Twenty-thousand dollars. $20,000. Vingt-mille dollars. No matter how you put it, that's what one team will be taking home from the National Championships in Las Vegas this month in the Gears of War Competition on the MLG Pro Circuit. GoW player Genetix, along with team Infinity, hope (and firmly believe) that they have the potential to walk away with the top spot. I was given the luxury of getting a more in depth look at the whole experience through an interview with Genetix. Here's what he had to say:

GameBattles: Introduce yourself and your team a little bit. What is your gamertag and team name, and tell us a bit about how you came to be one of the top GoW teams on the circuit.

Genetix: My name is Michael Cannon; I am 17 years old and am currently the captain of the #1 seeded Gears of War pro team Infinity. I go by the gamertag Genetix, and have been competing on the MLG Pro Circuit since the beginning of 2007. Infinity was created last year prior to the Dallas event with mixed expectations. After running through the event and capturing 1st, we have never looked back. We have gone on to win four more MLG events, none bigger then the '07 National Championships.

GB: You are one of eight teams competing in the MLG GoW Championships. How does it feel knowing that, whether you take first or finish last, you're one of the Top 8 Gears of War teams in the world?

Genetix: It feels great being one of the best in the world, but to be honest, anything less than 1st place will be a disappointment for us and our fans. We always have expectations of 1st place, and this is what we are bringing with us to Vegas.

GB: With so much money at stake, is your team doing anything differently to prepare for the championships?

Genetix: We are preparing strat-wise much deeper then previous events. We are preparing way more for each team individually and making sure to not overlook anyone. Being the #1 seed, it can sometimes be easy to just assume you will walk all over the #8 team, but with so much at stake, we will make sure to be prepared for anything they try to throw at us.

GB: Assuming all of your players are at the top of their game, and everything is going great -- do you think that you can win the championship? Or will it require some luck, or some mistakes by opposing teams?

Genetix: If we are all at the top of our game, we should have no problem winning the championship. Period.

GB: What teams do you see as your biggest competition?

Genetix: As of now, I think anyone seeded in the top 4 can compete with us for the championship, but if I'd have to pick one team I'd go with Retaliation. They are all very dedicated to the game and still continue to put in a ton of time while it seems like a few of the other teams are slacking a bit.

GB: Where do you see your team in say... one year. Back to the MLG championships?

Genetix: I feel as long as we continue to be dedicated, we should have no problem continuing our success on the circuit for years to come.

GB: Besides the competition itself, what are you looking forward to in MLG Vegas?

Genetix: Definitely the atmosphere. This is the biggest event to date and everything that you worked for will be put into place this event. With so much money on the line, not to mention the crown of national champions at stake, this is shaping up to be one of the most exciting events ever!

Well put, Genetix. Clearly this month's National Championships mark a milestone in MLG history. With huge amounts of cash - not to mention pride - at stake, this event is guaranteed to be nothing short of "one of the most exciting events ever!"



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