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esports
By the Hearth: TJ Sanders, the Fireside Host
From hosting to casting, TJ Sanders's charisma and poise have helped him stand out in Hearthstone.
TJ has also hosted events in other games
© Blizzard Entertainment
After two and a half years of Hearthstone, we’ve already seen many of the scene’s stars and personalities come and go. Through everything, however, a core group of "casting talent" earned their spot at the casting and analysis desks of today's top events. One original member of this group is TJ "Azumoqt" Sanders.
"To improve, you have to cast more," TJ says, by way of describing the beginnings of his career as a gaming shoutcaster. Like many others, League of Legends introduced him into the world of eSports. The 25-year-old covered several events and tournaments like NALCS Expansion. After he already had covered LoL-related events for them, the ESL hired Sanders as one of their core casters for the inaugural season of the ESL Hearthstone Legendary Series. That is where he first received major attention from Hearthstone fans and followers. Despite the Legendary Series being an online event, except for the finals which were held in Burbank, TJ impressed viewers with both his high-octane casting and his skilled hosting.
Confidence is key
It almost seemed like TJ came from a professional broadcasting background. The truth, as TJ tells it, is more self-effacing.
"I actually became a host because I just wasn’t good enough at being an analyst (before I actually started to be good at Hearthstone)! Part of improving as a caster is understanding when you’re in over your head, and when a particular role doesn’t suit you. I realized a bit late [that] my skill set suited hosting more than anything else, so I switched. I have no prior background or experience, I just one day started working on my intros and interviewing skills and just kept working on it until I was good enough. I watch a lot of traditional sports and picked up a lot of traditional hosting techniques that way."
For all TJ’s practice, having a likable personality counts just as much as being confident in your skills. And that is where it all comes back to the core group of today's Hearthstone casting talent: Every individual within that group plays a particular role. Everyone knows that in a casting lineup that features striking personalities like Dan "Frodan" Chou, Robert "A." Wing or Brian Kibler, you need to stand out to make a difference.
As charismatic and enjoyable as the Hearthstone’s major on-air teams might be, however, the game’s casting is still in a spot where it needs to redefine itself, as Frodan's blog posting from two months ago stated.
TJ largely agrees with Frodan’s points and adds: "I think having more pros on for post-match analysis would be great, but I don’t think it really 'solves' all of the issues with Hearthstone casting. I think casters just need to find better ways to keep audiences engaged so they aren’t just mindlessly play-by-play casting the three millionth Turn 2 Fiery War Axe. Not all of Hearthstone’s audience wants to hear the same things, some want more analysis, others want to hear more from the players that are playing, and some just come for the memes; I think striking a balance is something most tournaments and casters have yet to do, but I agree with Frodan on one thing and that is that across the board casters need to get better at the game!"
Stay on top — in both worlds
In that regard, Sanders is very much the kind of caster Frodan seems to be looking for. He has hit the Legend rank multiple times, and that really shows during his casting. And while that may count for many of his colleagues, the ability to smoothly switch between high-speed analysis and laid-back banter during a match is what makes TJ an irreplaceable source of knowledge in the casting scene.
That special skillset is, amongst others, the reason that TJ tries to reach out to other eSports titles. "I think being proficient in more than one game is actually really helpful for all casters (though not all casters, particularly analysts, can transition to other games easily) because you see so many different styles of casting. I’m a host so when I go to other games I’m not expected to know every little detail about the games — but I’m a hardcore gamer! I play all these games anyway — so I feel like I would be doing myself a disservice by not going and learning more about myself and broadening my casting/hosting toolkit by working with other games."
TJ and his buddy Robert Wing cast constantly
© [unknown]
But in the end, Hearthstone is still TJ's main focus. That is why he always tries to stay on top of his event preparation, probably the most taxing activity of casting and hosting in eSports.
"Preparation is hugely important in both casting and playing, because it is what sets you apart," TJ explains. "The main thing I do to prepare is just to play. I play a ton (if you ask my wife probably too much!) and I play a wide variety of decks.
"Another one of the best things to do is just to listen to smart people talk about the game. I’m in a few Skype practice groups and just being there and watching the conversations I pick up on a huge amount of nuanced information. I also have a few very top level players that I talk to regularly that feed me information about lineups and strategies and tech choices. Everyone is playing, but not everyone is putting in the work outside of the game to get to the next level." Embrace uniquenessThis sort of relationship between casters and pros, TJ thinks, is part of the foundation for making Hearthstone a successful eSport in the upcoming years. That, and its unique audience, could make a difference in comparison to other titles.
"Hearthstone evolves so quickly and is so unique in the world of eSports because it feels like the audience can get attached to things that aren’t just the highest level of competitive play — and there is so much room for organizers to be creative with formats, fun segments and engaging content. No magic tools, but just the professionals in the scene trying to push the boundaries of a very unique game in the world of eSports."
Check in next Monday for the newest installment of By the Hearth, our Hearthstone series profiling the biggest, brightest and most interesting names in the scene.
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