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Howdy Boom Jockeys!
Question 1:How did CLAWS first start?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]>: CLAWS aka NOD(Nation of Darkness) began under the leadership of Blackbandit in FEB 24th 2012, going on 7 years as an active clan. I was not the original leader, kinda funny story one day BlackBandit Raged and kicked ½ the team after a discussion on the direction of the clan, then said he's done with the game and asked leadership if anyone of us wanted it. At that time the XOs were Draago, Rycore, Wally and myself. None of the others wanted the clan so I took it control of it, that was late 2012/early 2013. On the day I took control of the clan I remember we were ranked 287th on WGA clan rankings. Today as i’m writing this we are 10th. After some quick rebuilding & blitz of recruitment we found ourselves fighting against FEC, PVP DFA, SIX GUN, ODIN, ELVIS & many others. Then shortly after fighting with the Relic alliance for Italy back when the Europe map was open. Battles went back and forth for nearly a month.
Question 2: What is your clan’s vision?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]> To be honest I think CLAWS has obtained/reached our core goals of creating a competitive, drama free area with minimal yelling at our tankers and having fun while doing it. We also strive to be a good home for Vets, understanding of real life deployments, trainings & conditions. I travel a lot for work so my goal is to eventually meet up with and have food/drinks with the majority of the clan. As of today I have met up with approx. 26 current or ex-claws members from 9 different states.
[Talonsfire] > Personal vision is being competitive while keeping it a fun and relaxing environment as much as possible.
[NewportReb] We have a vision? Do we have a mission statement as well? No? Well then...mission statement to be created shortly.
Question 3: What is your greatest accomplishment(s) as a clan?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]> The fact we haven't shied away from a fight & participated in nearly every major Clan Wars Conflict, Season & Campaign since 2013.
[Talonsfire] > Being able to consistently reward our mates with reward tanks during the events. For as long as I’ve been in CLAWS we’ve managed to successfully get everyone a tank who wanted one.
[Dnash] Well i been here for a few years now, beside always getting people who want a tank was winning first place on the global map one season at tier 10. (I believe it was season 7 or 8).
Question 4: How is CLAWS set apart from everyone else?
[NewportReb] I’ve been in quite a few clans at this point. I can say without any doubt that this has been the most fun clan I’ve been in. It’s the members that make it a blast. Everyone gets along for the most part and its drama free.
[Dnash] Out of the clans i been in since i started, What I notice is about Claws the most is how it is a family. What i mean about that is how long a lot of the clanmates have been here or it's their second or third time in claws after trying other clans and coming back cause it wasn't the same as being in Claws! And I have never seen a person care so much for a clan and it’s members like Lee does it is the reason they come back!
[Inanecoffee] It's more of a family than a clan. I like to think of CLAWS as the socially competitive clan on the cluster. We sure like to mess around, sometime to an unproductive extent, but as soon as Gen joins the ready room and starts his “pep talk”, everyone knows it's time to go to work.
Question 5: How if any does your job or experience in real life aid your Leadership or ability to be a Competitive clan?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]> My 14 years and counting of military service and training has help me in calling battles, develop strategies and see things most others don’t. My real world managing of 100s of people in the military has given me perspective in-order to help me manage my tankers in this game. If you learn one thing in the military it is patience (hurry up and wait), aka “Alligator Blood.” It has helped me be level headed (most of the time).
Sleep deprivation training by the Military is perfect preparation for Campaigns, WHO NEEDS SLEEP?
[talonsfire] The ability to deal with 100+ other individuals and their unique personalities. Pretty sure everyone is a bit crazy when playing tanks. 
[NewportReb] I’m never crazy Talon, not ever. As far as leadership goes, look you can either deal with people or not. You need your players to buy in to your vision. Otherwise you have 5 or 6 officers sitting around and no one to actually fight battles.
Question 6: Your clan is part of a community of clans. Which clan(s) makeup that community and what is your relationship with them?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]: CLAWS, F-3 and Reforged currently make up our community. The leaders of all the clans are good guys and really care about their troops. As kinda a big brother roll we try to aid the other clans in the alliance with strats, recruits and mechanics of the game. The community is more or less a way to always have someone to joke around with or plt with.
Just after being selected for this honor of WGA Spotlight, we regret to inform the WGA community that Wongho, leader of F-3 past away from a heart attack. He was a genuine and caring person that dedicated most of his free time to his clan, his tankers & the community. Many tankers through the years have made their start, or have come thru F-3 at one point or another. Many that are still in the game have been in some way engage, connected, improved, or driven by Mr. Wongho. He will be missed dearly. Wongho would of been so ecstatic for CLAWS and the Community that he helped shape to hear this kind of news.
Question 7: If you could change anything about the competitive scene in WoT, what would it be?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]> I would see encounter battles come back, for those that weren’t around when that mechanic was a thing. It was were if you chip the enemy from the same province that the enemy chip you to their chipping province, you would have a encounter battle(pre battle) to see whos piece of land is being fought for. Under current mechanics 2 armies just past in the night and you fight both battles.
We would also like to see all maps on the CW Map, perhaps if it isn’t a very well liked map there are fewer number of them. Lastly fog of war in Tourneys & Playoffs. Can we get more Mountain Pass? =D
[talonsfire]> Having the global map an open and pure sandbox like it use to be.
[NewportReb] Clan Wars needs to grow. First expand the map to more like 1.0. Second dump the bonds system for tanks and return to clan certificates and personal fame. Look top players in top clans are going to have plenty of bonds to pay for their tanks. Both of the campaigns I've been in at CLAWS, I've easily paid for my tank. However guys just getting into CW’s are going to start in some mid tier clan barely getting any fame. Then they will have to go grind bonds just to pay for their tank. Now when the next campaign comes back up, what are they going to remember? Getting a tank or the bond grind? A lot of friends that I've talked to remember the bond grind and that keeps them from wanting to play clan wars again.
[Dnash] Well on the map I would like to see when two clans who hold land chip each other lands that are connected for it to be fought as one battle in encounter mode on a random map winner fights for the loser piece of land only.
[Inanecoffee] Having a separation of maps for different level of clans so they can have more of a chance to land and be successful on the global map. Kind of like last campaign where they had the 3 fronts.
Question 8: Speaking from your player experience, what differences have you noticed by going from a player not in a clan to being in a clan and then being an officer in the clan?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]> Before joining a clan, I was about 1100 WN (or the current measurement of the time) with a recent of 1600. So over the course of the 2500+ days in this clan, there has been serious individual tanking development. I haven’t really known much time not being an officer, so that is both a blessing in the way I can help shape and mold the clan and a curse in that I haven’t been able to take good ideas from other clans and implement them within my own.
[talonsfire]> teamwork, whether it’s from platooning, recruiting, campaign work. That simple concept can make or break a clan.
[NewportReb] Totally agree with Talon on this. Look this game was built to play with friends. Id much rather platoon than play solo. Playing in a competitive clan setting is a whole other level. Instead of being in a platoon where you can count on 2 other guys to help you now have 15 tankers all working towards the same goal and able to talk with one another. This game is far more fun when teamwork comes into play.
[Dnash] To me biggest change was going from solo tanking knowing no one in the game, to joining a clan and playing with a select few people in the clan to being a XO and having to know everyone in the clan is insane. Also having to balance your playtime with any player concerns, diplo, map movements and recruitment. And when it is a campaign managing players fame point to ensure everyone gets a tank really cuts back on just logging on to play and have fun. Being a officer is like a second job but I do it cause I want Claws to be the best.
[Inanecoffee] Not being in a clan is kind of like playing a single player game in a way, you have the core components and it is a really good game, you just tend to look out for yourself and not the team. As soon as you join a clan, that mentality changes, you start to watch out for your clanmates, and in battles, your platoon. Getting the promotion to be an officer takes it to a whole new level. Now not only are you looking out for your platoon, but also the 96 other guys in the clan as well, in can battles or not. I still remember a week after i got the promotion to officer, one of my buddies that I had been playing with for years up unto that point called me after class one day to talk map strategy for that nights battles. Never had he really called me up until that point, that's when the true officer difference hit me.
Question 9: What is your favorite Tier 10 and why?
[GeneraLeeDissociative]> That’s a tough Pick, but I would probably go with my 50B with its combined mobility and clip potential. Though power creep has diminished its role in many aspects, especially with the introduction of the Hesh rounds. Surprisingly even after the nerfs I enjoy taking the T110E5 and 268V4 out in pub matches.
[talonsfire]> 907, regardless of the battle (random, cw) it allows you to do so much on the map.
[NewportReb] In clan wars I love to run scouts. In pubs the BC might be my most played tier 10.
[Dnash] Well I have a few I enjoy Progetto M40 mod. 65 I love how the reload works. E50M is a fun medium to play and ramming other meds and lights in it is a blast. AMX 13-105 is a fun light to drive in in late game play it can really excel.
[Inanecoffee] I would have to pick the 705A, i mean just look at the thing, out of all my tanks I would say that one catches my eye the most. From a gameplay perspective, it also has the unique mechanic of a rear mounted large caliber Russian gun, so what isn’t to love. On that same vein, a small buff would always be appreciated. A honorable mention has to go 2 the Type 5, just for the joy it provides.
Question 10: Any last comments? (Throwing people under the bus section)
[GeneraLeeDissociative]> Special Shout out to TURTLE POLICE back in the day for winning Silver League. The nearly 200,000+ GOLD we earned each allowed me to get 4-6 tier 10s. Special thanks to all the fellow clans/people/clanmates that aided in the clans development & mine as the clan leader. Best song, who doesn’t like ‘Mother lover’?
[talonsfire]> Metallica - Fade to Black if I had to pick just one.
[NewportReb] Is this where we are going to put our favorite song? If so then anything by Lonely Island. “I’m on a boat” is my go to karaoke song. After a few drinks of course. Also screw Gryffindor. (Please keep the Gryffindor reference in, it's a funny clan thing)
[Dnash] I would like to give a shout-out to the members of claws without you we could not do anything.
