Ryan Hase

Ryan Hase was listed on Trandosite as World Top 100. The site interviewed him on 4 September 2000.

This page is a fan encyclopedia stub. Facts below are from published SWCCG sources (Trandosite interview and, where noted, Squadron Member tables). It does not add unsourced biography.

Interviews

Trandosite, 4 September 2000

Interview conducted by Rod Latham on Trandosite.

Site player profile:

Ryan Hase is one of California's top players, and has been consistently in the World Top 100. He has won five tournaments in the Alderaan region, competing against tough competition such as James Lafferty and Evan Ferguson. He has taken part in both the 1998 and 1999 Comic Cons in San Diego; he was the highest finisher after six games in the '99 Comic Con but just missed out on a placing in the World Finals to Clayton Atkin in the final. He has been a regular writer for Trandosite since it began in October 1998.

1. How did you get involved in SWCCG, and what attracted you to the game?

Two months after the game came out a couple of my friends got into the game and I, being a star wars nut like them, decided to join in on the game. I already played Magic at the time and I was looking for something new.

2. If you could change one thing in SWCCG, what would it be?

The new versions of the mains are far more powerful than they were when they first came out. Jedi Luke could probably beat up on 40 farm boys all by himself. People like me who got into the game early need to spend too much money to keep up with the game. They need to keep the cards a little more balanced with the older cards.

3. How do you rate the level of play in San Diego and the Alderaan region?

There are a plethora of exceptional players in our area. The local tournaments regularly see Ben Van Buskirk, James Lafferty, Tom Mascari, Evan Ferguson, and now Greg Miller. Four of those players have been to the worlds at least once and James Lafferty has made it to the finals twice. Competetion is great and that's what makes it so much fun to play down here.

4. You came very close to victory at Comic Con '99, just losing to Clayton Atkin in the final. Do you look back with regret at any specific mistakes you made, or only pride that you went so far?

I went into the con last year thinking I didn't have much of a hope. Endor had just came out and I had two or three endor cards in each deck. I wasn't even using any objectives. I was very proud to have gone as far as I went but losing by one card in the final is really a drag, even if you didn't think you would go that far anyway.

5. What are the strongest and weakest parts of your game?

The weakest part of my game is involving new cards. I don't normally adapt to a new set until a new one is just about out. That has mostly to do with the fact that I never get my hands on a new set until I get some tournament prize support or find the right person to trade with. Gamewise I have problems playing conservatively. I'll often intiate battles on the prayer that I get a good destiny draw. My strongest part of the game would probably be tracking destinys (not tracking shocking infos or masterful moves either.)

6. You are normally to be found ranked in the World Top 100. Do you think ratings are important, and a true indicator of a player's ability?

Ratings are true to a certain extent, but I wouldn't go by them to determine if a player is skilled or not. You can generally say that someone with a rating of 1900+ is probably good. But you can't say that someone with a rating less than 1800 is bad. There are plenty of 1600-1700 rated players that will hand you a loss if your deck isn't ready for theirs. If I can give decipher credit for one thing, it is finally giving diversity to the game. Up until objectives came out, a good mains deck dominated everything.

7. Do you believe that some areas have inflated ratings, making comparison between regions impossible?

Yes, but only becuase they play in more tournaments or have more people showing up than another region. Truth of the matter is that there are excellent star wars players in every region, and one thing that varies more than ratings from one region to another, is the playfield. Local meta will never be the same if you travel to a different region. Ratings don't mean that much, but being in the top 100 of the world never hurt.

8. What do you enjoy doing outside of SWCCG?

Aside from work and college I have no time for anything. A hobby of mine whenever I can find time is to mess around with my car stereo. I have a horrible habit of spending thousands on the thing and I'm going to start doing custom work on it since I know I'll be keeping my car now.

9. If you could play any player in the world, who would you most like to play and why?

I would have to say Michael Riboulet, Phillip Jacobs, or Gary Carman. The one thing these players have in common, aside from being excellent gamers, is that they are all on the other side of the world from me. I have heard many great things about all of them and I even had the chance to meet Gary at the comic con; he's a great guy.

10. What is the greatest misconception in SWCCG?

That to be good you need to have been playing from the beginning and invested tons of money into buying every card. Decipher has done such a good job in making better cards more readily available to the average player. I hardly spend a dime on the game anymore and I still find it easy and fun to stay comptetive.

Many thanks!

See also

• Trandosite · Interviews
• DeckTech · GamePlayers Network

Sources

• Ryan Hase interview on Trandosite (4 September 2000; Wayback)
• Interviews index (Wayback 5 April 2005)