How did your team come to be?
WaMC was originally composed of Goosechecka, her fiancé Kalbelgarion and several friends from college. All were avid Red vs Blue fans since the early days, but it was Kal who heard about the league and put the team together.

How did you decide on your team name?
We wanted a team name that reflected where we live, plus Kal is an avid follower of politics in general and the team formed in the middle of the primary season. We had a few select contenders such as the Filibusterers and The Super Delegates, but ultimately decided on The Ways and Means Committee since it truly is one of the most mundane and boring committees on the hill.

A history of the team (who you picked up, when and why).
Original WaMC was Goosechecka, Kalbelgarion, Alpha Mercenary, Don Carnage1, FiftyTwoNinjas and ReNeGaDe571. We had a few others on our roster but they never actually played in a league match. Kal and Goose were always starters and then just pulled two available players from the pool for each game. In the long furlough between summer and winter league, the gap between skill and dedication levels split the group and, although everyone is still good friends, WL09 was pretty much exclusively Kal, Alpha, Ninja and Goose. After winter league, Alpha Mercenary left WaMC and we started our search for a new teammate. We found TheDeepestSleep on the forum in the Looking for a Team thread and sent him an invite to play with us during DXP. He showed up, went +35 and that was good enough for us.

The current roster
Kalbelgarion, Goosechecka, FiftyTwoNinjas and TheDeepestSleep. We still have several of the original WaMC members on retainer just in case, but this is our starting four.

Which team do you have the most epic matches/fun with?
Str8 Griffin always makes for epic match and they’re also pretty cool in general. However, I think the most epic match WaMC ever played was a pick – up scrimmage against The Green Army, a match WaMC actually, legitimately won. The Green Army is always a pleasure to play with, from Green Team Tex’s ear-shattering shrieks to the light-hearted banter between him and GT Greenhorn. Nanadel’s sword, however, is definitely not fun.

Which team do you look up to the most?
Probably The Green Army. They really beat up on us in Summer ’08 but it was like an older brother beating on the younger brother, you know, kicking your butt because they care. They’re always positive (their attitudes at least, if not their K/D spreads) and willing to teach us, to challenge us. They’re fantastic guys on and off the court and I don’t think WaMC would be where we are right now without them.

Although not a team unto himself, Highlnd Hellrazr has also been very helpful to WaMC. There’s no better way to learn how to deal with an evil host than by playing with him. Highlnd, DemonCrowley and the rest of PiotP helped keep WaMC in shape during the off season and their assistance is appreciated by every member of WaMC.

Which team do you feel is your rival?
Str8 Griffin and Facekickers. We were all in the same division during the winter league and Facekickers actually bumped us down into the wildcard slot by about a tenth of a point in goal differential. Our first game last season was against Str8 Griffin, and they schooled us 8 – 1. By the end of the season, however, they were fighting and scrapping for every inch. This season, we opened against Str8 Griffin again, and although they bested us 5 – 4, it was an intense, hard-fought epic match.

What is the first thing to come to mind when you compare your team currently to when you first started playing together?
We don’t suck nearly as bad. Seriously though, WaMC has come a long way since the inaugural season although being 3-time rookie repeats might not show it. Compared to previous seasons, the team’s goals scored, K/D spread and batting average have all improved dramatically and betrayals have dropped noticeably. We’re still a little shy when it comes to executing special moves such as launches, but that’s something we’re working toward.

Do you have any shenanigans you do as a team?
There are always shenanigans going on with WaMC, mostly because almost the entire team lives next door to one another. On the court, WaMC enjoys a good dance party and has made many a friend while spinning in circles or doing the Elite Shuffle. Outside of Grifball WaMC enjoys Big Team Battle and custom Zombie variants. We also have particular words and phrases that we use on the court such as “chicken”, “beef”, and “That was some bad/tasty chicken”. Of course, the meaning of those words and phrases is classified.

Is there anything special you do in the offseason to prepare for Week 1?
This season, Kal and Goose bought Grifball t-shirts to wear for games. Otherwise, we just try to get a lot of playing time in with the team and go over the basics to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Is there anything special you do before each game? (shenanigans or otherwise)
We warm up against the Green Army before almost every game. Since they usually can only field 3 players at any one given time, it’s a great confidence boost beating them before going in to our league match… that is, unless we still lose to them even with a man advantage, but even then that’s a reality-check.

What sort of strategies do you use? (ie, tank heavy, host dependence, launch happy, etc)
One of the best things about WaMC is that we are very good at adjusting ourselves and our play to counteract the opponent’s strength. Our default set up is having Deepest and FiftyTwoNinjas, who are total tanks, just plow through things. During games like this, Goose will stay close to Kal to pick off anything that gets past the first two bulldozers. Against tank-heavy teams or more seasoned teams, Goose will typically pick up the lead tank spot since she has a more tactical tanking style and more experience than the other two. If the other team has massive host there are a few options that we pull such as double teaming or simply being a distraction so the Kal can run away. We each have our special talent, (i.e. Kal having eternal patience, Ninja being able to corner and kill almost any runner, Deep with his massive hammer and Goose being a chameleon of sorts) and in every game we try to adjust ourselves to best handle the opposition. So, now that we’ve told you all our secrets, this is just between us, right?

How do you go about deciding who to put in during each game?
Back in the old days, it was Kal, Goose and 2 other teammates that happened to be available. In winter league, it was Kal, Goose, Alpha Mercenary and FiftyTwoNinjas because those four were the ones who would show up for scrimmages, practice and log long hours during double XP. After Alpha Mercenary hung up his hammer, we drafted TheDeepestSleep for this season and it’s just been those four Committee members since.