NCA Insider Spotlight interview: Wildstar

Welcome to the first edition of The NCA Insider Player Spotlight. With us today is the Godfather, or founding father of The NCA, Wildstar!

Thanks for joining us today Wildstar.

NI : So what prompted you to start the NCA?

Wildstar : A combination of ideas. After years of playing clix, I wondered if there could be a way to build on an already awesome game in a way that would add value and make it mean more.The obvious answer was some type of ongoing league. Around the same time I’m thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to take the best part of casual games with friends, that is making any kind of format you can imagine, and merge it with the venue type setting when many players get together. Perhaps a side benefit being to have a chance to play more of the many figs we collect than playing standard tournaments allow. Then considering my background in pro wrestling I wondered, what if we could combine those things and then for the sake of charisma and fun, mix it with traditional, sometimes goofy, elements of that “sport”. Trash talking, championships, tag teams, stables, even feuds and story lines. Not so deep that only a wrestling fan would enjoy it, but the elements that just about anyone can relate to or recognize whether they’ve ever been a wrestling fan or not.

Out of that that the idea expanded. What if we could do something unprecedented and get multiple venues to participate? This of course would require some open minded venue judges. Fortunately our area has a great clix community and after bouncing it off a number of venue judges they agreed it could be fun. Next thing you know the NCA was up and running.

NI : How would you rate season 1 against season 2?

Wildstar : Season 1 was great and saw tournaments as an introduction to each of the primary and then venue championships. Of course it culminated in a great event, ClixMania.

Season two allowed us to make some tweaks and restart rankings. That said, we’re not done tweaking. We’re still in the beta test in some respects so to speak. With each event, with each passing month, we want to learn how we can make it a better experience for the players. Most recently it has been by limiting the amount of pre-scheduled matches to two and having them in the first two rounds only as general rule. This was necessary because while it was awesome players were so enthusiastic about challenges and pre-scheduled matches, at times it was difficult to fit them all in. Another important recent change is the commitment to matching players in pick-up games mainly by their W/L % so that players play others similar in skill level. Doing so allows for
more movement in the rankings and avoids newer or less skilled players from always being beat.

NI : The NCA recently made a trip to represent in Oregon, do you see The NCA expanding outside of The Northwest?

Wildstar : I think it would be great if other areas considered to do something similar, even if it wasn’t as detailed. There have been people from Oregon who have asked about it. No matter what it would require someone to take the lead and then a willingness for multiple area venues to cooperate. But it would be great if it could multiply leading to annual battles of area champions at ClixMania or something like that.

NI : When did you start playing Heroclix?

I don’t remember what the most recent sets were at the time. It wasn’t at the very start of the game, but not long thereafter. I first started playing in the Seattle area at Arcane comics in Ballard. The things I remember most from then is that Dapper Chad B of the NCA, a great guy, was a regular there and the time I was fortunate to win the convention Galactus in a tournament! The Galactus event was after I had been playing at the venue for a while.

NI : You were a long time member in one of the premier NCA stables, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Tell us about that and how you came to be a part of it.

Wildstar : Well I knew I wanted to be a part of a stable, that’s one of the cool things in the NCA. Of course the greatest stable ever in wrestling was the Four Horsemen. VGA liked the “of the Apocalypse” part and it fit for the comic aspect. I don’t remember how talks started but none other than {VGA}d1$©1pL3 of HCRealms infamy and I connected on the subject. He’s a great player and naturally in wrestling a personality like him, loved or hated, puts butts in seats. We joined up with Stryphe & Grimm, two cool cats. The Horsemen had a good run and the stable held a number of championships. Of course recent events have seen the stable
implode. For the time being I might have to go by the gimmick name of Lonestar.

NI : Who are some of your favorite NCA personalities?

Wildstar : I enjoy every one’s company who comes out for it, but high on the list is Modus Operandi. Not only were we the
original Soldiers of Fortune, and if memory serves me correctly the first official NCA tag team ever, but he’s a great friend. Interestingly I ran into him at a clix event one day. We realized that we worked at the same place in the early 90’s for a short period and hadn’t seen each other in well over a decade. Clix reunited us proving it’s a small world. Of course Coyote is a fantastic guy and has followed wrestling for years like me so he has a great mind for the flavor of the NCA and I love discussing ideas with him. In the venue I judge at, Fantasium, I’m a huge fan of the Wyld Styllons. To me they are the “Fantasium originals” in regard to home grown NCA talent. I hope those guys get the tag titles someday.

NI : You’ve been/are a holder of many titles, which was your most memorable and why?

Wildstar : The Big Mountain championship. It along with the Emerald championship up North is the the most prestigious title you can hold in the league. It says you’re the best. Everyone who has or ever will hold it can say that, at least for a time, they were the best in the Big Mountain territory. I’m only the third person to hold it since it’s inception. The way I won it, in a classic match with the Natural in which we drafted each other’s team, is something I’ll remember for a long time.

NI : What are some of your favorite themes and or figures to field?

Wildstar : I rarely play the same stuff twice. I have a self-imposed rule of playing a figure for the first time on nearly every team I
build. Sometimes it costs me not sticking to what I know. But overall I think playing a variety of pieces makes you a well rounded player and is more fun then playing a few consistent choices. Rarely will you see me not play a themed team. I’d rather lose than break from that as the comic aspect of clix is what initially drew me to the game. But if I were forced to play one theme from each
universe it would be the Brotherhood of Mutants from Marvel and Justice League from DC.

NI : What do you think of all the new releases on the horizon?

Wildstar : Considering I like to play every figure I acquire, I think there’s a bit too much coming out. But I’m excited for all of the main sets coming out. I’m not picky, I just like more characters being clixed. I can do without the primers and fast forces.

NI : Of all the talent in The NCA who would you consider your biggest rival?

Wildstar : Outlaw! He’s my toughest opponent and I learn something every time I play him. Just don’t EVER lose map role to him or the “Gotham City Gangsta” will own you.

NI : What do you enjoy the most about the NCA?

Wildstar : That there’s something for every clix player. If you’re all about competition, have at it. Go for the top titles and
being a top ranked player. If fun comic accurate games is your thing, there’s plenty of like minded players to “feud” or partner with. You’ll quickly figure out which players are similar to your play style and you can schedule matches of
your choosing with them on a regular basis. I’m a hybrid player of sorts myself. I love to play comic accurate games, but I also enjoy competition. But you can be at either end of the spectrum and have a blast participating in the NCA.

Another thing I enjoy is the exaggerated pro-wrestling element. The promos on the board, the ongoing feuds,the unique match and event formats. I like that you can be a big fish in a small pond so to speak by being the champion in your venue, or you can go after a primary championship solo or as a tag team. I also totally appreciate the participating venue judges. If it weren’t for them and their creativity the NCA wouldn’t have grown so fast!

NI: Thanks again Wildstar for being here for our inaugural edition of The NCA Insider player spotlight. Good luck this season and I’m sure we’ll see you again.

Wildstar:My pleasure. If the NCA were to end tomorrow it’s been a blast, but I hope it’s around for many years to come.

If you would like to be featured on The NCA Insider player spotlight, send a private message to NCAInsider on the Northwest Clix Alliance message board. One player each month will be spotlighted. Thanks again to Wildstar and thanks to everybody who tuned
in, see ya next time!