MLG D.C World of Warcraft

Talbadar, Diziet, Novoz, Tinygnome1

Arenapwnage’s triple healer has been the bane of everyone’s existence for almost a year now. It’s uncertain how they will fare with the new mana changes of the new patch, though, as this team used to be almost impossible to out-mana. All of these players can play different specs and offspecs, so it will be interesting to see what they do with all of the new abilities and mechanics. Their fourth player, Tinygnome, is a relatively unknown Warlock. While he doesn’t have tournament experience, his presence will allow the team to run the infamous Lock/Shaman/Druid lineup. They should have some decent strats heading into D.C., even though almost everyone has figured out a way to beat their comp.

Flexxzorz, Zilea,Twixz

After a disappointing finish in Raleigh, Zilea has finally joined the Beast Cleave. Hunter damage seems insane in the new patch, making things promising for this team. Zilea is a good fit for them, and possibly one of the only healers who could have replaced Toez. This team usually puts in more practice than most, so expect them to be well-prepared.

Hoodrych, Velsus, Nadagast

The boss is back in full force, but will WLD have what it takes to go all the way this time? We saw them fall short to RLS in Raleigh, and it’s unclear whether they can overcome that. The new changes might tip the matchup in their favor, however. Velsus will be bringing the chops and screaming his lungs out; make sure to tune into their games with the new player audio feature. With two RLS teams and a bunch of Wizard lineups in the tournament, it’s going to be pretty tough for their Warrior lineup, but if anyone can do it, Hoodrych can. Nadagast, however, will be pulling double duty, as he is playing in the StarCraft 2 Event as well.

Reckful, Snutzy, Sodah, Venruki

Complexity Red is coming off a disappointing finish in Raleigh after winning their first title at the US Regionals. They are coming with their four-man lineup once again, even though their Rogue, Reckful, hasn’t seen much action during the past few tournaments. This team has definitely been practicing a great deal in preparation for MLG D.C., and it’s expected that they will come out very strong. Sodah’s multicasting allows them to run two very flexible Wizard Cleave lineups, and hopefully Reckful will come off the bench for some RMP action at some point.

Tenderloin,Woundman, Pookz,Azael

Evil Geniuses is back with their new four-man roster. They almost went the distance in Raleigh, but then Tenderloin (aka Cdew, The Big Dew, Charlie Hustle) considered ending his WoW career in favor of school. Without Cdew, EG would have been left without a Shaman, a healer type that is very hard to come by these days. Fortunately, he’s back and will be attending the Event with the poster boy of EG, Azael. RLS is certainly strong enough to win a tournament, and these guys definitely have the experience to win, but will they be ready? Expect Azael, at least, to be fully up to date on the changes brought in by the patch, as he is always on top of the latest changes and updates in WoW.

Realz,Glick, Kollektiv

The reigning champions of MLG Raleigh are returning to take care of business in D.C. All three are tournament veterans and champions. Expect them to be very well-practiced and have a wide array of strategies and compositions. Realz is known for being very strategic, and will most likely have theory-crafted all of the new abilities that came with the patch. This teams always puts in a great deal of practice, and they should do well, as long as they still remember how to beat the Wizards.

Abubadub,searlings, Staz

Skillcapped is giving a new team a shot at the tournament scene with Shadowpriest/Mage/Shaman, aka Shatterplay. Abub will lead the team on Shadowpriest and will attempt to bring them into the spotlight. None of them have any tournament or LAN experience, but they do have a team sitting at 2900 on the Emberstorm Battlegroup. It will be nice to see something a bit different, but this comp is very vulnerable to a good RLS because of their Shaman healer.

Jetz, Larikx, devillaz

Penguin Smash might be the only foreign team coming over for MLG DC. The Russians will be bringing their Hunter/Warlock/Paladin comp overseas for their first tournament appearance. They run Marks Hunter, Destro Lock, and Holy Pally, a very unconventional and high-damage composition. We saw Uckington’s team have decent success with a Hunter/Destro Lock team in the past, but with a Druid, which raises the question of whether a Paladin will improve the composition.

Enforcer, Elano, Gocki

Enforcer is back with his Korean friends for another round of MLG. They are once again running a solid RMP and looking to improve on their last finish. Last time out, they suffered from a lack of practice, but this time they have been able to work together a bit more on Blackrock BG9, despite the latency issues.