Jan 21, 2012
Russian Legion has faced many huge roster changes which have shaken up the team in a huge way. Dropping many of their large stand out players; Justin Rabackoff, Konstantin Federov and Matt Blonski which will lose much of the exclusive celebrity aura that has for so long surrounded the team and given them the fearsome reputation. No matter how many trophies or titles a team brings home the reputation that Legion have acquired cannot be earned except via their fearsome no prisoners game style and strict training discipline which has introduced paintball to a new team style; a world class team being ran as a business. And the loss of key figures in any business can drastically affect it but can Legion pull through?
Justin Rabackoff has been one of Legions big name stars and has closed many games in a way only he could ever achieve. One of the most memorable moments for me was his insane tournament saving flag hang at PSP Chicago against Dynasty in the finals. Moves like this have made him one of the most famous players on the tour and this has turned him into one of the core players of legion that have saved them many losses and won them many vital points. The rumour mill has been grinding away hard in recent days and it has said that possibly he is looking at starting his own team. Has the Legions reliance on his solo stand out performance made him irreplaceable and as such will Legion be facing a huge problem come the new season?
Konstantin Federov is a highly seasoned and talented player who has played for other pro teams before Legion and was one of the main players in the legendary Philly Americans roster along with other names such as Ryan Moorhead and Tim Montressor. This gave him a huge reputation which he has managed to maintain amazingly with solid play for Legion and has saved them from many situations. He has gone onto play for Art Chaos Moscow in the Millenium series which is a highly unexpected turn of events.
Another terrible loss is Matt Blonski who has been with Legion for a long time and has helped to define who they are and is still a hugely important player in the team. He has decided to step back from paintball in 2012 to further his professional career as he has not been able to do so whilst playing professionally. This will deal another huge blow to the roster of Legion.
Luckily the news isn’t all bad for Legion who have picked up 2 great players which should strengthen their squad phenomenally. Axel Gaudin has decided to play both the Millenium series for his current team the Ton Tons, and PSP for Legion. He is an amazing snake player who i have seen close matches with great snake play which is very much the style of Legion so he should fit in very well. Their other great pickup is ex London Nexus ace Jason Wheeler. At my first tournament I saw him playing and it really inspired me to want to reach that level. Seeing him obliterate almost a whole team (4-1) in xball is a rare thing to witness and he pulled it off but to put the cherry on the cake after this when he was coaching next to me I started talking to him and he is one of the nicest blokes you could hope to meet. Both of these factors, the skill and personality, make Jason a fantastic player who I am sure will complement the Legions roster in the upcoming season.
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