.Anyways I saw DeMusliM pretty much pick apart his opponent, Bloodthirsty (announced as limeade) with some good drop play and win 2-0. From there I slipped a few feet to my right to sit down behind July as he played
Agh. Even though Agh isn't a big-name American player the star power of the Koreans could be felt in situations like this as there was a much larger crowd behind July watching his FP view. July wiped the floor with Agh after an unsuccessful 4-gate and a stargate build in game two. Again I walked over to the main playing area to watch Fenix play MorroW. What I saw was Fenix at his best, with drops all over the map, picking apart MorroW's infrastructure and taking the series 2-1. I hope Fenix looks at MMA's games from this MLG, it seems they play similar styles and if Fenix played with the same mechanical strength as MMA he could be extremely fearsome. I moved over to the opposite side of the players area as MoreFaSho (who I met earlier in the line to get our wristbands) play superstar of TSL1, IefNaij. I saw a little bit of the games on the featured stage then shifted my attention to the ZvP at hand. Game 1 MoreFaSho played very close but eventually was done in by IefNaij's DT harass, a pretty good game. Game 2 MoreFaSho went for a ling run-by that he has described to me earlier in the event, which wasn't quite as successful as he hoped. A few minutes after the opening ling run-by Iefnaij showed up on his doorstep with a billion units and rolled on to take G2.At this point in the weekend nearly every Main Stage match was getting as big of a crowd as the IdrA/MC opener if not significantly larger. I watched from a distance as Princess/Gosi[Terran]/Major etc. nuked
iNcontroL for what wasn't the first time during the weekend. I watched Gretorp vs Fenix G3 hoping to see Gretorp get a win in his group, but only to see him fall short 
. I hung around the main stage now and then as matches elsewhere were getting fewer and farther between. There was a dad with his kid watching on his shoulders in front of me, a scene I've seen on BW/SC2 streams from Korea, but it was cool to see a younger generation getting into the game here. Add one to the ranks of Stargirl and MiniWheat 
. I continued to move around the venue and stopped to watch the conclusion of HayprO vs Major. HayprO lost game two to take it to game three on Shakuras Plateau, a pretty good game where HayprO surprised me with his macro and ended up taking the series 2-1.I went out to eat then returned to the featured stage to watch some more matches. What followed was another highlight and another favorite player made.
Sheth played July in a very close 2-1 series, with a significant following watching both players' perspective. The cool thing about this match was that in addition to some ggs the crowd really got behind both players, cheering "1-2-3 July fighting!!" and "1-2-3 Sheth fighting!!" and in between games Sheth actually turned around and took questions. I met Sheth several times over the course of the weekend and he really is the one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet at these events. The fact that he plays with the keyboard in his lap also makes him an absolute baller.By this time a major storm hit Columbus and heavy rainfall and thunder could be heard outside, with winds strong enough to keep knocking the cover of a fan up and down, making quite a racket. The weather would prove quite problematic later that night as we walked down North High street to hit a bar. After the Sheth vs July games would be the first time I was able to enjoy watching
LosirA play (vs Major) in person. His hand movement over the keyboard is really something to behold, I think Artosis has described it as him playing a tune with his keyboard and it really is true. He moves his hand so fast and at such a distinct rhythm you don't want to look away from them and actually watch the game. LosirA was visibly tired through the games but it was hypnotic to watch him play once he got started. He completely rolled over Major as I recall for a 2-0 win.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVEvwNbeK6I
Poetry in motion.
Poetry in motion.
At some point around here I watched July vs
MMA, a prequel TvZ for the grand final. Game 2 on Metalopolis played out in a very similar fashion as the finals, with July agressively pushing only to get repelled by an impeccable defense by MMA. As soon as July quit the offensive MMA had dropships all over the map, and picked him apart. There wasn't a Zerg at that tournament that could come close to MMA in TvZ imo.It was probably past 1 a.m. at this point but there was plenty of SC2 to be played. I moved over to watch
ViBE vs MorroW. I really wanted to see ViBE's FP view to see that 1000 APM but once again he was on the inside of the playing area. Definitely on my list of things to catch at a future event. ViBE went on to win 2-0 and I decided to call it a night even though play would continue on past 2:30 or 3 am.Day 3: Again I stayed up late the previous night with all sorts of shenanigans I won't get into in this blog so I slept in a bit late and got to the venue. This day was such a blur. Hot_Bid tossed me the smartphone that he and R1CH had been using and I was recruited to run the twitter for the afternoon. If you want a step-by-step of what I was doing you can run through those tweets from Sunday but I'll stick to the big moments.
The size of the crowds at the main stage continued to expand. People sat on the ground to the side of the main playing area up to a good 30 or 40 feet behind where the actual seating was (they were spread out but it was still something else). Later, before the whole venue turned to the final SC2 series, people stood directly next to the ropes and generally any place you could, packed much tighter and cheering wildly.
The first big match that was off the main stage that I was really excited for that day was the conclusion of the TSL3 rematch,
MC vs ThorZaIN. While I waited I watched SjoW vs Moon and quickly got frustrated as LRing with only SjoW's view was just impossible. I don't know how SjoW plays without scouting for so long but its impressive that he pulls it off. I gave up and decided to move over to the other side to watch from Moon's perspective. Before I could though, the moment of the tournament occurred. As the first salvo landed on MMA's orbital the fans reacted in disbelief "OOOOOOHHH." Which each shot that followed the chorus grew louder, climaxing at its destruction and sending everyone into nerd giggles. The GG that followed left everyone perplexed, but I couldn't dwell on IdrA being IdrA too long - MC vs ThorZaiN was commencing!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILQF1G6VAhE
What. The. Fuck.
- Darthceasar you are a man among nerds for catching this moment from the crowd perspective.
What. The. Fuck.
- Darthceasar you are a man among nerds for catching this moment from the crowd perspective.
Those sets just continued in a tradition of spectacular play by both. Multiple times both players dodged and jumped forward with ghosts and templar, trying for EMPs, feedbacks, and sniping units. The tension of those games was just amplified by these moments with fans cheering at each successful spell. BTW before I go on I apologize for the horrible spelling in some of those tweets as I struggled to get accustomed to the interface for the smartphone I was using. ThorZaiN took the first game in impressive fashion, with MC taking the next in another classic on Tal'Darim. MC was very sloppy at times losing HT for no reason but still could macro up a storm and take the game. At this time July vs Moon was also starting on Shattered Temple with crazy long roach infestor engagements that left me wondering if I should think about using infested terrans more in ZvZ.
After the first two ThorZaiN vs MC games they attempted to put it on the main stage screen as it really is a shame it couldn't be in the first place but it wasn't meant to happen. As everyone saw, ThorZaiN is ultra-manner and informed refs that he could hear the announcers and crowd reactions. MC remarked about this and the games continued - with MC ultimately prevailing 4-2 in an extended series. A few more matches followed but immediately following the IdrA vs MMA and MC vs ThorZaiN games all I could think about was the inevitable rematch. The 4-0 turnaround in the losers bracket for a MC 4-2 extended series victory was ultimately disappointing as IdrA most definitely was on tilt and not playing well but it made for a good story anyways. Following that set it was time for dinner (from which I wouldn't escape without Hot_Bid pranking me).
The scene I returned to was awesome. Just awesome. The Halo and CoD events had concluded and all stages were showing the finals matches of the SC2 championship tournament. The size of the crowd was just daunting. I think MLG said there were seats for 2000 which meant there had to have been hundreds more sitting on the ground or standing without a seat. I eventually found a spot near a bunch of TL guys. From there on out it was just awesome, #1 to have a seat, and #2 to watch the games. We sat and threw around odds for MMA vs Losira and decided only that MMA was the clear favorite - and he didn't disappoint. The same insane drop play that he used earlier against July was shown off again and we all know how that story went.
Me and the rest of the TL crew rushed back to the hotel as many wanted to catch as much of Game of Thrones before we set out for the after parties (which were a ton of fun). It was great meeting everyone over at the Char Bar - MrBitter, Catspajamas, the z33k guys, the WP guys, iCCup.Diamond, DjWheat, Chobopeon, and the many others that I had met in the earlier days and seen play. A few drinks and a few hours later I made my way back to the hotel room and my first MLG experience come to a conclusion.
Shout out to all the people I met over last weekend:
motbob - special thanks for coming out of your way to pick me up on your way up to Columbus
Hot_Bid, Mango, Waxangel, R1CH, heyoka, Kennigit - for being pro roommates all weekend
CDRDude, StorrZerg, Zeroes, Kibibit, CaucasianAsian, LemonWalrus, Orb, TrueRedemption, and all the other TL.netters I encountered in our adventures and misadventures.
Janitor - it was cool talking to you and thanks for letting me know the sitch when I walked over to a game you were watching when it was already in progress
MoreFaSho - for bridging the gap between a Platinum-level Zerg and a Masters-level Zerg for many games and being a pleasant guy
Milkis - for being a pro translator and finding time to hang out between doing everything necessary with the Koreans
All the progamers I was able to enjoy the company of - Sheth, Tyler, TLO, ThorZaiN, HayprO especially and everyone else I greeted in passing, you were all great.
Finally, thanks to MLG staff for making my first ESPORTS event truly a spectacle to behold. Couldn't have imagined a better weekend of ggs, nerd chills, and general fun times. And thanks to all the other fans that came out that I didn't meet. The cheers of the crowd all weekend really took the event to another level - never let up with your unparalleled enthusiasm, your witty signs, and your overall passion for a game you love.
To anyone out there who is still on the fence about attending the remaining events this year, GO! Anaheim is out of my price range but I'll likely be there in Raleigh to meet more of you guys, so I'm looking forward to it! Oh, and if you can't find a seat at the SC2 stage and sit down to watch Halo: Reach - root for Strongside and the Warriors!
Anyways I think that's everything I wanted to write, now time to pack for another crazy weekend at Bonnaroo 2011 (after just 2 days to rest I'm not sure I'll survive this week lol).
