Since this is the first time TWL has taken this approach, we’re going to touch on that so the guys who do not know how it works will understand. We are also going to hear from some of the top players from last season’s top teams. First let us start with the point system and tiers.

Points explained -

10 points for showing up to play

10 points for every round won

5 point bonus if you win in a shutout

Tickets from any rounds won, divided by 100, added to total.

Tiers explained -

The tiers are there as a goal for teams. Each tier represents 1 group, or pool, of playoff teams. Movement from tier to tier is fluid and based on week to week rankings. The teams are fighting weekly to climb as high as they can make it. Doing this allows for several things the teams like: 

Distinction (bragging rights)

Parity (fighting equally skilled group of teams - or at least teams that skill wise are closer to your own level)

A Clear Goal (we think we are the best, lets own these guys, win top tier playoffs!)

A Clear Goal for new or up and coming teams (tier 2 champs, look out next year)

A FUN goal for recreational teams! (they don’t fight top teams and get destroyed, they are fighting other likeminded, this is for fun teams)

Its 1 big league that has something to offer for every single team in it.

Tier Scheduling

Start each week at the #1 team. They will play the next highest ranked team they haven’t played yet. Work down from there. What you will find is teams throughout the league will play a very similar group of teams by season end.

 -Commander Mode and Squad System:

Teams are allowed to utilize the squad system to its full functionality. The commander mode can be utilized legally with the following limitation: Vehicle drops and Arty have been removed. Scans, UAVs, and Supply Drops are legal.

Map List -

PreSeason Week 1: TWL_INF_Mash
PreSeason Week 2: TWL_INF_East_Side

Week 1: TWL_INF_OMAN
Week 2: TWL_INF_Sharqi
Week 3: TWL_INF_Mash
Week 4: TWL_INF_East Side
Week 5: TWL_INF_Fushee
Week 6: TWL_INF_Karkand
Week 7: TWL_INF_Dalian
Week 8: TWL_INF_Kubra

Playoffs:
TBD
TBD
TBD

Special k – sK.Biggy Tim & sK.Peacemaker

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Ok Tim & Peace, I'm not going to come out and straight up call you "the" best", because any given day there can be many teams\players that shine. Yet over the course of the battlefield series you have been extremely dominant at anything infantry has to offer. Tell us what is the most important thing or things about being a solid infantry team in 5v5?

Peace and Tim: “Our core infantry guys have been working together for quite some time now. Each player has learned how to carry their own weight, in the most critical times during matches. We don’t leave our messes left alive for the other player to have to deal with.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: This question is for Tim, ok man, I have wanted to ask you this for a long time now, but now that you are on the spot, you got to answer... When you shoot, is it ALWAYS the head? If not, where is it man, I want to know where!!!

Tim: “Of course aiming at the head is useful; I can’t say I always plan on getting the headshots. Sometimes I’ll just go for whatever shots I can get against more aggressive players.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Sk has been dominant through the extreme changes BF2 has gone under, from 203’s, to c4 chunking, to prone spamming. It seems like you guys never really lost a step. What is it that you guys do to stay on top of the ever-changing BF2?

Peace and Tim: “As BF2 did undergo some major changes that affected how infantry was played, our level of performance hasn’t changed much because we have always strongly relied on our guns to do our dirty work. None of the changes really made any difference to our game and the way we play it.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: If there was any one person on the battlefield that you fear in a 5v5 match give me their name.

Tim: “I try not to fear anyone on the battlefield. When you fear an opponent you become intimidated which then makes you the prey, ultimately making you play worse. I like to become the intimidator and make them play my game.”

Man Up – m^Alkadafi & m^Rut

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Akadafi, you seem to be pretty new to the community man, I see your twl account only dates back to October of '05. What is your gaming history like, what game did you play prior to BF2?

Alkadafi: “My first game was bf2 I was just a quick learner.”
Rut: “His previous game was solitaire.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: I know where man^ comes from, but tell the community why you along with a few other guys pulled out of Hostile Faction. Hf was a 5v5 season 1 quarter-finalist, but didn't pull it off against sk in the championship the 2nd season.
Did that have anything to do with it?

Rut: “Well there are multiple reasons why the m^ guys left HF. Without getting into anything too specific it really came down to a clash in opinion of priorities and management. Most of us figured there is only one or 2 more seasons of solid BF2 competition at the rate EA/Dice are going. We wish to make the most of them. Not spend every night teaching pub nubs how to play, so in 6 months they may be decent in a game we no longer want to compete in.”

 "In terms of that affecting our previous results I would say yes and no. When trying to train, scrim and get play time for some 50+ players when you are only fielding 5 or 8 come game time equals a lot of wasted time in my mind. Time better spent scrimming or practicing with the actual starters".

Rut: “Well considering that we didn’t lose any of the starting guys from our teams at HF, I would say we are stronger if anything. The thing is we have a very good core of guys who don’t mind getting on every night and scrimming. And that seems to be the key for us, especially when you consider 90% of our roster had no competition experience prior to BF2.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: If there was any one person on the battlefield that you fear in a 5v5 match give me the name.

Alkadafi: “sk.Biggy Tim”

Rebels of Mankind – [RoM]Scorpion

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Scorp, you have played for RoM since the beginning of BF2, but RoM has been known for its infantry play long before BF2 came out, how did u fit in line with the previous line-up RoM had?

Scorpion: “I knew of RoM long before BF2, and played against many of its very strong infantry. I joined RoM about a week before BF2 came out. It didn’t take long before I knew I was going to make it on their bf2 roster. Actually, a week or so before the BF2 demo came out listened to a 42’ 5v5 shout cast between RoM and 6thAD. RoM won only because Clear owned everything in the 5 tickets that were left for both teams, so I knew what I had to compare myself to. I knew beforehand that I was going to do well at BF2. I played competitive 1942, DC, BFV, and POE. I took up the idea that being good with games like CS, and mods like POE would give me a huge advantage in BF2. I guess it was only luck that I was right. After playing against RoMer's in the Demo, there was no question who the dominant force would be leading the ground pounding.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: I notice that you are never play any other classes but medic, and if u do it is because you’re pissed and playing assault. So in your opinion which has the advantage m16or the ak? Why?

Scorpion: “While this is true, I’ve always taken a strong stance against the assault kit, primarily because of the noob tube. I’ve always played believing that the best players are those that have the best accuracy, not who can land a nade closer. The medic kit is just something I could not help to avoid. Being the ultimate kit of bf42, I felt that the medic kit would still be awesome. I always preferred healing myself, rather then dying or running around to try and find a med pack. Even if it was a terrible gun, say, the mp5, or the spec ops weapons, I would still play the kit just because of the medic. All and all, I prefer the Ak101 over anything in the game, its accuracy, and reliability in any situation top anything else.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: RoM has made it to the quarter finals of every 5v5 season TWL has had for battlefield, 1942 & BF2, but never made it to the finals. What do u think they need to pull it together and make it to the finals this year?

Scorpion: “Ever since the start of BF2, RoM has had some colossal problems, ranging from CoD2 Taking over, our ex-leader (Liquid_Tension) being exiled, and a severe lack of player showings during match times. I only joined at the beginning of BF2, only RoM veterans could explain why they have never made it to the post-bf2 finals. I came into the competition expecting to take the team far, very far, while we have made a decent name for ourselves, I would want more. RoM needs to focus on the issues that I previously said. If RoM can get a dedicated team, that especially doesn’t need backups players for no-shows and know what they are doing for a match, by scrimming much more then they are currently doing, they can easily remake strong team we started out as.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: If there was any one person on the battlefield that you fear in a 5v5 match give me their name.

Scorpion: “The BF2 player that I _fear_ the most. Ugh, while there are so many skilled players out there, I don’t not want to make it sound egotistical that I fear no one. But saying I don’t have a huge ego is totally off, just ask any of the RoM guys. :) Anyway, I’ll try; there are a few players that make me truly attentive, and make me play my hardest no matter what. Out of these very few players there is one that I feared back in 42 and I think has truly become the greatest competition on the ground that I’ve ever seen. And I would even go as far to say that I wish to _SOMETIMES_ never find him in a match. From Special K, Uber takes the prize of being my most feared competitor. There are other greats, but I feel that I am more skilled or equal to, equal, but I don’t fear them. Uber is a monster, plain and simple, and while I sometimes wish he wasn’t on the other team, I enjoy getting that simple rush when playing against him. GG's Uber :) And, there are also some skilled players that i have yet to face. 1In Particular, reddux from CodeSeven. I want him, His video is nothing. vs EU... FTW!”

 Team Dynamic – dynamic.Johnny5

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Dynamic had it's first season in this last CAL Main season, looks like u guys had your work cut out for you being a new team and all. To what to you accredit your wins to?

Johnny5: “I think we did pretty well for a team that started 2 weeks before season 3. Never did we expect to play in main, but since we had 5 guys from ak which was a top team in open season 2 we were moved up. I think most of our wins came from the fact that we don’t have selfish players on our team. Nobody is worried about who got first on the leader board they just want the W. Another thing is our guys keep up with the dedication for most of the season. Since after week 3 our roster has stayed pretty much the same; with steveloven, nova, innocent, hoot, myself, ralph, achilles, dot, fig, pope on dope, swifty (for half a season), I think these guys gave us the chance to win every week if we played our best.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Dynamic had a good season in 8v8 Main for CAL , do u think you will have the same success in this 5v5 season?

Johnny5: “I think we will do fine in 5v5 league. I’m not sure about how great we will do because we let a lot of the guys who don’t get to play cal play in twl with us. We do this so they still get some competition in. If we do have most of our starters playing in our 5v5’s, I think we can go far into the playoffs.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: You guys seemed to grow relatively fast, and are now not only doing 5v5 & 8v8, but also tackling 12v12 as well. How did you build such a strong and organized clan so fast?

Johnny5: “Well our 12v12 team is just fun for twl. I actually started this team right after season 2 ended. I was not going to play CAL for season 3 and just have fun. So I messaged a bunch of my friends and asked if they wanted to play on a twl ladder team; most of them said yes, a few took a little more convincing. I didn’t mind selling out Achilles for. I’m not so sure how we would do in CAL . We really have no pilots on the team; we just have some damn good infantry.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton:  Do u miss Steve Loven?

Johnny5: “I think I speak for myself and the whole clan when I say we miss loven a lot. He was the heart of this team. He brought 100% in everything he did. He made us a better team, not only for his tanking abilities but for his confidence in us. I mean this team was started by Steve asking me if I wanted to start a team with him. I said sure cause I knew he could get guys together and make us a strong team.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: If there was any one person on the battlefield that you fear in a 5v5 match give me their name.

Johnny5: "sk.Biggy Tim"

Team Vitality – v.Stilz

 Platoon X – [PTX]Chase

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: I think most everyone knows who PTX is, clans that compete or not, have got to play on the PTX 24/7 Karkand, god knows it is basically the "cookies" of BF2. How do you guys manage to have such an active infantry based server, that has the most competitive action of any server?

Chase: “The PTX server is a solid server with good pings and other then that... there isn't really anything else to say. It built itself, why it is as popular as it is, is beyond any stretch of my imagination, but I'm glad it has turned out to be the success it is. When the tops teams play there, there isn't as many n00bs, and we've built our server to cater to the top teams.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Aside from the public reputation you guys have, you also have a team of cutting edge players, are most of your players from the old PTX, or are they newer players you have recruited off your server?

Chase: “PTX is a VERY young team, only ever played BF2 and started as a pub team. Almost all of our members were recruited off of our server and have little or no competitive gaming experience.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: If there was any one person on the battlefield that you fear in a 5v5 match give me their name.

Chase: “I personally don't fear anyone, I find that every single player has a weakness it's only a matter of time before I find out who it is. My nemesis however, in pub and match play is very definitely [RoM]Scorpion. I don't know what it is but him and I seem to get into a lot of really good 1 on 1's emptying clips of ammo into each other and jumping around.”

1 Clan 4 Life – (1C4L)B3AST

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: Some people might not know about 1C4L, I know u guys play for a different 8v8 team, so tell us how 1C4L got started, and what game did u guys play before BF2?

B3AST: “1C4L was formed after our BFV clan, =(RageOf)=, went down due to lack of activity and the rise of BF2. One of our members from RageOf, Striker, wanted to experiment with creating his own clan. So, Striker came up with the clan name 1 Clan 4 Life and invited anyone to join from RageOf that wanted to. We decided BF2 was going to be our main game and we played it a lot and decided to enter competition. We were a small clan, had a tough time recruiting so we only focused on our 5v5 team.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: 1C4L has done both of the 5v5 seasons and has been very active on the ladder. You have beaten some good teams, and lost to some not so good teams. What do u attribute the wins you guys get to? For instance, do you guys scrim a lot, or do u basically wing it and have enough teamwork and leadership to pull of a win.

 B3AST:  The lack of our clan’s consistency is purely based on our lack of dedication. For 5v5 matches, it is a rarity for our team to scrim on"e time before a match. We get in the server, whip up a quick 15 second strat and go with it. Some of the times it works, other times it doesn’t. As you mentioned, some of us play with -=TFS=- in CAL but we plan on bringing in 1C4L to CAL Season 4 next year and being a lot more dedicated towards scrims and stuff like that.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: If there was any one person on the battlefield that you fear in a 5v5 match give me their name.

B3AST: "The most feared player to me is sk.biggytim. Although, I have only played against him in scrims and matches 4 or 5 times, he has always lit it up and pwned everyone every time."

Path to Glory – [PTG]Spark

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: PTG is relatively a new clan, did PTG get its start in BF2 or were they a clan previous to BF2?

Spark:: “I am the team captain of the US Division which only plays BF2, the founders are actually all European as PTG had a euro division before we had a US Division. The founders include Chef, Dee, and Fubar, all three who helped PTG get off the ground. As of now, PTG has a CSS division which is European ran and two BF2 divisions one being the . So PTG got started with BF2.”

GotFrag|Burt_Flaxton: I see that PTG has had some success in the 5v5 season; do u guys plan to step it up and take your game to CAL for the next season?

Spark:  “We are looking into CAL but as of now, we still need more practice and work to get to the class we want to be in. 5v5 is nice, but we will be practicing for 8v8 and maybe, just maybe, you will see PTG enter CAL, but right now, we are sitting with TWL as the only league/leader we will be playing for BF2.”