Finishing as runner-up to Archon Storm last season, there was no doubt that Xnergy was going to be a force entering Inception. But, the level of dominance seen by Vendi Clique and his crew is downright startling, as the top team in the THL has collected 28 out of a possible 30 wins in the first two weeks of the season. 

Headlining this week's Turf Wars is a rematch of last season's championship, and a series that could set the tone for the rest of the way among the THL elite. Will Xnergy continue its rampage? Can Archon Storm bounce back from a week two loss? The Xnergy captain shares his thoughts on giving THL a rude welcome to the grand tournament that is Season Inception.

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​THL: How did you hear about THL and why did you join?

Vendi Clique: I heard about THL from Cassity in a different Hearthstone group, I had been looking for a way to get better at Hearthstone and play competitively, and it seemed perfect.

THL: What’s your history with Collectible Card Games?

VC: I played Pokemon and Yugioh at a pretty casual level as a kid, getting into Magic pretty late at 18, but since then I've taken first at a lot of local tournaments and FNMs, and top 8'd a few larger tournaments and PPTQ's. Ive only been playing Hearthstone competitively for four or five months but I dabbled casually a year ago

THL: Xnergy is leading THL in points, you started the season with a perfect 20 week, and nobody on the team has won fewer than two games in a match so far. Why are you guys so good?

VC: Not only are we all great players individually, but we are all smart and we communicate well, ensuring that each week is planned well and practiced for. Every move and deck choice we make is planned and ready when we start each match.

THL: We’re getting a rematch of the Kappa finals this week with Xnergy and Archon Storm, plus Storm is coming off their first loss since week 6 of Kappa. You could hang a back-to-back on them—how big is the chance for revenge here?

VC: I have the utmost respect for Archon Storm, they are all amazing players and I wish them the best the rest of the season, but the chance for revenge after losing to them twice last season is far too tempting and exciting for us. Xnergy is trying our best to cement ourselves as the best and most formidable team in THL. Defeating the defending champs after our close loss against them in the finals would be so satisfying, and would for sure prove our strength in the league.

THL: Weeks one and two of LoE have rocked Hearthstone, do you have any predictions for the impact of the second half of the expansion?

VC: I personally believe that the second half of the expansion will be good and have cards that will be playable, but which ones are hard to tell for me. I'm hoping that the meta keeps shaking up, it's tons of fun to play new decks and new cards.

THL: If you had to compare Xnergy to a Hearthstone card, which one would it be and why?

VC: I would compare us to Justicar Trueheart, because our first season we were awesome, but this season we totally stepped our game up even further—just like Trueheart does for your hero power.

THL: What card has your favorite voice acting?

VC: I despise playing against Paladin, but that doesn't stop me from loving Murloc Knight. "Prepurrrr to durrrr" is just too cute to hate.

THL: You’ve repelled through the latticework of laser tripbeams, you’ve bypassed the security protocols, you’ve hacked the mainframe. You can now change any card in Hearthstone—what change do you make?

VC: Consecration no longer hits face. I can't tell how many times I've died exactly to a Consecration.

THL: What's your favorite Twitch emote? If you could add an emote what would it be?

VC: I'm boring and sarcastic, so it's definitely Kappa. I would add a Viridae emote, added to signify anytime something is your favorite.

THL: Favorite way to play Hearthstone: PC, tablet, or phone? 

VC: I have only ever played on PC. The mobile versions seem so unaesthetic and the format looks awkward.

THL: Favorite streamer? Least favorite?  What do you like/hate about them?

VC: My favorite streamer is, by far, Strifecro. Ive always been a fan of cloud9—in Hearthstone, HotS and CSGO—but he's so positive and excited and is an amazing player. I dislike Kripparian and Ekop, mostly because they hype themselves up as competitive players despite a lack of tournament success and a lack of personal appeal.

​THL: Do you stream or produce Hearthstone content? If so, when/where can people find you?

VC: I do stream! i attempt to stream at least a couple hours every night, but i stream much more heavily on weekends. catch me at twitch.tv/veecliquehs! drop a follow and tune in for fun times!

Faster than a face hunter, stronger than a pre-nerf miracle rogue, able to leap tallstriders in a single bound…

Let’s meet THL’s very own superhero and the league’s reigning MVP—ClarkKent

ClarkKent has been a member of Archon Storm since the team joined THL in the Beta season. Since then he has only dropped a single match and climbed into the No. 1 slot for the league’s returning champs. The MVP is coming off an undefeated season and might be facing the toughest question of any THLer: How do you improve on perfection?



THL: How did you hear about THL and why did you join?

ClarkKent: I heard about THL through the competitive HS reddit. I had been looking for another competitive way to play HS other than the slog through ladder each month. I don’t have a ton of free time so it’s great to have another way to play & compete that doesn’t require hundreds of games on ladder, or several hours at a time for a tournament.

THL: What’s your history with Collectible Card Games? Is Hearthstone your first? Do you have an all time favorite?

CK: I had played MTG & Pokemon a bit as a kid, but nothing more than games against my brother and a few friends. I never got into playing competitively. I always had that love for CCG though, and was excited to get back into it when HS was released.

THL: What’s the highest rank you’ve achieved, when did you hit it, and what deck carried you?

CK: Never made legend, but I’ve gotten to ranks 2-3 a few times. I always seem to run out of time in the last few days before the season rolls over. One of these months though I’ll devote some more time and really make a run for legend. Maybe once WC point reset.

THL: What are your all-time most and least favorite decks? Why?

CK: Favorite deck I’d have to say Handlock. It was the 2nd deck I started playing seriously, after Zoo, and the first deck I really crafted cards for. I think it appeals to me because it’s fun to walk that tightrope of trying to get as much value as possible out of life-tap and how little health you can be safe at.

Least favorite is probably Rogue. I don’t think any of the really successful archetypes recently (miracle, oil etc) have really called out to me.

THL: Favorite emote? If you could add an emote to the game what would it be?

CK: Favorite emote is probably “Oops”. I tend to use it when RNG doesn’t go my way, as a way to say “well crap, that didn’t quite work out.” So along those lines, I’d probably add something like a “Never lucky” emote or maybe just a “Salt Shaker” emoji. I think that would be pretty funny.

THL: PC, tablet, or phone? If you’re a mobile player, what’s the most unusual place you’ve played a game of Hearthstone?

CK: I play on both Mac & iPad. I’m always trying to squeeze in a few games at work on lunch & breaks everyday. I haven’t played anywhere too crazy, probably a hotel on vacation was the most unusual. Maybe I’ll add that as another goal of mine, to play in as many odd places I can.

THL: How do you open packs, space bar? Swirl? Drag straight into the pack nook?

CK: I try to “throw” them into the nook. Then hover over each card slowly, one by one, looking for that beautiful orange highlight.

THL: What was the first Legendary you unpacked? Did you dust it?

CK: First Legendary I unpacked was Al’Akir. I dusted him at the time as I was trying to build my Handlock.

THL: League of Explorers, what card are you most hyped for? And what card is your pick for the sleeper of the set, the Dr. Boom or Mysterious Challenger of LoE?

CK: I think Forgotten Torch is going to be a great card for Mage. And I think a few sleepers are Desert Camel & Keeper of Uldaman. Both have potential.

THL: You’re the first MVP in THL history, what do you attribute your success to and how do you plan to repeat?

CK: My success definitely comes a lot from my teammates. It’s so valuable being able to talk through different matchups, decklists, and having great players to help you continuously improve. I think I will definitely have to continuously improve to repeat.

This league just keeps getting better and better. Having players who have been very successful outside the league, like my teammate Dlineman, join recently just shows how far this league is coming and how much tougher the competition will continue to be. I also will need to be able to mix up my strategy from last year as you can’t become too predictable in this league or opponents will be able to gain an advantage over you.