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The X-Games is an event that has become the premiere spectacle of extreme sports for almost two decades. The event has bred well-known and iconic athletes such as Tony Hawk, Shaun White, Mat Hoffman, and Dave Mirra. The aforementioned athletes helped shape what the X-Games has become today, and the landscape is beginning to accommodate for a new audience.
Just a few months ago the X-Games announced a groundbreaking partnership with Major League Gaming that would grant the opportunity of a lifetime to eight of the best professional Call of Duty teams in the world. The eight teams include; Evil Geniuses, EnVyUs, OpTic Gaming, OpTic Nation, Curse Orange, Strictly Business, FaZe Red, and Team KaLiBeR. These teams that will represent their organizations with the intention of pushing Call of Duty eSports to new heights. These eight teams will compete against one-another with the hopes of walking away with an X-Games medal, and more importantly, a solidified place in eSports history.
GROUP A
Led by ACHES, the team formerly known as compLexity has dominated the competitive Call of Duty scene for about a year. When the ‘it’ factor is spoken of, Evil Geniuses is never far from the conversation. Their chemistry is unrivaled and their slaying power has kept them in contention even when they are on the brink of elimination. Throughout the competitive life of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Evil Geniuses have only finished out of first place at one event. Evil Geniuses are the reigning Call of Duty World Champions, and will undoubtedly be favored to win gold at the X-Games.
After the Call of Duty Championship, MBoZe broke off from his third place team in OpTic Gaming and helped form OpTic Nation. He was quickly joined by KiLLa, MirX, and Ricky who had all teamed together on Curse LV earlier in Call of Duty: Ghosts. OpTic Nation has only played together at one LAN event, which was UGC Niagara, and they managed to finish in fourth place. This team seems to have a natural chemistry, and will give their opponents problems, especially in those ever important Search and Destroy games.
Team KaLiBeT’s competitive Call of Duty year has had its ups and downs. Their first two events brought them second place victories at both the MLG Fall Championship and UMG Philadelphia. These rather impressive performances were followed up by a disappointing sixteenth place finish at the Call of Duty Championship. Team KaLiBeR was plagued with roster changes and there was a struggle to find a steady and reliable squad. The likes of Clayster, Formal, Methodz, Dedo, Theory, Neslo, and even Goonjar came and went. Eventually Neslo and Goonjar found their way back home, and Apathy was acquired after the Strictly Business team disbanded after the Call of Duty Championship. This cohesive unit has yet to compete all together at a LAN event, but expect this team to turn heads at the X-Games.
GROUP B
Team EnVyUs is universally recognized as the second best team in the world. They are consistent and in possession of some of the most levelheaded players in the game. Team EnVyUs finished in second at the Call of Duty Championship after making a remarkable run through the loser’s bracket. The acquisition of Parasite to compensate for the release of Rambo after the Call of Duty Championship became a subject of controversy prior to Season 2 of the MLG Pro League. However despite the loss of a key veteran, EnVyUs remained a top team even with a questionable roster change. Led by MerK, The Boys in Blue will be hoping to accomplish their most formidable rivals in Evil Geniuses and earn gold at the X-Games.
The addition of ProoFy to this roster was supposed to be the piece that would put OpTic Gaming over the top. This was not proven at UGC Niagara as the OpTic Gaming squad failed to place in the money and eventually was bested by the team formerly known as Complexity in the loser’s bracket. This was a performance not expected by the third place finishing team at the Call of Duty Championship. With even more time to practice and work on chemistry, it’s hard to imagine OpTic Gaming coming into an event as big as the X-Games and dropping the ball. Expect the OpTic Gaming to be properly represented, and for NaDeSHoT and company bring home a medal for the Green Wall loyalists.
The FaZe Red squad is undoubtedly among the underdogs coming into the X-Games. Despite their impressive finish at the Call of Duty Championship, they have not been able to remain consistent at LAN events. The loss of ProoFy was detrimental to the core of this roster because ProoFy was one of their key playmakers. With Theory as a vocal leader it is hard to imagine that FaZe Red will go down without a fight at the X-Games. JKap, Replays, Classic, and Theory need to be on their game if they hope to contend for a medal.
The Curse organization will be represented by Curse Orange at the X-Games this coming weekend. Muddawg, Miyagi, and Attach are the three players from the cohesive Orange roster that will be in attendance. In place of Crowster will be Saintt, who proved he can adapt to team play styles on the fly when he and FaZe Black took fifth at UGC Niagara after a last minute fill-in was needed. For the rest of Curse Orange, this is their primetime opportunity to prove that they can compete with the best teams in the world on LAN. With nothing to lose, Curse Orange will do their best to make people regret doubting their abilities as a team.
Published on 05. Jun 2014
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