Congratulations to Ishaan for achieving the rank of #1 Legend for the month of February! This accomplishment gives him a great head start towards qualifying for the Americas Spring Preliminary.
No stranger to competition, Ishaan is a national trading card game champion, and looks to be translating these skills well toward competitive Hearthstone. It’s our pleasure to help you get to know Ishaan and showcase the decks and strategies that he used to climb to the top of the Ranked Play standings in February.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello, my name’s Ishaan Jagiasi. I am a 14-year-old card game player from Wilmington, Delaware. I am currently in high school as a 9th grader. I enjoy playing sports such as basketball and soccer, and I played the Pokémon Trading Card Game for many years before coming to Hearthstone. I won the 2014 Pokémon National Championship for the Senior Division!
How long have you been playing Hearthstone, and how did you get started?
I have been playing Hearthstone for nearly a year now, but only started taking it seriously this December when one of my friends got me into it.
Why did you choose to go with your first name as your BattleTag?
In Pokémon, you are usually called by your name and not your tag so I adapted that concept here as well.
How do you approach each season and what strategies do you use to climb your way to the top of the rankings?
I approach each season by checking the meta game and choosing a deck that I think is very strong against it. I also think it's very important to be comfortable with the deck you choose.
What style of decks do you prefer playing? What is your favorite class to play?
I love playing control decks! There is no better feeling than running your opponent out of cards, or out-carding them. My favorite class to play is Warrior due to its ability to stay alive for so long.
What decks did you use for the February Ranked Play season? Do you tweak them often during the season to adjust to the meta or do you stick with the same decks throughout?
I used midrange Druid and Elise control Warrior for the February season. I didn't change the Druid list very much, but I changed control Warrior every day to be strong against the meta.
Do you plan on playing in any upcoming tournaments? Will you focus on playing in more tournaments this year?
I'm trying my best to qualify for BlizzCon, so I'll hopefully be playing in the Spring Prelims. I will also be going to compete at the DreamHack in Texas, but school makes it very difficult for me to play in many other tournaments.
How does your approach to Ranked Play differ from how you play in tournaments?
On ladder, my approach is just to counter aggressive decks such as shaman, whereas in tournaments I try to also beat more control decks, and have a lineup that is fine versus most things.
What are your goals for Hearthstone this year?
My goal for Hearthstone this year is to win BlizzCon!
Where can viewers find you?
I don't stream at the moment, but I might try it soon. I don't have a Hearthstone-related Twitter, but I have a personal one, so if you would like to follow me, the tag is ishaan_3.
Do you have any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with your fans or other aspiring competitive players?
My advice is don't listen to people who say you can't do it. I started card games when I was nearly 7 years old. People always thought I was worse because I was younger, or that I couldn't do it. Don't listen to those people. Just play your game, and eventually—if you work hard enough—you will find success. :)
Thank you Ishaan for taking the time to speak with us! We wish you the best in the current season, and in the rest of the Hearthstone Championship Tour.