Congratulations to Deerjason for qualifying to the Americas Spring Championship this weekend, June 25–26! He will be joined by Bradfordlee, Cydonia, Duane, Joster, Napoleon, PNC, and Rosty to determine who will be Americas Spring Champion and earn a spot at the Hearthstone World Championship at BlizzCon.
This will be a return trip to an Americas Championship for Deerjason as he was one match away from qualifying for BlizzCon in the 2014 event. This year, Deerjason should be considered the favorite due to his prior tournament experience, as well as the huge chip he’s had on his shoulder since narrowly missing out on a BlizzCon berth.
Let’s get to know Deerjason as we head into the Championship this weekend.
How long have you been playing Hearthstone, and how did you get started?
I've been playing Hearthstone since its closed beta. I first became interested in applying for the closed beta through Twitch streams, especially those early Hearthstone arena streams of Trump and Kripparian.
Does your BattleTag have any special meaning or significance? Why did you choose it?
My username actually started long before Hearthstone. When I was about 8, I began contemplating an online username. A letter just came into my mind, but instead of DearJason, I decided to change it to "deer" to make it Deerjason. The animal had nothing to do with it.
What style of decks do you prefer playing and what is your favorite class to play?
Personally, I prefer to play with more midrange variants because of the diverse choices it applies in acting like a pseudo-control and aggressive deck. Therefore, my favorite class to play is Druid because of its mana growth midrange aspect.
Can you talk about your path to qualifying for the Americas Spring Championship?
Saying that my path to the Spring Championship was easy is a long shot. With school being my number one priority, my time for Hearthstone is limited. I couldn't put in the amount of time it takes in order to get to the top of the Spring HCT points standings. I ended up having to play an extra round compared to most of the other participants, making my road more difficult.
How has your experience heading into this tournament differed from your participation in the 2014 Americas Championship?
For the 2014 Americas Championship, I was one match away from making it to BlizzCon in 2014. However, back then Blizzard's official format was Last Hero Standing. With the Conquest format of today, I feel that I would have a better chance of proving my strengths rather than getting swept by Druid.
What experience from your previous tournaments will help you for this upcoming tournament?
Those who do a bunch of online Hearthstone tournaments have probably faced me sometime in their tournament career. I am a constant tournament player, which helps me learn the current meta and how my lineup faces against the field.
Do you think your prior tournament experience gives you an edge or makes you a favorite for this tournament?
My prior tournament experience doesn't necessarily gain me an edge, although it does make me the favorite. I'm likely the most well-known of the dark horses in the Spring Championship. A ton of people will be rooting for me, which should give me better RNG in the ways of RNGesus. It would also be hilarious if me and Amnesiac both made it, which lowers the BlizzCon mean age to an unthinkable level.
How have you been preparing for the upcoming Championship?
Tournaments. As I already mentioned, I do a ton of tournaments, which gives me data to refine the most advanced decklists and counter lineups the meta has to offer. In order to find the most recent advancements in decklists, you have to get destroyed by them yourself.
What is your strategy heading into this Championship?
My strategy heading into this Championship is just to play like I usually do. I won't say that I will play perfectly, since I will likely make a mistake after I say that. You might see me overreacting and BMing if RNGesus desires it.
What are your goals for Hearthstone this year?
My one goal in Hearthstone this year is to make it farther than I did in 2014. However, a lucky Yogg-Saron against me in the finals will definitely make it on Trolden. That's a tempting offer too.
Where can viewers find you?
You can catch me streaming randomly on Twitch at twitch.tv/Deerjason or my database of horrible but improving videos on YouTube at youtube.com/Deerjason. Basically, everything Deerjason is mine. Except for, of course, that one Deerjason I haven't noticed.
Do you have any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with your fans or other aspiring competitive players?
Any advice or thoughts from me? How about I'll give you the truth. Always make sure you do wizard shenanigans to land RNG in your favor. This includes all members of the juggler family and the lord of fire. If you have trouble moving your arms in a hilarious motion during a Hearthstone game, contact RNGesus at Blizzard HQ.
Thanks to Deerjason for taking the time to speak with us! We wish him the best in the upcoming Americas Spring Championship and the rest of the Hearthstone Championship Tour.