Killtrend is one of the most well-known members of the Shadow Era community, having made over 1337 posts on the forums and being the owner of a thread that has been viewed nearly 15,000 times. He also has a reputation for being open and honest, and passionate about the game. All of these factors pointed to him being a great first interviewee for my website. Read on to find out whether or not I was right.

How did you discover Shadow Era?

I discovered it in March through a website called appadvice.com dedicated to Apple related news. I gave it a download and got hooked.

Had you played any similar games before Shadow Era?

Hmm. I grew up on Magic the Gathering. It was the only TCG I played but I was addicted. At one point I had 15 decks ranging from Squirrels and Zombie-Goblins to Blue Control and Atogs. I frequented tons of Friday Night Magic drafts and had an impressive draft win ratio. I miss those days.

What are the main benefits you see of playing a digital card game versus a traditional physical one?

Well you get to play anytime you want for one. I can play on break at work, or in dead stop traffic. It's also nice because without physical cards Wulven can keep the price low. MtG was expensive. I do miss putting the cards out on a coffee table and staring at combos until a new deck idea came to me.

What has Shadow Era displaced to become part of your life?

To tell you the truth, not much. It kinda just squeezed itself in. Ha. If anything I play slightly less Xbox. That's about it. I do spend a lot of free time on the forums though.

Do you talk to real-life friends and family about Shadow Era?

I've hooked a few friends and my girlfriend knows I play. She doesn't get it, but she doesn't bother me about it.

How would you rate Shadow Era for value-for-money?

The value for the money is relatively high. I haven't actually paid even one dollar yet. I downloaded a lot of iOS apps and did surveys. I am going to invest my money when I see a full balanced set drop.

Who is your favourite Shadow Era Hero and why?

Gravebone is my favorite hero. The Gameplay with him takes a lot of strategy and it's way more fun than the draw/burn of Majiya or 20 minute Elementalis games.

Who is your least favourite and why?

Hmm. Majiya. As many people know, I've named her the "noob tube" of shadow era. Too easy to use and too devastating.

If you could introduce one new card, what would it be?

I had it on the forums and it's getting good feedback. "Second Thoughts - When you draw your first card each turn, you may discard it and draw another." I think it needs a clause so Gravebone can't abuse it."

If you could delete one card from history, what would it be?

Ha. Funny question. I don't have a most hated card, I think they're all fine.

If you could delete one player from history, who would it be?

One player? I don't hate any players that much.

You've posted YouTube videos of some of your games. How did you go about doing this and what's the response been?

I've always liked to watch game commentaries but I haven't had a screen recorder to do it myself off my Xbox. When shadow era came along, my old Laptop could actually handle it so I tried my hand at recording quick matches. I use frapps to record video and had to use my iPhone's voice memo app to record sound. After duct taping it all together, I posted a few. The response has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Check them out. Just search "Killtrend" on YouTube.

Shadow Era just had the regional qualifiers for its first official tournament. What deck did you use and what was the experience like?

I entered with Gravebone expecting to go even or slightly under. I figured with all the Majiyas out there, I'd rack up the losses. Surprisingly I did rather well going 3-1 in rounds (6 wins 2 losses and a draw). I'm geared up to play the second round now and try to get worlds, so we'll see.

Do you run many other decks?

I run a Zaladar Control deck and I dabble on the test server with just about everything.

What's your current rating and how much Gold do you have?

I'm currently hovering at 260 in 1.25. As we all know, the ranking system is broken. 5 wins and a loss can nearly leave you at the same rank forever. As for gold? I don't know. 300? Lol.

Fast forward two years, how is Shadow Era doing and are you still playing?

Shadow Era has a lot of growing to do. I like their direction and forum interaction, but they have a long way to go. I'll still be playing as long as they keep adding new content regardless.

That's a reasonably positive way to end the interview, so let's stop there. Thanks very much for your time, and for all you've added to the community so far. As a minor reward for taking part in this interview, you can choose my next interviewee.

Give Rumsey a talking to. He's an interesting fellow.

OK. I'll do my best to get him to take part. Watch this space!