World Championship 2021 Pre-Tournament Player Interviews!

It all comes down to this. Fifty-six players earned the right to be here, dueling with everything they have in order to win the chance to be called the best in the world. Though there are too many for us to interview everyone, below you'll find a select few who were gracious enough to give thoughts and insights before the start of today's prestigious event! 

Congrats! You've earned a spot at the World Championships of Goat Format! What individual strengths do you believe you have as a person or player that contributed to your earning this invite?
Having the cojones to play a non-meta deck at any time I want to. Even though the results may vary.

When and why did you first begin playing the format? How good of a player do you think you were? What decks did you prefer then?
I played back in 2005 and re-entered around end of 2018/beginning of 2019. In general I would describe myself as a decent player but to be honest I still blunder over time, especially because I constantly try new decks that require different strategic approaches. My favorite deck is most likely Burn, but combo decks are also a pleasure to play. Well, at least for one out of two players.

Is there a player you look up to? Are they playing in today's event? What do you admire about them?
I don't really follow any player in particular, but there are certainly a lot of inspiring people out there, whether it is a Kris Perovic, Lukaz, Moxies, my brother or some others.

Is there any player or deck you are looking forward to playing against today? Any that you would prefer to avoid?
My brother because we obv don't wanna kick each other out of the tournament.

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of Goat Format? If so, what are they?
My adorable dog, who's named after the great Shiba-Warrior Taro! He is in fact a very, very, very good boy!

Is there anything you would like to say to those rooting for you? Any shout outs you would like to make?
Yugiwise, I'd like to give a shout out to my brother and Jean for the preparation we did together. Not related to Yugi I have to mention how incredibly proud and happy I am to have such a lovely and supportive girlfriend that helps me to always continue the hustle.

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Congrats! You've earned a spot at the World Championships of Goat Format! What individual strengths do you believe you have as a person or player that contributed to your earning this invite?
Just being a good guy and a decent player.

When and why did you first begin playing the format? How good of a player do you think you were? What decks did you prefer then?
2018 is when I first started. I was a scrub lmaoo. I preferred Chaos Control.

Is there a player you look up to? Are they playing in today's event? What do you admire about them?
Kris perovic! THAT MAN IS FREAKING AMAZING!

Is there any player or deck you are looking forward to playing against today? Any that you would prefer to avoid?
SPARKYFLARYYYYY!!!! COME OUT AND PLAYYYY! 

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of Goat Format? If so, what are they?
Nah. Goat Format is my zen.

Is there anything you would like to say to those rooting for you? Any shout outs you would like to make?
I love you guys!!! LETS WIN THIS!!!

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Congrats! You've earned a spot at the World Championships of Goat Format! What individual strengths do you believe you have as a person or player that contributed to your earning this invite?
In general probably a pretty strategical approach to things and for Yu-Gi-Oh! I like bringing creativity to the (virtual) table.

When and why did you first begin playing the format? How good of a player do you think you were? What decks did you prefer then?
I started to play around 2004, so even before the Goat era. My first local tournament win was with a wild mix of things (Lily, Sorcerer, Tomato, White Magical Hat) since I didn't have the money for the good cards like Don, BLS, and Breaker.

Is there a player you look up to? Are they playing in today's event? What do you admire about them?
No specific person that comes to my mind to be honest. In general I like it when people bring creative decks and have a decent finish with it.

Is there any player or deck you are looking forward to playing against today? Any that you would prefer to avoid?
For decks I'd definitely prefer to play against the Chaos variants since they might be a bit too slow against Panda Burn. A lot of Warrior match ups would be tough, that's why I'm running two Kinetics in the side, and even one in the main deck.

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of Goat Format? If so, what are they?
I picked up painting last year, play Chess from time to time, and am pretty serious about collecting cards (mainly Yu-Gi-Oh! but also a bit Pokémon and Magic).

Is there anything you would like to say to those rooting for you? Any shout outs you would like to make?
Some might be disappointed with my deck choice, but today even I felt like trying to play for a win with a 99 % serious deck. Shout outs go to Gabi and Peer in case they are watching or reading this.
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