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My introduction to Team Ice was at Blizzard’s North American Regional Final this year. Their team, the HUKS (now Team EG), not only won the tournament—they won with class. While other teams were brash and rude, this team was respectful and polite. Stratics sat down with Rombus (the leader), Vague (the recruitment leader), and Doko (a senior officer) to get an idea of what makes Team Ice so successful.
Vague:
I can tell you I look for attitude, ability, and most of all drive. You have to possess the right attitude to join with our group and mesh with our culture; you have to possess an above average aptitude for the game. This has to be displayed in your ability to play the class you have chosen, and you must have the drive to put it all together. Not losing morale from failure is absolutely the most important factor in completing these encounters.
Rombus:
Never undervalue or mistreat your members - there are no peons in the guild, everyone plays a role. As a leader your job is to keep everyone in line and make sure people pull their weight. Treat them with respect and they’ll do the same.
At the end of the day WoW is a game, and while I am fiercely competitive I do enjoy having the “fun” element around. Many that have joined us have said that we weren’t the uptight and anal gamers they expected and were glad to see that people still knew how to have fun.
This attitude has allowed Team Ice to reach the top in both PvE and PvP. The members are very young, but they do bring great passion.
Rombus:
We’ve always been a top guild on Illidan and have enjoyed the competition our fellow end-gamers have provided us. I believe they feel the same way about us.
There are some members of the MMO community that look down on the so-called “PvErs” or “bluebies” but the fact is these encounters aren’t as predictable and static as many seem to think. When you pour time and effort into them that near-perfect execution on a winning run is one of the best WoW experiences you’ll have and is definitely our favorite.
Of course we still enjoy PvP and field some of the best teams on Illidan (and in the world!) though.
One of the most interesting aspects of this guild is how it has reach out to everyone on it server through the creation of its own server forum, Illidrama.
Rombus:
Since EQ I’ve been a huge supporter of MMO communities that stray away from the official approach. When we brought Team Ice to Illidan I actively participated in the official forums - unfortunately they had a terrible tendency to randomly stop accepting logins. In addition to that the features were fairly limited and L1 alts popped up everywhere throwing insults without accountability. In an effort to make Illidan a more community-orientated server Sung and I opened the now infamous Illidrama. These forums provided a much-needed place for players to interact, discuss and create drama and whatnot. Over the past two years Illidrama has continued to grow and surpass any predictions we had in regards to its use.
I think Illidrama represents what the community means to me better than anything, and I think that it’s one of the main reasons Illidan is as tightly-knit as it is… it can’t be summed up any better than that
The guild is excited about the emerging media associated with the game
Doko:
Learning how to play another class... or watching a fight from a different PoV. Listening to other raid leaders and laugh at how some things seem to never change from guild to guild. The music if synced correctly with what’s going on.
Vague:
I like watching WoW videos because often I have no clue how others play, and it gives me some insight into the habits and abilities of over players that I would otherwise never know.
Rombus:
I’d love to see some televised PvP, but with better announcers and a direct link to listen to the team comments during the fight. WoW PvP can really be amazing when you have two excellent teams facing off and I think it’s something the gaming community as a whole would appreciate. As for PvE, I think it’s more something you have to experience to enjoy.
Rombus:
While Doko would like to perhaps see some more fictional lore in them, Vague and I would prefer more high quality videos. Less streaming, more 1GB downloads where we can read the chat and see exactly what’s happening!
Vague:
As far as videos and entertainment the Myndflame movies are the best to me. They are funny, they involve WoW satire, and above all else they are done well. Really any movie will be entertaining to me as long as the publisher spent time on his creation and cared about it.
Rombus:
I agree with Vague, I’d love to see more movies like those produced by Myndflame. I’m glad many members of the movie-making talent in WoW have realized it doesn’t always have to be PvP or PvE.
What about the future of professional gaming?
Rombus:
For PvP we’re already there with Team EG a.k.a. The HUKs. For PvE I don’t really see widespread sponsorship being possible. What it comes down to in that arena will be how much traffic the website generates.
I play this game for the enjoyment it brings me and I think playing it as a professional raider would simply detract from that.
With Nihilum's success in PvE they're now free to move into PvP and utilize the best of both worlds in their play. Once you've put all of the end-game on farm status you need something to do, and arenas can fill that void very nicely.
As for the BlizzCon and the chances of Team EG, they are optimistic.
Rombus:
They are looking forward to - well, placing first in the world finals, in my opinion. Gotta support my boys… even
Koorban.
I think where it will get interesting is when the European teams start to meet the US teams. What we've seen seems to indicate that they have a somewhat different style. It's going to be fun to see who can adapt faster and who the match ups end up favoring.
The most striking thing about Team Ice is how normal they are. They are fair and respectful, but they still bring a passion for success. They truly reflect the ideal that anyone can be a champion with hard work and discipline. Next week we look at one of the best guilds ever from Star Wars Galaxies. Their large scale PvP tactics and coordination are peerless. Join us as Stratics interviews Fist of the Empire.
—JoeMcDoug
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