UMG Classic: Event Wrap Up
UMG Classic: Event Wrap Up
The UMG Classic closed Sunday, but it left a lasting effect on the community, and is a sign of things to come.
The UMG Classic concluded Sunday, April 29th with an apeX victory in an exciting match against Team EnVyUs. Optic Gaming and Team FaZe took third and fourth, respectively, and each pro team proved why they are the top competition on Modern Warfare 3. Moreover we saw other teams make a splash in the bracket and bring some exciting plays to the table.
Some past pros and familiar faces reemerged in the form of TBRE to give these top teams a run for their money. In a similar fashion we saw some impressive amateur teams, like Tyrant prove that they have what it takes to compete at the game’s highest level.
The story of the event has to be apeX NA as they secure another victory in a major event - this time with a fill in fourth. This win is their third major tournament win in the last month, following EGL 5, and Frag Cup 3. After the tournament, we talked with Ray ‘Rambo’ Lussier, of apeX North America, and he gave us his thoughts on his team’s performance, the level of competition and the overall atmosphere of the event.
"Going into UMG without Scump was not the most comfortable experience we`ve had in our days as a team. Although Discoverable (our pick-up) did very well for most of the tournament, it took us a good amount of time to get used to him, which is why i think losing to nV on the first day in the second round was the best thing that happened to us. It allowed us to play a few extra games with him and get him to be on point with how we ran things on certain maps.
We came in blazing the second day and swept everyone pretty easily for the exception of nV. Obviously with their full roster, they were fairly favored in this match up, but we were able to stay composed and come back from a 0-3 deficit on Arkaden SnD on first map. That pretty much put them in a bad mood and we kept the pace up good in the 2 following maps to take it.
The overall experience was all right for the tournament, few hiccups here and there made it kind of like EGL on a small scale event, but regardless, we had fun and I cant wait to get into another tournament, with Scump this time hopefully being by our side."
apeX.North America
While top teams often fill the highlight reel of these events, it is important to understand that they are just a small portion of what these events have to offer. The UMG Classic hosted sixteen teams and gave every player the opportunity to not only win part of the 100% prize pool, but also to make a name for themselves in the community.
With the absence of MLG events, these local LANs become increasingly more important to the lifespan of our community. Despite not having the support of a major company like MLG, it’s important to prove the CoD community can exist beyond that. The UMG Classic was a great example of this, as teams and spectators showed up from around the nation to participate in the event, and the stream earned more than 97,000 views throughout the weekend.
Be sure to check out our full event hub which has all the news from the UMG Classic, brackets, pictures and more.