Interview With #1 Asia-Pacific Hearthstone Player - Tylerootd
I chat with Tyler, who's currently ranked #1 in the APAC region about his current thoughts on the meta and what's to come.
Tyler 'Tyler' Nguyen is a professional Hearthstone player who currently plays for compLexity. He's been around the scene for years and has proved himself as one of the best players in the world. As of right now, he is currently ranked #1 in the Asia-Pacific region and has placed in the top of many premier and major events. I had a chat with him about what got him into the game, his current thoughts on the meta, as well as what's to come.
First off, what got you into Hearthstone? What was the initial appeal of the game to you and what game(s) had you been spending most of your time on prior to Hearthstone?
Tyler: I used to play Yu-Gi-Oh as a kid but never had enough money to build competitive decks even though I was really good at the game. When I found out about Hearthstone, I was much older and had a job and was able to splurge on packs right away and build the most competitive decks. So for me, it was a moment of redemption where I could finally play a card game with top tier decks, haha.
You’re one of the players who play under compLexity and have been with them for over two years now. What has it been like playing for them so far?
Tyler: compLexity is the first pro team I've ever signed with and to this date I am still with them. I think that already says a lot. They haven't given me any reason to switch teams and I haven't given them any reason to release me. So we have a good mutual relationship going on.
You’re currently the #1 player in the Asia-Pacific region. What would you personally say it takes to be one of the top players in the world?
Tyler: I'd say having the ability to recognize misplays is the most important skill to have. As long as you know what you're doing wrong, you can improve on it in the future. But if you're cluelessly playing the game and think that you're playing perfectly all the time (which you are not) then you will never improve.
What event(s) will you be participating in coming up?
Tyler: World Championships next month!
Are you excited about the Year of the Raven coming to an end here pretty soon?
Tyler: Yes! Change is always good. I wish there would be more frequent changes to shake up the meta. One expansion every 4 months is for my taste a bit too slow and usually I'm very bored midway the expansion's lifetime.
Are there any cards that are being rotated out that you’ll either miss or that you can’t wait to see gone from Standard play?
Tyler: Not in particular. I really like it when Blizzard removes cards for the reasons I mentioned earlier. It shakes up the meta and gives us other decks to play.
What about the cards being moved to the Hall of Fame – Baku, Genn, Doomguard, etc? I know I’m personally excited to see the end of the Odd/Even decklist era!
Tyler: I'm pretty sure everyone is happy about Baku and Genn leaving.
How do you feel about the new “Specialist” format for competitive play?
Tyler: I was one of the optimists about the new format, and despite all the complaints that are still going on now, I still like the format. The main complaint is that everyone would just play the strongest decks. But as time went on people started to counter the strongest deck instead and we're starting to see some shift in the meta. It's not just Hunters that are winning the tournaments anymore.
How do you feel about the current state of Hearthstone as a game in general and its esports scene? If you were able to, what changes would you make?
Tyler: Personally, I am a bit sad that they made the in-game ladder very insignificant. The era of the ladder grinders is now gone and instead we have open cup qualifier grinders. Getting monthly top 25 ladder finishes used to be part of the qualification process. Now that getting high ladder finishes don't grant you any points, it feels very pointless to play ladder. To me it completely removed the adrenaline rush I used to get from playing ladder.
As a final, easy question. What is your all-time favorite card and what was your favorite expansion?
Tyler: Patron Warrior and the expansion that came with it (I forgot the name). It was the first time Blizzard introduced a new type of win condition in Hearthstone and at the time it was very refreshing. We need more decks like these as opposed to Genn and Baku decks where the game plan is very linear.
Be sure and follow Tyler below to keep up with him and his Hearthstone career!
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