May 2 - 3, 2008

Desert Edge Triumphs SPPL Regional Qualifier in Utah.

The event brought in players from Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah.

Desert Edge registered two teams for the 10-man tournament. Prior to the event Danger Dan Saunders declared “I have every intention of both Desert Edge teams having to battle for First and Second Place.” With teams as determined as Montana Inertia and Eternus Doxa, First and Second Place wins would take a serious fight.

Like always, the teams that were successful in holding the swing bases were successful throughout each game. The two fields are plotted literally in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains in Bountiful. The steep incline brought new challenges to win the swing base in an uphill battle.

With the new objectives and rules in mind, especially the objective placed in the center of the field presented the necessity for new strategies for the SPPL seasoned teams such as Desert Edge—who have been playing SPPL events since 2005. It was no longer simply a push for swing base and holding it. There was a new battle that would almost certainly be going on in the center of the field for that objective.

Desert Edge’s strategy—own as much of the field as quickly as possible. To make that happen, it took serious sprinting for the front players to get to their planned bunkers as far across the field as possible, without exposure to the other team. Once the team was spread throughout the field, the challenge was to not only hold the ground they had earned, but to constantly gain more ground in hopes of obtaining more capture objectives, and ultimately the opposing team’s flag.

By the end of the two-day event, the resolution split between the two Desert Edge teams brought them both to a head-to-head duel for the First and Second Place trophies. It was the perfect way to end the intense weekend of competition. Both teams approached the field with not only the skill set it took to get where they were, but with as much fun and sense of humor as you could imagine. The two teams taunted each other, brought sound effects, laughter and cheesy science-fiction code language to try and throw each other off their games. It was evident—these two teams were friends at a fun day of play.

Check out the event Photo Gallery