NRG Cup Preview

NRG Cup

The NRG Cup, run by Anything Interactive, is going to be held on Saturday and Sunday the 10th and 11th of November at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. It is a 16 team competition which will be held in two stages, the first stage, held on the Saturday is the group stage, 4 groups of 4 teams. The top two teams from each group will proceed through to the second stage, held on the Sunday, which will be a nock out stage.

The teams competing are: Sequential Gaming, Livid, Fiend, Zero Remorse, Klaus, Czar, Anarchy, Lazy Boyz, Trainwreck, Endure, Injected, Soviet, Provoke Gaming, Ai Admins,

Sequential Gaming

Line-up: dblstR, Havoc, Deathdog, OZi, iz, Jaytee.
In many peoples eyes SQL will be coming into the NRG Cup as favourites, and how can you blame them, with the line-up they have going into the NRG Cup potentially the only issue they will have will be their team work as they have not been together very long, however, if SQL take the NRG Cup seriously, and come prepared it will be very hard for any team to beat them.

Players to watch: Well its hard to pick who to watch from this team, however the two former Imminent are my picks for players to watch, although the other four members of the team are phenomenal players, Havoc and Deathdog will most likely be their main impact players, with their ability to virtually take on any team single handed by getting very quick entry kills, watch out for these two.

Prediction: 1st – 2nd

Livid

Line-up: Scott, Eternity, Everz, Corona, Camster, Jse
Undoubtedly the powerhouse of Melbourne, Livid’s success has been the way that they have stuck together for so long, Scott, Eternity, Everz, Corona and Camster have been Livid members for as long as I can remember and with the recent addition of Jse, Livid have really stepped up a notch. Many would say Livid’s downfall is the lack of practice that they have, and this seems to have hindered them online, however, LAN is where Livid seem to step up, and they will need to step up at the NRG Cup with the amount of talent that is on display.

Players to watch: Since his move to Livid Jse has gone from good to awesome, he has stepped up a gear and looks like the total package, his ability to frag fast and frag smart make him an incredible player to watch.
The other player to watch is Scott, with his vast experience in the game, he has always been Livid’s backbone and will need to be again at the NRG Cup if they are to win.

Prediction: 1st – 2nd

Fiend

Line-up: Makaze, Moj3, elmo, Badkarma, Manik, Meowcow
Another powerhouse, this time from Tasmania, Fiend have proven themselves as a real hard working team, they have come from no where to be feared by many, once called on-liners, Fiend proved themselves on LAN, the main match that people remember of Fiend was at the AINC with their famous victory against ZR. Fiend have an incredible ability to predict where their opponents will be in every situation, this combined with incredible aim and great team work makes Fiend a real threat to every team they come up against.

Players to watch:
Everyone can agree that although all Fiend players are very close in their ability, Makaze seems to be their rock, when Makaze’s game is on Fiend just look that much better, Maka is the heart of the team and if he is plays to his ability Fiend will be in it till the end.

Prediction: 3rd – 5th

Zero Remorse

Line-up: Scar, Mrt, Sojwa, Lumi, Ords, Damblock
The new ZR line-up has received quite a lot of criticism, but if there is one thing ZR do, it’s improve, once upon a time the original ZR team was not considered one of the top teams, however they proved that they were capable of taking it to the best, the “new ZR” once again have been looked at as a team that is grasping for the glory days. You can bet that ZR will come into the NRG Cup as a team and not as individuals, they practice hard, work hard, and do have the potential to go places, they will see the NRG Cup as their chance to make a statement, the statement been that they are still as good as always.

Players to watch:
Many dislike this kid, however its been proven that he can frag, Mrt gets the job done, and gets it done well, if his on his game at the NRG Cup Mrt will be ZR’s main man.

Prediction: 3rd – 5th

Klaus

Line-up: Pod0087, Font, Garaa, Ghost, element
An up and coming team from South Australia, Klaus have been working hard to step up their game, they have a very good understanding of how each other plays, and although their competition experience is limited they will be coming into the NRG Cup with a nothing to lose attitude, this will eliminate any nerves they may have and give them the edge they need to take on the other teams.

Players to watch:
The whole of Klaus are very equal skill wise, their strength is their team work and the way they work together, if their chemistry is working at the NRG Cup look out.

Prediction: 3rd – 5th

Anarchy

Line-up: Bishnu, AK, Jnsie, Eze, PhillipJFry
The inactive team of the competition, poor Anarchy have had a horrid time with their players, former leader Foo leaving competitive source, AK having exams, Eze MIA, it only left Bishnu and Jnsie keen to play. Anarchy replaced Foo with PJF for the NRG Cup, a very good pickup, PJF is a proven frager which is what Anarchy need to pose any threat at the NRG Cup, their team work will be non existent, but they are all, like PJF, proven fragers, be sure they will come out with a default strat which no doubt will be based on picking and pushing, this along with hard rushes will be Anarchy’s main point of assault.

Players to watch:
Bishnu has probably been the only active player that Anarchy have had over the past month, he is a good frager and a smart player, he will need to lead by example and show his team that they are as good as the rest.
AK will not only be the caller for Anarchy, he will another key frager, after watching him play at the recent AI VA competition he is still as sharp as ever, and will need to be that sharp for his team.

Prediction: 6th – 10th

Lazy Boyz

Line-up: Velicoma, Akro, PD, Varon, Sake00
LBz have been a very inactive team up until about a month ago, they have really began taking the game seriously, especially for the NRG Cup, they have been very active, warring almost every night they have bought their original team work back, being together for so long, they know each others game inside out, the only thing that was going to be an issue for LBz was how rusty they would have been coming to the NRG Cup, this is not the case however as they have been practicing extremely hard

Players to watch:
Akro is a large kid, he does some amazing stuff on-line, as long as he can bring this to the LAN scene then LBz will be coming hard and fast.

Prediction: 6th – 10th

Czar (Written by Vex)

Line-up: Bsty, Defiler, Camal, Khooy, Zoki
Czar has only been around for 5 months, with each individual bringing their own asset to the team, they were always going to be a solid team from the start. At the AINC Nationals, they showed their potential, performing above all expectations against Imminent and RPM.
Lots of line-up shuffles have slowed down the progression of Czar however, they are now focused on the LAN scene after recently recruiting two s6 players, Zoki and khooy both bringing a wide range of experience which showed at the 1st AiVA LAN comp which Czar they breezed through there group showing promising signs for the future. Lack of Consistency is Czar’s down fall, but with experience comes consistency.
It’s going to be tough, but I’m placing them in the top 6. They won’t get close to the title, but I’m sure they will finish very respectively.


Players to watch:
Tony AKA Defiler – he has been around for a very long time. His aim is extremely sharp as my face on numerous occasions has felt his destruction. When Tony is on a high (or low as he calls it) he is unstoppable.

Prediction (by defiler): 6th – 10th

TrainWreck

Line-up: Pinto, Deenkay, Tuska, Slyk, Waluigi
Word from their camp is that TrainWreck have been slightly inactive as of late, with that said, it seems like it hasn’t affected them much, they have some very good strats and some solid team work, which seems to work, they have pulled some impressive results as of late, and they are definitely high in confidence. On their day TrainWreck can beat any team, don’t be surprised if these guys pull some shock upsets at the NRG Cup, because they have the potential of doing so.

Players to watch:
Tuska has really stepped up lately, his aim is very sharp, but his main improvement has been the way he plays the game, he has become a much smarter player, making the right decision in tough situations.

Prediction: 6th – 10th

Endure

Lineup: ClouD, MidgetsofDoom, Snek, Errol_H, Ouch, Bling
Formerly known as Xtreme Gaming and RZC, endure have shown that they are a very strong up and coming Melbourne LAN team, they have pulled what some would call big upsets in Melbourne LAN competitions, and they have the potential to improve, NRG will be a great learning curve for Endure, playing against some very impressive opponents will do these guys nothing but good, I can guarantee they will come to NRG Cup to win, not taking anything away from the team, but the most important thing they will take away from the NRG Cup is a lot of experience in real competitive gaming. With that said, don’t be surprised if Endure pull some major upsets.

Players to watch:
Errol is my player to watch from Endure, he brings lots of experience to the team which, and will play a very big leader ship role, his ability to lead by example will help Endure surpass anyones expectations.

Prediction: 6th – 10th

Injected

Line-up: Suprez, Jovan, Tasker, iMURDER, Coma, Joel
Another team with a lot of potential, if Injected stick together they will improve and become a very good team, they have a good mixture of up and comers and experience, with a bit of practice and commitment Injected will be a good team, however, at the NRG Cup, Injected will learn a lot, I don’t believe they will have much chance of going to far in the competition, but they do have the ability to pull upsets if their game is on.

Players to watch:
Coma, iMURDER and Tasker are the three most experienced players in this team, Coma is a well known 1.6er with a lot of good talent, he along with iMURDER and Tasker will have to lead Injected for them to have any real chance of challenging the top teams.

Prediction: 11th+

Soviet

Line-up: Iskra, Hucky, JSD, Nazteck, kto
Soviet are a team who do show potential on occasions, their issue however is lack of commitment, they don’t seem to practice enough to really progress forward, they take the game as what it is, a game, and this is why Soviet have stuck together for so long, they have fun, enjoy playing, don’t really have to much of an issue with the results, they just love to play Source, they are coming to the NRG Cup to have fun, meet some new faces, and enjoy themselves, which win or lose, they will definitely do this.

Players to watch:
JSD is a very sharp player, for soviet to really threaten the other teams JSD will have to be on top form.

Prediction: 11th+

Provoke Gaming

Line-up: Le .A, Intero, Anakha, Dukeman, William, Clownface
Provoke Gaming are a very new team within the Australian Source community, they are absolutely covered with potential, they will come to the NRG like a few of the other teams, to gain experience, they have picked up a couple of good players for the NRG Cup, those been Anakha and William, both decent, proven, players who know how to play, their leadership will be essential for Provoke Gaming to make any sort of impact.
Players to watch:
As I mentioned before, Anakha and William will be the players to watch, they are exceptional players who together can help Provoke Gaming do much better than anyone anticipated, as long as they lead by example, Provoke Gaming may be able to pull a couple of upsets.

Prediction: 11th+

Anything Interactive Admin’s Team

Line-up: Vex, Godstar, Joel, Madajaar, bing
These 5 guys are awesome people, and awesome at organising events, taking care of business, and making sure everything is done right, it’s a shame that these skills don’t transfer into the Source scene, the Ai admin’s team will be terrible, just terrible, the combination of bad aim, lack of brains and no doubt lack of strats will mean this team is going to get slaughtered, Don’t be surprised to see the TKing each other, not because they are getting angry with each other, but because, as I said before, they are terrible, just terrible

Players to watch:
Well for all the other teams I have said the players to watch because of their incredible ability to play, but for the Ai admin team I’ll suggest watching every one, it will be a good lesson in how NOT to play Counter Strike.

Prediction: Dead last without a round to their name (heheh <3 you guys)

Unfortunately the final 2 teams have not yet been confirmed, I will update this post with the teams once they have been added.