Well he’s back and he’s sporting a new tag. Former Team3D Mike “SmEeZ” Bell is back and has joined up with clan Rival. The CS community hasn’t seen much of SmEeZ ever since he was removed from Team3D.

“I joined riotsquad after 3D and things were going pretty well with them, but they wanted to go all local and I even thought about moving to Texas for them. But instead I decided to go to college, where I am now, and chose to leave them.” said SmEeZ.

“After that I kind of got sick of the level of immaturity in the US scene and stopped coming on GamesNET all together for a while, spending a lot of my time on QuakeNET. People get the impression that I quit playing CS, which isn’t true and I've still played CS every day ever since 3D.” he added.

It will be interesting to see what SmEeZ brings to Rival, and if Rival can step it up a notch and start taking home some wins. Rival also picked up three reserve players: Gene “Le@rN2LiVe” Tardeo (Former Ascension), Henry “Tofuman” Curtin (Former eCyberdeck), and PorPhol "LeTHaL0r" Meeriyagerd (Former Ascension).

“We're in the middle of taking a different approach to our 5-7 man roster. With players having busy lives and having 3 online matches a week to play, it can become difficult to field the same 5 all the time (for online at least). Not only are these 3 reserve players but they are also local, and will help us dominate the Bay Area LAN competition.” Siege said.

One thing is for sure, in no time Rival will be at the top again.

Clan Information:

Name: Rival
Sponsor: Rivalution Network Centers ( www.Rivalution.net )
Website: www.TeamRival.net
mIRC: #Rival – IRC.GamesNET.NET

Current Roster:

Leader/Manager: Gary "Siege" Sanchez
Manager: Chris "Rx31" Heavingham

CS Lineup:
Derek "exodus" Heidinger
Nick "X_rAiD3d-" McDermott
Cameron "DENGAR" Wilkinson
Ronnie "iNsAnE_G" Rykowski
Collin "tect0nicZ" Van
Henry "tofuman" Curtin
Mike "SmEeZ" Bell
PorPhol "LeTHaL0r" Meeriyagerd
Gene "Le@rN2LiVe" Tardeo

I have conducted a group interview with Rival’s 3 new “reserve” members: Gene "Le@rN2LiVe" Tardeo, PorPhol "LeTHaL0r" Meeriyagerd, and Henry "tofuman" Curtin. I have also conducted two exclusive interviews with Rival’s new starter, Mike “SmEeZ” Bell and Rival’s leader Gary “Siege” Sanchez. Enjoy!

Group Interview – Le@rN2LiVe, LeTHaL0r, & Tofuman:

KryptoN: What do you think about being a "reserve" player for Rival?
Rival|Le@rN2LiVe: Well, I already know how much Team Rival has played together; so when I joined as a reserve player I already knew I wouldn’t be going to CPL. I also don't expect to start every CAL-i match - It doesn’t bother me though, mainly because even though I’m a reserve player, I would just have to perform for a starting position.
Rival|LeTHaL0r: It's not bad, I'm just in it for the local LAN's.
Rival|Tofuman: I don’t mind. I asked to join Rival in the first place mainly because I’ve been really good friends with Siege, Exodus, and McDermott for a very long time and because they are local to me.

KryptoN: What do you expect from Rival? (Playing time, number of LAN's you will attend, etc.)
Rival|Le@rN2LiVe: Nothing really. I just don’t want to be completely neglected, which I won’t because I am on a Northern California team.
Rival|LeTHaL0r: A new house, new car, new computer, and an online girlfriend. No just kidding, I try to attend any type of local LAN's as much as I can. That's all I'm basically asking for.
Rival|Tofuman: To play local LAN tourneys and to play for them for online league play/scrimmages if they are down a man.

KryptoN: What do you think about being in one of the top North American clans?
Rival|Le@rN2LiVe: It feels great to be in a well recognized team again. I was in WEW before, and it felt like that as well. Later I went down to lesser known teams, which was fine with me; but it feels good to be back where I was before.
Rival|LeTHaL0r: I think it’s great.
Rival|Tofuman: I hope we do well. With the recent pickups, having practice will be much easier.

KryptoN: Have you guys played together yet? If so, how would you describe the chemistry?
Rival|Le@rN2LiVe: LeTHaL0r and I have been playing together for a while, and started to play with tofuman a lot as well. As for the rest of Team Rival, we've only competed against them at local tourneys. We are all pretty cool with each other in person, so I don’t think team chemistry will be a problem.
Rival|LeTHaL0r: Yes, Siege, Tofuman, Le@rN2LiVe, and myself played together on LAN. We placed 2nd which isn't bad. The teamwork is not there yet, but we are going to work on that soon. That's what practice is for.
Rival|Tofuman: Our local LAN squad has played a lot together and we will build the chemistry online by being a lot more active then previous rival squads. We are all very good friends in real life and that helps a lot.

KryptoN: Well thanks for your time and I wish you the best of luck.
Rival|Le@rN2LiVe: Thanks, no problem.
Rival|LeTHaL0r: No problem.
Rival|Tofuman: Bye.

Siege Interview:

KryptoN: Now that SmEeZ has joined Rival, what does Rival's starting lineup look like at the moment?
Rival|Siege: Well, at the moment we're in the middle of trying something new, taking a new approach to maintaining an active competitive roster. With real life taking its toll on our members and their ability to commit time to CS competition, we’re having to adapt to the situations at hand and just do our best - while trying to have fun at the same time. McDermott (X-rAiDed), Heidinger (exodus), Wilkinson (Dengar) are still starters for the team. We haven't finalized a CPL Roster yet, but we're looking and working on it; as well as making a press release sometime soon on our status.

KryptoN: The CS community hasn't seen much of SmEeZ ever since he was in Team3D. What do you expect from him? And how did this come about?
Rival|Siege: We're looking for dedicated committed experienced CS team players that have the desire to compete at the top tier level while envisioning the same goals and hell, have fun while doing it all the same time. The structure for the team has been developed, the foundation is there - from sponsors to management - all we need is players that *really* want it. Thanks to Rivalution Network Centers ( www.Rivalution.net ) and their commitment to finance the team with roughly $10,000 to $20,000 for the year 2003, it has made it that much easier on us all.

KryptoN: Has Rival played together with your new addition (SmEeZ) lately? If so, how is the chemistry? Do you feel SmEeZ will adapt to the new team easily?
Rival|Siege: It's all a work in progress. We're hoping that with time and the proper alignment of the stars and planets that all will be well. Lately our online performance has been piss-poor which is related to a lack of practice, due to things suddenly coming up in our personal lives. We have won a CAL-i Championship title before, and we realize that it isn't as nice as winning a major LAN tournament, so our focus has changed to upcoming LAN performances. As far as how we'll do though, I suppose anyone could call Ms Cleo herself and have just as good as guess as mine. Our top priority is on bringing the fun back into our style of playing, which I believe will help us with results.

KryptoN: What are your thoughts about Cripple and Judic leaving? Has this made an impact on Rival in any way? (Performance, chemistry, etc.)
Rival|Siege: It's unfortunate that things didn't work out; I have respect for both of them. Cripple had let me know that he wouldn't have the time to commit that we were looking for in the coming months to practice before CPL, and is focusing on a getting a job this summer before he leaves for college. He finished another week of matches for us before leaving, making the transaction easier on us. They left on good terms, and there is no "bad blood" between us; we wish them the best in whatever they may pursue.

KryptoN: Recently, you also picked up Le@rN2LiVe (Ascension), LeTHaL0r (Ascension), and tofuman (eCyberdeck). What was the reason behind this?
Rival|Siege: As I said earlier, we're in the middle of taking a different approach to our 5-7 man roster. With players having busy lives and having 3 online matches a week to play, it can become difficult to field the same 5 all the time (for online at least). Not only are these 3 reserve players but they are also local, and will help us dominate the Bay Area LAN competition. The goal is to enjoy ourselves and have fun while competing actively to represent Rivalution Network Centers ( www.rivalution.net ) and our other sponsors; both online, nationally, and locally (and hopefully soon globally!).

KryptoN: What are their thoughts about being "Reserve" online players? Will they only play online? Or will they attend CPL as well?
Rival|Siege: They also live active lifestyles, so it works out for everyone - they don't have to put in an overabundance of time to practice. As far as their actual involvement, I'm not limiting them to just being reserve players - that all depends on how they perform and what they desire.

KryptoN: Well thanks for your time and I wish you the best of luck. I'm anxious to see you guys play.
Rival|Siege: Thanks, and thanks to Rivalution Network Centers ( www.Rivalution.net ) for supporting us in our gaming. We look forward to making another announcement soon, for the latest info; feel free to idle in #Rival on irc.gamesnet.net.

SmEeZ Interview:

KryptoN: The CS community hasn't seen much of you since you were in Team3D. What were you up to during that period of time?
Rival|SmEeZ: Well, I joined riotsquad after 3D and things were going pretty well with them, but they wanted to go all local and I even thought about moving to Texas for them. But instead I decided to go to college, where I am now, and chose to leave them. After that I kind of got sick of the level of immaturity in the US scene and stopped coming on GamesNET all together for a while, spending a lot of my time on QuakeNET. People get the impression that I quit playing CS, which isn’t true and I've still played CS every day ever since 3D.

KryptoN: When did you start to consider joining Rival? How did this come about?
Rival|SmEeZ: Well, After I took a trip to Sweden last month when i stayed with team9 ( thanks to Swift for letting me stay with him even though his cat is gay) and played a lot with them and matrix. After playing with them they saw i was still a skilled player, and told me that I should maybe start competing again. But being 'away' for so long, kind of makes it really hard to get into a top clan now a days, so things weren’t easy. But [9]esu|Quick told me to look at rival since they boot camped with them before last CPL and put in a good word for me, so I started talking with Rx31 and Siege and they looked like the perfect team for me, with skilled mature players and an organized management, not to mention a great bunch of guys.

KryptoN: What do you expect from Rival?
Rival|SmEeZ: There’s not really much to ask for, other than for everyone to work their hardest and to try their best. Since this a team game, I expect a lot of communication and good chemistry with all the guys both in and out of game along with a high level of maturity from everyone.

KryptoN: Does it feel good to be back in a competitive clan again?
Rival|SmEeZ: Of course, as with any clan, I also expect for good LAN performances and I am excited for CPL.

KryptoN: Have you guys played together yet? If so, how would you describe the chemistry?
Rival|SmEeZ: Yes we have played together, and the chemistry has been good with alot of communication but it is still a work in progress, and as with any team it is going to take hard work and practice to get to our full potential.

KryptoN: Well thanks for your time and I wish you the best of luck. I'm anxious to see you guys play.
Rival|SmEeZ: No problem! Id like to give a special thanks to Quick, Swift, Legenden, ScreaM and the rest of the Team9/Matrix guys for all the support they've given me along with all my spawn buddies and last but not least I’d like to give a big shoutout to Amie even though things didn’t work out I still love you!