Artosis, a champion at last

onGamers: Congratulations on your victory Dan. Winning Hearthstone at BlizzCon is your first major championship in any game. Now that it's over, what are your emotions with all of this?

Dan 'Artosis' Stemkoski: I feel fantastic after my win at BlizzCon. I have always kind of felt a burden since my WCG USA loss in 2005. This is the first time that I have truly reached my goals since 2004, and it makes me really happy....I always felt like I had lost my nerve.

Since that loss in 2005 and becoming a fulltime caster over the years, were you worried you may never get the chance again to achieve those goals and win a title?

I was never too worried about it because I never give up. I never felt like there was a time limit to accomplish my goals. More recently with the added responsibility of having a baby though, I did worry a bit more about the possibilities.

Would you rather this title have come for Brood War or StarCraft 2?

I don't really mind that it worked out like this, surprisingly. If I hadn't gone through hard times during my gaming career in both of those games, I would probably not be where I am in life right now. I guess what I mean to say is that I have no regrets.

What does it mean to you to win a BlizzCon title?

It really does mean a lot to me. BlizzCon is the biggest stage imaginable, and all of my friends and loved ones got to watch my hard work pay off. I'm very happy.

Did you think going in, you had a shot to win BlizzCon?

Going in to BlizzCon, given my Magic: The Gathering background and the heavy training I put myself through, I thought that I was the most likely winner (although I knew anything could happen).

You've been streaming your preparation and practice leading up to BlizzCon, could you give a short analysis of what you were going for?

I practiced from the moment I was invited with the intention to win the tournament. I decided that, win or lose, I would put in the time and be the most prepared player no matter what. I had lots of different practice sessions focused on different aspects of the game. My pre-recorded ones simply consist of getting to know my decks better while analyzing my own play. It encompasses almost all (85% or more) of my games played between deck submission and the actual event.

Such a tense finals with over 100,000 viewers watching, were you nervous? What was going through your head during the final game?

I wasn't really nervous during the finals, but had lots of adrenaline. During the final game, I just kept thinking "go for the face". I was extremely concentrated and kept counting up all possible damage from all card combinations from both sides to try to make the right choices.

Kripparrian missed an opportunity to potentially win the match, do you feel lucky at all?

He made a move which was a "mistake" in hindsight. It wasn't a terrible move when and why he made it though. Also, it's silly to try to boil the series down to something like that. There's a lot more to it than 1 move at the end. There were 5 games during which we each had varying degrees of luck, and we both did everything within our powers to win. I think we both played very well.

It really does mean a lot to me. BlizzCon is the biggest stage imaginable, and all of my friends and loved ones got to watch my hard work pay off. I'm very happy.

Dan 'Artosis' Stemkoski

You didn't get to play Day9, but if you did, do you think you would have avenged prior losses in Brood War?

People seem to forget that during the SC2 Beta we met in a tournament and I won there. But yeah, if we met at Blizzcon I think I would have gotten some more revenge :D.

Now that you've played for a while, what is your current opinion of Hearthstone as a whole?

Hearthstone is a really great game. It's very fun, and takes a ton of skill. You can get very good quite quickly, but the little extra that puts you on top takes a huge amount of hard work. A really well done game in my opinion.

What advantages does Hearthstone have over another card game like Magic The Gathering?

The free to play aspect is awesome for Hearthstone. Over time you can practice and build up your collection at little to no cost.The fact that it's all online means that you can easily find games at any moment. Also, the entry level is a LOT lower, which is probably better for the game's popularity overall.

Do you think the game has potential to be an esport?

I think so. Over 100,000 people watched it live on its first go, and I've seen nothing but overwhelmingly positive feedback so far.

Now as BlizzCon champion if and when more hearthstone tournaments pop up in 2014 and for next year's BlizzCon, will you defend your title?

I do hope to and plan to play in some more Hearthstone tournaments in the future. Lots of it depends on my schedule though. I don't plan on slacking in my other responsibilities. StarCraft is my #1 love.

Thanks to all who watch and support my stuff! Please make sure you check out ihearthu.com and big thanks to my sponsors TteSports and iBuypower.

Photo Credit: Jimmy Blocksom - BlizzPro.com