Podkasting can be so much fun that I wonder why it’s not more popular. Putting aside the, not inconsiderable, amount of pleasure I get from talking, we also get to give back to the community that spawned us. One such way comes in the form of promoting the living daylights out of the latest TF2 9vs6/Pubbers vs Pros event: European Thunder.

Originally it was designed as an olive branch to get casual Team Fortress 2 players (named Pubbers due to their time on public servers) interested in the competitive scene (named Pros due to aspirations of turning professional). The event has grown, season on season, year on year to be much more than that. For the pro players, and their competitive entourage, it is a chance to prove their own prowess. Electing to fight with a handicap of 3 players these guys can’t afford to lose. Their reputations are on the line. They represent the best of the best for their continent. Failure to crush those pubbers utterly would be an outrage. The chosen pubbers too take it seriously. So often the downtrodden masses, the forgotten many, these 9 souls represent the last word in fun. They are those who play better than average and in some cases exceptionally but have chosen life instead of endless training and competitions. For the pubbers it’s a chance to prove that they are the match of any player and that being good at TF2 doesn’t mean giving up everything to the great god Monitor-Tan.

This round, to be played out 6th March 2011, is to be a European affair. Organisers, Ashkan (eTF2L League Admin) and Smashman (Official TF2 Wiki) have received the support of the pro community in the form of 6 very highly ranked fighters and another 2 on the bench. TCM-Gaming, Fakkelbrigade and Button Bashers are all represented. Now they need to pick the 9 who’ll face off against these heavyweight heroes. Lucky ol’ you, could get to be on that team of n00bs. Their Steam Powered User Forum (SPUF) post lists the requirements for the try-outs. Essentially a lack of competitive experience combined with a European passport and passable English. The thread itself is already on page 8 (at time of writing) with applicants from England, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Italy and many more countries. A rigorous test of your highlander skills (a limitation of the Pub team being just one of each class) could land you a place on the team.

Of course, with VALVe getting behind this, all 15 players will net themselves a unique in-game medal but I’ve got to think there’s more at stake than that. In the past American 6vs9 contests there have been winners on both sides; Pro teams stomping on pubbers and the underdogs fighting their way through to first place. It was a different story in the last EU game. Two Pro maps predictably created two wins for the Pros. The pubbers will come into this competition baying for blood and revenge. Take up arms and fight for the game you love. As a devoted pubber I call to you all, here and now, put your name on the SPUF sign-up list. Stand up, be proud, and kick some Pro ass.