Major League Gaming

Major League Gaming
Commonly referred to by their acronym MLG, is the largest organized league for international competive gaming for a number of console video games. Every year MLG holds a tournament called the "MLG Pro Circuit". Founded in New York City in 2002, MLG focuses on creating rosters, holding tournaments and defining professional competitive gaming for over 28 countries worldwide. MLG operates on a series of media outlets such as television, and more importantly the internet. Gamers can visit MLG, and access any number of content from past tournaments, to tips and tricks and more. Currently MLG caters to Gears of War, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Shadowrun, Call of Duty 4, Halo 2 and Halo 3.

At MLG tournaments, players do not need to bring any equipment in the form of televisions, game systems except their controller. Although, some players bring their systems to practice the game prior to the tournament MLG is fully sponsored, and thus provides all players with 20" flat screen televisions, necessary networking equipment and cables, and video game equipment. Typically, each MLG event is held over the course of a weekend (Friday through Sunday) in a major city throughout the United States. The only exception is the Playoffs/Championship, which occurs over a period of four days.

Playlist
On March 12, 2008 MLG announced that an MLG playlist would replace Team Hardcore in matchmaking. The MLG playlist was released online as a ranked playlist on March 31st

MLG players start out with:

 * Battle Rifle
 * Fragmentation Grenades
 * 110% Speed
 * 110% Damage

MLG maps contain:

 * Battle Rifle
 * Covenant Carbine
 * Fragmentation Grenades
 * Mauler
 * Plasma Grenade
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Rocket Launcher
 * Sniper Rifle
 * Custom Powerup

Exact list of special features can be found here: http://www.mlgpro.com/node/192918. Many changes occurred based on previous information announced.

List of Halo 3 maps used by MLG:

 * Construct- Team Slayer, Team King of the Hill.
 * Guardian- Team Slayer, Team Oddball.
 * Narrows- Team Slayer, Multi Flag CTF.
 * The Pit- Team Slayer, Team King of the Hill, Multi Flag.
 * Onslaught - Multi Flag.
 * Amplified - Team Slayer
 * Blackout- Team Slayer, Team Oddball

Halo 3
MLG posts videos of their matches on Bungie's Community Videos and are usually featured on Bungie Favorites. Also, there are the official gametypes (like MLG Slayer, MLG Capture the Flag, etc.) and maps (where item/weapon placement and duration are tweaked to make the game more competitive).

The 2008 series goes as follows:

 * 1) April 11-13, Meadowlands NJ
 * 2) June 13-15, San Diego CA
 * 3) July 11-13, Orlando FL
 * 4) August 22-24, Toronto Canada
 * TBD, Dallas TX
 * TBD, National Championships

The current leaderboard is as follows:

 * 1) Final Boss (Walshy)
 * 2) Team Classic (Annt)
 * 3) Instinct
 * 4) Triggers Down
 * 5) Str8 Rippin (T Squared)
 * 6) Carbon (Shockwave)
 * 7) Ambush
 * 8) Fatal Images

All Games

 * Primary Weapon = Battle Rifle
 * Shield Recharge Rate = 90%
 * Damage Modifier = 110%
 * Player Speed = 110%
 * Motion Tracker Mode = Off
 * Suicide Penalty = None
 * Betrayal Penalty = None
 * Team Changing = Not Allowed
 * Custom Powerup Traits:
 * 1) Duration = 3 Seconds
 * 2) Damage Resistance = Invulnerable
 * 3) Shield Multiplier = 3X Overshields
 * 4) Shield Recharge Rate = 200%

GB CTF Nar v4

 * Sudden Death = 30 Seconds
 * Flag At Home to Score = Enabled
 * Flag Return Time = 3 Seconds
 * Flag Reset Time = 15 Seconds
 * Flag Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%
 * Time Limit = 15 Minutes

GB CTF Ons v5

 * Captures to Win = 5
 * Sudden Death = 30 Seconds
 * Flag At Home to Score = Enabled
 * Flag Return Time = 3 Seconds
 * Flag Reset Time = 15 Seconds
 * Flag Carrier Traits = Damage Modifier = 50%
 * Time Limit = 15 Minutes

GB CTF Pit v5

 * 1) Sudden Death = 30 Seconds
 * 2) Flag Return Time = Disabled
 * 3) Flag Reset Time = 15 Seconds
 * 4) Flag Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%
 * 5) Time Limit = 15 Minutes

MLG Ball v5

 * 1) Score to Win = 250
 * 2) Ball Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%
 * 3) Time Limit = 15 Minutes

MLG King v5

 * 1) Score to Win = 250
 * 2) Hill Movement = 2 Minutes
 * 3) Hill Movement Order = Sequence
 * 4) Time Limit = 15 Minutes
 * 5) Respawn Time = 10 Seconds

MLG TS v5

 * 1) Time Limit = 15 Minutes
 * 2) Vehicle Set = No Vehicles

Pro Circuit
The Halo 2 Pro Circuit features a 4v4 bracket, where two teams of four players pit themselves against each other in Team Slayer, Team Ball, CTF, and Assault, or a Free For All (FFA) bracket where players take to the game solo. The tournament is split up into six major events; five regular season events and playoffs/national championship.

The open 4v4 tournament consists of a 192-team double elimination bracket. Teams that lose once move to the Loser's bracket and still have a chance to finish first by playing the winners of the Winner's bracket. If a team loses twice, then they are eliminated. The championship 4v4 event is similar to the open 4v4, except it consists of on 32 teams. Each match in the bracket is a best-of-5 games match, where the first team to win three games will win the match. The top eight teams by final placement in the championship 4v4 will win prize money, but the 32 teams in the championship event will also earn rank points for that season.

Comparable in nature to the 4v4 tournament, the FFA is individual based where no more than 1024 players can join. This is a single elimination tournament consisting of 8 players per game. Advancement from the open FFA to the championship FFA is granted to sixteen players regardless of status or seed. The championship FFA consists of a 32-player Round Robin tournament and a final championship game, in which each competitor will play against all other competitors at least once, regardless of winning or losing a game. The final championship game will be a standard FFA game, where all eight players will earn prize money determined by where they place in the game.

Game types
The game types for the 2007 Halo 2 Pro Circuit are as follows:

All preferences not listed below remain as default.

FFA
Slayer Settings
 * 1) Score to Win Round = Unlimited
 * 2) Round Time Limit = 15 Minutes
 * 3) Suicide Penalty = None
 * 4) Starting Weapon = Battle Rifle
 * 5) Weapons on Map = Human
 * 6) Map = Midship



All Games

 * 1) Resolve Ties = Off
 * 2) Suicide Penalty = None
 * 3) Motion Sensor = Off
 * 4) Team Changing = Off
 * 5) Respawn Time Modifier = None
 * 6) Betrayal Penalty = None
 * 7) Starting Weapon = Battle Rifle
 * 8) Weapon Respawn = Double Time

Team Slayer (except Sanctuary)

 * 1) Round Time Limit = 15 Minutes
 * 2) Weapons on Map = No Duals
 * 3) No vehicles or turrets

Team Slayer Sanctuary

 * 1) Round Time Limit = 15 Minutes
 * 2) Primary Turret = None
 * 3) No vehicles or turrets

Team Ball

 * 1) Score to Win Round = 5 Minutes
 * 2) Round Time Limit = 15 Minutes
 * 3) Weapons on Map = No Duals
 * 4) No vehicles or turrets

CTF Classic Sanctuary

 * 1) Round Time Limit = 30 Minutes
 * 2) Flag at Home to Score = Off
 * 3) Flag Touch Return = Off
 * 4) Flag Reset Time = 10 Seconds
 * 5) Flag Indicator = Off



CTF Classic Midship & Warlock

 * 1) Score to Win Round = 5
 * 2) Round Time Limit = 30 Minutes
 * 3) Flag Reset Time = 15 Seconds
 * 4) Flag Indicator = Off
 * 5) Weapons on Map = No Duals
 * 6) No vehicles or turrets

Neutral Bomb

 * 1) Number of Rounds = 1 Round
 * 2) Score to Win Round = 3
 * 3) Round Time Limit = 30 Minutes
 * 4) Bomb Reset Time = 60 Seconds
 * 5) Bomb Arm Time = 5 Seconds
 * 6) Weapons on Map = No Duals
 * 7) No vehicles or turrets

The only maps used for these game types are Lockout, Midship, Beaver Creek, Sanctuary and Warlock.