The 2006 Guild Wars World Championship is done and the players are all back home safe and sound (hopefully not suffering too much jet lag). We decided to let the six participating guilds talk a bit about their experience before the Guild Wars Factions Championship series begins on March 7th. First up, we have the American Regional Champions, Idiot Savants [iQ].
ArenaNet: Which was the best match of the GWWC?
IQ: WM (War Machine) vs. LuM (Lamer's Ultimate Majority).
ArenaNet: Who did you pick as champion going into the meet (other than your own guild)?
IQ: We didn't have a clear favorite for who might win as we thought all the guilds had a strong shot at it. This is what makes the championship so exciting; anyone can walk away with the title.
ArenaNet: Which player in any guild would you nominate as MVP of the tournament, and why?
IQ: The domination Mesmers on EvIL.
ArenaNet: Which team surprised you the most?
IQ: LuM surprised us the most as they had been a dark horse throughout the regionals.
ArenaNet: Who would you most want to play against now?
IQ: EvIL (The Last Pride)
ArenaNet: If you could change one thing in your match, what would it be?
IQ: We wish we were able to coordinate better in both matches, and in game one we wish we had designed monks that would have stood up to the Dom Mesmers a little bit better.
ArenaNet: What was a memorable moment in Taipei away from the competition?
IQ: Probably when Jeff Strain started referring to people as noobs and then proceeded to say "omgz I'll pwnzor you." A close runner up would be the booth babes.
ArenaNet: Are you on for a professional Don't Break the Ice tournament?
IQ: Maybe Zrave, but we think Ensign's career as a "Don't Break the Ice" world champion was cut tragically short with his loss in the second round threeway to LuM and EvIL.
ArenaNet: What did you find the most interesting or unique about being in Taiwan?
IQ: Porno peddling cab drivers!
ArenaNet: What was it like, competing on stage at the show?
IQ: Competing on stage wasn't much different than competing at home. Once you start playing you tend to tune out all the distractions so you don't even notice you're on a stage until after the match is over or, of course, when you're dead. That being said, the cheerleaders, cameras, play-by-play announcing, lights, and cheering made us feel a lot like pro athletes (except for the "being athletic" part). It's hard playing at home now without someone to shake pom poms in your face after each GvG victory.
ArenaNet: What are some of your guesses on how Guild Wars Factions will change the current state of the game for high level competition?
IQ: We have no idea because nobody would break the NDA with us.
ArenaNet: Anything else you'd like to share about the event?
IQ: Read our Taipei diary articles, there's just too much to say here ;)