Nate & Alex's review of WCPPL E4

I want to start by saying if you haven’t checked out the WCPPL yet I highly recommend doing so.  The tournament model they run is perfect for the players.  In the NW the debate of affordability always comes up when event planning is opened to public discussion.  Although its great local tournaments give all teams the opportunity to compete, the level of competition is not there.  The WCPPL got it right by mimicking PSP RaceTo format; by doing so D2 teams are able to compete in what feels like a national PSP event by paying significantly more than they would for a local tournament but in return they get top tier competition at these regional tournaments, not to mention a hefty $4K for first place.  To top it off if you win the series prize, bam- all your entry fees are paid for at the following PSP season.  A lot of people will say “There is no way my team can afford to put up $1g for entry plus paint.” The thing is, if you’re playing to win $1,100 for entry is very affordable, and the payoff is four times what you will pay just to enter the tournament.  As far as paint goes- you can bring your own paint (subject to change-some people unfortunately abuse the perfectly good system that’s in place…go figure).  Although it might not be worth bringing your own paint because Hinman sells paint for a very reasonable price.  On top of that the experience you get from playing a WCPPL is similar to that of PSP.  In my opinion D2 WCPPL is just as competitive now as it was when I played it in PSP, granted that was two years ago.  Plus you get to play RaceTo format, on the PSP layout, with REAL refs (who actually play the game and know what they’re talking about…priceless).  If you’re a local team consistently moving up through the ranks but can’t afford to fly across the country to play a national, settle for regional.  The WCPPL has a lot to offer west coast paintballers- take advantage of it. (The numbers I threw up here are just for D2 I’m unfamiliar with D3/D4 entry fees, see www.wcppl.com for more information)

Playing with a new team is always difficult.  Let alone a new series.  Alex and I didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into.  As far as I was concerned I was leaving town for the weekend to kick it with a bunch of new friends and great people.  Paintball wasn’t on my mind like it is when I go to a PSP, don’t get me wrong I was excited to play and mentally ready but I didn’t have that added stress like everything was on the line.  Of course I wanted to play well and win but the added confidence of playing in a division I haven’t seen in years was all the mental preparedness I needed.  Not to mention our game plan… 

Alex and I were able to head down to Sacramento the weekend before the event to practice with Fuzion and get a feel for the layout and our new squad.  We spent all weekend trying different break outs and shooting different spots and the whole time I was thinking this field is too simple.  The MAO layout was extremely fun.  You had two amazing bunkers in the center of the field that could lock off either side and as soon as a kill was generated from either these two bunkers you could capitalize and win the point.  Dave Bains was able to help us that weekend and said “All we (the Russians) did was play slow methodical paintball and wait for the other team to run into our guns.”  That’s what happened at WCPPL. 

I was fortunate enough to play the glorified “2/B.”  A spot I’m not familiar with but playing enough of the game I knew my role- shoot the snake, shoot the snake, shoot the snake.  Then when the other team got impatient and or tried to take too much ground off the break, Alex would capitalize and crush their dreams of winning that point by gunning his way into and down the snake with no opposition.   Alex’s role was similar; he would take the next closest bunker to me and do the same job until he knew it was time to get to work. 

Those of you who think you need 3-4 breakouts per layout.  Think again we had a well-oiled machine at WCPPL E4 by running the same play every game.  Of course we made a minor change by sending someone out wide once every two or three points but that was just to draw a gun or two.  No team had a game plan that could match ours and I was confused as to why no team attempted to simulate our breakout.  The team that had our closest breakout was Critical and they did give us trouble, but I believe that was because it was our first match of the tournament and we just had to get our feet wet.

The tournament went great.  As I mentioned earlier it was less stressful then a PSP, I only got nerves before finals and they didn’t last long, which made the event much more enjoyable.  Not to mention meeting a huge group of new people who were hospitable and friendly added to the overall experience.  It was an awesome event that I’ll never forget.  I don’t know what it was but all weekend I was cool, calm and collected.  I never had to get myself hyped up to win a point I just went out and did my job- which made the win that much more rewarding.  When we won that final point it was like taking a breath of fresh air and it only felt natural to show some excitement.  (Now would be a good time to note some people show excitement in different ways, if you’re looking for a bit more entertainment I recommend watching the D2 finals game via DerDer Productions on Vimeo and checking out Alex’s facial expression after we won.) 

Lastly I just want to say thanks to the whole Fuzion family, CEPP, Dave Bains- Karen I didn’t win Phoenix and shout you out, so here is yours!  Especially Feddy and Nita- thanks so much for the opportunity, told you guys you wouldn’t be disappointed! Our pit crew who we couldn’t have done without- Chim, Kim, Little Jerry, Tim, John Cruz, Ben Thai, Pete, Shane, Paolo, Ben, Bundy, Jaime, Jerry, Patrick, Oli, Gabe, Eric.  Sorry if I’m forgetting anyone!!!