E-Series Maximus - Preview - Bcrbo Column

One does not simply walk into Mordor, nor does one simply take a LAN victory away from Anexis eSports. A feeble comparison perhaps, but the mountaneous task that lies ahead of all teams attending this weekend's E-Series Maximus cannot remain underestimated at all.

With a three-day event and enough computers available to organise a ESWC-style format of two Group Stages coupled with the 8-team Single Elimination bracket, each team will have its fair share of games and a good enough chance at progressing, without being able to blame the organisation.

Controversy enough when the group announcements trickled through the leaves, with Group A and Group C being easily of a higher level than the Friday afternoon one. Truly, Sean McDougall's altruistic management style blocked a fair distribution of the groups. Similarly, it gives Group Stage #1 something to watch and look out for, as we could potentially see delicious topple Antwerp Aces or is TCM-Gaming going to have group stage jitters again?

Resting On Laurels

In none of the groups will there be more than four worthwile teams and as such, none of the favourites are likely to fall out of the E-Series Maximus boat this early on. It will only be a matter of where they will be situated come Group Stage #2. The do-or-die stage could come earlier for a handful of teams, as Saturday will turn out to be day of unacceptable mistakes and punished failures.

Will this KaoS TV and Adroits cooperation prove to be a fruitful endeavour for both parties? The cooperation is official and formal this time around, but at first glance strikes no further than similar get-ups at both SAGE and Adroits CoD Masters in July and August of 2011. KaoS TV will take care of all streaming affairs and Adroits will provide the admins. Is it simply a matter of names being thrown in a tumbler and coming out the way they are now? Is Adroits stepping in the somewhat successful e-series concept of KaoS TV, only magnified times two with a profitable prize purse? Or is there more to this cooperation that we as a public are not yet aware of? Rumours of innovative dealings with players have been hushed and whispered around the block, but technical longetivity might lay an early rest to such positive claims.

In the end, will it not be a battle of wits more than skill? Is skill still a factor that separates the weak from the strong this late in our community's life? Are not all teams who end up making it to the Bracket capable of inhuman feats and lightning-rod reflexes to win games? What then, is key to winning?

Anexis eSports Rulers of All?

Consistency and stability are words of wisdom from someone who has been nothing more than an observer of competitive Call of Duty 4. Yet the statistics will back me up on this and therefore I feel confident in saying that Anexis eSports' decision to stick to their fundamentals and work with the tools they have and progress as a team made them rise above their individual skill and become a collective unit. Similar trends were noticeable in both the old and new TCM-Gaming teams as well as LowLandLions, explaining with ease why these teams were the main contenders of all events worthwhile this year.

Surely all safe bets will be on the Hungarian beast from the East, Anexis eSports? A team that has gone unbeaten at major events since Outpost on Fire 4, racking up five international wins as well as three or four local ones. A team that has collected over more than €8,000 in international winnings alone and is looking to cross the €10,000 mark by the end of December 4th, 2011.

Oh woe the loss of full-blown competition by LowLandLions' and Fnatic's inability to attend the event and put up a good fight. LowLandLions was quoted as not wanting to spend extra budget on the event, with a prize purse that was just not worth it and Fnatic had some communication difficulties in securing that 18th and final slot, which is extra sour and regretful.

Will this gamer be beaten or not? FrosteR will do his best

So Phantasmagoria and TCM-Gaming, with Antwerp Aces and Replika following closely behind, will have the best cards of reaching the Grand Final? TCM-Gaming and Anexis eSports, if both win their games as they should, will become Grand Final buddies again. The recent addition of Declan "germaine" Elcocks, whose slow and patient AK play has helped the TCM-Gaming players overcome the loss of Peter "king" Elbogen without aggrevated frustration.

Phantasmagoria on the other hand have been a stable factor in online competition and been a shoe-in for TOP 5 placings and even higher in everything they participate. However, their attempts at LANs have been of mixed successes with TOP 8 and TOP 6 results. The team were unlucky at times with their closest competitors failing to uphold their reputation during the Group Stages, but still not cracking the TOP 3, a spot they are often rewarded in, albeit biased, user polls and comments.

A Change Is Gonna Come

Just like Sam Cooke, Bruce Springsteen and countless others, the song is filled with passion, hope as well as sadness. Sadness at the way things are right now, but hope that things will eventually change for the better and for a new era. Whilst I don't wish to exaggerate the link between the 1960's Civil Rights Movement and our little Call of Duty 4 community, we are in a similar situation.

Whilst it's great for Anexis eSports that they get to show off their skills and their determination to keep this game alive and their successes a non-ending entity, it's a bit dull for all the rest of us, frankly. Sure, they deserve everything they have gotten and they are consistently one of the most innovative and compact teams out there without the drama that surrounds most Western teams. Yet, I feel that their reign is coming to an end.

TeamESPC were really close at Helsinki COD Challenge #2 and the Finns showed that Anexis is definitely for the taking. The one skill that Anexis eSports possesses like any other is their ability to expect what is coming to them from the top teams and anticipate it well, the advantage TeamESPC had at one of the very few LANs they visited.

I think this event could very well be it and it would make for a very open ending to a year filled with events and top-notch games happening at nearly all of them. Anexis eSports to become second and any other (going to go with TCM-Gaming, but could also see Phantasmagoria pull it off) to get a cool €1,750 added to their net balance.

In three days' time, we will be the wiser.

Anexis eSports after winning Dublin Esports Event in June