April 26th marks the beginning of the biggest Hearthstone tournament to date, Dreamhack Bucharest. With a prize pool of 10,000 USD up for grabs, dozens of hopefuls signed up from across the world. We were able to catch up with one such player, popular Hearthstone stream Amaz. Known for his enthusiasm and Priest decks on stream, Hearthstone writers Asianmagikman and Rac got to sit down and ask him a few questions about Hearthstone and his thoughts on Bucharest.

Q: So Amaz tell us a little about yourself



A: Well my name is Amaz and I mostly Priest on stream but I do play the other classes off stream. I actively try and look for a competitive Priest build but I want to do well in tournaments and events so I practice all of the more meta decks.



Q: Do you have an past experience with card games?



A: Not really. I did play some Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon when I was younger.



Q: What drew you into Hearthstone?



A: Well I had been playing World of Warcraft for seven years and was a guild leader for two so when I saw the trailers for Hearthstone I was interested immediately. Also, the thought of playing a card game brought me back to the fun times when I was younger so that furthered my interest in the game. Another thing that is nice about the game is that latency is not an issue so unless I’m playing Miracle Rogue and playing 100 spells a turn and need every second to count I can play across the world haha.



Q: So what in your opinion are the top classes right now?



A: Right now Miracle Rogue does really really well. I’ve discussed it with a lot of pros and it’s very consistent with no bad match-ups. At worst it’s 50-50 and that is completely fine. Then there’s Druid which has also been solid. I’m honestly surprised how well it’s held up after all these months and is still considered top tier. And of course the Mid Range Hunter is generally regarded as one of the strongest decks right now. You get removal, you get card draw, it’s just crazy.



Q: How about which classes are weakest or you see played the least?



A: Haha, well of course Paladin and Priest are very rare to see on ladder. Mage is starting to come back a LITTLE bit because there’s a deck that’s pretty good against the Mid Range Hunter deck. Shaman is also starting to see a decline since more totems mean more doggies haha.



Q: What are your thoughts on the Naxxramas reveal and particularly about the 6 revealed cards?



A: My first impression was lots of 4 attack minions which made me sad. Besides that I like the Nerubian Egg design and Poison Seeds looks pretty good. It’s not a simple card to use though, I treat it like a mass polymorph which really isn't efficient. The other cards I'm not too crazy about. Baron Rivendare seems a bit gimmicky because it takes so many things to fall into place for him to have any value. He’s a legendary so he’s going to be situational.



Q: Do you feel more comfortable playing a certain playstyle than others?



A: Most people know me as a control player because Priests like control right? I do play other styles and decks off stream to stay competitive but I generally like control more because I like having a lot of options. I find control vs. control match-ups interesting because there’s so much thought that goes into every move like maneuvering around certain cards and making the best use of your options. The aggro vs. aggro match-up sometimes comes down to which minions to trade and usually there is an apparent ‘correct’ decision, while in control there are usually multiple viable options and you have to decide which is best.



Q: So how are you feeling about Bucharest, are you excited?



A: Yeah I’m really excited! It’ll be my first event/convention and first Hearthstone LAN event. I’ve heard Dreamhack Sweden is supposed to be the main event but I feel like Bucharest will be a good introduction to the scene for me.



Q: Do you feel prepared?



A: I feel confident in my decks, but right now it’s difficult to make perfect plays in Hearthstone. What it comes down to is trying to deduct what cards your opponent has from the past play and that’s very difficult to do and thus makes it hard to make that perfect play. I tend to put loopholes in my deck to try and throw the enemy off. If my opponent knows what 30 cards I play because that’s how a deck is supposed to be built he’ll have an easier time reading me. Using one or two non-traditional cards gives me a slight edge in that regard.



Q: Who do you consider your toughest opponent?



A: Where to begin? I saw the list of notable players and lots of names stood out like Strifecro. He’s such a big name and he always does really well in tournaments it’s crazy. That’ll definitely be a hard match-up. I mean I could go on and on about the list of top tier players like Strife and Savj but I generally focus on making good plays. I don’t think about winning or losing and instead think about making the right play that turn.



Q: How do you feel this tournament will affect the Hearthstone esports scene?



A: It’s definitely a good start. I mean any tournament is a good start but Hearthstone’s a relatable game that anyone can pick up so the audience is there I just think they want to see a big tournament with high production quality to enjoy. The only thing that worries me is that the tournament is single elimination and this prevents a lot of players from playing a good amount of games and showing their skills. Usually, card game tournaments have an all-man swiss and then the playoffs afterwards. I feel like with single elimination, or even double elimination, not all the players will be able to play enough games. But, that’s all for the future, Bucharest is definitely a step in the right direction.



Q: What would you like to see in the future for Hearthstone?



A: As players, we all really want Observer mode. It’ll help in casting and show that Blizzard acknowledges the potential for an esports scene. An in-game tournament mode would also be awesome. I mean how cool would it be to be able to bans/picks with classes and draft decks right in the game? The most important thing to me though is keeping the game fresh, so expansions should get released sooner rather than later. I don’t think it is necessary for the meta to settle and become stale before they release a new set, there’s always room for innovation even in the middle of seasons.



Q: Do you have any tips for all the fans and players out there?



A: Yeah definitely! I always get asked what decklist should I be looking at or what cards should I replace for this one, I have to say that it really doesn’t matter. You should focus on playing the cards you have and using them to the best of your ability. Great decks can come from anywhere.



Q: Alright Amaz thank you so much for your time! Are there any shoutouts you want to give?



A: I just want to thank my sponsors, V3 Gaming, TTEsports and of course ROOT gaming for all the support. I want to also thank all my fans for THEIR support as well!



Dreakhack Bucharest definitely has Amaz and others excited. This just goes to show you that the Hearthstone community is passionate and wants to see the game evolve and expand to new heights and beyond; Dreamhack Bucharest is just the first step. There are sure to be many exciting matches across the board be sure to check out the tournament and show your support for your favorite players!



You can keep up-to-date with Amaz on Twitter, on Twitch, and Youtube.



Be sure to tune in to our King of the Hill series which currently features Amaz as our reigning king! This goes down Tuesday nights from 5:30pm PST on TwitchTV.



And don't forget to checkout our Youtube for any matches you may have missed! A: Well my name is Amaz and I mostlyon stream but I do play the other classes off stream. I actively try and look for a competitivebuild but I want to do well in tournaments and events so I practice all of the more meta decks.A: Not really. I did play some Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon when I was younger.A: Well I had been playing World of Warcraft for seven years and was a guild leader for two so when I saw the trailers for Hearthstone I was interested immediately. Also, the thought of playing a card game brought me back to the fun times when I was younger so that furthered my interest in the game. Another thing that is nice about the game is that latency is not an issue so unless I’m playingand playing 100 spells a turn and need every second to count I can play across the world haha.A: Right nowdoes really really well. I’ve discussed it with a lot of pros and it’s very consistent with no bad match-ups. At worst it’s 50-50 and that is completely fine. Then there’swhich has also been solid. I’m honestly surprised how well it’s held up after all these months and is still considered top tier. And of course theis generally regarded as one of the strongest decks right now. You get removal, you get card draw, it’s just crazy.A: Haha, well of courseandare very rare to see on ladder.is starting to come back a LITTLE bit because there’s a deck that’s pretty good against thedeck.is also starting to see a decline since more totems mean more doggies haha.A: My first impression was lots of 4 attack minions which made me sad. Besides that I like thedesign andlooks pretty good. It’s not a simple card to use though, I treat it like a mass polymorph which really isn't efficient. The other cards I'm not too crazy about.seems a bit gimmicky because it takes so many things to fall into place for him to have any value. He’s a legendary so he’s going to be situational.A: Most people know me as a control player becauselike control right? I do play other styles and decks off stream to stay competitive but I generally like control more because I like having a lot of options. I find control vs. control match-ups interesting because there’s so much thought that goes into every move like maneuvering around certain cards and making the best use of your options. The aggro vs. aggro match-up sometimes comes down to which minions to trade and usually there is an apparent ‘correct’ decision, while in control there are usually multiple viable options and you have to decide which is best.A: Yeah I’m really excited! It’ll be my first event/convention and first Hearthstone LAN event. I’ve heard Dreamhack Sweden is supposed to be the main event but I feel like Bucharest will be a good introduction to the scene for me.A: I feel confident in my decks, but right now it’s difficult to make perfect plays in Hearthstone. What it comes down to is trying to deduct what cards your opponent has from the past play and that’s very difficult to do and thus makes it hard to make that perfect play. I tend to put loopholes in my deck to try and throw the enemy off. If my opponent knows what 30 cards I play because that’s how a deck is supposed to be built he’ll have an easier time reading me. Using one or two non-traditional cards gives me a slight edge in that regard.A: Where to begin? I saw the list of notable players and lots of names stood out like. He’s such a big name and he always does really well in tournaments it’s crazy. That’ll definitely be a hard match-up. I mean I could go on and on about the list of top tier players like Strife and Savj but I generally focus on making good plays. I don’t think about winning or losing and instead think about making the right play that turn.A: It’s definitely a good start. I mean any tournament is a good start but Hearthstone’s a relatable game that anyone can pick up so the audience is there I just think they want to see a big tournament with high production quality to enjoy. The only thing that worries me is that the tournament is single elimination and this prevents a lot of players from playing a good amount of games and showing their skills. Usually, card game tournaments have an all-man swiss and then the playoffs afterwards. I feel like with single elimination, or even double elimination, not all the players will be able to play enough games. But, that’s all for the future, Bucharest is definitely a step in the right direction.A: As players, we all really want Observer mode. It’ll help in casting and show that Blizzard acknowledges the potential for an esports scene. An in-game tournament mode would also be awesome. I mean how cool would it be to be able to bans/picks with classes and draft decks right in the game? The most important thing to me though is keeping the game fresh, so expansions should get released sooner rather than later. I don’t think it is necessary for the meta to settle and become stale before they release a new set, there’s always room for innovation even in the middle of seasons.A: Yeah definitely! I always get asked what decklist should I be looking at or what cards should I replace for this one, I have to say that it really doesn’t matter. You should focus on playing the cards you have and using them to the best of your ability. Great decks can come from anywhere.A: I just want to thank my sponsors, V3 Gaming, TTEsports and of course ROOT gaming for all the support. I want to also thank all my fans for THEIR support as well!Dreakhack Bucharest definitely has Amaz and others excited. This just goes to show you that the Hearthstone community is passionate and wants to see the game evolve and expand to new heights and beyond; Dreamhack Bucharest is just the first step. There are sure to be many exciting matches across the board be sure to check out the tournament and show your support for your favorite players!You can keep up-to-date with Amaz on, on, andBe sure to tune in to our King of the Hill series which currently features Amaz as our reigning king! This goes down Tuesday nights from 5:30pm PST onAnd don't forget to checkout ourfor any matches you may have missed! 8196851 , Saturday, 26/04/14 14:53