My UMG Experience

It’s a new year, a new game, and a different venue. Following the launch of Call of Duty’s new title Ghosts, skeptics surfaced at a rapid pace. From the viability of competitive play to the playability of maps, nothing was safe from the critics. Nonetheless, the community stayed strong.

MLG Columbus showed that there’s hope for the competitive scene. With only 2 weeks remaining until the next event following the release, a general consensus was made. An eSport rule set was born and paved the way for another season of Call of Duty. It was not perfect, but it was a start.

If Columbus wasn’t testament enough of better things to come, then you must not be aware of UMG and their kick-off tournament in Philadelphia. Sure, they might not be known for the big stages and lavish setups I’m accustomed to at an MLG event, but they sure know how to give that grassroots-type feel I personally like. The fans and players, the attendees specifically, were no push overs either. There was a forecast of bad weather for the weekend yet that didn’t stop them. Dangerous roads? Accidents? Delayed flights? No problem. Everyone had their own struggles but they made it happen. Some were even called crazy for risking their lives in pursuit of their passion for the game. In the end, I think having the majority of people there was already a success on its own.

UMG Philly created several storylines especially the one involving BigTymer’s retirement from competitive Call of Duty to become the coach of his current team, OpTic. No one really saw this coming but I guess every great and successful career has to come to an end. I personally doubt that this is the last time we’ll see him compete, but no one really knows the future either. One story that I was most fond of was eGirl Slayers’ run through the tournament. They were knocked down to the open losers bracket by a team called VexX Revenge. eGS were able to defeat notable teams such as ConqueR, EU’s lone representative, Orbit, and eventually defeating VexX back to back to back to make it to the championship bracket. Once in the champ bracket, they defeated Team Kaliber, the eventual 2nd place finisher of UMG Philly and 2nd place finisher of MLG Columbus prior. An upset no one saw coming. Moving on, they defeated JusTus, the team that finished 3rd/4th at MLG Columbus. Both wins were in convincing fashion, only to be knocked down by Curse Las Vegas in the next round. Unfortunately, their amazing run was brought to a halt when they were pitted against Team Kaliber once more only to fall the second time around. Nonetheless, this team proved that they can compete at the highest level still, finishing 5th that weekend. Revan, the player turned caster, turned player, turned caster, and again turned player was also rewarded a spot as captain on Curse NY soon after. His teammate BURNSOFF was also picked up by Curse to replace ASSASS1N and TwiZz in their line up.

I guess the true highlight of the weekend was the finals between compLexity and Team Kaliber. coL, after dropping Clayster to pick-up Karma, was on the hot seat to see if they did make the right decision or not. Clayster on tK on the other hand was out for revenge. He was out to prove that he was a key member of compLexity and a large contributor to their wins prior to the change. You could argue that at this tournament, coL had a breeze going through the bracket winning every series 3-1 against KG.aDversity, Strictly Business, Curse Las Vegas, and Team Kaliber in the finals. The only match that they struggled upon was against FaZe in the 2nd round of the championship bracket where they won 3-2 in the series, going all the way to game 5, round 11 in Search and Destroy. The opposite could be said about Kaliber’s run. Losing to eGirl Slayers in the first round, winning against KG.Fuse 3-2, 3-2 versus EnVy, 3-2 versus FaZe, 3-1 versus eGirl Slayers, 3-2 versus Strictly Business, 3-0 versus Curse Las Vegas, and only to lose to compLexity 3-1 in the finals of the tournament. Hype and tension filled the air during the finals but coL only had one thing in mind and that’s to prove that they made the right decision. They’re here to create a dynasty.

To a lot of you who may not know or are not familiar with this compLexity squad, prior to the pick-up of Karma, they had won seven of their last eight tournaments. Namely MLG Anaheim 2013, Gfinity 1, UMG Atlanta, Gfinity 2, MLG Fall Invitational, ESWC 2013, and MLG Columbus 2013. The only one that they didn’t win with that roster was the Pax Prime Invitational where they lost against UNiTE in the finals. The addition of Karma did not change that momentum either. With their win in Philadelphia, that makes it eight out of their last nine tournaments that they have won. With the Call of Duty Championship being announced, you know they have their eyes set on winning that one as well. CoD Champs is one of the few tournaments they have not won along with DreamHack and EGL among others.

Attending my first ever UMG event was definitely memorable. From the games that I saw, the people who I met, the friends I reconnected with, and not to mention the alarm going off in the middle of the tournament, it was undoubtedly one for the books for me personally. Being that it was at a small venue and in the same hotel that the majority was staying in, I never had the problem of finding something to do or someone to talk with. It was not a perfect event by all means but let’s be honest, there are none. The fact that I had the opportunity to interact with others who love the same game as I do, and be sitting next to the players and personalities we all admire is definitely eye-opening. I do not think that this will be my last UMG. If given the opportunity, you can bet that I’ll be there for the next one and many more.