THL Masters Interview series - RonMexico

Welcome to a new THL interview series focusing on THL members who have qualified for the upcoming Hearthstone Master's Tour event.  Today, Diamond interviews Amber Flight Gaming's RonMexico.

Hello THL,
Diamond here and I have a brand new interview series! This series is focused on THL members who have qualified for Masters Tours. My first guest for this interview series is a man known for many things including being on almost every THL show and always going face, RonMexico!

Diamond: What was the idea behind your lineups for getting the four top 8s?  

RonMexico: Generally what worked for me was going with decks I had a solid amount of reps on that were strong in the meta. Libram Paladin was insane and was a constant in all of my lineups, even across metas. I played a fair bit on the Asia server as well, where I had a more limited collection. It prompted more aggressive strategies, which wound up paying off.

Diamond: Do you do anything to prepare for open cups outside of Hearthstone?

RonMexico: Haha, not really. I just played a bunch of Hearthstone. I would like to say that I follow my own advice and made sure I got some good sleep in advance of playing in cups, but I often stayed up too late and went into the first cups of the day sleepy. Not the best plan.

Diamond: Which of your top 8s was the easiest and which was your most difficult?

RonMexico: Funny enough, the top 8 I found the easiest was the first top 8 of the season that I got, qualifier #46. It took place in a meta I was the most familiar with, and the lineup of Libram Paladin/Whirlkick Rogue/Enrage Warrior just felt very solid and winnable against almost everything. The most difficult was certainly the final one I played, qualifier #105, which I think primarily had everything to do with the mental pressure of it being the clincher that would get me to Orgrimmar.

Diamond: What was the feeling of getting that final top 8?

RonMexico: Oh man, I was (still am?) overwhelmed that I had finally done it. I’ve been on and off trying, with various levels of effort, to make it to Master’s Tour ever since Master’s Tour Las Vegas, which I narrowly missed. Finally breaking through and getting a shot at the big time means so much to me, and to do it the hard way with 4 top 8’s was very gratifying.

Diamond: How are you feeling about the upcoming Master’s Tour?

RonMexico: I’m really excited about it, and also happy that I won’t have to worry about the turn 2 Deck of Lunacy. I’m still getting a feel for the current meta, but I like the direction the game is going, and I’m feeling confident about my ability to navigate through a field of strong competitors and do well.

Diamond: You recently have been picked up by the organization Amber Flight Gaming. Is there any additional pressure going into the Master’s Tour representing an org?

RonMexico: Oh of course! But I wouldn’t have it any other way! I’m so thrilled to be representing Amber Flight Gaming at Master’s Tour and the added pressure just amplifies the focus and preparation going into the event. I’m looking forward to making my new team proud!

Diamond: Any advice for other members of the community on how to start participating in open cups?
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RonMexico: Get some sleep. Seriously, I had a hard time following my own advice but the difference in my play was noticeable when I was rested compared to when I wasn’t. Test out what you’re comfortable with, develop a strategy that works with your strengths, identify a possible popular lineup the field brings and find a way to have counters for it. There are multiple ways you can increase your chances of success. However, I truly believe that the #1 most important thing is being on top of your mental game. That means to make sure you’re well-rested! I’m 100% talking to myself on this one too, by the way.

Thank you for letting me interview you, Ron, it was truly a pleasure. If you want to see more from Ron you can find him on Twitter and you can catch him streaming on Twitch!