Will “Modernleper” Bindloss is a longtime Hearthstone player who’s been on the scene since the beta days. He’s the most recent addition to Team ManaLight, the UK’s newest esports organization. Bindloss transferred from Greek Team REG in early October of this year, and brought with him the skills that allowed him to place 3rd-4th at DreamHack Cluj. His other notable performances were when he took 1st place at the DingIt Hearthstone Invitational 1, and the second DingIt invitational that took place a week later. I caught up with Modernleper a few days after DH Cluj, and asked him some questions via email about all things Hearthstone.
You recently joined UK based Team ManaLight after a long stint on Greek team Razor’s Edge Gaming. What are your thoughts on the transfer so far?
“ManaLight has been fantastic. In terms of support for its players it’s one of the best teams out there. It also helps a lot that I was already good friends with my teammates before joining the team, so the transition was easy.”
The new expansion has been around long enough for us to know what works, and what doesn’t. How do you feel about the TGT expansion?
“Overall TGT is a weak set. When you compare it to the adventures, or to GvG, the average card quality is just a big step down. Weak sets don’t have to be a bad thing – after all, they fight power creep and lower the burden for new players to be competitive in the game – but it’s disappointing from a pro perspective to see such a small impact on the metagame from such a large amount of new cards. Obviously, there has been some change, with Druid and Paladin receiving the best new tools. But for the rest, the new options are so minor in relevance it’s as if nothing really changed. Rogue, for example, got absolutely nothing from TGT.”
The dust has settled on Blizzard’s newest, and some would say most controversial nerf to Warsong Commander. What is your take on the high-level EU ladder meta since the Patron nerf?
“I didn’t actually get legend on either server last season, since with the absence of WCS points to be earned from ladder there isn’t an awful lot to play for. I can speculate that in the absence of Patron, Secret Paladin gets a lot stronger, and Handlock gets significantly weaker. For me though, Aggro Druid is absolutely the best deck in the game right now, as it just has the capacity to do broken things that the current meta cannot adequately deal with.”
Speaking of nerfing things, if you could change any card what would it be, and why?
“I’d probably make Piloted Shredder a 4/2. That card is so unbelievably oppressive on the 4-drop slot, because if Blizzard releases something even close to its power level we just get into the realms of crazy power creep.”
Recently, Blizzard has finally innovated a possible new format for the PvE side of Hearthstone, in the form of the Mechazod Tavern Brawl. What did you think about the Brawl, and the impact it might have on future expansions?
“It’s a fun change, but this is probably just an example of a great Tavern Brawl, rather than a precursor to anything new. Brawl was created to shake things up, and in as interesting a way as possible, but I can’t see this idea translating to a more competitive environment.”
You were on Team REG for almost a year, and had much success while you were a part of their organization. What is your most memorable moment from Team REG?
“I’m really grateful to REG for all the support they provided me. Probably my best achievement under their banner was qualifying for the ESL Legendary Series, which meant making the finals of a really competitive open tournament on NA, and competing in that on a 20,000 viewer stream. Sadly I didn’t make the LAN finals, but it was nice to show my REG colours to an audience that big!”
Your tournament results are impressive, and often you face seasoned vets of Hearthstone that would send most players to an early consession. Who has challenged you the most in your professional career?
“As you’ll know, Hearthstone is a game where anyone can beat anyone. I don’t stress particularly about my opponents, as I know the only thing that’s in my power is to focus on playing as well I can. As for memorable opponents, my games vs SuperJJ and Ekop at DH Cluj just recently were all really tough. Ekop I actually encountered twice, getting 3-0 swept the first time and narrowly winning 3-2 in the rematch. Versus SuperJJ I had to come back from an 0-2 deficit to win the series 3-2, so that was about as stressful as a match can get.”
What are your hobbies outside of Hearthstone? Do you have any other games you enjoy, or are looking forward to in 2016?
“I’ve been playing some League of Legends recently. I’m an absolute trash Silver 1 Jungler, but it’s still nice to play a game where there is still infinite scope for your own improvement. As for real life hobbies, there’s not an awful lot. I play guitar, which is I suppose a little bit interesting. Other than that, the usual stuff – I like seeing new places, going out with friends etc.”
You participated in Dreamhack Cluj recently, and made it to the semi-finals with an impressive 3rd-4th place finish. Do you feel you could have done anything differently in order to win the tournament?
“I’m actually really happy with my play for that tournament. A lot of games were decided on really small margins, for which I think I made the right calls most of the time. Vs Faeli there may have been a couple of missteps in the Druid vs Handlock game, but I don’t think there was anything that would have swung the result in my favour.”
The BlizzCon finals are just around the corner, and all competitors look to be ontop of their game. Who is your favorite to win BlizzCon, and become the next champion? *Writer’s note: Interview was conducted before BlizzCon results.*
“It’s got to be Ostkaka. No one deserves to be there more than him, and he has to be one of the most consistent players out there. Not only does he play well, he also prepares for events meticulously, and more often than not makes the right decisions when it comes to which decks he brings.”
Do you have any shoutouts?
“Shoutout to my teammate Impact, because I pretty much stole his decks for DH Cluj. Would also like to shoutout Cursed (currently teamless) and London Conspiracy’s Crane_333 for helping Impact in the development of those decks. Otherwise, thanks to everyone at ManaLight for giving me so many opportunities – I’ll try to keep repaying you with good results!”
Be sure to keep up with Modernleper on the ManaLight site, as well as his Twitch, and Twitter!
