CommunityFortress

Hey everybody, I just sat down with two members of TWL Division 2 Playoff team Gravity Gun Grenadiers [GGG] to talk about their team and The TWL playoffs.

Hey guys, why dont you take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourselves?

[GGG] BOLT: Hey, I'm BOLT from clan GGG.  I main demoman.

[GGG] Spookr: I'm Spookyman-X and I play Scout for Gravity Gun Grenadiers. I've been playing TF2 since November of '07 so I'm pretty experienced, and I've been with the team since January of 2008, switching main classes several times over the years.

Ok, your team is ranked #1 in division 2 and are looking strong going into playoffs, what do you two think of your team's performance this season overall?

[GGG] BOLT: Well, I believe that we have really stepped up our game from the last couple seasons.  We've been able to have a more solid lineup.

[GGG] Spookr: I'm totally happy with our performance this season. It seemed as if in previous seasons we were caught in this cycle where we'd be playing different people in every match, but this time we've really seemed to hit our groove. We've been at the top for basically the entire season and only dropped one match - on gullywash - because we weren't prepared.

Is that your team's weakness? Newer maps that you havent spent the time to learn and know?

[GGG] BOLT: I believe that the only time that had occured was with gullywash, while freight, viaduct, and indulge had been successes.

[GGG] Spookr: I think that, yes, our team's biggest weakness has been with preparing for matches on unfamiliar maps and adapting to the opponent's playstyle. Our scrim schedule is actually very lax compared to most teams out there, as we usually play only twice a week as a team, and that definitely plays a role - having only one or two games under our belt going into a league match can kind of hinder our cohesion as a team. However, that match on gullywash was really a "perfect storm" of issues, because we hadn't scrimmed the map as a team, we were using several that hadn't been playing in a week or two, and some of us had actually never stepped foot on the map before we got into the server to play. I have to attribute most of that to apathy though, because by that point we already knew we were going to enter into the playoffs with a high seed, regardless of the results.

Great time to switch gears to the playoffs. There has been a bit of controversy about the Playoff matchups and how they place you guys and c.h.a.r.l.e.s. to fight in round 2. What do you guys think about that and how do you think it will affect your ability to go "all the way"?

[GGG] BOLT: I think that it is somewhat dissapointing that we will be playing charles in 2nd round instead of playing them in an epic final match, we are the two top seeds so i'd figure why make us play each other early on when both us are quite deserving of playing in the finals. I also belive it will an epic match because both teams have members that sprouted from GGG, like scar and phantom from charles.

[GGG] Spookr: Yeah, I was a little bit baffled when I took a look at the playoff brackets at the first time and saw that. It really is a disappointment and a really dumb mistake on the admins' part, because it's been obvious throughout the entire season that Charles is definitely a team to be reckoned with. They have Seagull ringing, obviously, but something a lot of people don't realize is that a lot of their players come from Half-Life 2 Deathmatch and retain their insane DMing abilities from that game. GGG originated from that game so we know a lot about how they play. Ultimately, however, they're just a bunch of friends who have formed a PUG team and want to breeze their way through TWL for the fun of it, and it shows in how they play. Really, I think we got lucky that we played them on gravelpit during the regular season because that's a map that really hinges on communication and co-ordination rather than raw player skill. In fact, we have a pretty hilarious SourceTV recording of them using in-game chat and raging at each other, but I digress. I think that if we have to play them in Round 2 then it's going to be a VERY interesting match, and much closer than people would think, especially when the push maps come into play. Instead of a great Grand Finals match we'll get a great Semi-Finals, which is a letdown, but we'll just have to try our best and put on a good show, as there's nothing any of us can do about the brackets now.

Any thoughts on who the winner is going to be?

[GGG] BOLT: i personally believe that the 3 top teams will be GGG, charles, bbqq, and misfits will advance to the 2nd round. I think bbqq will beat misfits just because of their previous wins against them.

[GGG] Spookr: Well, obviously, I have to hope that we'll come through with the win - and if we put some preparation into it and scrim a bit before the match then I don't see why we can't at least bring it close. It'll all come down to who wants it more, really, but I wouldn't be surprised if Charles just came into the match running offclasses and goofing around. Of course, we're getting a tad ahead of ourselves as both teams still have to make it past the first playoffs stage.

Note: There was one more question and shoutouts, but they got cut out accidentally when I copy-pasted the data. That is why it is a bit short and seems to just cut off. Sorry about that guys :(