PaintballX3 Magazine August 2013, PaintballX3 Magazine | Page 119
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Empire After seeing impressive success from their stable of teams shooting the five-hundred dollar Axe last season, Empire came out blazing in 2013 with the Vanquish highend marker under the Empire banner and the Impulse for JT-shooting team XSV. Infamous made the quick switch to the Vanquish while many on Vicious continue to shoot the Axe, proving it still has a place in the top ranks. Trenton Topgun Union also represents Empire in the PSP pro ranks in 2013. Infamous started the season out strong with a third place finish and have remained competitive since, consistently remaining in the top ten and avoiding relegation. Top-level play from Damian Ryan, Kevin Rudolph and Bobby Aviles, along with longtime professionals like Nicky Cuba ensure Infamous is never a team to taste a gold Champion’s trophy on US soil in 2013 with only the World Cup left to play. MacDev The Australians at MacDev continue to make some impressive paintball markers that get better with each new model. Their latest, the Clone GT, is an outstanding piece of equipment more than capable of shooting it out with the very best in the world, proven in 2013 by the rebuilding Russians of the Moscow Red Legion. Once one of the most feared teams in professional paintball, the Russians lost many of their very best to Houston Heat and, in a stunning turn of events, were relegated to the Challenger’s division mid-season. This seemed only to make them mad, however, as they came blazing back out of that division to challenge on Sunday in the Champion’s league at the West Coast PSP event. With a win in the Challenger’s division and a third-place finish in California that was awfully close to challenging for a top spot, the Russians made it very clear that the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