Got a treat for you guys today! I was able to get an interview with one of the best FFTCG players in the United States, before he flew out to compete in the Kansas City Crystal Cup tournament, the one and only Sam Prime. As of this writing, the Crystal Cup live stream will begin in roughly 21 hours, so be sure to tune in and cheer on your favorite players as we witness what should be the defining meta to Opus V. Now, onto the interview!

COI: Hey Sam, it’s really great to be able to do this interview with you. Ever since the ARG Summoner Series in Central Florida, many players have been following you as you have won tournament after tournament. How are you feeling about this Crystal Cup in Kansas City that is only 48 hours away? Do you feel like playing so close to the end of Opus V has an impact on deck decisions and strategy?

SP: I’m pretty nervous. I have gotten in way less testing than I would have liked. I’ve basically been grinding against randoms on OCTGN, which can make for some pretty inbred testing. We use to have a big scene here locally and we just don’t right now. Going into the event, I have a single loss with my current list, with exactly ZERO games tested on it against Mono-Ice. And that matchup doesn’t look great on paper either ;). So yeah, I’m nervous is the honest answer. It’s important to me to qualify for Nationals, and I’m really unlucky that our LQ is happening the same weekend as Kansas, so THIS is my shot. Lot of eggs in one basket. I lent Mono-Lightning to a friend for the LQ so that option is taken away from me, which honestly, is just fine. I don’t have much experience on it, and I think the deck could easily just X-0 swiss, but will struggle much harder in Top 16. People seem to think I won’t play Mono-Ice. I don’t want to. But like I said, qualification is really important to me. I’m going to grind some games with it and see if I enjoy playing the most recent list. I’ll play whatever I think the best deck is. The other answer to your question is yeah, because if people were saving a list for a big event, this is the one. So I expect the best of the best decks to be played, and that of course is a bit scary.

COI: Although Ice and Lightning seem incredibly popular as the elements to go to for tournaments, it’s obviously important to consider all elements, especially in a card game like Final Fantasy. How much time would you say you dedicate a week to running skirmishes both online and locally in order to get familiar with what’s being brewed for both the meta and anti-meta?

SP: I was playing 3 times a week in person, but without events firing I’ve been playing a lot more on OCTGN. As to how much, it depends. I basically fire up a game of OCTGN and a game of League of Legends. Whichever one fires first, I go with. That being said, when I play on OCTGN, I’m often playing 2-3 games against different people at once if possible. So I can get in as much practice as I can. I wish I was part of a bigger testing group with some of the more well known players, but most those guys became tight-nit before I started playing in Opus III. Maybe in the future I’d love to test with the RVA guys or something like that. They seem to really enjoy the game. I guess that’s a round-a-bout way to say close to zero? Because I don’t get to pick what my opponents are playing on OCTGN. I’ve gotten my wife to play a few games with me on mono-lightning and mono-water monsters, but she doesn’t really enjoy Ice decks. Who can blame her…

COI: So far in 2018, not only did you earn a sponsorship from Cards of Ivalice, but you also have grown a fan-base. There is a player who reached out to me by the name of Lita Mullins who is hoping to meet you at the Kansas Crystal Cup, and even have you sign cards. How does something like this reflect on you as a FFTCG player, and do you see things like this occurring in other TCG communities?

SP: Idk. Awkward question to answer, but I’ll try my best. 100% real talk. It’s a double edged sword.

1) People come to expect you to win all the time. Which, you know, just isn’t likely or possible. I just play enough events that it seems like I’m winning a bunch, but I lose all the time. Take Boston for example.

2) But honestly, how does it reflect on the TCG communities? It can be dangerous. Players, particularly NA players, have a tendency to glorify the villains. I mean really, if you look at a lot of the community, many times we see a player who does fairly well, and then we just believe/allow them to say whatever they want, and if you argue against it, you are a scrub. I hope to not become that villain, and would much rather be known for our podcast Chocobros, because we really do try to #growthecommunity and do our best to provide fun content. So that’s how I hope it reflects on me, in a positive light.

3) That being said, I was stoked when community members sign my cards and I’m always willing to sign cards too. Just know that I made your card worth zero dollars. It’s a good feeling though. A perfect example would be that my favorite printed card of all time is Fusoya, I have a play-set of them signed by Kageyama, but they aren’t my favorite cards that I own. My favorite part of my collection is my signed foil Shantotto’s from Kelsey B, my signed foil Warrior of Light’s (L, of course) from Gregory Cole, or my cards signed by RB. Those cards have zero worth now financially, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They have stories attached to them. So yeah, it’s cool.

COI: Before we go, do you have any advice for new players that are just starting out with FFTCG? Any starter kits in particular you would recommend that teach important basics, or themed decks that give a good starting point?

SP: YES BUY ALL OF THEM FROM CARDS OF IVALICE! But really my recommendation for newer players is to subscribe to as many content creators out there. Josephyr, Mattiske, RVA Returners, Crystal Tower, Meta Potion, your new series – are my favorites. Spend time learning about the game, learn about the people who love the game, show up at your LGS, promote it, start doing your own content creation, network, and just #growthegame. And if you don’t understand how something works, ask. Ask the Facebook groups or ask your locals. Hope to see people in Kansas.

COI: Okay thanks for your time Sam, good luck at the Crystal Cup!

And that concludes the interview! I wish all the players at Crystal Cup to have a safe, fun competition and the best of luck. Look forward to more coverage and interviews!

(Did you know? Fusoya is the Uncle of Cecil Harvey, the main protagonist of Final Fantasy IV. Fusoya’s brother is Kluya, father of Cecil, who is the light and voice at Mount Ordeals that guides Cecil towards becoming a Paladin)