The Last Resistance (TLR) vs. MoB Aboleo

"Do you get in to shotgun fights with your eyes closed, or are you just naturally that bad," goads TLR's vocal front man Cl0ud. If you have ever caught a match between the prolific MLG team The Last Resistance (TLR) and the talented MoB Aboleo squad, you know it's anyone's game-- and the playful crap talking is guaranteed to fly.

In what proved to be a long, but entertaining bout, TLR proved their worth despite a handful of draws and with their backs frequently against the wall.

Gridlock kicked-off the match and TLR put together quite an opening run, jumping out to a quick 3 to 0 lead over MoB. However after a few tense rounds the capable MoB crew managed to close the gap to 3-2 following two consecutive wins. Despite losing two straight rounds in relatively quick fashion, TLR pulled it together in a nail-biter, claiming Gridlock by a score of 4-2.

Moving on to Canals, the next map in Championship rotation, the competitive gaming gods smiled on MoB as their last remaining player managed to pull off a miracle, owning the entire four-man TLR squad. The gravity of the championship bracket was apparent as neither team was eager to engage in an all-out firefight, ultimately leading to two consecutive draws and ten-minutes that made watching paint dry seem like a palatable idea. The draws couldn't last forever and TLR quickly took a 2 rounds to 1 lead over an animated MoB group. The carnage continued, as did the crap talking with TLR claiming the map 4-2 to take a two maps to none lead.

While TLR's rampage looked unstoppable, War Machine proved a difficult task, despite TLR's top gun killing two MoB players with a single shot. MoB quickly took a 2 rounds to none lead over the shocked TLR and eventually went on to sweep the map 4 to 0, for a map count of 2 to 1 in favor of TLR.

The fourth and final map, Fuel Depot, was perhaps one of the fastest maps played on the 2008 Gears of War main stage. The wide-open terrain and unparalleled teamwork quickly shot TLR to a 2 rounds to none lead. TLR followed up with another two quick wins to claim the map 4 to 0 and the match at 3 maps to 1.

Retaliation vs. Infinity

If you follow MLG's Gears of War action closely, you are probably aware that Infinity is currently our number-one seed and expected to perform well deep in to the competition, if not go all the way. However, you may not be as familiar with Retaliation.

Relative newcomers, Retaliation worked their way through the amateur brackets to take on Gears' finest on the main stage, however this amateur foursome managed to hold their own against what could be Gears of War's finest squad.

If you're a betting man, the first map, Gridlock, went as expected and would have even a seasoned riverboat gambler feeling confident in his wager. While top-ranked Infinity claimed the map 4 to 0, one would be sorely mistaken if they assumed Infinity's road past Retaliation didn't have a speed bump or two.

In what could be more aptly branded "Campfest 2008," both teams played Canals very conservatively . Retaliation took an early lead, going up 1 round to none. However, not to be outdone, the seasoned Infinity quickly claimed two rounds in a row taking the count to 2 to 1 in favor of the top-ranked squad. Retaliation, giving it all they had managed to tie the round count and force the dreaded seventh round tie breaker. However in the end, Infinity's cohesive game play, communication and overall MLG experience carried them to a 4 to 3 victory on Canals.

Despite demonstrating strokes of brilliance, this time around Retaliation didn't have what it took to close out a prolific MLG front-runner like Infinity, as the number-one seed made quick work of War Machine with a 3 round to 1 victory and a final map count of 3 maps to 1.

TLR vs. Rupture

Fresh off a highly-charged victory over MoB Aboleo, it's no surprise that The Last Resistance came out swinging. In the final Championship Bracket 2 match of the night, TLR made relatively short work of Rupture.

While both teams put forth their best effort, TLR's unparalleled skills, coupled with their warm-up match with MoB only minutes old, led them to a decisive 3 maps to none victory over Rupture to move on to Sunday's running for the money.