So I made a hype blog cause I was really, really hyped but now that its all over and I've had a chance to relax I'm gonna put all my thoughts down.
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Day 1:
I don't know if anyone saw the line. But it was HUGE. I got there around 12:30 (I think doors opened an hour after) and got in basically right before 2. I was hanging out with =Climax and we kinda waited in line.... Once we got in though it was cold! It went from really hot outside to nice and cold. Games started at 4:30 so we just hung out and looked around the venue. Immediately there were 4 things I noticed:
1. The STAGE OH MY GOD.
2. The player areas. lots of computers/xboxes
3. Team Dignitas was signing
4. I needed a shirt
So first things first: I got my shirt.
It was a buy 2 get 1 free thing so I got me and a friend a shirt and took the free one to get signed.
Pics at the end
unfortunately, Dignitas had left for lunch by the time I got my shirt .
Right after we got shirts, I met up with another friend and we looked at the Halo area. My last blog found me lots of fellow Halo fans, so hopefully people can appreciate the hype. BtH had been showing really strong play, but Instinct is just so good. No one was playing yet though so we went over to the player area...
Okay people were playing. It was just a 2v2 friendly though. I think enable and someone from BtH vs pistola and ogre2.
The main stage was right next to Halo so i got to see it before there was anyone..
Then we went to the player area. Who do I find first? Choya. Playing Terran. Next to. Wait that can't really be...
no.
Thats not.
Its MVP. Holy. FUCK.
I was really hyped for this, so after Choya was done I asked him for an autograph... and I asked for an MVP one too. As he gave me back his shirt, I told him 'MVP, please win MLG'.
+ Show Spoiler +
So i take blame for his win...
After this I was like, super hyped so I went to go look around some more. I find what? QXC WHAT.
I find the 2 people I wanted to meet the most, fucking awesome. ofc I got a qxc picture.
+ Show Spoiler +
And an Autograph...
The games were about to begin then so, I kinda just relaxed. There were no seats but there was a nice spot on the floor where we watched the opening games. Day 1 was basically my being hyped and watching a lot of starcraft. Not much.
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Day 2
I don't remember this day as well. I know I woke up late (day started at 11, I woke up at like 12:30 and rushed over haha). Had seats this time so I sat and watched Boxer vs Incontrol, Select vs Ganzi. I missed the first 2 epic games ;;.
after that I kinda got bored of sitting. I remember I watched some halo that day (Instinct wins all of their pool play matches and remains undefeated with 14-0 after pool, seriously wtf). Everyone at Halo cheered for instinct, basically. At least, few cheered against them.
So there was this little side stage behind the player area, with the signs 1 and 2 (player area 1/2 that is) on top where the games for Blue stream (huksy/bitter) were played, as well as another unstreamed one. I spent most of my time there cause the games there were more exciting. There was a fair amount of people sitting down and watching. I don't remember exactly who I saw but I remember that Boxer won his last pool play game and we had a chant going on. I think everyone played there at least once and it was really exciting.
After Day 2 ended (I left during White-Ra vs Drewbie) I went home, didn't sleep, got to day 3 just around 9:30 and managed to get seats :O.
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Day 3
Spoilers galore.
Day 3 started great. I stayed in my seat (leaving only for bathroom breaks and Dr. Pepper) all the way until the MMA/DRG set (that's like 5 hours).
Here's the thing. I was TIRED. I hadn't slept the past night and though I had a lot of Dr. Pepper I still fell asleep at times. So during white-ra vs Select? I was knocked out during early game and woke up to see the battles.
I watched most of TLO/Sheth cause I got my first can of Dr. Pepper around then.
Oh god. And then there was Boxer vs Rain. I'm sure you've all seen this video;
and if not, watch it and see how loud the crowd cheered. It was exciting.
Game 1 though, I kinda slept for the first part. up to 10 minutes everyone was like OMFG BLUE FLAME HELLIONS. Then i passed out for 30 minutes, only to see.
wait what the fuck THERES A LOT OF VIKINGS. LOL. SO exciting. And boring. The crowd kinda just cheered everytime a turret blue up after a while, it was really funny. Boxer nukes a turret and we all clap. After he lost though, we were amped. Boxer HAD to win, and when he raped game 2/3, well click the video .
MVP/DRG was an amazing set, for me anyway.
So few MVP fans in the crowd, but I didn't care I was one of them <3.
Game 1, MVP does that thing where he wins and it was just like, oh my god how did he split his marines like that. How did he do that soihgdiodhg.
Game 2 i was like well MVP is gonna lose. DRG is 5-1 on Dual Sight (based on korean TLPD, he lost 1 game to FXOsC, sCfOu back then, and that game was fucking epic). MVP does that mass thor attack and we're like wait MVP might win. But DRG made amazing things happen with roaches.
Game 3 MVP picks Xelnaga and, well, destroys him. Gogogogog MVP.
MMA/DRG was gonna start but at that point, they show that Instinct was playing BtH on halo in winners finals. And i'm like OK i need to see this fuck it. Its funny cause the guy in front of me on the seats was like "look at those guys playing console games, they cant compare" and then i up and leave to go watch ahah. I found my friend and got a seat in front of him after looking at the Day 9 line (LONG AS FUCK), sat down and watched Instinct be even, or even down for the first 10 mins of the game and then DESTROY BtH and go 3-0.
All this time, MMA was playing and I saw a lot of highlights. 7 min contain game 1, surviving dual sight for the longest time while behind on game 2. I didn't see his win game 3 till everyone cheered though. :[
RIGHT after this (or sometime during the break before, I really don't remember) I go over to the nearby Hilton hotel to get food and coffee, cause i was literally falling asleep in my seat. There was a break before Boxer/MMA, (a pretty long one) so I went to starbucks :D. The guy asks for my name and I reply with "IMNestea" but he fucks up writing it ;;.
Now I'm energized right? And fed, cause tacos are good. I sit down with my friend at Halo again because the finals are on. Guess who? Instinct, now 17-0 in games. BtH, who've only dropped 2 sets: 1 in pool play and 1 to Instinct. During this? Boxer/MMA. I couldn't watch both but I simply believed in Boxer. ;o.
Instinct wins 6-0 in the series (extended, so they only won 3 games while sitting). Game 6 was the most epic Reach match I've ever watched. Kinda. Ins goes up 3 flag caps on 5 flag (i forgot the map name, the epic ass one with the triangle in the middle) immediately, but BtH responds with 3 more right after. Instinct caps the 4th and nothing really happens. BtH pulls the 4th flag with literally like 30 seconds left but instinct gets the clutch flag return on overtime to win. Undefeated. 21 games in a ROW. And if you count their record from Cbus, they're 42-1. God squad is right.
The last team to go undefeated in a tourney was '07 Final Boss for Halo 2, and that was when both ogres were together. Its pretty fitting that Ogre 2 is the only player with 2 undefeated tournaments. Ridiculous.
OK BACK TO STARCRAFT.
SC2 finals, MVP, MMA.
I barely remember the games.
After halo finals we sat down on the floor to watch sc2 finals while they awarded the halo trophies. What pissed me off, a LOT, was that when they put up the sc2 game on halo's stage for a bit and took it down, people Boo'd. Like really, they're still celebrating and you boo. :|. They just did what Nestea did this GSL in a weekend :\.
Whatever.
I remember now that Game 1 was testbug and MVP did that "well i have a lot of tanks" thing.
Game 2 was so :[. He doesnt do enough with the blue flame hellions and gets run over.
Game 3 was just clutch. I believed that he could win and he just says 'ok im gonna kill you" and wins.
after we saw the manner mules and the gg i was just so happy :D. I left right after though cause my ride was leaving and we went home to relax.
Few things I really liked:
The hype. I really got to enjoy watching boxer. I got to stand so close to him. I met slayers members, koreans, non korean pro gamers that I've seen on GSL when I wake up and stay up to see them. And I was there, with them. Oh my god.
Halo. There were still people watching, and god dammit while we didn't have as many sc2 people in the crowd there were still people watching, cheering, chanting. I can't tell you how many times each instinct member's name was cheered out by the crowd. The "STEAK STEAK STEAK" chants when they won 50-27 against BtH to open up the series.
The feature station. The fact that we could watch more games than just the mainstage was great.
and of course the chance to just watch sc2.
Dislikes:
SO MANY EPIC GAMES TO WATCH. Really, like after a while I just didn't know what to watch. ;;.
Whining: people dissing halo/blackops. I don't like pro-blackops myself but you have to realize these people are still fucking good at that game and the winner clutched being down 4-0 in the series to win 6-5. That's a 5-1 record in the finals of a tournament while being streamed to thousands. Pretty fucking good. And I don't wanna explain how good Instinct was when it comes to halo. what the fuck. its all videogames and to each his own, no sense dissing them.
I read a few posts about how there should have been more to do at Anaheim but honestly I think it was perfect. You don't needa play you're there to watch the games and be part of that crowd. :o. Just enjoy!
I had a lot of fucking fun.
The only thing I was really confused at was:
how do i act around progamers? When is it appropriate to approach and ask for an autograph? I didn't get that many cause I really just didn't wanna bother anyone ;;.
I was next to unstable/sheth/tgun in line for food and I was just shocked and speechless ;;. I didn't know what to say, didnt ask for a sing.
I got to tell Oz and Choya they were awesome though. Oh and alicia ;D.
But I passed by so many people I watch and I just didn't know how to act . I also got too shy to walk up to milkis and hotbid while they were sitting down at the feature station. no autographs for me .
Overall the event was amazing. Thank you MLG, for making my dreams come true :D.
Shirt pics:
+ Show Spoiler +
Edit; oh right this is my 1k :D. So i'm now allowed to post again haha.