After nearly a year of Halo 3 gaming, there are still thousands of players out there who are still unsure how to get on to an MLG team. The truth is it's a lot harder than you would think. There are a lot of ways you need to prepare yourself for being on a team. Sure, you could just hop on a team, but without prior experience, it will more than likely end in failure. I had nothing better to do and I noticed a lot of people unable to get on a team or even where to start. Definitely the best place to look for a team is on the forums and since you're reading this, you're already ahead of most people. Here are a few easy and not-so-easy steps to getting on to an MLG team and ways to be a better teammate.
Step 1 - Realization
I think one of the biggest realizations people need to face is that they're just not as good as they think they are. Sure, they're able to go positive in MLG playlist, but does that truly prove something? Once you accept that you're not a top 8 player just yet, sit down and think about what you want out of Halo 3 MLG. Do you want to take it serious? Do you want to attend events and go with friends and have fun? Do you want to just play online? These are things you need to ask yourself. Understand where you stand and what you want and you'll be ready for step 2.
Step 2 - Finding a Team
This is the most difficult step. Once you've realized what you want, you need to find 3 people just like you. Too many times I've seen teams form and then just before an event, a teammate decides he'd rather be on a "better" team and leaves. Other times I've seen teams stick together and then one or two people decide they can't go or don't want to go to an event. If you want to go to events, you need to find 3 people that are willing to a) Practice a lot. b) already have the money to go to the event or will start saving and WILL have the money for the event. Skill, you can work on. Teamwork, you can work on. There's no way to work on dedication. You need to find dedication in your teammates before all else.
Step 3 - Winning and Losing as a Team
Now that you have your team together, you need to work on a number of things. Strategies, teamwork, temper management, maturity and confidence are the main points you should be focusing on.
Strategies - In Halo 3, there are certain ways to play each map and each gametype. Even though the gametypes may be on the same maps, you still need to play the maps differently in most cases. Work with your teammates strengths. If your teammates are strong doing certain things, try and focus your strats around your strengths. If you all play very well aggressively, work on coordinating pushes together and things of that nature. Go over the maps together as a team and talk about different ways of playing gametypes and ways to play together.
Teamwork - This may take a while to get down. If you're unfamiliar with your teammates, it will take some time to adapt to your teammates playstyles. After your team is done scrimming for the night, watch your team's games from your POV. As you're watching, pay close attention to where your teammates are and try to see how they react to certain situations. This is primarily what sets the top teams in the game from the amateur teams; knowing where your teammates are and how things will go before they happen. Obviously there are other variables thrown into play, but you need to understand how each of your teammates plays to get that perfect teamshot/chemistry down.
Temper Management - This is a big issue for a lot of players. After a number of losses, you or your teammates will more than likely start getting frustrated. Don't worry, this is natural. Constantly losing dampens anyone's spirits when playing video games. It's important during scrims to keep a positive attitude and to compliment your teammates during games. If the game is close and someone is able to do something huge, let them know they did something huge. Sure, they know, but nothing makes them feel better when their teammates back them up and assure them they're playing fine. It boosts confidence and makes everyone feel better about how they're playing. If your teammates are getting angry during games and it's effecting your team, sit them down and tell them that their negativity is really hurting the team and they need to work on it. You can help by keeping positive yourself and making that player feel better during games.
Confidence - I touched on this briefly when speaking about Temper Management, but confidence is a huge problem with a lot of teams. Many new players to MLG know about the big names: FB, Str8 Rippin, Instinct, etc. When it comes to playing the big names in MLG, a lot of people freeze or are very intimidated when going against them. Sure, not everyone has the opportunity to play against this caliber of players, but it's the same way with people in Matchmaking. A lot of players are intimidated by the higher levels in MLG and some are intimidated by the big names. If that's the case for you or your teammates (whether they admit it or not), you need to assure them that sure, they're a top team, but 4 shots kills them just like everyone else and they can be beaten. Once you have your teamwork down and you're all able to preform well together, you need to have the mindset that nothing can stop you.
Maturity - This is probably the biggest issue on any team. It effects teams from Top 8 to Top 256. Dealing with losses, dealing with sh.t talkers and dealing with problems on the team are all part of being on a team. If you or your teammates cannot handle a loss, then you need to go back to Step 1. If you or your teammates can't handle sh.t talk, then you need to work on your game and your confidence. If you're confident enough in yourself, sh.t talkers should never be a constant problem. Being mature is the best thing to look for in a teammate. No offense to any of the younger members, but that is why most people look for older people to team with. There are some things in Halo you can only grasp through maturity.
Step 4 - Learning From Past Mistakes
Odds are your team won't win your first event. Should that be the case, you need to go back and look at how you play. I know I already touched on this, but it needs to be done as a team as well. Go through your gameplays as a team and discuss what each player is doing right/wrong. Constructive criticism shouldn't be a problem as long as you're all mature and it has helped the best of the best get even better. Accepting your flaws and learning from your mistakes will make you 10x the team you were a few weeks beforehand.
Hopefully these steps help better you get better and eventually land a spot on a team. Your first team won't be the best team on the circuit, but with enough practice and experience, you will have the best shot on getting on the next best thing. Good luck to you all and I'd appreciate limited flaming. Thank you.
Join Date: Sep 2005
Getting An MLG Team :: A Guide
09-11-2008
: ii3k
Linear Mode
