Captain Interviews - Swashmrglr

This week, Diamond sits down with a relative newbie to the captaining scene, but one you should have all heard of: swashmrglr!

Hello THL,
Today I have a very special guest for the interview series, the captain of the Grimscale Gang, the gang leader, SwashMrglr. 

Diamond: How has your first season of captaining been and what advice do you have for new captains?
SwashMrglr: Pretty low-key honestly, but super fun! My advice for new captains is to just have fun with it and hype your team up. You’ll play better if everyone’s feeling pumped!

Diamond: What were your initial expectations for this THL season?
SwashMrglr: Not too much. Wanted to just throw myself out there and learn more about Wild and about the folks in THL. The only veterans of THL on Grimscale Gang are Mattyebs and (sort of) myself. Risa, YoDaddy and WhiteDelight have all really impressed me with their knowledge and drive despite being new to THL. I’ve really appreciated their work!

Diamond: What do you think of the wild series as a whole?
SwashMrglr: I think it’s pretty cool! I like having open lists and the variety in deck choice (lookin’ at you, WhiteDelight’s Galakrond Reno Shaman) is nice to see as a break from what you’d see on ladder. I’m not a Wild expert but from my limited perspective, it’s everything a Wild Series should be; highlighting some of the strongest lists at the player’s disposal with enough new ideas to keep people intrigued.

Diamond: What is the team discord like and the culture of the team?
SwashMrglr: I think having a fun Discord is really instrumental in setting the tone for your team. I took to naming channels after Gadgetzan-inspired ideas and places, like our general chat is #grimestreet, our players are given the role of @The Goons, things like that. It ties together the idea that we’re a unit, coming together to have fun first and foremost. If we’re not having fun, why are we here, you know? There’s a lot of cross-analysis of lineups and opponents, too. It has been a great joy of mine to get to know my teammates and celebrate their early successes. We’ve made a pretty big splash in the Blue Conference and the talent of the team combined with the emphasis on fun and comfort plays a huge part in that.

Diamond: What is your favourite Murloc?
SwashMrglr: That’s a tough one! Gun to my head, it’s gotta be Old Murk-Eye. Really brings out the essence of Murlocs in Hearthstone- you think you’re fighting these tiny, chintzy minions and suddenly you’ve been ganged up on and taken 12 charging damage- that’s crazy! It’s a super fun idea for a card and the old-school art will always bring me back to a simpler time in Hearthstone. No matter the changes to the game, Old Murk-Eye is an old favourite, and I doubt that will change anytime soon.


Diamond: What is a wild deck that you enjoy that you wish was more viable?
SwashMrglr: There’s a lot of those. I spend more time labbing dumb decks than I should really admit to, haha. I will say I’ve always been a sucker for Paladin, and the treatment they’ve gotten in the Highlander department is a big shame. So I suppose I’m waiting for the day that a solid Reno Paladin emerges to break the meta!

Diamond: Who do you think your biggest competition is this season?
SwashMrglr: Uhhh, whoever’s first in Blue Conference? Call it unprofessional, but I don’t take Wild Series as competition in anything more than a friendly sense. My vision is merely to expand people’s knowledge and love of the game. If I can make my team appreciate Hearthstone a little more by the end of a season, well, that’s all I can reasonably ask to achieve.

Diamond: Do you prefer wild or standard and can you explain why?
SwashMrglr: Definitely Wild! Maybe that’s self-evident due to my somewhat lax approach to the game, but the creative ceiling for Wild will never cease to amaze me. There’s just a certain charm to walking into a game and seeing crazy decks - crazy power level, crazy card choices, it’s all incredibly fun. It’s always a welcome thing to see cards that never worked in their Standard rotation- like Spawn of Shadows for instance- become real powerhouses once they rotate to Wild and find homes in completely new decks. That’s what Hearthstone is about to me- the sheer whimsy and tinkering potential will always keep me coming back.

Thank you, Swash for taking the time out of your week for this interview. This is the end of the regular season captain interviews. Thank you, everyone, for reading them and thank you for everyone I have interviewed this season, it is always a pleasure.