The Search for the Next CGS Pro
As usual, XFX went where the competition had never thought to go. This time, XFX threw down the gauntlet in search of seven virtual unknowns who were willing to go the distance to prove to the world that they could be the next CGS pro gamer.
The Tour Begins
Hundreds responded to the online casting call. In a mixture of online voting and on-site shoot-outs, the team was honed down to double digits. Launched at LANFEST, gamers from as far away as Canada came to earn their spot on the bus. Ranging in age between 19 and 22, each of the final team members had at least five years’ experience in the gaming community. They set off on a series of event tours, with each stop offering amateur gamers one-on-one opportunities to defeat a member of the Team and take their place on the bus.
Life on the Road
The team soon learned that life as a touring professional wasn’t all fun and games. With the help of XFX and CGS, the team enjoyed an eight-week immersion in gaming strategy and team building to develop the skills necessary to not only take on— but defeat—the reigning champions in an exhibition match. While they lost an initial exhibition match against L.A. CompLexity, their final confrontation with the best CounterStrike team in the world had a far different ending, with Team XFX shocking the gaming community by handing the pros a sound defeat.
The team went on to compete alongside 15 other teams in the CPL Winter 2007 CS:Source Championship in Dallas, Texas. Held Dec. 23, 2007, the tournament winner was expected to be first-seed Turmoil. However, leader boards don’t lie, and at the end of the day it was Team XFX taking the first place trophy and the $7,500 in prize money, defeating carnage 13 -6. Turmoil finished third.
The Tour Comes to an End
The tour may have ended, but the story did not. The final five Team XFX players earned a spot at The Championship Gaming Series 2008 Region 1 Qualifier, where they became eligible for the 2008 Region 1 Draft and a possible contract to play for a CGS team.
The 2008 Gamestar Pro Challenge
Think that you’re the next Fatal1ty? Then you’ll want to be aboard the 2008 Gamester Pro Challenge. Be on the lookout for more details about the Tour in the coming weeks.