We are approaching the home stretch of the 2010 MLG Season, and the field of top pros is so stacked that it could become anyone�s Championship come Dallas. The top players know that a win in D.C. could be just the padding they need to secure the Championship, so they will all be eager for a strong finish this weekend. Let�s take a look at the winners from the three previous Live Events.
MLG Orlando Champion: Kor (Bob, Lars), Houston, TX
In Orlando, pretty much everyone expected the Korean players to dominate. For the most part, this did turn out to be the case. There were a few who stood up to the challenge, most notably Kor. He was able to rally back from the Losers Bracket to beat Holeman in the Finals. A strong argument could be made that, at that time, he was the best Tekken player in the US. Although he has not been able to take the top spot since then, he has played at a high enough level to earn a #2 ranking going into D.C., which is no small feat considering the competition.
He is the more outgoing of the two Texas big names and, when prodded, he does not shy away from proclaiming that he thinks that Texas is the best region in the US. With MLG Dallas on the horizon, it would benefit him to find the magic and gain some momentum heading into D.C.
MLG Columbus Champion: Holeman (Lars), South Korea
The Korean contingent was even stronger in Columbus. The MLG Orlando Runner-up, Holeman, was accompanied by Korea�s best, Nin and Knee. It looked like they would cruise to an easy 1-2-3 placing, but once again an American player, FightingGM, stepped up to the challenge and took 2nd Place. Holeman will not be in attendance in D.C., but Knee and Nin will. There are a few things to note about the Korean players:
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- In each MLG Event that the Koreans have entered, at least one of them has placed in the Top 2
- Knee is coming off one of his most hard-fought tournament victories. He had to come out of the Losers Bracket of a world tournament to beat an extremely strong opponent from Japan.
- None of the Koreans attending MLG DC have lost to an American twice at an MLG Event.[/SIZE]
The bottom line is that the question is never �Will the Koreans win?� It�s always �Who can rise to the challenge and defeat the Koreans?�
MLG Raleigh Champion: JustFrameJames (Law), Southern California
Throughout the MLG Season, Southern California has quietly been holding its own. In Raleigh, SoCal put everyone on notice. JustFrameJames went undefeated, and although the field did not include any Korean players, it did include the Atlanta crew�who are just as vocal as they are competitive. Not only did James have to beat top-tier American competition; he also had to overcome top-tier trash talk.
James is currently ranked 5th, and his dominance among the American players shows that he has a good chance to make a run at the Championship. What remains to be seen, however, is whether he has improved enough as a player to match up to the Koreans when the big money is on the line. His unflappable demeanor will definitely work in his favor when the competition gets heavy on the big stage.
Will MLG D.C. see a repeat winner? As we take the final steps toward the MLG Championships, the big prize payout will bring out the serious competitive edge in the top players. The contenders will be separated from the pretenders, but can one of these past winners show their championship form? Or will another one of the notable names such as Suiken or GM get over the hump and earn those ever-so-precious 1st Place points?
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