world-of-warcraeft-interviews

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  • The Colosseum: Crinox of Burning Legion

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    11.08.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. Crinox is a hunter on the Burning Legion server. His 2v2 team is rated 2199, while his 3v3 team is rated 2212. Crinox took the time to hook up with us, and answer some basic questions about what it's like in the Season 7 arena. Before we get into the interview all the way, though, I wanted to take a moment and mention that we're always interested in interviewing new, highly ranked Arena players. Just drop a line to gray AT wow.com. I'll follow-up with an in game mail to verify that the character is actually the interviewee, and we'll get things under way. Without further ado, let's jump behind the cut and talk to Crinox.

  • The Colosseum: Trendz of Hyjal

    by 
    C. Christian Moore
    C. Christian Moore
    10.11.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, and otherwise), to interview some of the top arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player.There haven't been many warlocks interviewed in the history of the Colosseum. We were very excited to sit down with Trendz of Hyjal today to discuss a myriad of arena related topics and personal history.Vanquisher Trendz is currently holding down the #1 spots in both 3v3 and 5v5 on the US-Whirlwind battlegroup. His 3v3, Rival Thilaume, a wizard cleave (two spell dps casters + healer) and his 5v5, Last Game Moms Calling makes Trendz the highest ranking warlock on US-Whirlwind, even though he has no 2v2.Take a look at what Trendz had to say after the break!

  • The Colosseum: Twixz

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    10.04.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. Twixz is a successful Arena player who launched his semi-professional Arena career during the Season 5 Arena Tournament. After placing 4th in the official Blizzard tournament with a Paladin/Death Knight/Hunter team, Twixz went on to compete in the MLG Dallas tournament as part of eMg. Twixz's team won that tournament with a Beast Cleave setup.We were lucky to have Twixz share some thoughts on the current state of the Arena. Check out what he had to say behind the cut!

  • The Colosseum: A Euneek opportunity

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    09.21.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. Furious Gladiator Euneek is one of the top Paladins in BG9. If you haven't already heard, BG9 (Bloodlust) is often considered to be one of the most competitive battlegroups in WoW. Obviously, Euneek's achievements in BG9 are that much more impressive for being in that highly skilled environment.Euneek was kind enough to answer some questions about the new Season, the changes which are affecting Season 7, and then also how he is coping with the new season. Check out what he had to say behind the cut!

  • The Colosseum: A basic guide to the Arena rating system

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    09.16.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. When our new PvP guru C. Christian Moore wrote about a team skyrocketing to a 3206 team rating, a commenter pointed out to our staff that all the various language, acronyms, and "points" involved in the Arena can be somewhat confusing. It can be hard to figure out what the heck we're talking about.I think that probably makes sense when you consider there's probably about ten different kinds of "points," three different ratings, a few different ranks, and two different kinds of spendable currency. (While I'm not looking to delve into all the Battleground dynamics here, you have to keep in mind that Honor Points do have a pretty real effect on the Arena.)So, this time in your neighborhood Colosseum, we're going to take a break to enjoy a basic guide to the Arena rating system, and try to clarify the difference between Team rating, Personal rating, and Matchmaking rating. Check it out behind the cut.

  • The Colosseum: Retrospective, Summer 2009

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    09.09.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. We're now officially under way in Season 7. And since this is only the first week of that season, it's a little tough to know who's going to end up on top. The subtle push-and-tug back and forth of so-called Cleave teams versus the traditional Rogue-Mage-Priest will probably be the most interesting battle in the 3v3 bracket, while it's simply far, far too early to tell who's going to dominate the 2v2 Arena.It being this early in, I wanted to take some time to take a look at the past few months of Arena interviews. We've been pretty fortunate to get a good variety of folks to talk to us, and it's always good to take some time to reflect on lessons of the past. This is how we learn, after all. Or, at least, until we can all download infallible knowledge directly to our brain. Anyway, let's take a look back and who we talked to this summer.

  • The Colosseum: Dynlor and Domustie

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    08.16.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. One of the challenges in presenting Arena each week is that it "takes two to tango." (Or, for that matter, it takes two to waltz, rhumba, and even a whole lot more to square dance.) As we get a chance, we try and look at several different angles to Arena competition. This week, we're able to look at two members of the exact same team, Uh Oh Polio. Dynlor is the team's Paladin, while Domustie is the team's Druid. Check out what they had to say after the cut.

  • The Colosseum: Dimitrius of Korgath

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    08.08.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player.Last week, we had the opportunity to look at a mega-mix of about six different gladiators from Korgath. However, since it's likely going to be a little while before I can come back around to Korgath, I wanted to make sure to include one final person. This person is Starcaller Dimitrius. While Paladins have probably had enough face time in the highest Arena echelons since Wrath of the Lich King, the accomplishments from Dimitrius are a little different from what we've featured before. Specifically, Dimitrius has achieved the #1 spot on his battlegroup in 5v5. Take a look at what Dimitrius had to say behind the cut. Don't worry -- the interview is fairly short, especially as compared to last week's epic.

  • The Colosseum: Beffyjunk, Boomkin

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    07.19.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Netherdrakes. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player.Last week, we talked to Comutu of Executus, a Priest who spent some time talking about his awesome teammates. This week, we talk to one of those teammates. Specifically, we talk to Beffyjunk, a Boomkin who has achieved a 2k or better rating in 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5.Take some time and check out what Beffyjunk had to say behind the cut.

  • The Colosseum: Comotu of Executus

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    07.13.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, Furious, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Netherdrakes. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. Comotu is the Paladin in the 5v5 team "ROFL My Copter," the 3v3 team "RMP," and the 2v2 team "COMOFOLD." While developing his skills since Season 2, Comotu has had the opportunity to work with several players. Even more importantly, he's preparing himself and his team to excel in future seasons.Comotu spent some time with The Colosseum, talking about how he came about playing a Paladin, how his teams got together, and what kind of dynamics he experiences in current matches. Check out what he had to say behind the cut.

  • The Colosseum: Ickmon of Executus

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    07.05.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Netherdrakes.Ickmon from Executus is a 2200+ ranked Priest, working in both the 2v2 and 3v3 brackets. The changes to Arena rating requirements, Resilience, and balance in patch 3.2, however, could mean a lot of big changes for Arena players like Ickmon. Despite the uncertainty of change, though, this Priest isn't particularly worried about the changes -- he thinks that things will be fine, and the new Resilience benefit might be a good thing.We were able to spend some time talking with Ickmon about his team, playstyle, and those 3.2 changes. Check out what he had to say behind the cut.

  • The Colosseum: Two Fighters, One Column

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    06.28.2009

    Sometimes, during the summer, it can be especially difficult to find time to enjoy the game. Arena fighters are no different, which is why the following two interviews are a little shorter. We were only able to grab a little bit of their time, but we wanted to get their unique perspective on some aspects of the Arena.Soballinlol is a Warrior on the Mug'thol server, who is 3rd rated in the Vengeance battlegroup on his 2v2 team. Even more spectacularly, Soballinlol's 5v5 team has achieved the number one place on the battlegroup. Nailpolish is also on the Mug'thol server, but is in the 7th ranked 2v2 team on her battlegroup, and the 8th ranked 3v3 team.Both come from wildly different perspectives. Nailpolish operates in a 3v3 RMP team, who uses precise Crowd Control to dominate their opponents. By comparison, Soballinlol is a Warrior, a class that's reknowned for its juggernaut-like ability to smash through defenses, use unparalleled survivability, and still offer incredibly effective offense. Check out what each had to say behind the cut.

  • The Colosseum: Retrospective, Spring 2009

    by 
    Michael Gray
    Michael Gray
    06.13.2009

    The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters in the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Netherdrakes.It's been six months since the last time we summarized our collection of Colosseum interviews. With at least a season and a half of Wrath of the Lich King now behind us, now's a great time to look over the gladiators who've shared their experiences. We've had Paladins, Hunters, Death Knights, Paladins, a Shaman, Paladins, and even a Warlock. There are certainly common themes among these discussions. By comparing them, we can hope to get a better idea of what's going on this season.