DYE 2016 NXL Vegas Wrap-Up
Photos by Nick Digital Cave - Dave Pando - Trevor Will
While the air was dry and dusty, the DYE booth at the 2016 NXL Vegas Open was packed full of brand new products, happy customers and one shiny 1st place NXL trophy.
Congratulations to Annapolis A-Team on their D3 X-Ball 1st Place finish using M2 markers, R2 loaders and i4 goggles!
Annapolis A-Team played through the entire snowy winter to prepare for the NXL Las Vegas Open. Maryland’s brutal winters required a marker capable of performance in their difficult climate and the support from a team that could ensure we stayed playing even through freezing temperatures.
Only taking three weekends off during the entire winter, going the grueling doubles with Baltimore Revo, and coordinating nationwide mega practices, A-Team needed just one thing to get themselves prepared... for their equipment to simply work.
"When Annapolis A-Team selected Dye Precision we knew that we’d made a decision that put us in the best possible position to practice hard, build our team, and win events. Our team is blown away by the support that Dye Precision has shown to a division 3 team making its way up through the ranks. During the Las Vegas Open our Dye M2’s operated consistently and precisely through the entire event. If you’re not looking at Dye’s pro level equipment as a national team your making a serious mistake." – Co-Captain, Michael Spinosa
PRO Division Recap:
With the Ironmen introducing three new pickups in Vegas (Bobby Aviles - Infamous, Scott Kemp - X-Factor, and Chris Schehr - TopGun), everyone knew they were going to have to work through some kinks before showing their true potential. While the 'Men showed signs of what their new roster was capable of, fueled by their perfectly tuned DYE M2's, they ended up losing a couple nail-biters that kept them out of Sunday paintball.
Dropping 4-5 to both Impact and Dynasty, while disappointing, was a farily predictable outcome for the new roster. The 2016 Ironmen threw a lot of punches, even had their opponents cornered at times, but as a whole they still need time to gel as a team before they'll be making the Pro NXL podium. We know it won't take long and can't wait to see the Shield back at the top of the pro rankings.
Our newest sponsored teams, Baltimore Revo and Green Bay Boom, despite being amped about their new looks with a fresh set of DYE gear packages, also struggled to make it out of the prelims. However the teams both got a personal tour of the entire DYE product line to bring some knowledge back to their home towns. They also signed dozens of posters for some local LV fans and fellow players from around the world. We can't wait to watch Boom and Revo move up the ranks and bring home NXL trophies to the Midwest and East Coast!
Other Notable DYE Divisional Team Performances:
-Miami Rage proved in Vegas that they are not a team to be taken lightly this year. The FLA boys came out strong, finishing 3-1-0 in the prelims, going into the semis with a lot of earned confidence. Playing a team they 5-0'd in the prelims, while their confidence was high, Rage ended up losing their chance to play on the main stage in the semi-finals vs. Indy Mutiny. Still a great showing for the opening event, and we have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of Miami Rage Sunday paintball in 2016.
-Boom II, the D2 sister team of professional team Green Bay Boom, had another strong showing making it all the way to the semi-finals at NXL Vegas. They did it the hard way, winning their ocho-final match against Entourage, but overall they couldn't figure out a way to get past Montreal Image. Losing to them in the pre-lims and seeing them again in the semi-finals was an opportunity for redemption, but in the end a 3-4 final score kept Boom II from a podium finish in the desert. Being able to practice against a pro team every weekend definitely has its perks, these guys are always going to be a contender in the NXL's division 2.
-Last but not least, Armagedon Guatemala surprised the Americans by making it all the way to the finals in D3 5-man. These lime-green ballers came so close to bringing the gold home to Guatemala and Campo Gotcha Proshop in Guatemala City. We hope these guys come back for Dallas because they definitely have what it takes to go all the way in D3!
Keep up with all of these teams and get a behind the scenes look by checking out the DYE Instagram page.