Here, we take a look at some of the teams attending insomnia40, and how we think they'll fare. 

Tournament Favourite:

Team Dignitas Chris "blackmane" Kinnair Mark "phantasy" Pinney Jonathan "raz" Baker Robin "robyYE" Swaters Chris "Lighters" Lightburn

It is fair to say that this side is undoubtedly the favourites. Individually, they almost certainly bost the most talented l5 players of any of the teams attending. The only side who could claim to dispute this is Fragmasters. Not only this, but Team Dignitas are a very LAN experienced side, both as individuals and as a team. The side recently came out on top at Gamersject 3 in croatia, and followed this with a 5th-8th finish at AEF, after a close 2-1 loss to fnatic in the quarter finals. Due to the hugely advantageous position they are coming into this LAN in, it could turn out to be a bit of a poisoned chalice. If Dignitas win, they will take home the prize money but that is it. Given the distinct lack of competition, they will gain no prestige if they win. However, if they do not win they will lose a lot of credibility among the competitive scene. No side is immune to the occasional upset, and after their loss to Derailed Gaming at AEF Dignitas are all to aware of this. That said, if they hold their nerve and don't underestimate their opponents, Dignitas should have a fairly straightforward event. It is theirs to lose.

Main Challenger:

Fragmasters Mark "Mark" Horner George "rAIVZ" Marsh Chris "Stylez" Hart Leonidas "Killzx" Kyrkos   Dan "VAE" Ball

The Fragmasters side come into this event in dubious stead. Fragmasters are an organistion known for it's talented CS:S teams, and the oppurtunity to play under their banner as a CoD4 side is rare indeed. They took a gamble picking up this squad. The players are undoubtedly very talented individuals, but they have not had the time to gel yet as a team. This showed at AEF, where they placed a respectable (but not overwhelming) 17th-24th, with losses to H2k and Power Gaming. This will be their proving ground. The team need to finish strongly at this event to show their organisation and the scene that they are a force to be reckoned with, not just a mix team made up of great individual players. I expect the side to do very well, and would be very surprised if they don't  manage a podium finish. If any team takes the title off of Dignitas, I think it will be this one.

Dark Horses:

vital.dBGamez James "Mr64" Purell James "snadz"  Snaddon Dan "soakR" Helps Peter "ptER" Mather Matthew "Pezzr" Perry

FORIN BEGGARS Gavin "Rework" Rackley Andy "Andehh" Yates Paul "WELLSY" Wells Harry "METAL" Forrestal Aaron "SWAGGA" Haslam

These teams are the ones Fragmasters and Dignitas will hoping end up in the other side of the brackets. Despite fielding a mix team, vital.dBGamez remain a strong side. The team consists of 3 members of the core lineup, and 2 mixers. All their players have burgeoning talent, and are just breaking in to the upper echelons of the CoD4 scene. They are definitely strong candidates to cause upsets, and they will have their eye on a prize position. FORIN BEGGARS (sic) are a team made up of upcoming UK players. Billed as a mix team solely for i40, they have put in a reasonable amount of practice over the past few weeks. This should give them the edge over teams like vital.dBGamez, who haven't had the time to bond as a team yet.

All in all, despite the few top teams in attendance, there will be some tough competition and great games to watch over the course of the tournament! Stay tuned to TEK-9 for all the latest news, scores, interviews and more.