The Top 15 MAG Moments

 After much arguing, debate, private messages and MORE ARGUING, we've decided on our list of MAG's top 15 moments. Orginally it was a top ten, but with MAG being as MASSIVE as it is, it demanded that we expand our list. Some things we hated to leave off (VE disbanding, 6D9 defecting to Raven, Alyoyo and El Capitrucho joining The Flock) but many of those instances were PMC specific and we tried to choose moments that affected all of MAG. So? Let's get to it. First up? Our bonus moment: one we think you'll like.

We decided to add the famous "fight as a platoon" fan-made trailer, after all this time it's still motivating isn't it? Who knows what would have happened had this trailer led a real full-bore advertising campaign that rivaled the likes of GTA, HALO and all the other classic franchises that while iconic, record-selling and classic, still feel the need to let everyone know when they have a worthy product they think you should spend money on. FACT: people can't buy what they don't know exists.



15. Infamous IGN Sniper Fail -Ahhh...the internet. The infamous sniper not paying attention to his surroundings during the IGN Tournament. Never seen it? It's must-see TV. While its certainly funny from the aspect of sending a message in-game before a kill, more poignant was the social element of MAG that is undeniable. Can you imagine how many messages "The Meach" got after this incident? We think it's safe to say his inbox is pretty full.




14. Scott Rudi leaves Zipper -If ever there was a member of a development team made more infamous by a game we've yet to see it. Mr. Rudi's area of expertise? WEAPONS TUNING--and with weapons balance and "the (insert random weapon here) being OP" post being a constant forum issue. Mr. Rudi was easily the scapegoat of choice. Many have promised never to purchase another game with his name among the credits. While we consider this a bit excessive, his knee-jerk reaction to weapons tuning caused many to lose faith in his abilities. In the end, pick a group of settings, and stick with them.

13. The Free Plymco Movement -While many classify him as a SVER-fanboy, his sheer presence on the MAG forums is undeniable. While BHD is not considered an elite clan, Plymco is a perfect example of how the social aspect of MAG made personalities, tactics and leadership style almost as important as gun-game. While the cause of his banning is still debatable, (read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/4kw5ycu) the forum outcry that called for his return from exile was nothing short of amazing. We're amazed to this day how many of the communtity's players became almost as big as the game itself. Imagine what great trophies a MAG 2 could claim after killing Plymco Pilgrim or beating The Flock or 3C. Who wouldn't want to see those PSN trophies pop up on the right hand corner of our screens? And the thought of an assassination game mode where each PMC tries to take out the others' OIC. Wouldn't luminaries like Plymco, ContraBanJoe, Mudmaster and Stylie77 be perfect fit for that?

12. 3C Wins IGN Tournament -Reportedly this was the win that started it all. According to Sithis, 3C was just another very good MAG Clan until clan-member DiscardedJoker won the IGN tourney. For months afterwards they were sent hate-mail, team-killed and vilified to no end. Until that is, they decided to EMBRACE their role as MAG's #1 villain. A year later, while many labeled them as quitters, cheaters and loudmouths, to hear them tell it, add MAG's #1 clan to the list. No one can discount The Closed Casket Crew's impact on the MAG-verse.

11.  MoeJoe's Freeze - The above picture says it all. MAG's first 200 kill game stopped by a 5:5 Server Kick? Zipper! How could you! You must have known MAG's self-proclaimed "face of the franchise" would let everyone know about it.

10. The Ringer Movement - Is this what has become of clan wars? Sadly, yes. Maybe it was the length of time that it actually took for clan wars to be implemented by the community, maybe it was the "promoted" everyone-is-watching nature of the matches that put people into the win-at-any-cost mentality. LeitherY called it "probably one of the lowest points in MAG's history." Whatever it was, it STUNK. How does a clan match between TDF and 3C resolve anything if there are five players from UP$ playing? 3C in the TEK/Deadly Blue Dots game? Why? If VL$ wanted to play AIR (we're just making an example)...why would they bring ARx along? This was another example of lack of integrity ruining what was a great community idea and pride and the need to say "we're better than you" (even if it wasn't really US who beat you) reigned supreme. Its been said that Alts "ruined MAG" and killed the idea of the Shadow War before it even had a chance to take hold. The amount of people with Alts in each PMC was shameful, and spying and REAL SABOTAGE sadly took place on a bigger level than we'd like to admit. While we know character slots generated revenue, if there ever is a MAG 2, an activation code that makes us play on one account (unless we buy two discs) is probably a good idea.

9. Surrender at Darien - Surrender? In a videogame? PRO makes their first appearance on our list in a most embarassing fashion. After reportedly being redlined in a clan match their leadership decided that a surrender was in order. What happened next will no doubt go down as one of the most strangely funny and revenge-worthy acts in MAG history as ContraBanJoe was promised safe passage so that he could submit his surrender, only to be killed and teabagged at the meeting area by a few wayward AIR members. Don't you just love online play?

8. ContraBanJoe Leads - Love him, ridicule or HATE him and PRO, Contra's infamous 128-player stampede has over 250,000 views on youtube--yes--you read that right. A quarter of a million. It very well may have been MAG's best advertisement. If nothing else, it showed off the massive scale and teamwork that MAG is famous for. If you've been under a rock for the past year, here it is.



7. The Rise of Raven - Reportedly patch 1.07 was the catalyst. And according to many forum long-timers it prompted the biggest PMC Exodus since the beta ended--all but proving that people LOVE a winner. New Ravens were everywhere and even former PMC stalwarts (6D9 and GUN) were not above changing flags.
"Damage bar tweeks in Domination proved that the players migrate to whichever PMC has the strongest Domination map." said KEQ's Stylie77. In the end Raven got roofs, a much slower damage bar and was able to win seven of the eight major MAG contracts for a short time. In the end their buffs were tuned or "SVER cried until they (Raven) got nerfed" as EnglishSnake so eloquently put it.

6.  MAG 2.0 -You can't help but applaud Zipper's first major attempt to improve MAG on a broad level. While 2.0 brought the dreaded Domination "freeze out" it also added the new Skill Tree, Map Changes, Supply Depot and the Knife Tuning.

5. 3C .vs. The Dark Flock - Jumpman called this "3C's Last Stand." The advertising of this epic battle almost exceeded the game itself. Highly anticipated was an understatement--it was even broadcast live on UStream. While the actual game was solid (3C won 2-0 and defended both times) the clan-unfriendly format of MAG required 2+ hours to complete two games and prevented a format the allowed both groups to defend. The real fireworks began afterwards, when it was revealed that rather than use their active roster, 3C signed up numerous ringers (on their alts of course) exclusively for the match--invalidating the game in the eyes of many. It was just a prelude as well, as numerous other clans rushed to sign up for the new community-inspired game mode.

4. Patch 1.03 -To many it is a day that will never be forgotten. "They nerfed my LMG" said EnglishSnake. In an effort to prevent the LMG from being an all-powe. rful weapon that was perfect for any circumstance, Rumors persist that Scott Rudi (or someone else at Zipper) introduced random bullet spread and alleged to make LMGs (and ARs) more innacurate at long ranges. Half of the community leaves as a result of their weapons being "nerfed" and many never return. The first large exodus of MAG players happens. "Numbers dropped from 5,000 per game mode down to 500." said jumpman of 3C."At the time I was ecstatic. People were sniping with the LMG before 1.03, but little did i know it killed our population by a half." said V-C's kushmir


3. IGN Foreshadowing - It was a year ago yesterday that IGN Reviewer Nick Kolan printed the words that many of us discarded as "hating" but 366 days later, it appears someone got it right. "Perhaps it was a complete fluke. Perhaps several groups of skilled players had organized prior to the launch to join S.V.E.R. and tear it up. Or, and this is what I fear, there is an imbalance in the strength of the S.V.E.R gear, that, although extremely slight, gives them an edge over the other two PMCs, because since day one S.V.E.R has been completely dominating in every single game type (I later deleted my Valor character specifically to test out S.V.E.R. and, through my own personal observation, even at lower levels I noticed I was more successful at getting kills and winning matches). That isn't my complaint. My complaint is that, due to their dominance, players are deleting their Raven and Valor characters and joining the winning team. As a result, most matches are S.V.E.R versus Raven, and S.V.E.R versus Valor. Rarely is it ever Raven versus Valor. This means that S.V.E.R – who were already winning most of their matches – was now also playing many more matches than either of the other PMCs, and as a result, their victories were compounding. Naturally, S.V.E.R is almost always the highest scoring PMC, giving them the passive rewards and making it even easier for them to win. In essence, S.V.E.R is slowly snowballing into an unbeatable juggernaut, and the other two PMCs can do little to curb the growing imbalance." Yes, it seems that IGN understood the math early on. EnglishSnake chimed in "The worst game reviewer of them all and they got it right, priceless." Whether it was the online community being a nation of winners, the gamestop preorder armor, unbalanced maps and weapons or simply better players we'll say it for all to hear: SVER Dominated The Shadow War. Now is that to put down the other two PMCs? certainly not. Because how boring has it been for one PMC to dominate the contracts regardless of what players left, time, date or circumstance? If anything, it illustrates the importance of developers adjusting on the fly and making certain that differentiating PMCs isn't also unbalancing the game to its detriment.

2. TTT - According to many MAG veterans, this was the height of MAG (TTT should absolutely be #1" said geirbiscohn) and the singular most-remembered event in the game's history. Most MAG players agreed that Valor's flawed ACQ Map, COD-mentality players and a history of failure prevented their PMC from every holding an Acquisition contract. To Yamomoto and Zade86 this was unnaceptable. The partnered with another clan (V-C) that had a history of dominating Acquisition and what started out as the June 11-13th 6D9 clan day turned into one of MAG's most anticipated events ever. It was all a ruse however, as both clan leaders (Yamomoto and Kushmir) had always planned on sneak attacking from the start and they told no one that the weekend before was the true date. At the last minute, they revealed the plans to those loyal to them and the minute the contracts rolled over that evening, they launched their offensive. What followed was an event that will forever live in Raven and SVER infamy as Valor won both Acquisition contracts, and held them the entire weekend. Kushmir shared "Our plan was brilliant in its simplicity, everyone was given strict orders not to supergroup. 6-8 man groups and only Acq all weekend long. We assumed we had better players and we were right. They wasted time trying to bring huge groups into games while we went small, elite, commando-style and it allowed us to be everywhere and on both platoons at times. I laughed out loud when we switched platoons and ended a game against $AW, EFR and The Flock so fast that raptor2525 went negative. In the end every time their big groups won a game (which was only half the time) we won ten. Bad math beat them in the end."

1. The Closed Beta - It's where it all began. Many got into the beta and were awestruck, for some it took much longer to recognize MAG for the brilliant concept that it is. For many of us 1/26/10 couldn't come fast enough and MAG was the best game we'd ever played. Over a year later, many of the game's flaws and shortcomings have been revealed, but MAG remains a brilliant concept that should be expanded upon. Hate it or love it Zipper broke ground on something truly revolutionary, and many of us are unable to go back to run-of-the-mill multiplayer as a result.