With heads held high, Team Infused comes to Hollywood for the Halo World Championship 2016 as the number one seed from the HaloWC Tour: Cologne. They will battle do battle with 15 of the best teams from regions around the world, to compete for a $2.5 Million prize pool and to have their names written in the history books as Halo World Champions.. After months of hard-fought competitive play, and it all comes down to this weekend. We sat with Infused's Andrew “Ramirez” Corrigan to get the scoop on their team as they prepare, and here is what he had to say.
ESL: Ramirez, thanks for taking the time to chat with us.
Ramirez: No problem! We’re buzzin' to get out there too, really looking forward to everything about the Halo World Championship.
ESL: So the last time we saw Infused, you were tearing through HaloWC Cologne, You had a staggering 15-4 record throughout the tournament and beat rival Epsilon Esports along the way. What was that like?
Ramirez: Honestly, that entire event was us getting better and better every series. We just kept building on our momentum. Halo 5 swings so hard game to game because every game type is so diverse. One map might suit your team whereas the next might be your worst nightmare. That time around we had worked on EXACTLY what we needed to and seeing it all work against Epsilon and xL (particularly Epsilon, since they beat us at Gfinity) was so satisfying.
ESL: What was different in your preparation before Gfinity as opposed to Cologne?
Ramirez: We were playing catch up all the way to Gfinity because none of our players had put the time in as a four man squad like the teams beating us had. So, we felt unprepared and didn’t know the little things we did. In Cologne our practice was much more situational and tinkering with small things on our weaker maps. We seem to be really strong and are able to control Team Slayer at LAN events a lot more so than online and it is something we did throughout the event as well.
ESL: You mentioned that beating Epsilon was particularly satisfying. Can you tell us a little bit about what that rivalry is like?
Ramirez: Being completely honest, that rivalry has only sprung out of Halo 5 because they’ve been miles behind in every other Halo title besides this one. I think that it’s mainly down to Jimbo. He went from being an okay player to being at the forefront of every series Epsilon plays at LAN events. On Halo 5, it's good fun though. Come Worlds, I think we will both be as good as we are because we exist at the same time and allow each other to get better.
ESL: Groups were revealed a few days ago. What were your thoughts on your draw?
Ramirez: The groups are good. I won’t go too in-depth, but I’d like to have seen a more visible reward in the teams we play for finishing first at Cologne. But it has been like this the entire route to the HaloWC, so no complaining now. We are happy with our group, and we’re feeling good about what we have to do.
ESL: Will there be any special preparations for this upcoming weekend? Bootcamp?
Ramirez: We haven't got anything special planned, but we're going through scenarios talking things through, being crystal clear on our map ideology. We'll probably be spending more and more time doing that the closer we get to the event.
ESL: What does Infused add that sets the region apart from the rest of the world?
Ramirez: I think we're just something different. Our in-game dynamic and team talk is something quite unique. Only a few teams really communicate like we do.
ESL: Alright, Lightning round. Top 3 predictions?
Ramirez: Counter Logic Gaming, Evil Geniuses, Allegiance.
ESL: Bold prediction for the weekend?
Ramirez: Denial to repeat their regional success.
ESL: And finally, who from your team is most likely to get assassinated with full overshield?
Ramirez: TuFoxy loves getting ninja'd these days, so him.
ESL: Thanks for your time, Ramirez. Any shout outs or finals words before you go?
Ramirez: Shout outs to Infused and all its partners and 343 for this massive tournament.
ESL: Thanks so much, Ramirez, and good luck this weekend.
Ramirez: Thanks man, appreciate it!
You can learn more about Team Infused right here, and make sure you tune in to catch all the action this weekend at the Halo World Championship 2016 and follow along on Twitter and Facebook.
