What is the significance of your IGN?
My IGN is derived from my last name and I’ve been using it as a gaming nickname for quite a while now. Also, some people call me by that nick in rl because my first name is the most common name in the country.
When did you first start playing Shadow Era?
I started playing SE around the time CotC was oficially released iirc. But after several months or so I took a longer break and didn’t return till after Iclipse won WC.
How did you find the game?
I found the game while I was looking for free to play online TCGs. It was recommended on some forums so I thought I’d give it a go…
Have/do you play other Trading Card Games? If so, which game(s)?
I’m a huge fan of TCGs in general. I started as a kid playing physical Pokemon cards and later kinda naturally switched to Yu-Gi-Oh. Then I played Decipher LOTR TCG which is still my favourite TCG. Eventually I tried MTG to see what the fuss is all about. I was (still am) impressed with the game itself, but I just don’t have the cash (or time) to play it in a way it should be played…Online I’ve played pretty much any TCG available. I only stuck with SE and, later, Hearthstone.
How often do you play Shadow Era?
There are times I play SE for hours, and there are times when I don’t play a game for weeks. It just comes spontaneously to me, really
Why do you enjoy Shadow Era?
The thing I like the most about SE is that you can be absolutely competitive in free-to-play mode. You don’t have to spend hours grinding in-game cash and exhaust yourself in order to obtain extremely hard-to-get cards which swing the game around…Other than that, my favourite class, Rogues, are fun and challenging to play…
What do you hope we will see in the next set?
In the next set I’m hoping to see fairies. I have very fond memories of them from MTG. Other than that I hope Rogues will get those few cards I need to fill up the hole sin the decks I make for them.
Did your guild play a major part in your preparation for the tournament? How?
Well the guild is here to help
Some of the guys helped me spar, many gave various advice based on their experience, some scouted opponents during the tournament, some sent words of support…
Which match during the tournament gave you the most trouble?
The one I lost, obviously
I hate mirrors in general, but when you face all those Disciples and your opponent draws so many gambits while you’re struggling to regain your position, you start to get really agitated…
Were there any decks that you were surprised to see or any you expected to see but did not?
Well Aramia and Elementalis surprised me. Maybe Serena as well. And I was a bit surprised noone took Loest in GF, but it was not a huge shock…
How did you decide on Banebow?
BB was the best hero at the time. Meta was very kind on him and with a few anti-warrior techs it was obvious it would go far. Some anti-BB techs like DoA would have been nice, but I wrongly thought they were unnecessary…
What, if any, other heroes were you thinking about taking?
I had some kind of tempo Baduruu ready, but in a chat with Mip a couple of hours before the event, we came up with that solid BB and it felt somewhat smoother than my Baduruu. Maybe that deck would have taken me further, but I’m not unhappy with the way BB performed either…
In the qualifiers you played an Undead version of Banebow, why the change?
Undead BB is more vulnerable to warriors, and in order to tech vs them, I believe I’d have to cut on Grave Resistance…and to me undead builds without GR are just weird…Also, MS is much easier when you play regular pinging BB. In day 2 of the regionals my priority was to pass rd1 and I was absolutely certain MistuhRager would take a Mage (he took Zal which is almost the same), so I took undead BB which is completely impervious to mages…
What prompted you to bring just 1x Plasma Behemoth and 1x Murderous Hulk?
Originally I put in 2xPB, but in the end I only took 1 as a mini-tech vs Millstalker. Hulk syncs very well with BB’s ability. Only 1x of each because I they’re not essential and I’m a sucker for 39 + hero decks.
You brought 4x Rapacious Vermin, did you count this as a turn 2 drop? If not, why bring 4x?
Yeah, I don’t mind the idea of T2 vermin. Imo his extreme stickiness syncs well with BB’s ability and with Soul Seeker, his sustain damage is irrelevant.
What decks (if any) were you afraid of seeing? Do you know of any decks in the tournament that would have given you trouble?
Well I wasn’t really afraid of anything, my deck had no auto-loss scenarios…I didn’t want to face another BB (I hate mirrors) and Serena, but I thought I was at least 50-50 in those mus. BB with Disciples never crossed my mind, if it had, I’d have packed at least a pair myself
As the tournament progressed, I realized after Mip’s defeat that I’d have a lot of problems vs Sisyphos. The alternative was much more pleasant, Bobross’s Serena, but facing her was a short-lived dream.
Some have said BP Maxi1230 was the MVP of the tournament for beating BP Hachi’s “Millstalker”. Do you think that’s true? Do you believe your deck could have won?
I believe most decks were prepared for millstalker. My deck had 3 shrieks, 4 vermin, plasma behemoth and 4 SKs to recycle PB and/or vermin, or to initiate SK loop. Also there were DMTs and Krygons to take care of Tiger Wolves with hero ability if they appear. I’d take on millstalker any day with a deck like that…
Thank you for your time and congratulations on your third place finish!
Deck:
