Hearthpwn

TheChiv was pleased to have the opportunity to sit down for an interview with RageKhv, the winner of the EU MLG/ManaGrind Open #14! There was a good deal of talk about the tournament itself, as well as tough competition and meta! Read on for the full interview!

Player Information

Name: Alexey
Age: 31
Location: Russia

Decklist

Interview

Let me begin by saying thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I know it’s late in Russia and it is greatly appreciated. I would also like to congratulate you on your victory. You had a great series today.

Thank you.

Jumping right in, what other games do you play?

I play a lot of games, but not professionally, just for fun: StarCraft, Warcraft 3, and DotA.

Now this isn’t your first time in one of are events. What other tournaments have you participated in?

I didn’t win any competitive tournaments before, but I did place in a few top two or three spots several times. For Hearthstone I have played in the ManaGrind Friday Night Swiss and Topdeck.

Yes you have and if memory serves have been in the top eight a few times in the Friday Night Swiss.

Yes.

Now I know the time difference is an issue where you live, but what made you decide to compete in the MLG/ManaGrind Open?

I don't play many tournaments, because of the time difference, but today I had an opportunity to play and try my skills.

Those skills took you to a victory you have to be happy about that?

Yes very happy.

What would you say was the best part about the tournament?

It is really hard to distinguish. The whole tournament was exciting and challenging.

Now you faced off against ManaGrind's European team captain, Moon.

Yes, he was fun to play against.

Now talking about opponents who would you say was your toughest opponent?

All my opponents were dangerous.

Now was there anyone you were glad you didn’t have to face off against?

Shizmatron, he always has the combo: Wild Pyromancer and Equality.

Ah yes! The European Murloc King, He is a very interesting character and always has something up his sleeve.

Yeah.

Now when you won, what went through your mind?

I laughed because misfortune was on my side.

You were playing a very control based Shaman, but it also had lot of possible combo finishers. What deck would have been the biggest threat for you?

Hunter all in your face rush.

Hunter has risen up greatly since the balance patch, but still very limited class.

Agree.

Now every deck has a lot of neutral cards in them in order to be effective. Which do you think are the best?

Defender of Argus, it is the best situational card in the game.

What do you think makes a good Hearthstone player?

I think it takes perseverance and faith that you can make the decent combination play when you need it.

How did you prepare for this tournament today?

I have a team, GTM, and I did a lot of play testing with them. It helped a lot.

Looking at your deck, which card was the MVP for you?

It was probably Windfury.

Yeah that spell is crucial to your deck design. It gives so much burst potential.

It really does!

As you know Hearthstone is now in open beta. What advice do you have for the droves of new players?

Just play more, Analyze what you’re doing and see what works and what doesn’t work. Then all you’re left with is the skill to know when to go for board control and when to go to the face.

What are your thoughts on the recent balance changes?

Most were good; however Defender of Argus needs to be nerfed more. The change did nothing to its effectiveness and is still used in almost every deck.

What would you like to see added to Hearthstone?

I'd like to see more in-depth gameplay and less randomness.

Well I think we can wrap this one up. On behalf of ManaGrind and MLG congratulations on your victory and I hope to see you win more in the future.

Thank you.

Interview by TheChiv, Edited by Homebrewed, Formatting by Gulleysaurus