I seem to remember Paragon having like 1.6k hours when he started playing invite. He has 2.1k now and that's still pretty low.

Well ok that's a bit of a lame question but ok here we go.

Scout: Cyzer
Scout: Paragon
Pocket: Grape
Romaer: Ash
Demo: Deadbolt
Medic: Ninjanick

Paragon and Deadbolt play really well together for obvious reasons, Cyzer is a beast as is Grape, Ninjanick is an experienced medic with a good stream (to attract fans), and as for Ash I will just leave this here: http://play.esea.net/index.php?s=stats&d=match&id=4125934

STREET HOOPS BEST HOOPS

OK, fair enough. I'm looking forward to watching/donating to i55!

I agree. I definitely don't feel that it would be right to not do a fundraiser for 4g if they are willing to go and they continue to be by far the best team (and it looks like they will be). I just feel that if at all possible, the community should encourage these newer teams who are scrimming, dm-ing, and training a lot. I think we agree on that, but definitely if we're sending one NA team then it should be the best one. And unless something changes, yeah 4g should be that team because they're clearly still the best (20b is gonna win lan and i55 tho just wait). I guess as much as anything else it's a sentiment. It's still a while till i55, so we'll see how things turn out.

Different topic: for a while there was discussion of GXL being a Lan where top Euro teams would go to complement (or even replace?) Insomnia. Is that idea still being tossed around? Would it be better to send two NA teams to i55 and no EU teams to GXL, or 1 NA to i55 and 1 EU to GXL? I have no clue. Just ideas.

Huge props to EVL for consistently casting Open and IM matches! Keep it up guys!

If a newer and less experienced team from NA (looking at you, 20b and Elev) or Australia (maybe the team that won last season or a new superteam?) were to prove that they're really motivated and are going to work really hard to become the best they can possibly be, then I would unhesitatingly give as much as I could possibly spare to their fundraiser. Don't get me wrong, I love watching top level TF2 and I'll give to the fundraiser no matter who's going. But my point is just that I would rather see 20b train really hard, give it their all, and lose in the final than see 4g win again with little effort (ideally we would send 2 teams again and get to see both, but you get my point).

A few people still say comp TF2 is dying, lots of people say TF2 was never alive to begin with, but I don't care about that. I know that if we want to keep what we've got and build on it, then we need to see the next generation of top players start to go to international Lans and compete with the top experienced players. That's how they will become the best players in their region, before eventually the next new generation of players will come in and take their place. If we as a community maintain that cycle, that's what will keep TF2 alive.

To me at least, i55 seems like the perfect place to begin to do that.

I really REALLY want to see a Buick + Admirable cast.

Mana's stream is interesting right now...

░░░░░░░░▄▄▄▀▀▀▄▄███▄
░░░░░▄▀▀░░░░░░░▐░▀██▌
░░░▄▀░░░░▄▄███░▌▀▀░▀█
░░▄█░░▄▀▀▒▒▒▒▒▄▐░░░░█▌
░▐█▀▄▀▄▄▄▄▀▀▀▀▌░░░░░▐█▄
░▌▄▄▀▀░░░░░░░░▌░░░░▄███████▄
░░░░░░░░░░░░░▐░░░░▐███████████▄
░░░░░le░░░░░░░▐░░░░▐█████████████▄
░░░░toucans░░░░░░▀▄░░░▐██████████████▄
░░░░░░have░░░░░░░░▀▄▄████████████████▄
░░░░░arrived░░░░░░░░░░░░█▀██████

Yes you are.

I had an idea for future fundraisers which might possibly make the fundraiser idea more sustainable (I think it is pretty sustainable as is, this is just an idea to possibly help)...

Have a €2 suggested donation for players. Kind of like museums (not that etf2l is a museum) where it's free but there's a little donation box that says please help us and put in $3. Maybe when they register for a team or something, you can prompt them "Do you want to donate the suggested €2 to ETF2L to help fund the season?" Maybe they could have an innocuous forum badge or a ticket in a raffle if they do donate. Nothing huge, just a small incentive to make it clear that the donation is appreciated.

Obviously lots of people just wouldn't donate, and ideally it would be made clear that if you're poor or simply don't want to, there's no obligation to do the suggested donation. But I think a surprising number of people would gladly pitch in the recommended amount. I dunno. Maybe it's a bad idea, but I thought it was worth mentioning and could possibly be useful.

Apparently it was the benchmark that was bugged, no problem with the 970. I would wait a couple days before buying one just to be sure, but if you have one already as is I wouldn't worry.

http://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/2tfybe/investigating_the_970_vram_issue/

Also a couple of my friends have Gigabyte 970's and love them. Highly recommended although I know MSI makes some great cards too.

It is so awesome how much good coverage of invite there is this season. Pretty much 3 nights a week there's been at least one invite match on, and with so many good teams it's really exciting to watch.

Now just get me saloon.tf so I can start losing money on these matches please!

5-4 20b

I was positive this was going to be some 20b drama lol

Wow this is an awesome match to kick off the season!

http://play.esea.net/teams/77000?tab=roster

Harbleu and Enigma on Mad Men. Is this new or did I miss some earlier gossip?