Grifball TotM: Time to Panic

GrifballHub highlights a different group of Grifball players each month, and Halo Waypoint is helping to spread the word. This month, the spotlight’s on Time to Panic, the Grifball team that went the furthest out of about 150 rookie teams in the 2010 season. Their superior skills combined with above-average teamwork earned them January’s title of Team of the Month. Check out GooseChecka's interview with the team below.

GooseChecka: When did you first start playing Grifball?

TrueFlyingCow: I started back in DXP weekends in Halo 3. I played Matchmaking when it came up every month. I took a break for a while and got back into it with Reach.

IVirusDetectedI: Same as above.

FTFTDarkReap: I started a year ago in Halo 3.

Arancar hunter: I started in Halo 3 and I loved the game, so I played it almost every day.

How did this team form?

TrueFlyingCow: It was during one of the Hub GRUNTs. It was 10 minutes until the signup deadline. We were in a Custom trying to come up with a team name.

FTDarkReap: This was before Arancar hunter joined the team. We had four but one left, so we brought him in.

Arancar hunter: I’m the best.

IVirusDetectedI: Every team needs a good tank, and unfortunately they didn’t have one. That’s why I joined.

What was your motivation for joining the league?

Arancar hunter: I saw my brother playing and was like, “I can do so much better than these people.”

FTDarkReap: I joined for fun and to play Grifball.

Arancar hunter: Me, too. Say I said that, too.

TrueFlyingCow: I joined because there was no Double EXP, no other way to play Grifball.

IVirusDetectedI: I wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was.

Arancar hunter: I wanted to be the best.

IVirusDetectedI: Too bad for you.

What were your expectations when you joined the league?

Arancar hunter: I knew we were going to do good.

TrueFlyingCow: I’d never done a Grifball league before. Most of the time we were just trying to get four people. Once we got a stable four, I thought we’d do pretty well.

IVirusDetectedI: I expected us to go really far because I’m a Greek god.

FTDarkReap: At first I was nervous, because we were terrible our first game. It was 5 to 4, but we barely got that four. My brother joined, and we finally had a good game.

Arancar hunter: Yup, I joined!

FTDarkReap: After that, I thought we’d go pretty far.

Arancar hunter: Yeah, we played 3v4 and we still won that. We would have the championship if not for TrueFlyingCow’s betrayals.

IVirusDetectedI: No, it was Arancar hunter constantly complaining about his Big Mac.

Arancar hunter: I deserve my Big Mac.

Your team went the furthest out of about 150 rookie teams. What do you think helped you to accomplish this?

FTDarkReap: Team work. Like, we had our guest player and they were always a good tank. So when we had the good tanking, we were organized. One person would carry the ball halfway, die, and the next person would defend and the runner would come back, pick up the ball, and score.

TrueFlyingCow: We definitely got help from guest players so we didn’t play 3v4 every game. We played with Fanciest Pants and RDG NHL. We figured out good roles for each of us on the team despite talking about Big Macs and betrayals.

IVirusDetectedI: Definitely Fanciest Pants. He really helped me with my tanking. I used to pull negative 40’s all day now I pull positive 40’s all day.

Arancar hunter: I think we would have gone farther if TrueFlyingCow didn’t betray. IVirusDetectedI and another guy said IVirusDetectedI is a good tank.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your first season?

TrueFlyingCow: You need more than four people on a team to have enough to play every week.

IVirusDetectedI: Not sure. I learned how to play Grifball “gud.”

FTDarkReap: A good leader–every team needs one. Oh, and my favorite, the barrel roll.

Arancar hunter: I would say, if we practiced we would have been the champions.

What advice do you have for other Grifballers considering playing in their first league?

TrueFlyingCow: It’s not that different than just customs. By joining, I met a lot of people to play Grifball with. That was definitely a benefit.

IVirusDetectedI: It's great playing in a league. When you win, you feel good about yourself. When you lose, it motivates you to do better. Nine out of ten players in Legacy don’t play pickups. When they don’t practice, they’re not playing their best. Because of that, there are rookie teams that are getting better.

FTDarkReap: I agree with everything IVirusDetectedI said.

Arancar hunter: To be good you have to find opportunities. My brother let me join and here we are. Everyone can be a winner if they just try.

IVirusDetectedI: You don’t want to try as hard as Active Hate because then you’re trying too hard.

So far in your Grifball careers, what experience has been the best?

IVirusDetectedI: We were playing Long Patrol. I grabbed the ball, was like, “I got this,” and planted it going backwards.

Arancar hunter: My favorite was when I scored by doing a 360.

FTDarkReap: I can’t pick one, so I pick my sword kills on the bomb carriers when they least expect it.

TrueFlyingCow: One of the 3v4 games we played, but still pulled out a win.

If you could change one thing about Grifball, what would it be?

TrueFlyingCow: The settings. There are too many hammer ties.

FTDarkReap: Tone down the hammer a little so you could kill with the sword again like in Halo 3.

Arancar hunter: I think the league championships should be played like basketball, like where you have to jump to score.

TrueFlyingCow: That’s implying that basketball players have to jump to score.

Does your team have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

FTDarkReap: Mine is telling the other team to mute Arancar hunter.

TrueFlyingCow: That’s not really a superstition but to keep us from getting kicked out of the league.

IVirusDetectedI: First I open the door, then I get down on the floor, and then everyone walks the dinosaur.

Arancar hunter: I pray to my Big Mac god. He helped me a lot this season.

Anything else?

Arancar hunter: Shoutout to our interviewer for interviewing us and TrueFlyingCow because we wouldn’t be here without him. FTDarkReap: Shoutout to Goosechecka and her team for teaching me the barrel roll, one of my favorite moves. TrueFlyingCow:– Goosechecka and Kalbelgarion for this league, to Fanciest Pants for making me a better hammer swinger… what you call that, a tank? IVirusDetectedI: Shoutout to Fanciest Pants because he’s cool and shoutout to TheOneHawk because he’s a pretty cool guy. Shoutout to Goosechecka because she’s pretty awesome and interviews me like a boss. Shoutout to Green Team Tex and ask that he stop watching me, it’s a little creepy. Shoutout to everyone in the AGLA who think we suck because we’re rookies. And to PMS Ovaryacting for telling me about all the free games in the market place. And to Hammerzeit–we’re awesome. You best be bowing down.