Minh-Duc "DaPh" Pham is a veteran of the SEA Hearthstone scene. With a cup championship in the 2014 season, the Vietnamese returned last Saturday with a bang, winning GosuCup SEA #5. GosuGamers.net sat down for an interview with him.

DaPh's first GosuCup successes go as far as GosuCup 2014 #2 where he came first in the debut budget cup of the season. He also made it to the 2014 Grand Finals of the circuit, finishing top 16, losing to the eventual runner-up.

Now that DaPh is back in action and with another GosuCup championship on his shelf, GosuGamers sat down with him for a chat. Right off the bat, DaPh expresses his happiness about the general growth of the scene.
 

“With the new Conquest rule and Blizzcon points as prize, I think the Hearthstone competitive scene everywhere has developed significantly. It’s easier to attract players to your own tournament. In Vietnam, there have been two big tournaments so far which are Dr.Boom #1 and #2 which had approximately 150 players. Really appreciate the organisers and admins!

I’m not really sure about other countries, but there was a tournament between different teams from SEA countries in the past. It was really great.”


As the conversation continues into topics like DaPh's own professional career, the reigning champion says being a pro player is not on his agenda. Playing Hearthstone on the weekends is something he enjoys, and he's not even dreaming about going to BlizzCon. Currently a student, DaPh puts schoolwork and housework before everything else, which apparently doesn't stop him to be amazing at Hearthstone.

The two-times champion is also positive about Blackrock Mountaint, the recently release Hearthstone expansion. It's revitalized the game, he says, with dragons and Grim Patrons coming into the frey.

“BRM in my opinion is great! It brings freshness to Hearthstone gameplay. I have been testing different classes with Dragon tribes, some works out, some doesn’t, but in the end, it was good fun. However about the expansion itself with the Heroic Boss, it’s just sad that there are few bugs with the AI so the enjoyment when playing them is not fulfilled.

[...]

Midrange Rogue Dragon deck and Priest Dragon deck work very well I think, I dont see many players play it though. The Paladin Dragon theme deck seemed to be good at the beginning but because there are too many great cards and synergy in Paladin class, so I have trouble to fit them in a deck. In the end, the Warrior Grim Patron deck overshines them all. Big shoutout to the creators!”


Read the full interview over at GosuGamers.net. Also, don't forget to register for the upcoming GosuCup #6. Win it, and you will be on these pages too.