The Hearthstone Americas Championship Qualifier Tournament is fast approaching, and qualified card-slingers will soon be dueling for the chance to head to the Hearthstone World Championship at BlizzCon 2014, where they’ll compete for glory and a $250,000 prize pool.
The players that will be competing in the Championship Qualifier have earned their spots in a variety of ways, such as winning invitational tournaments, conquering community tournaments, or exhibiting excellence in ranked play.
Each one of these worthy competitors has victory on their minds, but each of them also brings their own unique spark to the journey as well! Join us as we get to know the people behind the decks: Their stories, their favorite decks, how they convince Ragnaros to hit their intended target, and more!
CHAKKI
A self-described Aggro player, Chakki prides himself on unleashing high pressure barrages to overwhelm his Hearthstone opposition. The popular rumor is that Chakki plays so aggressively that he’s never actually seen turn ten. This style of play has awarded him numerous tournament victories, as well as multiple top 50 ladder finishes. Chakki’s not just a skilled Hearthstone player, however. He’s also (by his own admission) a connoisseur of Peach Tea Snapple.
What got you into Hearthstone?
I've played some card games as well as Blizzard games, so it was a good fit. I learned of the game through Kripparrian's stream.
What is your favorite deck to play?
Aggro Hunter
What’s your favorite/craziest play you’ve ever made in Hearthstone?
On ladder, I was facing down lethal on board with no way of actually winning the game. I used Tracking and grabbed an Explosive Trap and played it instantly. My opponent assumed it was Freezing Trap and killed his own Sylvanas to steal a minion instead of just attacking me for game. Next turn I topdecked a Kill Command, put my opponent to two health and the Explosive Trap finished him.
What’s your process for testing decks? When does a deck officially become a success?
I usually see something interesting and think "that could be good." I build some really bad deck and have friends change them to be better. Success is usually relative depending on my goal of the deck. Sometimes I just want a deck to win a single matchup, so if I can win that matchup reliably, it's a success.
If you could design a card, what would it be?
A minion that discards cards from my opponent's deck rather than attacking for damage.
Are there any players you’re looking forward to or nervous about playing against?
There's a huge pool of players, so I haven't put too much thought towards that. I think a lot of it will depend on what decks people bring to the event.
If you could make Polymorph turn a minion into something other than a sheep, what would it be?
A penguin.
How does one go about making a deal with Ragnaros?
Not sure, most of my games are over by turn eight!
What are you passionate about outside of Hearthstone and other video games?
Peach Tea Snapple.
Chakki can be found on both Twitter and Twitch, discussing Hearthstone, Snapple and much more.
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