In this edition of the E-Sports Spotlight, we had the opportunity to chat with the ever voracious Matchless Gaming. Building a solid foundation on dedication and determination, Matchless Gaming is looking to take the Guild Wars 2 competitive scene by storm.

Check out the interview after the break!

Matchless Gaming
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GWI: Tell us a bit about your team and your previous gaming history.

Matchless as a team is new to the e-sport scene. Our players have spanned content from 8v8 in DAoC, zerg busting and 6v6 in Warhammer, and several earned Gladiator in pre-Cataclysm seasons. Other individual experiences have come from Planetside, CoD, and CS 1.5 to name a few. We have players who have dabbled in e-sports in BF3 and one who was a top 200 US SC2 ladder player. All Matchless players have their own unique track records with almost all players covering the full PC-gaming spectrum.

GWI: What are your first impressions of the game?

Months ago we read an article where an ArenaNet developer explained their team’s background in professional gaming and how they plan to push the game towards e-sports.  Needless to say, this drew our attention.  Our first thought when looking over the game was, “Whaaat, NO trinity?!”…finally a game that steps away from your typical tank, healer, dps class make-ups.  The lack of the trinity is going to be the game’s greatest curse and blessing. It will be refreshing to play a game without the reliance on that same overused concept, but this also presents an opportunity that is hard to predict. The balancing will be very tricky as ArenaNet is exploring a new domain. However, it’s important that the community provides them with quality feedback while they work towards a successful release.

GWI: What does GW2 need to do to be viable in the e-sports scene?

From our understanding, Guild Wars 2 will promote weekly, monthly and yearly tournaments. We feel that including a type of recording software would be wise as it could allow players to review or re-watch tournament matches. This idea interplays with having and needing strong community support for an e-sport scene to come alive. Lastly, even though the winners should be awarded most, we would like to see small prizes given for participation in these types of tournaments to help draw larger crowds and full community participation. Incentive to play is always a huge part of any MMO and should remain, even if the incentive is only cosmetic.

GWI: How are you preparing for the Guild Wars 2′s launch?

We’re doing what we assume most teams are doing; theorycrafting as much as possible.  We know that understanding the flow of the game is pertinent to success. Teams need to consider how defensively or offensively they should play, which class/player should be main assist or secondary and whether their members are in the correct roles. We’re fortunate that ArenaNet is offering Beta Events before release so we can verify some questions about how skills function and classes perform.  It’s very satisfying to see how some of our builds and theorycrafting perform during the Beta event.   

GWI: What unique elements does your team bring to the table that separates you from the rest?

The synergy we have formed over the past 2 years will show others what we are capable of. In Guild Wars 2 we will finally be able to play to our innate strengths (ie. not being held back by the archaic trinity). Our play styles are very similar, allowing us to synergize to create an offensive force.  We also have the advantage of not only being teammates but also being friends.  It allows us to trust opinions and take criticism well.  Our group is going to specialize with an unmatched offense.  We’re going to bring a level of damage, pressure and control that’ll rattle even the most seasoned players.  We feel these attributes help to form the ultimate combination and they will allow us to press forward until we’ve truly met our match.

GWI: The game isn’t even out yet, and we’re seeing dozens upon dozens of Guild Wars 2 teams forming. Anything you’d like to say to the competition?

DAoC was good, but this isn’t DAoC. WoW was good, but this isn’t WoW. Guild Wars was good, but this isn’t Guild Wars. This is Guild Wars 2.  Matchless isn’t just a name, it’s a mission; it’s a goal.  We will be pushing for first place, working as a team until we achieve it.  To all other teams: bring it, because Guild Wars 2 has the potential to be the most competitive MMO ever.

 

Looking for more? Make sure to check out our interviews with Team Paradigm and AlphaCollective.
If your team is interested in participating in this column, feel free to contact me: nord@guildwarsinsider.com.