Ogre 2 THC Article

          The Ups, The Downs, and Everything in Between - A History of Ogre 2 - 2008-2012

     “A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”
― Larry Bird

Throughout the history of sports, athletes with God given talents have always been there to wow and amaze us as fans of the games. Whether it is Baseball, Football, Soccer, Hockey or any other sport, we are blessed to see athletes who are so naturally talented, as they build their legacy in sports history right in front of our eyes.  Athletes such as Phil Mickelson, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter have been the role models and aspirations for many young athletes because of their success, determination, hard work, and perseverance over thing that comes in their way.

In the world of competitive Halo and Major League Gaming, one player has amassed a career we may never see the likes of again. Many even call him the greatest of all time or the GOAT. That person is Tom “Ogre 2” Ryan.   

Ogre 2, alongside his twin brother Dan “Ogre 1” Ryan, quickly became two of the best Halo players in the world during MLG’s early years running Halo:CE and Halo 2 events. The Ogre twins MLG careers’ are as long as most of the history of MLG, with their first victories coming in 2004 at MLG Dallas and Philadelphia in which they teamed with MLG legends Clockwork and Strangepurple on team Shoot to Kill (StK).

These two victories were just the start of a long and incredible career for Ogre 2 that still continues to this day. The Halo 2 era, more specifically, was a time of dominance for Ogre 2 and really where he built his legacy. Ogre 2 amassed an astounding 18 wins throughout the events him and his team attended from 2005-2007, placing nowhere outside of the top 2 respectively in those same years. The Halo 2 years were a time in which people did not sit around wondering who would win the event, but who would be in the running for second place.  

2008 was going to be a big year for Halo and MLG. It was the first season of Halo 3, and as all fans know, the opener to any season can set the bar for many teams. MLG was making changes to continue to improve their events, and teams were looking to see if their hard work in a new game would pay off. Final Boss, who kept the same lineup going into the opener, were the favorites to win the event. Teams such as Carbon and Str8 Rippin, who also kept their same respective lineups, were also looking to challenge Final Boss for the 1st place championship. New teams such as Triggers Down and Instinct were also looking to make a statement at the event. 

The 2008 season began where 2007 left off, with another tournament victory for Ogre 2 and team Final Boss. With the same lineup from all of 2007, this win did not come as much of a surprise. However, the 2008 season would become a season filled with upsets, shocking news and team changes, and the beginning of a slump in Ogre 2’s career not many fans saw coming. To the surprise of many Final Boss fans, the team took home a 7^th place finish in San Diego and a 5^th place finish at Orlando. After Orlando, the team felt they needed a change, and what came next would soon become a historic moment in the history of MLG. Final Boss had decided to drop Walshy, the team captain and fan favorite who teamed with the Ogre twins for over three years had now been dropped in place of Mason “Neighbor” Cobb, who at the time was arguably the best Halo 3 player in the world. This left Walshy team less, but not for long as he soon took up an offer from another set of twins, Justin “Roy” Brown and Jason “Lunchbox” Brown to join team Instinct with Dmitriy “Soviet” Gulyan. The new Instinct and new Final Boss as well as the Walshy saga would lead into what would become a very interesting event in Toronto, Canada.

 Toronto 2008 could easily be said to be the most interesting and hyped up event of the season up to that point. The team changes, the Walshy vs. Final Boss saga, and more all led into this event and were the interest of all Halo fans watching at home and attending the event in person. The questions on everybody’s mind varied from “Did Final Boss make the right decision dropping Walshy?” “Can Neighbor bring Final Boss back to first place?” “Can Instinct actually beat the new Final Boss?” These questions would be answered in the Losers Bracket Finals in Toronto, when Instinct and Final Boss were set to play.

Fans gathered at the mainstage to watch Final Boss vs. Instinct play. Along with Str8 Rippin vs. Final Boss, this was the match all MLG Halo fans were hoping for. The series went on for 4 games, ending in the favor of Instinct three games to one. At the end of this series, the fans erupted into cheers and even began to chant “Walshy Walshy Walshy” as the two teams shook hands. 

 After this match was over, we also saw the infamous Walshy interview in which he said beating Final Boss “was like taking candy from a baby.” Ogre 2 and Final Boss took 3rd in Toronto, certainly not the placing the team expected with new teammate Neighbor. With Instinct looking like a new powerhouse team in the league, fans wondered how Final Boss really would do without Walshy once they got themselves situated and adjusted to playing with Neighbor. Sadly the placing’s would not improve much for Ogre 2 and Final Boss throughout the rest of the season. You could see in their gameplay it was not the same team and something was definitely wrong, as Final Boss placed 3^rd again in Dallas and 4^th at the National Championships in Las Vegas to end the season.

The 2008-2009 off-season was interesting for Ogre 2. Rumors were being heard that both the Ogre twins were going to retire from professional gaming. This then turned into only Ogre 1 or Ogre 2 retiring, with no one really knowing what was going to happen. The thoughts of “No Final Boss at an event” or  “An MLG event without the Ogres” soon began popping into people’s heads and it continued to leave many fans wondering what would actually happen. In the end, it was Ogre 1 who had decided to end his career as a professional gamer. Many had also heard of StrongSide leaving the team to join a new team called Status Quo with some young up and coming players, and Neighbor leaving the team to join Instinct with Walshy, Roy, and Lunchbox. This left many wondering – is this the death of team Final Boss and Ogre 2? To the joy of many fans, Ogre 2 did not retire and kept the Final Boss name going. Final Boss attended MLG Meadowlands 2009 with a lineup consisting of Ogre 2, Victory X, Fearitself, and Mackeo. Fans also soon found out that Ogre 1 came out of retirement, and would be playing at MLG Meadowlands on team “The Incredibles” with teammates Mioff, Mantrain, and Tupac.

Fans were not sure how this new Final Boss lineup would fair against the powerhouse teams like Triggers Down, Str8 Rippin, and Instinct. Ogre 2 and Final Boss would end up taking 5^th place at the Meadowlands, including a match between Final Boss and The Incredibles, where we saw Ogre 2 defeat his older brother Ogre 1 in what would be Ogre 1’s final professional gaming event he competed in. This placing would really set the tone for Ogre 2 and his team throughout the season. Final Boss placed 3^rd at MLG Columbus, the first time MLG had been to what we now know as “Ogre City” and some fans were optimistic that this could be a turn around for the team. After Columbus, a familiar face returned to the Final Boss lineup to the liking of many fans. StrongSide, who played the first two events of the season with Status Quo, returned to Final Boss in place of Mackeo who went to team Ambush. Seeing StrongSide back in a Final Boss jersey was a welcomed site to many fans, and with how well he was playing throughout first two events of the year, fans were very excited to have StrongSide back. Unfortunately even with StrongSide back on the team, the placing’s after this event would become worse as Final Boss took 5^th place once again in Dallas, and to the shock of many, a disappointing 9^th place at MLG Anaheim. This 9^th place finish marked the first event in Ogre 2’s storied career that he did not place in the top 8. The National Championship in Orlando, Florida would throw another obstacle at Ogre 2 to add to an already rough season. Teammate Soviet, who was added to the team for Anaheim, suddenly could not attend and more or less quit professional gaming on the spot. This left Ogre 2 in a tough situation, as team rosters were locked for the second to last and last event of each season as is standard. Needing to make a decision quick on who to pick up in place of Soviet, the team decided to pick up Patrick “Sypher” Hynes, another young talented player, to replace Soviet and attend the National Championships. Ogre 2 and Final Boss would end up placing 8^th at Orlando, which considering the circumstances surrounding the team, was not as bad as it could have been and we saw Ogre 2 back in the top 8 once again.

The 2010 off-season proved once again that team changes will happen in the off-season, and the fans sit back and wonder what changes will happen. We saw Final Boss come into Orlando 2010 with a lineup of consisting of Ogre 2, Victory X, Fearitself, and a young player named Totz who played for team Status Quo in the 2009 season.  Fans were excited to see how this new lineup would do, especially since the team had a few off-season LANs to help them prepare.  The LANs and new lineup would prove to be a success for Ogre 2 and Final Boss, as they took home 3^rd place and many fans believed this was the beginning of a long awaited comeback to the top for Ogre 2 and the team. 

After Orlando, fans and players alike were witnesses to yet another shocking team change. Team Triggers Down, which consisted of SK, Neighbor, Hysteria, and Pistola at Orlando decided to drop Pistola and instead pick up Totz from Final Boss. This is still viewed today as one of the worst team decisions in MLG history, as Pistola was easily one of the top players consistently throughout the 2009 season. With this team change, to the liking of many Final Boss fans, Ogre 2 and the team picked up Pistola in place of Totz. Fans continued to question the move of Triggers Down right up to MLG Columbus, but also knew that the new Final Boss lineup would be a force to be reckoned with.  

 MLG would return once again to Ogre City, Columbus, Ohio, and fans were excited to see the new Final Boss and new Triggers Down lineups and who made the right team change. Fans would soon have their wishes granted, as Final Boss and Triggers Down met in what many expected to be the match of the event in Winners Bracket Round 3.  The match started with Triggers Down jumping out to a 2-0 lead, leaving some Final Boss fans concerned. However, Final Boss lived up to their team legacy and proved to be resilient, winning the next 2 games and bringing the series to a deciding game 5 of Team Slayer on Narrows.  Final Boss would go on to win game 5 and the series 3-2. The team would continue through the tournament to meet up with Instinct in the finals, in which they lost but improved on their 3^rd place performance in Orlando with a 2^nd place finish in Columbus. 

For the first time in its history MLG would have an event in Raleigh, North Carolina at the end of August. This was a very special event, as it was MLG’s historic 50^th event. Based on the finals in Columbus as well as their practices at the TLN LANs, many fans expected Final Boss to take this event. At the end of the event, we once again saw Final Boss vs. Instinct in the finals. To the liking of many fans, Final Boss would end up taking the series and the Raleigh title. This would be Ogre 2’s first event win in over 2 years, and this win made him the winningest player in MLG history. This was also a huge moment for Victory X, who got his first tournament victory after being in the league over 5 years. This win was more than just another tournament win to add to the resume of Ogre 2. It was proof of why Ogre 2 is the greatest of all time. For 2 long years, Ogre 2 went through a lot of ups and downs and it looked like his career might be coming to an end. However, in typical Ogre fashion, he showed resilience and never gave up on proving that he still has what it takes to lead a team and be a dominate player. Final Boss would go on to win MLG DC and the Dallas National Championship, giving Ogre 2 his 4^th National Championship. 

 2011 would once again be a year of change for the entire MLG scene. Halo:Reach would now be the flagship game going into the opener in Dallas, Starcraft 2 would make its appearance once again for the season, and Call of Duty: Black Ops was also added for the PlayStation 3. There was a lot of buzz going into the event for Halo: Reach - new teams such as Impact and Invictus who made their through the combines, a new mainstage, established teams such as Dynasty and Triggers Down who had new lineups. There was a lot to talk about, and everything would come down to the first weekend in April, 2011 when MLG opened its season in Dallas, Texas.

 Ogre 2 and Final Boss kept the same lineup going into the 2011 season, where many expected them to be in the finals or win the entire tournament. Rumors were swirling that Final Boss did not practice much going into the event, including not attending many LANs as other teams had already done. Final Boss was scheduled for the first match of the 2011 season on Friday night to play against a new team called Impact. Impact consisted of Lethul, Adrenaline, Amish Acorns who were known for their play in the 2010 combines and last but not least, Neighbor. Final Boss was heavily favored in the match, with many giving Impact little to no chance of winning. However, Impact came out swinging vs. Final Boss and ended up quickly sweeping the series 3-0. This was a shocking upset, and many wondered if Final Boss could make their way through the Losers Bracket to at least place well. Sadly, this would not happen for Final Boss. Final Boss played an intense series vs. Warriors in the Losers Bracket, losing 50-49 in Zealot Team Slayer, sending Final Boss packing in 10^th place to the shock of many fans and players.

The 10^th place finish at Dallas prompted a team change for Ogre 2 that many people did not see coming. Ogre 2 and Pistola left Final Boss and teamed up with Lunchbox and Roy to form Team Instinct, or the God Squad. Instinct was feared from the first day they started practicing, dominating online practices and leaving many to already give the Columbus title to Instinct weeks before the event. Fans would not be disappointed, as Instinct dominated Columbus only dropping one game the entire tournament. Instinct ended up playing surprise team Str8 Rippin in the finals, who they would easily defeat with a 6-0 in the best of 11 extended series. Fans and players alike knew Instinct would be a tough team to beat, but no one can say they really expected this time of domination in their first event together. With the next event being Anaheim and what Instinct did in Columbus, many wondered if Instinct could not just win Anaheim, but win it without dropping a single game. Well, Instinct did just that. They defeated Status Quo in the finals and won Anaheim without dropping a single game. 

 Going into Raleigh, fans were once again Instinct in the finals and pretty much expected them to once again dominate and win yet another event. However, a team of young guns known as Infamous were playing well the entire weekend and were looking to make a losers bracket run going into Sunday. They did just that, and played all the way into the finals to meet up with Instinct who was coming off a victory over Believe the Hype in the Winners Bracket Finals.  The finals were back and forth, and went on to game 10 on Android - Team Slayer. The crowd was intense the entire series, and now with Infamous leading the series 5-4, we were now even closer to seeing if Infamous could take down a team in Instinct who some even thought would sweep the rest of the year winning every event. The game was close all the way through as Infamous began pulling ahead towards the end of the game. Instinct tried to get something going, but with a double kill from APG, Infamous won the game 50-47 and defeated Instinct 6-4 in the series. Instinct had now been dethroned after two events, and fans were hopeful Ogre 2 and the team could come back strong for Orlando and eventually the National Championships in Providence. However, fans would once again be disappointed, as Ogre 2 and Instinct would take a surprising 5^th place at Orlando. While some may not have expected Instinct to win the event, no one could have predicted them for a 5^th place finish.

The 2011 MLG National Championships took place in Providence, Rhode Island. Many questions were surrounding the event as to who would take home the title.  Instinct was online practicing and streaming a lot before the event, as well as all the other competing teams. However, fans knew the x factor for the event would be Ogre 2. Ogre 2 is the one player to never count out a National Championship because he feeds off the pressure and lives for the moment to prove everyone wrong. Instinct was well practiced heading into the event, and had to face a Warriors team who made an exceptional run through the Losers Bracket on Sunday beating any team in their path to the finals.  However, Warriors seemed to run out of steam as the finals wore on and Instinct pulled away and Instinct won the 2011 National Championship, giving Pistola his 2^nd National Championship, Lunchbox and Roy their first, and yes Ogre 2 his 5^th National Championship. It was a great event to end what was certainly not a great season for Halo, and Ogre 2 continued to cement his status as the greatest of all time. 

 The future of Halo was certainly unsettled going into the 2012 season. 2011 was dismal compared to past years, and many wondered if Halo would be at an MLG event at all in 2012. The community was very split and in just an overall poor state because of all that happened in 2011 with Halo: Reach as well as the changes MLG made to the entire league throughout the season. The off season was a time to push for doing things for ourselves as a community, which led to the creation of websites such as The Halo Council and Halo Nation, more players putting out content, and overall establishing ourselves without MLG catering to us. Going into 2012, Adam Apicella, also more known as Clap, was the driving force in giving Halo another chance at the 2012 opener, with even a call to arms for the Halo community. The community, realizing the state we were in and along with Claps help, came together to bring on what would be a statement for everyone in the competitive gaming community, that Halo is far from dead and when you count us out we will show you what are made of.  We had a lot to look forward to in Columbus, including the return of FFA for all players and the new settings featuring no bloom – no sprint – and the Halo: CE Anniversary maps thanks to the crew over at 343 Industries. Clap said it best in his post – if you want it, take it. Columbus was a very hyped event, and fans were hopeful for a great event with everything we had going for us.

Going into the event, there were a lot of team changes and new teams that were going to be a force to be reckoned with. Status Quo added Royal 2 and Snake Bite with not a lot time before the event, a team of veterans known as Shady Halo Kids had formed with just weeks before the event, Team Carbon was brought back with a new lineup of veteran and young players. Through all the team changes, Ogre 2 and Instinct kept the same lineup and were once again the favorites to win yet another event.

As the event played on, we got to Saturday night to see Instinct vs. Classic. Classic was a strong team at the end of 2011 and even stronger going into 2012. Instinct and Classic were two of the top teams, and fans knew they were in for a great match. The crowd was electric, the commentators were excited and full of energy, and all Halo fans were ready to see two of the top teams face off. To the surprise of many, Classic came out on fire and jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Instinct and it looked like it would be an easy 3-0 sweep. However, Instinct clawed their way back and won the next 2 games to force a deciding game 5 - Team Slayer on Countdown. The game was close to the very end, the fans were screaming at the top of their lungs, and no one knew what the ending would be. The fans began chanting “Instinct! Instinct! Instinct!” as loud as they could, putting the entire venue on notice and even blocking out some of the stream sound for fans watching at home. With the game and match on the line, in typical Ogre fashion, Ogre 2 beat down Prototype for the 50^th kill, sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheers and screams that could be hear throughout the entire venue. Once again, when it matters most, Ogre 2 comes through to make the play that not only changed the game, but also won Instinct the match.

Instinct went on to beat Status Quo in the Winners Bracket Finals in another close series with a final score of 3-2 and would have to play SQ once again in the Grand Finals, which would then be a best of 11 series. SQ was on fire, and played well the entire series and brought it to a very tense game 11, Countdown Team Slayer. The game was close throughout, and was decided by a few clutch plays at the end of the game by SQ. Ogre 2 and Instinct tried to hold on, but SQ’s run was too much and Status Quo won the game 50-48 and the Columbus title over Instinct. As Status Quo celebrated their win, you could see the disappointment on the faces of Ogre 2 and the rest of Instinct.  It was a match and an event to be remembered in Ogre City. Even though Instinct did not win, you could see that Ogre 2 was excited throughout the entire weekend like we have not see him for a while, coming up clutch all weekend until the very end when he was the final kill. Even with that tough loss, you got a sense Ogre 2 wanted that win badly not just because he is a fierce competitor. The crowd, the circumstances leading into the event, the hype in the venue, all those things and more are what Ogre 2 has been a part of for so long. Seeing an event like that in what many agree to be “his” city had to be special for him. Fans and players alike left the venue still buzzing with energy from the series they just watched, and the event they were just a part of. MLG Columbus 2012 was a special event for all Halo fans, and will be remembered for a long time to come.

So, we are now here, and some of you may be asking "Well, what does all this mean?" Well, it just scratches the surface of what Ogre 2 has done in his career to earn the GOAT title. It’s not just winning events and National Championships. Ogre 2 has been a pioneer for competitive gaming and is truly a legend. Whether you like him or not, you cannot deny everything he has accomplished and done for competitive gaming. He has been there from the beginning, and helped pave the way to what competitive gaming and MLG have become today. While many don’t agree with MLG’s decisions recently on running the company, we all know that without Halo none of it would be possible, and Ogre 2 was there every step of the way. Without people in the community like Walshy, Tsqaured, Gandhi, Shockwave, Ogre 2 and so many more who knows where competitive gaming would be? Ogre 2 is the greatest of all time for everything he has accomplished and more. Whenever he decides to retire from competing, it will be a very sad day for many and he will be greatly missed. However, we will have a career to look back on that we will probably never see the likes of again. Five time National Champion, Gold medalist in the World Cyber Games, one of the first players sponsored by Red Bull, an average event placing of 2.28, and 29 total MLG event victories from 2004-2010. Ogre 2 is a living legend of competitive gaming, and has clearly cemented himself as the greatest of all time. To be a player of Ogre 2’s caliber, staying consistent throughout all the years of the Halo series is not an easy feat and takes dedication, sacrifice, and a will to win not many people have within them. With Halo 4 right around the corner, who knows what Ogre 2 will win next or what milestone he will reach. Whatever it maybe, you know it will be done in typical Ogre fashion, never going done without a fight and always striving to be the best he can be.