After a spectacular run, Ramby was named the Scion Player of the Year nominee for MLG Chicago. He earned his nomination by not only making it into the Championship FFA portion of the event, but by leading his team, Storm Ventures, to their highest finish of the season in 2nd place. This was a monumental accomplishment, and marked the first time this season that any team had broken into the Top 3 without also being one of the Top 3 ranked teams. Ramby’s leadership and standout play against both Carbon and Final Boss allowed his team to not only knock the second-ranked team from the tournament in an epic 11-game series, but also take more rounds from the champions of Halo than anyone else has this year. Congratulations to Ramby, and make sure to check him out this weekend at MLG Orlando on Video on Demand!
Name / Gamertag: Ryan Mendez / Ramby
Age: 17
Hometown: Los Altos Hills, California
Control Style: All Default, No Vibe, 5 Sensitivity
Favorite Weapon: Sword
Favorite Map: Lockout
Favorite Setting: CTF Beaver Creek
Play Style: Objective/Support
Greatest Strength: Close Combat Attacks
MLG Competition Finishes:
MLG San Francisco, CA 2005 — 9/12th place in 4v4
MLG Philadelphia, PA 2005 — 9/12th place in 4v4
MLG Las Vegas, NV 2005 — 5/6th place in 4v4, 6th in FFA
MLG Seattle, WA 2005 — 2nd place in 4v4, 5th in FFA
MLG Los Angeles, CA 2005 — 9/12th place 4v4
MLG New Jersey, NJ 2006 — 6th place in 4v4, 20th in FFA
MLG Dallas, TX 2006 — 5th place in 4v4
MLG Anaheim, CA 2006 — 16th place in 4v4
MLG Chicago, IL 2006 — 2nd place in 4v4, 20th in FFA
What was your reaction when you discovered that you were nominated for a spot in the Scion Player of the Year competition?
I was really excited. I’ve been trying my best to earn a spot in the Scion competition since the start of this season. After almost defeating Final Boss at Chicago I felt that I had a huge chance at getting a nomination.
Based on your tournament performance in Chicago, MLG’s Senior League Officials have deemed you to be one of the most promising emerging talents in Halo 2. Tell us about how you got to this point.
I am a very competitive guy and whenever I am interested in something I like to be the best at it. My cousin got me into Halo: CE and I would play occasionally with him and my other friends. Once we had a group of kids together LAN’ing at my house, I realized how much fun Halo could be when it’s played competitively. When Halo 2 was released I went out and started playing it excessively with my cousins and friends from school. I decided to attend some local LAN tournaments and I ended up winning all of them. Last MLG season I got a solid team together with Poon, Samurai, and Murfman and we started to place pretty well at most tournaments. I decided I would take the 2006 Season a lot more seriously because of how big MLG is getting. I’m taking Halo 2 really seriously now and I am hoping to finish number one!
What is your defining characteristic as a player?
I feel that I am a very supportive and charismatic team leader. Whenever our team is down or not playing well I can get our morale up and start owning again. In game I would say my jump maneuvers totally throw off most players. Naded claims that the way I jump is different from any other player he has seen.
What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome to get to this point?
I’ve attended a good amount of tournaments and there have been a few times where I have placed poorly and it’s obviously upsetting. I have so much drive to be the best though, so after every tournament I know I can do better at the next one and I practice to hopefully place better.
What advice do you have for the up-and-comers out there looking to win a nomination?
I know a lot of great players that deserve a nomination, but none of them advance into the Championship FFA! Be determined and try your hardest, because there are only four more nominations and this Scion competition is going to be awesome.
What will you be focusing on in order to prepare for the Scion Player of the Year Finals in Las Vegas?
I need to practice my free-for-all game. I’m not too worried about the 2v2 and 4v4 part of the competition. So if I start practicing FFA, I think I will be well prepared for the Finals.
What will you do if you win the Scion XB Release Series 3.0?
Party!
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