With MLG’s announcement of Halo’s return (at least, for one Event) to the Pro Circuit, my content juices have been flowing. In the first interview leading up to the premier Halo 4 MLG Event, Chig–captain of FnaticRC Classic–has agreed to once again sit down and talk with me about his current plans, his team’s decision on a final roster, and share his thoughts on Halo 4.
Gilean: Welcome back, Chig. First off, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to sit down for an interview. With the state of things, I was beginning to fear I’d have no more chances to interview Halo pros in the not-too-distant future. A pretty frightening thought!
Chig: Not a problem. I’m always available!
Gilean: First, let’s just clarify for everyone: Do you plan to compete in the MLG Fall Championships Halo 4 Event?
Chig: Yes of course! I’m really excited to be back at an MLG Event finally, and playing an amazing looking game, too!
Gilean: What about the other pros? Who’s planning to make the trip to Dallas that you know of?
Chig: I haven’t talked to anyone that wasn’t planning on going, so well see. Should be a packed venue!
Gilean: Will you be competing under the old FNATIC Classic name? And will ProtoType and Russo still be joining you?
Chig: Yep, still a proud member of the FnaticRC (RaidCall) team! And Yes of course they will.
Gilean: There were rumors long ago that Mikwen had been running games with your team and was a likely pick-up. Is he still your first choice moving forward?
Chig: Actually, no. We went with what we thought would be best for us all and went back to teaming with Str8 Sick. We made a quick decision without any discussion among everyone involved, which we shouldn’t have. I’m just actually glad we didn’t compete at a tournament since Columbus, and still hold our year long relationship as a team together, even through that rough patch.
Gilean: I’m sure that will be welcome news to a lot of Halo fans, especially in a game that’s known for sometimes having inconsistent rosters.
A fan, @RazOnYouTube, asks, “Which game should we play to better prepare ourselves for Halo 4?” Adding to that, how do you plant o prepare for a competition in a game that won’t even be on store shelves when the Event rolls around?
Chig: I’ve heard a mix of opinions with Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. I’m going to be playing Reach for the fact that Halo 4 is developed on the Reach engine. We’ll see though. I think any game would do, as long as you’re playing with a team and keeping that chemistry together and also making sure your communication stays on-point
Gilean: Do you feel that teams who competed together in Reach will have the greatest advantage heading into the tournament? Or will studying what we know of multiplayer so far be of more importance?
Chig: Yeah I definitely do [feel that teams who stucketogether will have an advantage]. Not being biased either, haha. No one knows a lot about the game. Like how the game is going to be played at a highly competitive level, weapons, maps, respawns, etc. So it’s going to come down to not only your shot, but how fast you can learn the game with your team, trusting your teammates if they find something good to do in the game, running together in pairs, and also not just calling out because no one is going to have time to figure out call-outs, but communicating with your team and small talking. All of which are better if you have teamed with the same people longer.
Gilean: Are there any pros out there you’re aware of who you worry might have an advantage? Specifically, I’m referring to any pros who have had hands-on opportunities, play testing, and so forth?
Chig: Yeah, I think SQ will have a little advantage since Flamesword has played a H4 for a couple weeks. Also, I think Elumnite, Naded, and StrongSide are teaming, so they’ll have a little advantage, too, since they all did the same as Flamesword. But nothing too much that Friday of MLG Dallas won’t help for the rest of us in my opinion. All day Friday is warm-ups, so everyone can play Halo 4 and figure stuff out. I, for one, am taking Friday very serious, going over every little thing and figuring out as much as I can, along with my teammates.
Gilean: The term “loadouts” has come up time and again. Many fear that this will ruin Halo 4 the way bloom ruined Reach. But others think that loadouts could work well within the world of competitive Halo, encouraging a little forethought and strategizing in order to determine the best way to tackle a particular game type,much in the same way a game like Shadowrun might have. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Chig: I love the loadouts and the whole idea of it. It’ll definitely bring another big aspect to competitive Halo. Other than not being able to drop the flag in CTF, I honestly like everything that 343 has done with Halo 4. I’m optimistic, some say.
Gilean: In closing, do you have any final comments or shout-outs you’d like to issue?
Chig: Shout outs to FNATIC and all of our sponsors, my teammates, my girlfriend Alexis, and my puppy! Haha.
Hope to see everyone reading this at MLG Dallas! It’s the most even playing field for everyone and a perfect way to get your name out there in a new game!
hitatojump 