The Ultimate Halo 3 Rivalry –
Str8 Rippin and Triggers Down
All sports throughout history have
their infamous rivalries. In Baseball it is the Red Sox and the Yankees. In the
current day NFL it is the Steelers and the Ravens. In the NBA many believe the
Celtics and Lakers rivalry during the 1980s is still one of the greatest. Rivalries
are one of the greatest parts about sports and sports history, and always
captivate the attention of fans from around the world.
Throughout it’s time, MLG has had its
own set of intense and fierce rivalries that has captured the attention of
fans, players, and MLG Staff throughout the years. In the Halo 2 days, the
ultimate rivalry was Final Boss vs. Carbon. Final Boss and Carbon battled
throughout all of 2006 and 2007, and is still viewed today as the ultimate MLG
rivalry. Final Boss dominated the first four events of 2006 until Carbon made
their infamous team change, which would prove to be the final piece of the
puzzle they needed to finally challenge and defeat Final Boss. After Orlando
2006, Carbon would drop StrongSide in place Ghostayame, and this would prove to
be the right decision. As the ultimate underdogs, Carbon would win the last
three events of 2006, including the National Championships in Las Vegas and the
$100,000 prize. This rivalry would continue throughout the 2007 season as well,
but it was Final Boss who would be holding the National Championship check at
the end of the season.
Going into 2008 and Halo 3, fans knew
that new teams would be formed, some players would fall off and some would rise
to the occasion, and new rivalries would inevitably be formed as the
competition would continue to get more and more difficult. As the 2008 season
continued on, two teams began to establish themselves as the elite and were
forces to be reckoned with. Str8 Rippin, already an established fan favorite
team, was looking to bounce back in San Diego after a disappointing 5th
place finish to start the season off in the Meadowlands. Triggers Down was also
looking to improve upon their 4th place finish from the Meadowlands.
Str8 Rippin and Triggers Down would meet win Winners Bracket Round 3 in San
Diego, and gave us one of the best Capture the Flag – Onslaught games of the
season.
Str8 Rippin would go on to win the series 3-0 after the very
intense Onslaught game, and would go onto to face young team Instinct in the
both the Winners Bracket Finals and the Championship match. Instinct would not
be able to handle the fire power of Str8 Rippin, as Str8 would go onto win the
Championship with a final score of 6-1 in the best of 11 series. Triggers Down
would place 3rd at the event, and Orlando would be the beginning of
the Str8 Rippin vs. Triggers Down rivalry. One up and coming rookie who caught
the attention of Triggers Down was Snipedown, who played for Instinct in San
Diego. Triggers Down would pick of Snipedown in place of Victory X, and head into
Orlando with an even stronger lineup than San Diego. Str8 Rippin would keep the
same lineup going into Orlando, and were once again looking like they would
take home the Championship in Orlando.
Str8 Rippin and Triggers Down would go onto play in the
Championship Match in Orlando, as many fans expected. Fans knew the new
Triggers Down lineup was strong with the addition of Snipedown, and it would
prove to be the difference. Triggers Down would go on to win Orlando easily
with a final score of 6-2 in the best of 11 series. Str8 Rippin fans were still
optimistic after Orlando, but not many saw what was coming next for Str8 Rippin
and team Final Boss. What was said to be due to personal reasons and
performance issues, Final Boss decided to drop team captain and fan favorite
Walshy, and asked Neighbor to join the team. Neighbor would accept, and now
left Str8 Rippin as a team of 3 with Tsquared, Legit, and ElamiteWarrior
searching for a new teammate. Str8 Rippin would not have to look far however,
as they would quickly pick up Snipedown, who quickly rose to fame in the first
two events of the season for his pure slaying and excellent teamwork. Triggers
Down was now in a tough spot, looking for someone to replace Snipedown. The
team would choose to pick up Mackeo, and Toronto would prove to be a very
exciting and interesting event.
Fans and players would
see Str8 Rippin and the newly formed Instinct face off in the finals. Final Boss,
now with Neighbor, would not fare as well as they hoped and would place 3rd
while Triggers Down would fall all the way to a 6th place finish.
The rest of the team never really wanted Mackeo on the team, and Mackeo really
did not want to be on the team either so this placing was inevitable under
those circumstances. Instinct, along with new team captain Walshy, had a lot of
support going into the finals even after losing to Str8 Rippin in the Winners
Bracket Finals. Str8 Rippin, with new teammate Snipedown, also had a lot of
support and the finals were going to be a great show. However, Str8 Rippin
would prove to be too much and go on to win the Championship by a final score
of 6-2 as they played spectacular the entire weekend. Snipedown added an edge
to the team even Neighbor did not seem to bring, and Str8 Rippin was once again
back on top of the MLG world.
Dallas of 2008 would see another team change for Triggers
Down, as they would drop Mackeo and pick up league veteran Karma. Karma, a long
standing Carbon member, was dropped earlier in the year from Carbon and was
looking for a way to bounce back all season, and Triggers Down seemed like the
best option. Str8 Rippin, without question, kept the same lineup and even had a
LAN with the new Triggers Down lineup, and both teams looked like they were
going to once again meet in the finals in Dallas.
Dallas would once again be the sight of a Str8 Rippin vs.
Triggers Down finals. Both teams were fan favorites, and many wondered if Karma
would really be the difference for Triggers Down, especially after how Str8
Rippin dominated Toronto. The series was close all the way, as both teams were
really playing at the top of their game. Game 10 would be Team Slayer on The
Pit. Triggers Down did had an advantage going into this game, as they won this
gametype 7 out of 7 times they played it at the pre event LAN vs. Str8 Rippin.
The game would provide intense standoffs, crazy snipes from Snipedown and
Hysteria, and big plays out of all the players right up until the very end.
Triggers Down would win the game and the Dallas Championship by a narrow
margin, adding to another chapter to what was only the beginning of the Str8
Rippin – Triggers Down rivalry.
Las Vegas would be the final event of the season, and that
meant the National Championships. Str8 Rippin, Triggers Down, Instinct, Final
Boss all were looking good going into the event. Str8 Rippin and Triggers Down
would be the teams to beat. However, as all fans know, anything and everything
can happen at an event, especially in a National Championship. Nationals are
where some players play their best, and some play their worst. Nationals are
the ultimate test of a teams practice and hard work before the event, and it
all comes down to 3 days of play to decide who will hold the $100,000 check at
the end of the weekend.
At the end of the event, it was Str8 Rippin who would come
out on top, defeating Instinct in the finals. Triggers Down was hard to find,
falling to a 5th place finish, very disappointing considering their
Dallas performance. The surprise team of the event was Carbon, who took home 3rd
place. The team of veterans showed why experience is what can make or break a
team at an event, and surprised everyone with their placing. Triggers Down
would make some big changes in the off-season, picking up two new young
players, Heinz and IGotUrPistola from Team Ambush. Str8 Rippin would keep the
same lineup going into the 2009 opener in the Meadowlands. However, Str8 was at
a big disadvantage going into the season, as they had moved in together into a
new team house in Florida and did not have Internet to play on for a good
amount of time before the event. This would prove to be costly for Str8 Rippin,
as they would take home 4th place while Triggers Down would go onto
win the event, defeating Instinct in the finals.
MLG Columbus 2009 would once again see Str8 Rippin vs.
Triggers Down final. Str8 Rippin came out and dominated Columbus, definitely
looking practiced and improved from Meadowlands and easily defeated Triggers
Down in the finals. MLG Dallas would be another disappointing event for Str8
Rippin, as they once again placed 4th and sat back to see Triggers
Down win again for the second time that season. MLG Anaheim would be what
really cemented the Triggers Down – Str8 Rippin rivalry, in what some people
still call the best finals of all time to this day. Str8 Rippin and Triggers
Down were both in near flawless form the entire event, and the finals were a
long drawn out battle that went strong down to the last 2 games. Game 10 would
be Construct Team Slayer, and fans could do nothing but sit on the edge of
their seats for what was sure to be an intense game. The game was back and
forth all the way as both teams traded top control throughout. The deciding
factor in the game was the final overshield grabbed by Tsquared as him and
Elamite both pushed up sword legs. Pistola would take down Elamite as T2
continued to sneak around, as the score was 49-48 in favor of Triggers Down.
Tsquared would then push into lobby and get the final 2 kills to win the game,
which sent the entire mainstage as well as the Str8 Rippin team into a frenzy of
cheers and excitement. Faruq summed it up best at the end of the game, by only
saying, “Wow.” Game 11 was Amplified Team Slayer, the fastest gametype on the
circuit. It was up to Str8 Rippin to carry the game 10 momentum into the final
game to decide the entire tournament. Unfortunately, Str8 Rippin ran out of gas
and Triggers Down took game 11 and the Anaheim championship in an intense, back
and forth, drawn out series that is still talked about today.
MLG Orlando would be spot of the National Championships, and
Str8 Rippin and Triggers Down were the favorites to win. No one really expected
what would happen at Orlando however, as two completely surprising teams would
end up in the finals. Believe the Hype and Classic were in the finals, to the
shock of many fans. Believe the Hype had a surprising 3rd place finish in the
beginning of the season at the Meadowlands and continued to hover around the
top 8 throughout the season. Classic started off the 09 season with a 13th
place finish at the Meadowlands, and then stayed consistently in the top 8 the
rest of the season and found themselves in the Championship match vs. BTH.
Where were Triggers Down and Str8 Rippin? Str8 Rippin went home in 6th
place, and Triggers Down in 5th. Orlando 2009 was also the scene of
the now infamous Hysteria Xbox freeze during their match with Classic. The Halo
gods were shining on Classic this event all the way to the finals, and it’s a
moment that will always be remembered in MLG history. At the end of the
tournament, it was Believe The Hype who would walk out of Orlando with the
$100,000 first prize and title of National Champions. Str8 Rippin and Triggers
Down fans alike were disappointed in their respective teams placing’s, just
going to show once again that anything can happened at a National Championship.
The Str8 Rippin – Triggers Down rivalry will go down in the
history books as the top rivalry in Halo 3, and one of the best rivalries of
all time. This rivalry provided us with some of most intense series anyone has
seen. This rivalry was born and continued right through what many call the
“glory years” of MLG. Fans can go back and watch these videos, and have great
memories and experiences brought back. This rivalry is special to a lot of
people, and defined the glory years of Halo 3. With Halo 4 right around the
corner, there is no question that new rivalries will form, team changes will
happen, and we hope that they can all be just as good as Str8 vs. TD.
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