Dr. Shdwpuppet – Over the years, a rivalry of almost unreal proportions has developed between our two TF2 scenes. The question is debated every time someone breaks ranks and crosses over to play for the opposing side. Countless times, I have been asked and assaulted by europeans of every nationality. Every time, the opinion is the same. The best team in Europe would totally, completely, humiliatingly, decimate the hopes, dreams, first born children and secret lovers of the American elite.

Several times over the ages, this question has been tackled head on with show matches, usually just for fun, played out on both sides of the sea. The results have been consistent: homefield ping advantage is just too great. It is with this in mind that I, with extelevision and the support of several international TF2 organisations, have a proposal for you, the European scene. Help us bring 2 teams to i46, the biggest TF2 lan ever, and we shall see, once and for all, who will reign supreme. No more whining about ping, no more confusion about unlocks. We will come to you, play on your soil, on your rules. You just have to help us pay for it.

This begs the question of who we should send. On the one hand,  Mihaly’s Flow are the undisputed champions of this season, only dropping one game in 16 in what is one of the most competitive seasons to date. We have our LAN coming up, surely the best team in America could be sent? No, for your entertainment, we have settled on a tournament style selection process. On the weekend of July 7th, we will gather the 4 best teams as they will be attending i46 and set them loose against each other. The prize? 12 tickets to fly their way to England and represent their nation on the fields of battle.

Until then, we ask that everyone who can, donate. No matter if you can spare thousands or dozens, every donation is important and every dollar, pound, euro or rare precious gem will help us get there. We have two milestones: the 10,000$ milestone will allow us to send one team, the winner of our competition. Another 10,000$ will get us to where we need to be to send two teams. And of course, the staff of eXtv will be there, providing coverage and taking pictures, memorializing the event forever. (don’t worry VanillaTV, its your event to cast, we just want to show up and look prettier than you).

You will find our donation site, and a nice counter to see how far along we are HERE.

Thanks everyone, truly and really. This may be our last chance to see an American team (or TWO!!!) make this journey and we could not have picked a better time. i46 promises to be an amazing event, one that will live in the memory of the TF2 community for years to come. We thank everyone for their support, and be on the lookout for events, fundraisers, team interviews, media and showmatches in the next two months as we prepare for the event of a lifetime.

Regards,
Alex “drshdwpuppet” Williams