AGLA Moves to GrifballHub
Wednesday Night Grifbrawl
Grifballer of the Month nominations are open!
Spring Fling
RTX
EUGBL Signups!
Hubcap 158
HH Gaming Highlights
The Halo Mole
Xbox One Reveal
Podtacular podcast 369 feat. Goose, Kal and Tex!

Tip-off is at 11:00PM Eastern. You can watch all the action on the AGLA Grifball channel.

Four Guys One Ball are the reigning AGLA champions and last season’s runners up for the GGL championship. They went 15-9 in the regular season, but they have defeated Zero Logic and the Black List in the playoffs, two of their fellow Veteran Division teams.

Reckless Fire went 8-1 in the regular season and earned a 3 seed in the playoffs. They defeated rookie upstart Viking Warriors in their first playoff series, and are looking for an upset tonight against the defending AGLA champs.

You can watch tonight’s series here.

Good luck to both teams!

Tonight we continue live-streaming GGL playoff matchups on Wednesday Night Grifbrawl as we enter the third round of the post-season. Tonight, the oldest Grifball team in the world, Red Ray, will take on the deliciously sweet Strawberry Shortcakes and the Love Muffins in a best-of-three series.

The pre-game show begins at 9:30PM Eastern tonight. Tip-off is at 10:00PM. The first team to win two matches will advance to the next round and face either Way to Fail or Bleep Bloop.

Tonight’s Teams
Red Ray is the oldest Grifball team around. Although the roster has slowly changed over the years, the team Red Ray has been playing Grifball continuously since the Spring 2008 season of the AGLA. They have one championship under their belt (AGLA Spring League 2011) and made it to the Final Four last GGL season.

They went 10-0 during the regular season and earned themselves a top spot in the playoffs. Red Ray’s post-season performance includes a first-round bye and win over Green Army Jr in the second round, on last week’s Wednesday Night Grifbrawl.

The Strawberry Shortcakes and the Love Muffins is captained by NOPLEX and is comprised of an eclectic mix of new up-and-comers and old-timers. NOPLEX has (surprisingly) only played league Grifball for just over a year, but he has already won a championship with Easy as Pie last season, and is a new commissioner for the AGLA.

This season, the Love Muffins went 8 – 2 and pulled off an upset by defeating New York Pineapples in the second round of the playoffs. How will they fare against Red Ray tonight?

We want to hear your predictions for the series! Who will come out on top? What will the score be? Please fill out this quick survey to give your thoughts.

Click here to watch the stream at 9:30PM Eastern tonight!

We hope to see you for the show tonight! Keep an eye on our Twitter feed, our Wednesday Night Grifbrawl thread, and our stream for more updates!

Last week’s screenshot was by API Sync.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, bonk to bonk. – Messiah Muffin

Charzard, I choose you. – TurboDew

Purchase your Grifball today and recieve a special order of petals for the lady friend. – FranticJ3

Green Army Jr’s new way to confuse people at the start of a match. – Germanicus1994

A great calm settled over the land when the demonic curse binding Grif to the ball was lifted and his soul was at last set free. A great worry then followed, as the athletes which had made his sport their life would need a new outlet for their thirst for blood.. – Dr Leo

Theres another Grif getting his wings! – NecessaryEvil10

Who turned on the Grunt Birthday Party Skull? – LovableLambchop

Does anyone have a bucket of water and a diamond pickaxe? – UltimateMystery

The unavoidable outcome of a simultaneous burp, fart, cough, and sneeze. R.I.P. – ColCF Goatzilla

Wow, Simmons did a good job being in charge of confetti! – M1ssTex

This Week:
This week’s screenshot is by TheChaosCauser

Click here to submit your caption!

On this episode of the Hubcast the crew is joined by Gollum, the Evil One, the Arbiter, and Navi. Goose is confused by the fact that so many fictional characters have joined the Hubcast while everyone else is having the time of their lives. This Hubcast it is hijacked and taken over by different animals as Goose concedes and admits defeat.

Elections and Animals – Rally is told by Kal to ignore his local government and instead vote in the AGLA elections that closed Friday, May 17. A chipmunk tries to steal the Hubcast along with a dog with drawn arms jazzing it up. The crew pretty much get distracted by all his commotion while Goose rages. We find out Kat has a Keyboard Cat button when he streams which just fuels the flames to Goose’s rage. The Hubcast tries to get back on track by talking about the AGLA elections and what is up on the ballot but are distracted by adding different emoticons to the Hub forums.

The British are Coming, The British are Coming! – A new Teaguey’s Take is up featuring the new EUGBL commissioner Mallard Quakson so listen to this podcast as they go in depth about the EUGBL and other matters concerning our friends across the pond. The crew is confounded when they find out about the Twitch bot Nightbot. Nightbot is a bot that can be put in a Twitch chat that can help moderate the chat, post silly things and do other commands. This Nightbot so happened to have the default settings which bans what it thinks is spam (i.e. all caps and random letters). Wait until they find out about Nightbot’s cousin WooferZ which spams FrankerZ at every moment. The crew is somewhat ignorant when it comes to the Twitch chatbox. Rally’s new comic stars Canon because Rally is out of ideas so if you have an idea for one of Rally’s comics send him a PM on the Grifballhub forums.

Grifball: The Musical – Getting away from Rally’s comic the crew explore the idea of a Grifball story after Goose talked to Peter Cooper, a Halo fan that makes fan films. They explore the ideas of radio stories, machinima and written installments for a comeback story about a team down on their luck. An idea sprouts in the mind of our young compadres of doing a live action Grifball short at RTX. Tex is calling his role as the official RTX Boob Bathe while everyone else is excited that RTX is so close now.

Grifball: Now with 100% more naked Tex – Wednesday Night Grifbrawl not only featured a naked Tex but also an epic series between Red Ray and Green Army Jr. The first game came down to the wire going 4-4 with Red Ray taking game one and then again taking game two 6-3. There is serious in-depth analysis about both games in this portion from both Tex and Pup. The second round of playoffs are now over and the third round has begun. Tex gets a little cocky for his playoff series of HBG against A Righteous Kill calling the series 2-0 in favor of HBG. Goose advertises the many challenges featured in the upcoming Spring Fling which include matchmaking challenges, friendship challenges and a Wild Card challenge.

The Content, lots of content – Ball Sack Episode 15 is now up and Goose is a ninja. You can submit your questions to Goose via the Ball Sack thread. There is a doubles tournament run by Sneezedip. Goose quits once again as Tex’s multiple personalities returns and Nightbot commits suicide. oObex has put out his top 10 screenshots for April and he has created an ad for the once-a-day Grifball enhancement tool Grifalis. I learn that Rally actually enjoys listening to my articles although I’m not sure how one would listen to an article. What voice would be reading this article I wonder? I would love to hear Benedict Cumberbatch read this article for Rally if I had to choose. There is an extra podcast featuring Goose, Kal, Sonic Chaos and Noplex about the Bid league system that will now be implemented for the next AGLA season.

Lambchop’s Favorite ‘Cast Quotes
Kal: “I have a special Keyboard Cat button on my streaming setup.”
Tex: “Slow clap, that is a slow clap.”
Rally: “The fact that you have a Keyboard Cat button, that’s the coolest thing you have ever said.”
Next on Kal’s agenda, the Jazzy Dog button.
—
Goose in regards to Teaguey’s Take: “I didn’t listen to it but I trust them that it was good.”
Kal: “Don’t say that because now they’re going to be like, ‘What can we sneak in there next time. Let’s see what horrible British slang we can throw in.’”
Goose: “Well I wouldn’t even know if they said it.”
The next Take I listen to I am expecting to hear lots of Shooter McKal. Please don’t disappoint me.
—
Kal: “The rest of the money will be spent on swag and booze.”
Goose: “Booze?”
Tex: “Boobs, BOOBS!”
I think the above statement speaks for itself.

__

Tex singing to the tune of Old Man River: “Old Man Rally, that Old Man Rally.”
Rally: “You’re a really nice singer.”
Ol’ Man Rally
That Ol’ man Rally
He must see something
But don’t know nothing
He just keeps drawing
He keeps on drawing along.
—
Rally: “I like listening to Lambchop’s witty comments.”
Goose: “What I want to know is how Rally listens to articles. How do you listen?”
Rally: “They talk to me! When you read Lambchop’s articles don’t you hear them in his voice?
Goose: “No.”
Rally: “Then you have no imagination.”
Rally, I am now in your head! I can now command you! Now you must buy me a Shooter McKal shirt!
—
Kal: “So what’s up with you guys?”
Rally: “My passport expires in 2020.”
Kal: “Are you going to live that long?”
Well he is Ol’ Man Rally.
—
Be sure to check after the ending of Hubcast 158 for some robot nonsense. Be sure to check out the live Hubcast streams every Thursday at 10 PM EST. This has been the HubCap for the Hubcast episode 158.

So what does that mean for the HH Gaming Highlights? Well I have decided that HH Gaming will keep going without it’s founder. I will continue the Highlights and other videos that we upload. I will be getting friends and possibly even some people from here on the Hub to help narrate these highlight reels! Thanks for your support, your submissions, and your feedback! Remember to tag your clips “HHGaming” or “HHGrifball” so you can show off your skill!

The AGLA was originally created in January 2008 by Rooster Teeth’s Burnie Burns, shortly after Grifball’s creation in Halo 3. For the past five years, the AGLA has been run by dedicated members of the Grifball community and has been considered the top competitive Grifball league in the world. Thousands of players have participated in the AGLA over the past 17 seasons, striving to win the most hard-fought Grifball championship.

GrifballHub is the official Grifball fansite, tasked with working with 343 Industries to help develop the Grifball gametype and matchmaking playlists for Halo: Reach and Halo 4. GrifballHub is home to over 3,000 registered Grifballers and has produced more than 2,000 articles covering the sport of the future. It also hosts two other very successful Grifball leagues: The Good Games League (GGL), a “friendly” Grifball league, and the European Grifball League (EUGBL), a league created exclusively for European Grifballers. GrifballHub also has a regular presence at industry events, such as PAX and RTX. Other features on GrifballHub include a weekly podcast, live-streamed Grifball matches, and highlight reels. GrifballHub’s work has been featured on Halo Waypoint, Bungie.net, and Kotaku.

Moving the AGLA to GrifballHub is a natural fit, especially as the AGLA moves in an exciting new direction. The community has chosen to change the league structure from a classic “team-based” approach to a new “player-based” system. Instead of entire teams signing up to participate in the AGLA, next season individual players will register for a “bid pool”, where pre-selected captains will bid on them to form new teams. Each team will have a “salary cap” to work with and players who are selected in the bidding process will be guaranteed a team to play on, without needing to supply their own teammates. This system will result in more equitable teams and close matches.

Players may enter the AGLA’s bidding pool starting in early June. The next AGLA season will begin shortly thereafter. Check out our new AGLA forum to join the conversation.

The AGLA leadership and the entire Grifball community is very excited about the AGLA’s new home and the ever-brightening future of the sport. Keep an eye on GrifballHub.com for more information about the AGLA’s upcoming season and other Grifball events and activities.

See you on the court!

Each week, we’ll be issuing four challenges for your team to complete. If you’ve already signed up, you can hop right to them. If you still need to register your squad, you can do so here.

For the first week, the challenges for your team are:

1. Matchmaking: Play a game of Grifball or Grifball Pro on Hanger 101 in Grifball matchmaking.
2. Friendship: Play another registered team in a custom Grifball game on the map Warp Field -NEON-.
3. Shooty Halo: Play a game in the Big Team Battle matchmaking playlist.
4. Wild Card: Submit a team picture (Photoshop, drawing, screenshot, live-action, etc) with at least three members of your team represented.

For the first challenge, simply play a game of Grifball or Grifball Pro on Hanger 101 in the Grifball matchmaking playlist. You must have at least three members of your team present in the game. The game can be reported here.

For the second challenge, contact another Spring Fling team and play a custom game of Grifball. You can use any Grifball gametype you’d like (ie: 5 rounds, 9 rounds, etc), but the game must be played on the map Warp Field -NEON-. You can download the map here, off of ColCF Goatzilla’s Fileshare. The game can be reported here.

When you are done, you can give your feedback on the map here.

For the third challenge, put the hammers away and jump into Big Team Battle! Simply play a game with your teammates in the Big Team Battle playlist. You can also invite some of your friends (or another Spring Fling team) into your party to play with you, if you’d like. The game can be reported here.

For the fourth challenge, create a team picture any way you want that has a visual representation of at least three members of your team. To earn credit for this challenge, you can either post the picture in the Spring Fling thread (along with your team name), or e-mail it to me at Kal@GrifballHub.com. The pictures will be shared publicly, so make ‘em good!

Here is an example for the Ways and Means Committee:

Your team will earn one point for each successfully completed challenge. If your team completes all four of these challenges by Monday, May 27 at 8:00AM Eastern, your team will earn a bonus point!

Here are some helpful links:

Click here to update your Spring Fling roster

Click here to view your Spring Fling roster

Click here to report your completed challenges

Click here to see how every team is doing

Spring Fling FAQ

Let us know if you have any questions. Good luck!

If you have a team of at least four players and you want to sign up then visit the sign-up thread and fill out the application form. A minimum of four players, including the captain, are needed to sign up, and only two of your players are allowed to be based outside of Europe. Furthermore, after a lengthy discussion, for this season the rule of no players allowed to enter both the AGLA and the EUGBL is being adhered to, so if someone currently participates in the AGLA they are ineligible for entry into the EUGBL. If you feel a player should be exempt from this rule under special circumstances, however, make sure to message one of the commissioners when you sign up. The full set of rules is listed here, and if you have any more questions feel free to message Daniel/Dat Crab or Mallard/MallardQuakson on the Hub or on Xbox Live.

If you don’t have a team but are looking to join one, or are looking for a couple of extra players to bolster your numbers, make sure to post in the European Looking for Team/Player thread on the forums.

The gametype for the upcoming season is EUGBL15, and the default map will be Thin Ice, both of which will be available on MallardQuakson’s fileshare before signups close. The official gametype is 9 untimed rounds, with auto-catch turned off.

Furthermore, the EUGBL15 will hopefully see the debut of the European League Cup, to run alongside the regular season. Functioning essentially as a side tournament for league teams, the cup is entirely opt-in/opt-out, and as long as we receive enough interest will go ahead. It will be a single-elimination knock-out competition, run similar to many sporting cup competitions in the UK.

Sign-ups open on the 20th of May, and close at 9pm GMT on the 26th, with the divisions hopefully being announced on Sunday and play beginning on Monday 27th. If you’re from Europe we hope you’ll join us. Good luck, and we’ll see you on the court.

-MallardQuakson (EUGBL co-commissioner)

For more details, check out this article from last week.

Here is a bit more information to help teams get ready for the festivities:

• If a challenge requires your team to play a game in matchmaking, how many members of the team can play?

All challenges require that you use at least three members of your team. If a challenge is simply to play a game of Grifball matchmaking, you can fill the lobby with 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 members of your team. If you have to win in matchmaking, however, you can’t play against any members of your own team.

• How long does my team have to complete the week’s challenges?

Challenges can be finished at any time between when they are announced and when the event ends. However, if you complete all four of a week’s challenges within seven days of them being announced, your team will earn a bonus point!

For example, the first four challenges will be announced on Monday, May 20. If your team completes all four of them by Monday, May 27, you will earn one point per completed challenge, plus one bonus point.

• Can I have two groups from my team work on two separate challenges at once?

Of course, as long as each completed challenge includes at least three members of your team. The team captain does not need to be included in every completed challenge, although it is the captain’s responsibility to make sure the completed challenge is reported for credit.



• Where will the challenges be announced?

The week’s challenges will be announced in an article on the front page of the Hub, as well as in the Spring Fling thread on the forums.

• How do we report our completed challenges?

You can report your completed challenges here. Simply include your team name and the Halo Waypoint URL of the match where the challenges was completed. Occasionally, there will be a challenge that is done outside of Halo 4, off the court. For those challenges, we will have special instructions on how to report them in the article.

• Is it too late to register my team?

It’s never too late to register! Teams can register any time they want for the Spring Fling, up until the final day of the event. And if you register late, you can go back and complete challenges you missed earlier in the month.

• Do I have to play with my league team?

Nope! You can play with whomever you’d like, under whatever name you’d like. This event is not related to the GGL or the AGLA.

• How do I update my roster?

You can update your roster here. There is no ‘roster lock’ date for the Spring Fling. Only team captains can update their rosters. Captains must log in using the password they created when they registered — if you don’t know your password, check your e-mail!

Teams can view their rosters here.

If you have any other questions, please let us know!

See you on the court!

This week, Dr Leo wears many hats.

The Pro Run is released both as a video and as an audio segment, available through our Podcast channel.

Pro Links:

AGLA News: AGLA SL13 Election Results!
Sign Up Today for GrifballHub’s 2013 Spring Fling!
Grifball Hubcast Episode 158 – Dog Jazz Hands
GGL Spring League 2013 Playoff Information
Community Content: Teaguey’s Take Podcast #21
Community Content: Top 10 Halo 4 Grifball Screenshots of April 2013 by oObex
The Ball Sack: Episode 15
RTX 2013 Tickets and Information

AGLA Elections
Animated dog gif
Teaguey’s Take
Mystery RTX material
WNG
Sign up for the Spring Fling!
Ball Sack 15
Doubles Tournament
oObex’s Top 10 Screenshots
Hubcap Review of Hubcast 157
Bid league podcast
This or that thread

Reposted from Grifball.info:

Here are the names everyone has been waiting for! Here are the winners of the elections for leadership in the AGLA for SL13:

ADMINISTRATOR

1. Doc Status

2. Major SiIva

3. L1ght5aber

HEAD OF EVENTS- ixGingy
JOURNALIST- L1ght5aber
HEAD OF ADVERTISING- pimpinthacrib
LEAGUE STRUCTURE- Bid League proposal wins 32-15

Since LightSaber won admin as well as Journalist, I am sure he will be contacting the other candidates that ran for journalist to form a committee for articles. Congratulations to all the winners, and if anyone has any questions please contact myself or Sonic. Thank you all for voting!