old [CoD:MW3]: TCMSwizz - Anything Less Than Top 8 Would Be A Shock

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NEWS

By 'DefianT-CKI'

Jul 16, 2012 12:00

With the Soundblaster ProAm final due to take place tonight we spoke to TCM Call of Duty Team Manager Micheal “Swizz” Butterworth regarding his role in the organisation, his teams progress and their chances in the final.

TCM's progress through the event has been nothing short of impressive, not dropping a series and looking convincing in the progress the team will be hoping to carry forward their momentum into the final against the American opposition, Collapse.

So first of all lets start with the basics, can you introduce yourself to the readers?

"Hello, my name is Michael Butterworth, I’m 18 from Northern Ireland and I am the XBOX 360 CoD Team Manager for TCM Gaming."

For those who are not aware, what would you say your main duties are?

"Basically I make sure the team have what they need to play at the top of their game. I coach them when at offline events, sort out travel for the team in order to attend events and give them the support they need while competing."

What made you take this route in competitive gaming? Have you ever played competitively yourself?

"I used to play back on Modern Warfare 2 and a little on Black Ops, attending my first LAN event at ECL3 which I enjoyed a lot however the team split after the event. I don't like the hassle of teams splitting constantly and having to look for one. When I got offered a position in management I took it and have progressed from there."

Well moving the topic more to the SoundBlaster ProAm tournament, how have your team been fairing so far and would you say you are surprised or did you expect this?

"I think they have played really well, they're the only team in the tournament to not drop a series. I did expect them to come this far but I expected closer games against some teams."

Now obviously you are in the finals, what do you think of your opposition Collapse?

"I think they're one of the best teams in the North American scene at the moment. They have showed why they were invited to this tournament, but they did lose to myp who we did beat 4-0."

So what about the tournament in general? There was minor controversy with the entrance of Collapse into the tournament late and also Optic's decision to forfeit their last match. What did you make of the decisions?

"Well bringing in Collapse was a good idea. Envy dropped out for reasons that I can't understand, why would you when it's free to enter and there is a possibility to win $3,000? Anyway the Optic decision to forfeit was a bit silly but I think if they had of known the outcome they wouldn't have done it (SK not making it through the groups)."

Were you surprised that Prophecy didn't make it out of their group? Obviously having played them in the final of i45 you know exactly how strong they are.

"Yeah I think it surprised a lot of us. I was expecting a TCM v prophecy finals so we could get our revenge but that never happened. I think they got unlucky in their games from what I saw."

So how do you predict the final will go tonight? Like you said TCM are yet to lose a series whereas Collapse lost to myp, do you feel you are favourites?

"I would say they are the favourites, since their entrance into the tournament everyone has been excited to see them play. I think we will take the finals 5-3 but it's better going in considered the underdogs sometimes."

The Warped Gaming League has gone from relative ambiguity to the forefront of console esports since i45, how would you say they are doing in running this tournament?

"I think it's going well, there have been a few hiccups but nothing that they haven't sorted out. I think the production for the tournament is of a really high standard and I hope they do more tournaments like this."

So moving away from online events, EGL7 is just around the corner and the team will be attending. Obviously winning is the ideal, what is the minimum expected of the team?

"Like you said we want to win the event, minimum I would say top 8. They're capable of winning so anything less than top 8 would be a shock to me. I think the team themselves wont be happy unless they get at least 3rd."

Following on from EGL7, what other events do you and TCM have lined up?

"We will be at iSeries, EGL8 and hopefully DreamHack (we can't confirm that yet but we would love to go). The team will be looking to attend any event that gives us a good return on investment."

Well thank you for taking the time to speak to us, do you have any shout outs?

"I would like to give a shout out to the team, Jake, Rich, Flux and Hammers also to Cannon, of course to TCM Management Jim, Craig, John, Ille and Mart and our sponsors CCL, BenQ, CoolerMaster, CMStorm and Multiplay.

Also follow all of the teams twitter accounts at www.twitter.com/TCMSwizz www.twitter.com/jakeukpfc www.twitter.com/TCM_Hammers www.twitter.com/rdc93 www.twitter.com/Flux_RBO www.twitter.com/TCM-Gaming"