Interview by monk

Artosis started off week two of ESGN Fight Nights with a bang. After barely losing in a 2-3 loss against Kripp in week one, Artosis redeemed himself by taking out Trump in a close 3-2 comeback victory, We took a bit of time to sit down with Artosis to talk about those games, the perception of his team, and his return as a player.

monk: First, congrats on your win against trump in a comeback 3-2 victory. but before we get into that, let's back up a bit and talk about your games from the last series against Kripp in a Blizzcon Innkeppers Invitational rematch. Those games came down to the wire till that epic last game when his Ragnaros hit optimal targets four times in a row. What was going through your mind during that final game and how badly did you want to draw equality?
Oh god, that rag.....It was pretty painful to watch the rag hit over and over and over on the right targets, especially after my frustration with the top-decked Argent Commander vs my next turn kill in the Mage game. I felt like I had no control and no chance unless I drew Equality, and I was right. Oh well, sometimes that's just how it goes down

Well then, let's talk about a series you'd like probably want to remember more. Against Trump in series 2, his Mage took an early lead with a 2-0 against your first two decks. How worried were you at that point and were you confident that your Frozen Giants Mage could take the series back?
I've always felt really strong with Frozen Giants, and I felt, surprisingly, pretty confident that I could come back and beat all 3 of his decks with it. We had put in the super-tech card Archmage Antonidas to help vs all the life-gain stuff we expected to see, so I felt that as long as I played my absolute best, I could take him out.

Some people both on TL and on Reddit have called you the top deck king. It seemed that in many of the games both at Blizzcon and in this tournament, you either won from a top deck or lost to a top deck. How fair of an assessment do you think that is and how much do you think RNG plays into this game?
I think that's a ridiculous and unfair statement. There is always luck on both sides, and I'd definitely say my opponents at the Fight Nights were in general more lucky than me. Top decked Argent, Frost Bolt, 4/4 perfect Rag hits all ended games that I should have won. An ignorant statement at best.

Doge House has gotten a lot of flak lately, especially on reddit, for being overly confident and even arrogant. Can you address these comments? Do you think Doge House was too confident going into the matches? Or do you think that it's necessary to go into a match with that kind of mentality?
Hahahha, people need to things less seriously. Yes, we are very confident, and yes even a little arrogant. There's nothing wrong with that. It's all in good fun. I think it's a good thing to go into a match confident about your skills and your chances, as long as you don't underestimate your opponent. Personally, I was confident I could come back and reverse all-kill both against Kripp and Trump. While I failed to do so against Kripp, I was still able to keep my cool in both matches and play well, despite being at a large deficit. Every single player who went to the Fight Nights at ESGN are good friends, and I'm quite sure that no one on LiquidValue really cared.

Nevertheless, do you enjoy the bad-boy, even Idra-esqe image?
Truth be told, Idra learned to act like that from me.

You started off in esports as a player, competing in Brood War events such as WCG USA qualifiers. However, throughout most of your known esports career, you've been known primarily as a caster. But with the advent of Hearthstone tournaments such as the Blizzcon Invitational and ESGN Fight Nights, you've been able to take the role of a player once again. How does that feel and which do you prefer more, being a caster or a player?
It's really fun to be able to play, and I'm quite enjoying competing again. I truly had such a great time at both events. That being said, I really do like being a caster as well. I like both more than the other in different situations. Not the best answer, I know haha...I guess best I can say is, I will definitely not stop being a caster, but I will always try to compete in games as well. Casting is my top priority though.

Alright, I know you're a busy man so I won't hold you for any longer. Any shoutouts or sponsor plugs?
Haha thanks, it's my daughter's birthday, so I have lots to do :D she just turned 2. Happy Birthday Aria! Also cheers to my sponsors Tt eSports, and iBUYPOWER. Big thanks to the rest of my team, DogeHouse, for helping me keep up with everything! Also, check out IHEARTHU.com, great Hearthstone site! And thanks to monk for the nice interview^.^!