By the time we get midway through a month in Hearthstone, the bottom of the ladder gets interesting. Between players who are experimenting, newbies, and players who are just downright bad, the decks you run into can defy all logic.
But you underestimate these players at your peril. They are unpredictable, unorthodox, and can just flat out ruin your day when they beat you.
Twitch’s top Hearthstone streamer Jason “Amaz” Chan can testify to this. Choosing to play on the Asia server for a change meant that Chan started at the very bottom of the ladder, though he had bought enough cards to get his legend-quality Priest deck.
On this Asian excursion Chan runs into a player called “carlinho” playing what appears to be the starter Mage deck that comes pre-built in the game.
“We are NOT bullying low ranks!” Chan tells his chat. Even if he was, he didn’t do a very good job of it.
Chan gets off to a good start, establishing a 4/11 Injured Blademaster. But thanks to a Polymorph and Arcane Missiles combo, that is off the table. From there, it snowballs out of control.
Even though he is playing the starter deck, “carlinho” seems to understand perfectly how to use the spellpower mechanic to his advantage. And of all cards, it’s a pair of Arcane Explosions that really swing this game in favor of the underdog. At first Chan finds it pretty funny. But when his opponent goes all in, despite being in danger of dying, it puts the onus on Chan to find a way out. And he can’t do it.
Chan starts to get a bit more agitated, particularly when he thinks the guy is messing with him—his opponent has been holding on to one card which Chan thinks is a fireball, but of course it ends up being a Bloodfen Raptor. However, out of cards and with nothing on board, Chan has little to do but concede.
A great reminder that even when it comes to pro gaming, we’re all human. Sometimes.
Photo via DreamHack/Flickr
