This is an intimate and candid interview pertaining to all things Hunnybuns -- No such thing as tl;dr in this thread. Enjoy!
What or whom got you into twinking?
I started my adventure in World of Warcraft when I was 8 years old. My neighborhood buddies all bought the game and I tagged along. My one friend in particular Dan who played the 19 Blood Elf Hunter Scar got me involved in twinking, and helped me get my feet wet in my home guild Laughing Skull FTW on Vindication.
What class did you make your name with?
I am a man of many faces. To some I am Hunnybuns, the 19 frost mage that clicked his bandages in Cata. To some I am Fearthebuns, the 20 Night Elf Warrior forever guarding the proud realm of Ursin. To some I am Shamcock versus the World, Shamcock for President! To some I am HB, the proud leader of Against the World, always underestimated, always hungry. To a select few individuals I am a "Cheezel Cunt". One man calls me the son of Mark Hamil. Pick your alias of preference, I tend to go by HB.
Are you afraid of spiders?
I fucking hate bugs. I am scared of the ones that fly, but If they are under my feet within 8 yards, I will pump them with my strong tauren warstomp! FOR THE HORDE!
Guild resume. Favorite guild all time?
I sat here thinking how lame it would be of me to not pick a favorite guild, but at the end of the day my progression through guilds/friends groups were all different chapters in my twinking experience and have shaped the person that I am today, the person I strive to be tomorrow. Laughing Skull FTW taught me the importance of family, friendship, and character. Against the World taught me the most important lesson in my career, always stay Hungry, believe in yourself when everyone else has counted you out. The Ursinites taught me the importance of understanding player movement, map control, and the poise of always being the underdog. HARVEST has many more chapters to unravel before we the readers can reflect on the entire story, the most important chapter it has shared so far is this; If you build it, they will come. Playing with friends is the most important part of my Twinking experience thus far, I would be no where without the people that I surround myself with.
What is your favorite class? Why?
For Warlords of Draenor, Druid. For overall World of Warcraft career, Mage.
What is you favorite race? Why?
Night Elf Male. Straight Gangster Baller Status.
Where do you stand on V-Neck T's? Is there too deep?
Well I normally don't intentionally want to get them dirty, so I normally hang them up or wear them just like every other normal human being i suppose. I own one V-neck and I am too much of a bitch to wear it most of the time, my nipples feel exposed.
What is your S key bound to at this very moment?
Move Backward. You trying to start something here bro?!
<HARVEST> and how it began? You Don't See Back In Vaniller?
<You See Back in Vaniller> is the same cast as <HARVEST>, just changed the name. <HARVEST> was originally formed for our 29 guild to farm <Departure Lounge> and a few other individuals that constantly mouthed off at 29 while 19s were dormant over the winter. We love the name, carried it over to 19s. Our members are a mix of players from Against the World, The Ursinites, and a few others we have met along the way.
Whos your fav 5 to que up with?
I love queuing with any of my teammates in HARVEST. To some this might sound like a cheeky scapegoat of an answer, but in reality this is the truth. This is why our guild is highly selective on the players we invite, I play with people that I want to surround myself with. No real favorites, different people offer different things. All about variety!
Fofington & Hojington. I see what you guys did there.
Only real men are ballsy enough to roll Male Blood Elf Melee. Everyone and there Female Blood Elf fetish... so much hate!
Whats your jean? Skinny? Slimmy? Boot cut?
Boot cut blue jeans is usually how I roll. I like the package to definetly be secure, just don't want it to be strangled by my clothing attire!
How is the Twink Cup going to unfold? Be raw.
If you would have asked me this question one month ago my opinion would be much more confident in the overall production of the Twink Cup. This year in particular, there has been a huge disconnect between the leaders that play the bracket everyday and Myrm. This is not meant to point fingers for blame, this is meant to call a spade a spade, and make better decisions going forward as we still have 2 months before the tournament. This year the Twink Cup thread was announced much earlier than it was the first year, and initially I thought the tournament would be more organized going into this Summer.
I would say from the community standpoint, there is no doubt that the advertisement/publicity this year has been way more effective. The limited/minimal communication between the bracket leaders and Myrm outside of the occasional 1-2 week repsonse back on Twinkinfo has hindered the progression of finalizing the finer details going into Twink Cup. As a suggestion for next year, or better yet the 2 months before the beginning of the Twink Cup, I would find it to be extremely beneficial to establish 3-4 bracket leaders alongside Myrm to act as a council to act on decisions that need to be addressed before the tournament arises.
Their is a massive disconnect between what happens on an every day basis of the bracket, and what the expectations are for the tournament. I think as of now there will be some dissapointments not only from a production standpoint of the Twink Cup, but as well as management issues come the weekend of the tournament. I don't know how Myrm plans to run this year's show all by himself, he has got to open up and let some community leaders help him through the course of the next 2 months. This year's tournament is going to be alot bigger than last year, I just don't feel as a consensus as a community we have taken the necessary steps to insure a smooth tournament.
From a team gameplay perspective, HARVEST, Skill Ratio, or partys over will win the Twink Cup. In my mind there are three tiers of guilds, Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, from strongest to weakest. In no specific order... Tier 3 Teams; Got Juked Off Roof (Depending if they Play), Hub (Depending if they Play), Ugly Girls Get Tap Water (Depending if they Play), Google Me, Illustrious, MYT (Depending if they play), Paradox Genesis (Depending if they play), Waka Flaka Seagulls, Laughing Skull FTW (Depending if they play) Muskie's Team. Tier 2 Teams; jesus christ marie, Gilneas Skydiving Crew, Twenty Was Too Hard (Depending if they play). Tier 1 Teams; HARVEST, Skill Ratio, partys over. There will not be a whole lot of surprises in the Twink Cup. You will never see a Tier 3 Team win a series over a Tier 1 Team through the entire course of the tournament. A Tier 3 Team could beat a Tier 2 Team in a series, and a Tier 2 Team could beat a Tier 1 Team in a series.
You agree with the class restrictions for the Cup?
From the Warsong Perspective I agree with the restrictions that are put in place. Ferals need to be banned from arenas at this point. Speaking about the Arena portion of the Tournament, rather than having teams select the most flavor comps they can imagine to land kills without CC in globals, would be interesting if every team was required to run the exact same comp, something on the lines of RMP. I would also strongly advise since the focus of the tournament is geared towards Warsong Gulch, the final arena rankings of where teams place should solely decide on the seeding of teams going into the Warsong Gulch portion of the tournament, but should not be the determining factor for teams winning or losing a series in Warsong Gulch, as the arenas have little to no correlation with how a team plays in the Gulch.
Can you touch rim? You got ups?
If I can make it up and down my stairs without using an inhaler, it is a good day for me. Haven't considered jumping in my life.
Gimme a top 3 tracks listened to for the past month?
Dirt Off Your Shoulder - Jay Z, Michael Jackson Megamix, One Man Can Change The World - Big Sean Kanye West John Legend.
19s or end game?
19s. Got to be the best on your home turf.
Would doing more end game expand your audience?
At this current point and time, probably not. WoW is literally dogshit outside of 19 twinks, and I would not enjoy playing endgame all that much aside from RBGs, which is not a heavily viewed Twitch venue anyways (minus tournaments). You grow your audience by having a genuine stream where people buy into your love of whatever you may be streaming.
Your stream is about to set it off, in this bitch Jada Pinkett!?
I have put in an inordinate amount of work into my stream for the past year and a half. It is great that the stream has it's own community/following at this point. Streaming not only makes me feel better on a personal level, but on a community level as well by showing the internet world the 19 Twink Bracket. I love sharing my World of Warcraft experience with others that have a similar mindset, I have met a lot of really cool people directly through the stream, and have had the support of the 19 community. I am looking to continue streaming as often as possible, I have a blast casting live! Cheers to everyone that continues to support the stream!
What cell phone you runnin?
Samsung Galaxy 5 Active, the waterproof one with massive case on it, I get rowdy sometimes.
GG 19's? Give us the run down on what it is, you're involvement and what's in store?
GG Nineteen is a project run by Conq and other bracket leaders to help gear players interested in joining the community. GG Nineteen gives you a free funded Twink on Bleeding Hollow Horde or Alliance as long as you fill out a respectable application. The goal of the project is to put players in a position to succeed on their new best in slot twinks. The project goes as far as offering player advise, coaching, and will answer questions you have about the bracket. Conq has done an exceptional job at leading the project on Twinkinfo.com and deserves the large amount of the credit for this project. Also thanks to the many donators that help fund our applicants with gear/gold donations! We plan on having GG Nineteen be a sustainable project going into the future!
Podcast with Yoube. Super cool thing you guys got goin on!
We are coming up on our 100th episode of 15 Minutes with HB, also nearing the 2 year anniversary of the cast! Yoube is the man, one of my great friends that I love to talk to and get the honor to talk with on a weekly basis. The guy deserves all the credit in the world for expanding the Twinking Audience, but he is one of the most unrecognized heroes in the entire bracket. Talk about a guy with a vision that has such a huge impact off the field!
Outside the gulch, when you get greasy whats the favorite? Wendys?
I go through phases, believe it or not currently the Wendy's phase is in style right now, french fries and a frosty; what else could you ask for in life?
Computer setup for the gadget and gizmo ppl...
I am literally the dumbest person when it comes to anything remotely involving the function and or usage of any form of technology :/ I have no idea what kind of toaster of a laptop I play on and I don't plan on turning it over anytime soon to tell you guys.
How do you feel the "community" is doing as of right now?
For the past 6 months, the 19s community has impressed me on a large scale. We have done a great job promoting the Twink Cup, integrating newer players into the bracket, multiple active guilds looking to premade and improve their rosters. The 19 community is what keeps me playing WoW, we are surrounded by a great cast of people.
You enjoy a faction over the other? Aside from balancing the force...
Completely depends on what class I am playing. Night Elf is the swag race, Worgen Sprint on Druid is great, racials on horde overall are better :/ I am conflicted on this.
Who do you look up to in this bracket, at this very moment?
I idolize two players in the 19 community, Nicozy and Pizza.
I got to meet Nicozy through Bisnation.net, and his involvement on the site and on our cast 15 Minutes with HB. The details of this story to me is the most important, at this point the only other person that knows the background story besides myself is Yoube. Nicozy was part of the original EU wave that came over during the beginning of Mists of Pandaria with Tough Love, for those of you guys that were around for that time on the forums remember the massive US vs EU rivalry and forum drama the insued within the community. I knew Nicozy was an outstanding shaman, but outside of his gameplay, all I knew of him was his involvement on the EU vs US forum drama and his gang of Tough Love brethren taking on the entire US community.
Nicozy approached myself and Yoube with a genuine interest in helping us kick off our podcast and coming in as another voice for commentary and assisting with the site. Yoube said I had the final call on whether or not I wanted Nicozy to be a part of the staff, I took a leap of faith in what seemed to be a charismatic forum personality, an outstanding player, and a genuine desire to help grow our podcast/site content. Was one of the best decisions I have made in my World of Warcraft career. Nicozy has been the most influential player in helping me continue to grow as a player, our time spent playing free to play Warsong Gulch for hours on end molded me into the Druid Flag Carrier I am today.
Nicozy is one of the only players I have met to this day that genuinely shares the exact same mindset that I hold myself to, always looking for ways to improve. Whether it be spell mechanics, player positioning, situational awareness, or the importance of understanding objective/map control, Nicozy has helped push me to become the player that I am today. On top of that Nicozy is one of my good friends in and outside of the Gulch. Similiar to my initial opinion of Nic before he joined the site, Nicozy gets a bad reputation for being a negative player, whether it be his past forum involvements, or simply his personality rubbing players the wrong way. I truley believe Nicozy is a great individual for players to aspire to be, and anyone who takes the time to get to know Nicozy outside of the Gulch would understand what great qualities he has to offer as not only a teammate, but as a friend. Shoutout to the Swedish Superstar.
Pizza on the other hand is a completely different story. Throughout the entire expansion of Cataclysm and the majority of Mists of Pandaria, I despised Pizza. Absolutely hated him. I have told him this story before. The way he conducted his guild, farming the Alliance for the entire expansion of Cataclysm, always queueing the strongest 5 man class comps in Warsong Gulch to obliterate the opposing team, and the inordinate amount of forum drama that followed his guild for the way they chose to handle themselves. At the time, I could not rationalize his actions and the way he conducted his guild. Pizza to me was the guy I loved to hate, and I feel the majority of the bracket at that time felt a similar way.
I made a vow to myself that one day I would lead a team capable to beat Pizza in a premade. Many people had that similar mindset, but gave up, failed in the process, or fell apart after losing in a premade series to his guild. I refused to give up like those that fell before me. That is the one characteristic that I am extremely proud of myself to this day that Pizza's reign over the 19 bracket burned into my personality. The will to believe in yourself and the team you surround yourself with, never give up on yourself. If you believe in yourself, and can look yourself in the mirror in the morning and tell yourself "I have put in the work to have success", then you will find success. I was finally able to achieve that goal leading Against the World in our win over Pizza's team in Mists of Pandaria. It was not until a long time down the road when I was talking on a podcast with Yoube that I realized that the player I had come to hate for such a long period of time was the sole inspiration for me becoming the leader I am today.
If it were not for the way Pizza carried his guild in Cataclysm/MoP dominating teams claiming to be the best, I would have never had the inspiration or the true desire to push myself to compete at the level that Pizza leads his team. I want to take this thought a step farther by saying from a retrospective point of view, I am extremely happy that Pizza's guild farmed the entire Alliance for Cataclysm as it has shaped the way the bracket is today. Those who were strong enough to continue playing in the bracket today, those that were not capable of competeing left the bracket many expansions ago. As of now, I would go as far to consider Pizza as a friend/mentor of mine, an irreplaceable member of the community that has shaped the bracket for the better, and the most notorious premade leader of the 19 bracket. You inspire me to compete at an elite level and have helped shape me into the person I am today.
If Pizza asked you to join his guild, right at this very second, would you?
If I played in Pizza's Guild on his premade team, there would be no team in the bracket that would ever compete against us. You are talking about the two hungriest players in the bracket that are always looking for ways to improve in every aspect of the game, perfecting the actions of not only ourselves, but everyone else around us. I am the only leader in the bracket that is capable to combat and beat Pizza in Warsong Gulch.
My teammates and good friends in HARVEST inspire me to continue playing this game. They are not only my great friends, they are all outstanding players that share my similar mindset always seeking to improve. As long as they are at my side and support what I am doing, I would never leave their side. With all that said, up to this point I have never been motivated to jump ship and join his guild as there would be no one left in the bracket that would be capable of leading a team with enough synergy/composure to beat our combined force. I understand my importance in the bracket for being the leader of the opposition. #HARVEST #ATW
Who is the guild you think has the strongest presnce in the bracket?
No Bean Zone
List your top 10 twinks you see that shine brighter then most!
Myself, Pizza, Nicozy, Kunz, Saxxon, Arkant, Slique, Ezeron, Blurz, Undercover, Grizzlefoot.
We're about to rap things up. This has been my pleasure and I appreciate the time you have taken to participate in this project. I know you got shout outs, hollas, etc.
Shoutout to Oakland... Shoutout to my Teammates...Shoutout to my real Africans... Nah but for real, love for all my boys in HARVEST, love for Skill Ratio, love for my boys at Bisnation, love to everyone who supports the stream, love to the entire 19 community. You guys have all been a huge part of my life, for good or for worse, and it is the 19 Twink Community that holds me down.
What or whom got you into twinking?
I started my adventure in World of Warcraft when I was 8 years old. My neighborhood buddies all bought the game and I tagged along. My one friend in particular Dan who played the 19 Blood Elf Hunter Scar got me involved in twinking, and helped me get my feet wet in my home guild Laughing Skull FTW on Vindication.
What class did you make your name with?
I am a man of many faces. To some I am Hunnybuns, the 19 frost mage that clicked his bandages in Cata. To some I am Fearthebuns, the 20 Night Elf Warrior forever guarding the proud realm of Ursin. To some I am Shamcock versus the World, Shamcock for President! To some I am HB, the proud leader of Against the World, always underestimated, always hungry. To a select few individuals I am a "Cheezel Cunt". One man calls me the son of Mark Hamil. Pick your alias of preference, I tend to go by HB.
Are you afraid of spiders?
I fucking hate bugs. I am scared of the ones that fly, but If they are under my feet within 8 yards, I will pump them with my strong tauren warstomp! FOR THE HORDE!
Guild resume. Favorite guild all time?
I sat here thinking how lame it would be of me to not pick a favorite guild, but at the end of the day my progression through guilds/friends groups were all different chapters in my twinking experience and have shaped the person that I am today, the person I strive to be tomorrow. Laughing Skull FTW taught me the importance of family, friendship, and character. Against the World taught me the most important lesson in my career, always stay Hungry, believe in yourself when everyone else has counted you out. The Ursinites taught me the importance of understanding player movement, map control, and the poise of always being the underdog. HARVEST has many more chapters to unravel before we the readers can reflect on the entire story, the most important chapter it has shared so far is this; If you build it, they will come. Playing with friends is the most important part of my Twinking experience thus far, I would be no where without the people that I surround myself with.
What is your favorite class? Why?
For Warlords of Draenor, Druid. For overall World of Warcraft career, Mage.
What is you favorite race? Why?
Night Elf Male. Straight Gangster Baller Status.
Where do you stand on V-Neck T's? Is there too deep?
Well I normally don't intentionally want to get them dirty, so I normally hang them up or wear them just like every other normal human being i suppose. I own one V-neck and I am too much of a bitch to wear it most of the time, my nipples feel exposed.
What is your S key bound to at this very moment?
Move Backward. You trying to start something here bro?!
<HARVEST> and how it began? You Don't See Back In Vaniller?
<You See Back in Vaniller> is the same cast as <HARVEST>, just changed the name. <HARVEST> was originally formed for our 29 guild to farm <Departure Lounge> and a few other individuals that constantly mouthed off at 29 while 19s were dormant over the winter. We love the name, carried it over to 19s. Our members are a mix of players from Against the World, The Ursinites, and a few others we have met along the way.
Whos your fav 5 to que up with?
I love queuing with any of my teammates in HARVEST. To some this might sound like a cheeky scapegoat of an answer, but in reality this is the truth. This is why our guild is highly selective on the players we invite, I play with people that I want to surround myself with. No real favorites, different people offer different things. All about variety!
Fofington & Hojington. I see what you guys did there.
Only real men are ballsy enough to roll Male Blood Elf Melee. Everyone and there Female Blood Elf fetish... so much hate!
Whats your jean? Skinny? Slimmy? Boot cut?
Boot cut blue jeans is usually how I roll. I like the package to definetly be secure, just don't want it to be strangled by my clothing attire!
How is the Twink Cup going to unfold? Be raw.
If you would have asked me this question one month ago my opinion would be much more confident in the overall production of the Twink Cup. This year in particular, there has been a huge disconnect between the leaders that play the bracket everyday and Myrm. This is not meant to point fingers for blame, this is meant to call a spade a spade, and make better decisions going forward as we still have 2 months before the tournament. This year the Twink Cup thread was announced much earlier than it was the first year, and initially I thought the tournament would be more organized going into this Summer.
I would say from the community standpoint, there is no doubt that the advertisement/publicity this year has been way more effective. The limited/minimal communication between the bracket leaders and Myrm outside of the occasional 1-2 week repsonse back on Twinkinfo has hindered the progression of finalizing the finer details going into Twink Cup. As a suggestion for next year, or better yet the 2 months before the beginning of the Twink Cup, I would find it to be extremely beneficial to establish 3-4 bracket leaders alongside Myrm to act as a council to act on decisions that need to be addressed before the tournament arises.
Their is a massive disconnect between what happens on an every day basis of the bracket, and what the expectations are for the tournament. I think as of now there will be some dissapointments not only from a production standpoint of the Twink Cup, but as well as management issues come the weekend of the tournament. I don't know how Myrm plans to run this year's show all by himself, he has got to open up and let some community leaders help him through the course of the next 2 months. This year's tournament is going to be alot bigger than last year, I just don't feel as a consensus as a community we have taken the necessary steps to insure a smooth tournament.
From a team gameplay perspective, HARVEST, Skill Ratio, or partys over will win the Twink Cup. In my mind there are three tiers of guilds, Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, from strongest to weakest. In no specific order... Tier 3 Teams; Got Juked Off Roof (Depending if they Play), Hub (Depending if they Play), Ugly Girls Get Tap Water (Depending if they Play), Google Me, Illustrious, MYT (Depending if they play), Paradox Genesis (Depending if they play), Waka Flaka Seagulls, Laughing Skull FTW (Depending if they play) Muskie's Team. Tier 2 Teams; jesus christ marie, Gilneas Skydiving Crew, Twenty Was Too Hard (Depending if they play). Tier 1 Teams; HARVEST, Skill Ratio, partys over. There will not be a whole lot of surprises in the Twink Cup. You will never see a Tier 3 Team win a series over a Tier 1 Team through the entire course of the tournament. A Tier 3 Team could beat a Tier 2 Team in a series, and a Tier 2 Team could beat a Tier 1 Team in a series.
You agree with the class restrictions for the Cup?
From the Warsong Perspective I agree with the restrictions that are put in place. Ferals need to be banned from arenas at this point. Speaking about the Arena portion of the Tournament, rather than having teams select the most flavor comps they can imagine to land kills without CC in globals, would be interesting if every team was required to run the exact same comp, something on the lines of RMP. I would also strongly advise since the focus of the tournament is geared towards Warsong Gulch, the final arena rankings of where teams place should solely decide on the seeding of teams going into the Warsong Gulch portion of the tournament, but should not be the determining factor for teams winning or losing a series in Warsong Gulch, as the arenas have little to no correlation with how a team plays in the Gulch.
Can you touch rim? You got ups?
If I can make it up and down my stairs without using an inhaler, it is a good day for me. Haven't considered jumping in my life.
Gimme a top 3 tracks listened to for the past month?
Dirt Off Your Shoulder - Jay Z, Michael Jackson Megamix, One Man Can Change The World - Big Sean Kanye West John Legend.
19s or end game?
19s. Got to be the best on your home turf.
Would doing more end game expand your audience?
At this current point and time, probably not. WoW is literally dogshit outside of 19 twinks, and I would not enjoy playing endgame all that much aside from RBGs, which is not a heavily viewed Twitch venue anyways (minus tournaments). You grow your audience by having a genuine stream where people buy into your love of whatever you may be streaming.
Your stream is about to set it off, in this bitch Jada Pinkett!?
I have put in an inordinate amount of work into my stream for the past year and a half. It is great that the stream has it's own community/following at this point. Streaming not only makes me feel better on a personal level, but on a community level as well by showing the internet world the 19 Twink Bracket. I love sharing my World of Warcraft experience with others that have a similar mindset, I have met a lot of really cool people directly through the stream, and have had the support of the 19 community. I am looking to continue streaming as often as possible, I have a blast casting live! Cheers to everyone that continues to support the stream!
What cell phone you runnin?
Samsung Galaxy 5 Active, the waterproof one with massive case on it, I get rowdy sometimes.
GG 19's? Give us the run down on what it is, you're involvement and what's in store?
GG Nineteen is a project run by Conq and other bracket leaders to help gear players interested in joining the community. GG Nineteen gives you a free funded Twink on Bleeding Hollow Horde or Alliance as long as you fill out a respectable application. The goal of the project is to put players in a position to succeed on their new best in slot twinks. The project goes as far as offering player advise, coaching, and will answer questions you have about the bracket. Conq has done an exceptional job at leading the project on Twinkinfo.com and deserves the large amount of the credit for this project. Also thanks to the many donators that help fund our applicants with gear/gold donations! We plan on having GG Nineteen be a sustainable project going into the future!
Podcast with Yoube. Super cool thing you guys got goin on!
We are coming up on our 100th episode of 15 Minutes with HB, also nearing the 2 year anniversary of the cast! Yoube is the man, one of my great friends that I love to talk to and get the honor to talk with on a weekly basis. The guy deserves all the credit in the world for expanding the Twinking Audience, but he is one of the most unrecognized heroes in the entire bracket. Talk about a guy with a vision that has such a huge impact off the field!
Outside the gulch, when you get greasy whats the favorite? Wendys?
I go through phases, believe it or not currently the Wendy's phase is in style right now, french fries and a frosty; what else could you ask for in life?
Computer setup for the gadget and gizmo ppl...
I am literally the dumbest person when it comes to anything remotely involving the function and or usage of any form of technology :/ I have no idea what kind of toaster of a laptop I play on and I don't plan on turning it over anytime soon to tell you guys.
How do you feel the "community" is doing as of right now?
For the past 6 months, the 19s community has impressed me on a large scale. We have done a great job promoting the Twink Cup, integrating newer players into the bracket, multiple active guilds looking to premade and improve their rosters. The 19 community is what keeps me playing WoW, we are surrounded by a great cast of people.
You enjoy a faction over the other? Aside from balancing the force...
Completely depends on what class I am playing. Night Elf is the swag race, Worgen Sprint on Druid is great, racials on horde overall are better :/ I am conflicted on this.
Who do you look up to in this bracket, at this very moment?
I idolize two players in the 19 community, Nicozy and Pizza.
I got to meet Nicozy through Bisnation.net, and his involvement on the site and on our cast 15 Minutes with HB. The details of this story to me is the most important, at this point the only other person that knows the background story besides myself is Yoube. Nicozy was part of the original EU wave that came over during the beginning of Mists of Pandaria with Tough Love, for those of you guys that were around for that time on the forums remember the massive US vs EU rivalry and forum drama the insued within the community. I knew Nicozy was an outstanding shaman, but outside of his gameplay, all I knew of him was his involvement on the EU vs US forum drama and his gang of Tough Love brethren taking on the entire US community.
Nicozy approached myself and Yoube with a genuine interest in helping us kick off our podcast and coming in as another voice for commentary and assisting with the site. Yoube said I had the final call on whether or not I wanted Nicozy to be a part of the staff, I took a leap of faith in what seemed to be a charismatic forum personality, an outstanding player, and a genuine desire to help grow our podcast/site content. Was one of the best decisions I have made in my World of Warcraft career. Nicozy has been the most influential player in helping me continue to grow as a player, our time spent playing free to play Warsong Gulch for hours on end molded me into the Druid Flag Carrier I am today.
Nicozy is one of the only players I have met to this day that genuinely shares the exact same mindset that I hold myself to, always looking for ways to improve. Whether it be spell mechanics, player positioning, situational awareness, or the importance of understanding objective/map control, Nicozy has helped push me to become the player that I am today. On top of that Nicozy is one of my good friends in and outside of the Gulch. Similiar to my initial opinion of Nic before he joined the site, Nicozy gets a bad reputation for being a negative player, whether it be his past forum involvements, or simply his personality rubbing players the wrong way. I truley believe Nicozy is a great individual for players to aspire to be, and anyone who takes the time to get to know Nicozy outside of the Gulch would understand what great qualities he has to offer as not only a teammate, but as a friend. Shoutout to the Swedish Superstar.
Pizza on the other hand is a completely different story. Throughout the entire expansion of Cataclysm and the majority of Mists of Pandaria, I despised Pizza. Absolutely hated him. I have told him this story before. The way he conducted his guild, farming the Alliance for the entire expansion of Cataclysm, always queueing the strongest 5 man class comps in Warsong Gulch to obliterate the opposing team, and the inordinate amount of forum drama that followed his guild for the way they chose to handle themselves. At the time, I could not rationalize his actions and the way he conducted his guild. Pizza to me was the guy I loved to hate, and I feel the majority of the bracket at that time felt a similar way.
I made a vow to myself that one day I would lead a team capable to beat Pizza in a premade. Many people had that similar mindset, but gave up, failed in the process, or fell apart after losing in a premade series to his guild. I refused to give up like those that fell before me. That is the one characteristic that I am extremely proud of myself to this day that Pizza's reign over the 19 bracket burned into my personality. The will to believe in yourself and the team you surround yourself with, never give up on yourself. If you believe in yourself, and can look yourself in the mirror in the morning and tell yourself "I have put in the work to have success", then you will find success. I was finally able to achieve that goal leading Against the World in our win over Pizza's team in Mists of Pandaria. It was not until a long time down the road when I was talking on a podcast with Yoube that I realized that the player I had come to hate for such a long period of time was the sole inspiration for me becoming the leader I am today.
If it were not for the way Pizza carried his guild in Cataclysm/MoP dominating teams claiming to be the best, I would have never had the inspiration or the true desire to push myself to compete at the level that Pizza leads his team. I want to take this thought a step farther by saying from a retrospective point of view, I am extremely happy that Pizza's guild farmed the entire Alliance for Cataclysm as it has shaped the way the bracket is today. Those who were strong enough to continue playing in the bracket today, those that were not capable of competeing left the bracket many expansions ago. As of now, I would go as far to consider Pizza as a friend/mentor of mine, an irreplaceable member of the community that has shaped the bracket for the better, and the most notorious premade leader of the 19 bracket. You inspire me to compete at an elite level and have helped shape me into the person I am today.
If Pizza asked you to join his guild, right at this very second, would you?
If I played in Pizza's Guild on his premade team, there would be no team in the bracket that would ever compete against us. You are talking about the two hungriest players in the bracket that are always looking for ways to improve in every aspect of the game, perfecting the actions of not only ourselves, but everyone else around us. I am the only leader in the bracket that is capable to combat and beat Pizza in Warsong Gulch.
My teammates and good friends in HARVEST inspire me to continue playing this game. They are not only my great friends, they are all outstanding players that share my similar mindset always seeking to improve. As long as they are at my side and support what I am doing, I would never leave their side. With all that said, up to this point I have never been motivated to jump ship and join his guild as there would be no one left in the bracket that would be capable of leading a team with enough synergy/composure to beat our combined force. I understand my importance in the bracket for being the leader of the opposition. #HARVEST #ATW
Who is the guild you think has the strongest presnce in the bracket?
No Bean Zone
List your top 10 twinks you see that shine brighter then most!
Myself, Pizza, Nicozy, Kunz, Saxxon, Arkant, Slique, Ezeron, Blurz, Undercover, Grizzlefoot.
We're about to rap things up. This has been my pleasure and I appreciate the time you have taken to participate in this project. I know you got shout outs, hollas, etc.
Shoutout to Oakland... Shoutout to my Teammates...Shoutout to my real Africans... Nah but for real, love for all my boys in HARVEST, love for Skill Ratio, love for my boys at Bisnation, love to everyone who supports the stream, love to the entire 19 community. You guys have all been a huge part of my life, for good or for worse, and it is the 19 Twink Community that holds me down.
"Stripped of Color, Full of Passion"- HB 2015
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