Today's the second day of the MLG 2013 Winter Chamnpionship in Dallas. While MLG has arrived with all the usual spectacle, I can't help but feel a bit wistful thinking about the entirety of the run MK had last year.
From Columbus through Dallas, every event was truly unique. We went from the arrival of Turbolicious and the ignominious defeat of PL under the weight of a sizable bounty, plus some amazing play by riu48, to the appearance of Ermac in one of the hypest grand finals to date at MLG arena, to the meteoric rise and fall of KT Smith, to the settling of rivalries between Brady and Denzell and Tyrant/Jr., to the west coast putting down an authoritative statement at Anaheim, causing the entire scene to level up. We saw Maxter reach his peak, Tyrant snatch victory from the jaws of defeat yet again, and and entire community come together to help get each other out to Dallas.
And yes, there was REO.
And on a general level, it was nice to see MK tournament play receive the level of respect it should have had all along. First-class billing, professional commentary, and enough dollar signs to consistently attract the game's best players.
Also having Arturo behind the scenes to advocate for the community was priceless and an unusual situation for an Esports promotion at this level. A lot of what Art did went unheralded and happened in private behind closed doors -- but it made an enormous difference. Sundance running the division at a loss regardless of the dollar signs was also a cool guesture, and it provided a lot of people with opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise.
So as I tune in to this year's MLG, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the last year's worth of great memories. While no situation will ever be 100% perfect, it's still easy to take things for granted. And should Injustice make an entrance this year -- my body is ready
Although it was from pre-tournament casuals, it's only fitting to leave this in closing:
From Columbus through Dallas, every event was truly unique. We went from the arrival of Turbolicious and the ignominious defeat of PL under the weight of a sizable bounty, plus some amazing play by riu48, to the appearance of Ermac in one of the hypest grand finals to date at MLG arena, to the meteoric rise and fall of KT Smith, to the settling of rivalries between Brady and Denzell and Tyrant/Jr., to the west coast putting down an authoritative statement at Anaheim, causing the entire scene to level up. We saw Maxter reach his peak, Tyrant snatch victory from the jaws of defeat yet again, and and entire community come together to help get each other out to Dallas.
And yes, there was REO.
And on a general level, it was nice to see MK tournament play receive the level of respect it should have had all along. First-class billing, professional commentary, and enough dollar signs to consistently attract the game's best players.
Also having Arturo behind the scenes to advocate for the community was priceless and an unusual situation for an Esports promotion at this level. A lot of what Art did went unheralded and happened in private behind closed doors -- but it made an enormous difference. Sundance running the division at a loss regardless of the dollar signs was also a cool guesture, and it provided a lot of people with opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise.
So as I tune in to this year's MLG, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the last year's worth of great memories. While no situation will ever be 100% perfect, it's still easy to take things for granted. And should Injustice make an entrance this year -- my body is ready
Although it was from pre-tournament casuals, it's only fitting to leave this in closing:
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