Play the Pros of the Championship Gaming Series on Xbox® LIVE

Every other Friday night from 9-12 PM ET, you can go up against the world’s most elite gamers over Xbox LIVE.

To join the action, check out the XBOX Live schedule for the gamertags of the Pros that will be taking on challengers in a variety of different games. Send them an invite for your chance to see if you have what it takes.

This week, two members from the North American Champions, the Carolina Core, will grab their controllers and try to mow down the competition. Ryan "Offbeat Ninja" Ward and Kat "Mystik" Gunn, the Core's Dead or Alive 4 duo, will take on all comers this Friday starting at 9 PM ET, with a small caveat: they'll be shelving their Dead or Alive fistfights in favor of swords and other fighting gear in Soul Caliber 4.

Who: Carolina Core
Date: Friday, August 29, 2008
Time: 9:00 PM - 12:00 AM Eastern Time (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Pacific Time)
Game: SoulCalibur IV
Gamertags: - CGS Offbeat
- CGS Mystik

Ward stepped up his game late in the 2008 season.

Ryan "Offbeat Ninja" Ward
Age: 20
CGS Game: Dead or Alive 4

Ryan was the first ever draft pick for the Carolina Core and has since become one of the most decorated players in the sport. In 2007, he was the top North American Dead or Alive male player and carried an incredible 15-match win streak through the season and playoffs. He also won a special challenge match against the top female player, Vanessa, that was set forth by the Dead or Alive 4 creator himself, Tomonobu Itagaki. In 2008, his late season surge helped the Core take home the North America Championship. In the final match, his dominant victory put the Core over the top and secured their first Mountain Dew trophy.

Kat "Mystik" Gunn
Age: 20
CGS Game: Dead or Alive 4

Mystik helped lead the charge during Carolina's playoff run.

Kat Gunn burst onto the gaming scene in 2007 when she placed second in Dead or Alive 4 at the first CGS combine. She was subsequently drafted onto the Carolina Core and didn't fail to impress. In that year’s World Final, Gunn dominated her international opponents to help the team take second place in the World and a $150,000 payday. Her strong play in the 2008 season, including a perfect 5-0 victory over Coolsvilla of the top-seeded New York 3D team, was instrumental in the Carolina Core's miracle North America Championship run. In her two years in the CGS, Kat has never lost to an international opponent.

If you get a chance to play with the Carolina Core, XBOX wants to hear about it! Send them an e-mail with the subject: "Play the Pros – Carolina Core." Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town.

If you want to play the pros, you just have to send a game invite!