Derek Arnold

Winner – Epic Constructed Qualifier at Origins 2016

 

Background:

What is your name, your age, and the city and state where you live now?

My name is Derek Arnold. I am twenty-seven years old and currently live in Cleveland, Ohio.

When did you start playing Epic Card Game? What was your first strategy card game? How long have you been playing these sorts of games?

I started playing Epic Card Game in November of last year. My first strategy card game was Magic the Gathering which my brother taught me how to play when I was around nine years old.

How often do you play Epic Card Game? Do you have a group that you play Epic with? Do you have a testing group (for constructed or for limited)?

I play Epic about once a week. My coworker and I get together occasionally to play and test our new constructed decks.

Questions for Constructed:

Talk to us about your deck. Why did you choose the deck you did? What were you trying to accomplish, and how happy were you with your deck’s performance? Would you change anything about the deck if you were to use it again?

The deck I chose to play for the constructed tournament is a slow controlling deck that reacts to and answers what the opponent is doing early in the game and wins in the late game. I chose to play this deck for the tournament because I wanted to be prepared against what I felt were going to be the most popular decks. I also chose this deck because I wanted to play as many turns as possible to maximize my tournament game play experience. I was pleased with my deck’s performance, but there was room for improvement as three of my five matches during the Swiss portion of the event ended in a draw. If I were to use the deck again I would make several changes all of which would be for the purpose of speeding up the deck in order to finish rounds on time.

What were you expecting the rest of the tournament to use? Was your deck specifically trying to beat an expected field of opponents, or were you just trying to do one specific thing ignoring what other people were doing?

I was expecting players to play aggressive decks with a lot of human tokens or Wild cards with direct damage. Many of the cards in my deck were included mainly to not lose to an early swarm of tokens or direct damage. I also expected to play against decks utilizing the discard effects and ensured my deck had enough card draw to counter this strategy. My deck was designed to survive early against the aggressive decks and draw more cards than my opponent over the course of the game and setup a win in the late game.

What do you think is the most important card or interaction in your deck, and why? What were you most afraid of facing during the event?

One of the most important interactions in this deck is with Ancient Chant and Lesson Learned or Keeper of Secrets which allows you to draw four cards with a single gold. I was most concerned of facing the Wild Sage decks with Raging T-Rex and Juggernaut as they put a lot of pressure on the board and can also end the game with direct damage all while keeping up against my deck’s card drawing.

Final Questions:

What plans do you have for testing between now and the World Championships this November? 

My plan for testing between now and Worlds is to meet more players in my local community and draft as often as possible. I’ll also continue to write on my blog called Epic Insights and interact with the online community to share thoughts and stay engaged. My goal is to continue to actively learn and play as much as possible improving my skills and knowledge in preparation for Worlds.

And, finally, what advice do you want to give to the people trying to win an Epic World Championship Qualifier?

My advice for anyone trying to win an Epic World Championship Qualifier is to properly understand the rules and flow of the game. It can be especially helpful for anyone coming to Epic from other TCGs to approach the game with a fresh perspective and build your understanding from the ground up. A fundamentally sound understanding of the game is one of the greatest advantages you can have over your opponents.