#1 xeno [5-0] vs. #5 GameWyze [5-0]
xeno :	oPlaiD, stickgod, jEbUs, kaeXo, eVa
GameWyze:	whewt, lucci, Morthul, y0, Roor / Hawk

xeno

When there is any discussion of HaloPC with regards to the teams themselves, the one team that is always mentioned is xeno. Even with its short existence, competitive HaloPC has become synonymous with team xeno. Becoming the first CPL-Halo champions and the first CAL-Halo champions, they have become the team to beat. While xeno's roster has slightly changed since Winter CPL 2003, 3 of their key players (oPlaiD, jeBus, kaeXo) remain. Having played xeno myself at CPL on Timberland, I can guarantee you, out of the 5 players that made up team xeno at Winter CPL 2003, these 3 were the keys to xeno's Timberland success. Timberland, although a relatively small map, has become one of HaloPC's most sniper-dominated maps; xeno's sniper capability is more than powerful. The key sniper to watch here will be kaeXo. He historically has played the xeno side sniper hill and you can probably expect the same for this match. Trying to play GameWyze's side sniper hill will most likely be jeBus. I had to personally deal with jeBus being on our sniper hill at the last CPL and he was able to hold us from that side of the map for almost the better part of a half. With snipers in place, stickgod and eVa should have no problem controlling the rockets and active camouflage for middle holds and offensive pushes. For most teams, winning comes with map control. I believe xeno, however, really only needs to concentrate on making good use of the sniper rifle. With good sniping the map will fall into xeno's hands quite easily and GameWyze could have a very tough time taking it back.

Interview with Samuel "oPlaiD" Lingle

GameWyze

GameWyze seems to be an up-and-coming team with a lot of potential. However, most people fail to realize (or simply don’t remember) that this team existed before Season 2 and before being part of GameWyze. Last season, these 5 players were better known as team MagI and had quite a bit of success. The most notable accomplishment of this team has been their win over xeno last season. A much unexpected win set off a string of expected wins with the next one being United 5. In the past, this team has held themselves to a rigorous practice schedule, which has allowed them to take down such teams. This season we've seen a slight decrease in practice from GameWyze, but they still remain on a 3 or 4 day practice schedule and are one of the most active HaloPC teams. Already this season, Gamewyze's dedication has shown with a 2-0 victory on IceFields over newly formed: Eminence. While Eminence's life has been quite short, they are comprised of many players who have been around for the length of HaloPC's existence had have many notable accomplishments. The recent addition of Hawk to GameWyze's lineup could be a huge boost for GameWyze on a map such as Timberland. Hawk is quietly becoming one of the better snipers in Halo and I believe GameWyze is going to need him against the sniping abilities of jeBus and kaeXo. Just having Hawk on the field isn’t going to do it for GameWyze. He's going to have to play BIG. GameWyze is going to need to keep jeBus and kaeXo off the field as long as possible which is going to require them to keep control of xeno's sniper hill and Hawk must hit his shots. Once xeno gets snipers in place and, subsequently, map control, GameWyze is going to be in for a terrible experience. Retaking Timberland is a very hard thing to accomplish against xeno. With jeBus and kaeXo sniping and stickgod and eVa invis and armed with heavies, any team could end up spending the better part of the half just to get the map back. The keys for GameWyze will be Hawk being VERY on and the rest maintaining constant control of the invis.

Interview with Mark "Morthul" Ernst