(I know, I know. The expansion has been out for ages now, but life sure has enjoyed serving up lemons this month!)

As the title of this posdt suggest, I got very lucky and ended up with an absurd amount of legendaries from my 85 packs. I actually feel really bad for it, as I haven’t touched Constructed for quite a while now (BGs4lyf).

So yes, the next time you hear someone complaining about streamer luck, you can just point them to this video as proof that it’s the real deal

Just shy of three months after that trip my 10 year long marriage was over as well.

Surprise!

So, inspired by this great tweet thread, I thought I might throw together a little list in ways I’ve failed at life. It probably won’t be useful to anyone, but it might make you feel a bit better about your own life choices

How I’ve failed at life: a thread

01 // Bounced from one long-term relationship straight into another

I do not regret for a second the 12-ish years Disco and I spent as a couple. We built a great life together and spawned two truly excellent humans. But I do regret how much I unintentionally hurt him, especially in those last few years.

I wish I had taken more time to realise who I truly was back when I was in my early 20’s instead of jumping back into the dating game pretty much instantly. I could have spared him a lot of pain… especially since it turns out I’d done an excellent job of burying myself in the closet.

That’s a pretty big thing to miss for 33 years

02 // Wasted a bunch of opportunities to be a legit content creator

I’ve talked before about much I loved making content – in fact it’s how I landed my current job – but what I haven’t talked about is how I squandered heaps of amazing opportunities to make something of it.

I used to blame my life and how hard it was to balance everything. At first I blamed having small children. Then I blamed Disco when I had to go back to work because he wanted to make a go of it. But the hard truth is that if I really truly wanted it, I would have pushed through and found a way to make it work, like so many others have.

While my new, err, life circumstances mean this is now possible for me to dedicate a lot more time to the fine art of content creation in my off-week, I’ve lost favour with the powers that be.

Notice how I no longer get Hearthstone bundles to giveaway or invites to participate in stream events?

It’s my own fault for not capitalising on them properly in the first place.

So, even though I’ve been doing this shit for however long, I’m back to square one.

03 // I never took budgeting seriously

Keeping with the theme of the last point, I wasted a whole truckload of money over the past 15 years. Like, I’m talking insane amounts ocash came through our bank accounts that should have been life changing, but instead it got wasted on crap.

So while I’ve finally got the memo that budgets are very good for ensuring you meet your financial goals, I still weep at how different everything could be if I had just been more responsible back in the day.

Those goals are going to take MUCH longer to achieve now that I’m riding solo.

04 // Thought university was a waste of time

When I graduated Year 12 I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. Around that same time, the mining boom happened. Kids I went to school with who didn’t even finish Year 10 were earning INSANE amounts of cash.

So when I finally completed my college course, I decided that I didn’t need to move to a capital city to continue studying. What I had would be fine.

Fast forward 18 years and I am kicking myself that I never followed through. The only kinds of degrees I want to pursue are still based in the capital city, but I now have two kids and a decent job that are keeping me tied here.

Sure, I’ve achieved the end-goal of landing a great job, I’m hamstrung when it comes to ever getting a promotion.

Everyone wants that piece of paper!

05 // Took too long to get back into the workforce after kids

It took me seven years to go back to full time work after having my first child. We were incredibly lucky that my then husband had a high paying job so we didn’t need any additional income.

However, what I didn’t factor into all of this is what kind of blow my own superannuation account might cop after such a long hiatus.

There are legit people in my office who are a good five years younger than me who have almost double what I have in their superannuation accounts.

Even with me contributing additional money into my account, I’m still on track to be spending retirement in a cardboard box rather than cruising around the world.

As much as I loved my time as a blogger and wouldn’t have the sweet gig I have today without it, I reallllllly should have been working a conventional job at the same time!

06 // Lost touch with a bunch of epic humans

I’m an INFP-T so it’s pretty easy for me to retreat into myself. When shit gets real, I pretty much vanish into my own little world.

For example, last weekend I literally did not leave the house. I got up, made lunch, cracked open a beer and then spent the rest of my time getting Gold IV in Teamfight Tactics while watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation. If it wasn’t for work and kids, I think I probably would have disappeared off the face of the earth a long time ago.

So while I’m now aware that I need to force myself into the world and make an effort with people if I don’t want to die alone the cardboard box I mentioned in point 5, I can’t help but lament on all the friendships of years gone by that have withered and died because I like to bury my head in the sand.

//

So there you have it, folks. All the ways I’ve failed at life! I hope you’ve enjoyed it

PS. While this may read as a massive pity party, I’m actually in a good place – the happiest I’ve been in a very long time. Think of this as, like, an event debrief. Can’t learn how to be better if we don’t look back on it objectively and identity room for improvement.

Yikes!

Of course, I am super excited; I’ve never been to Bali before – I mean I only left the country for the first time when I was 30 – but, uh, winging an international trip is already starting to show a few flaws.

Firstly, did you know that if you go to book an immensely popular tour that involves driving around on a bar that’s on the back of a bike with free-pouring beer two days before your arrival, it will be booked out

Another fun fact: if you leave it to the night before to do your washing in the middle of winter, you run the risk of your clothes not drying in time?

But, my absolute ‘favourite’ faux pas was thinking that I would actually be able to pre-plan all my Blaugust posts to cover five days of being AFK.

Ha ha ha ha hahaha.

I’m actually pretty devastated that my Blaugust win-streak is in jeopardy – it’s almost up there with missing out on the beer bike tour! – but I’m hoping that between the four hour plane flight and all the lazing about the pool that I’m planning on, I can phone in a few quickies to keep the dream alive.

Wish me luck!

What are your go-to posts when you’re strapped for time? Let me know in the comments below

I also requested that competition hopefuls respond with one of my favourite stream promo methods, a good ol’ #SelloutSelfie.

The responses were as magical as you could have expected.

Here are a few of the best entries

Jess absolutely nailed the brief with this entry – there really isn’t a bigger sellout!

No bigger sellout than the Queen Kim K pic.twitter.com/Adh78o7AHl

— Jess Philips (@little_miss_111) July 31, 2019

My good friend Zeph got a good laugh out of me with this ripper entry:

I am reborn! You’ve awakened a fearsome mummy with this competition! Give me all your packs or you will suffer bad RNG for this entire expansion! Whahaha! #SaviorsofUldum pic.twitter.com/pawujupzWK

— A2Zephyr (@A2Zephyr) July 31, 2019

CessePvP brought all the feels with this one:

me entering as many giveaways as i can before 6th august #selloutselfie pic.twitter.com/PsXoSafYmt

— CessePvP (@cesis06) August 3, 2019

Strong Grom just went straight for the big guns:

Me dual wielding Twin Kitties after i successfully wrangles them from outside in less than 5 min. pic.twitter.com/ETIioVhbSw

— Strong Grom @ BLIZZCON 2019!! (@Gromskull) August 1, 2019

We even had a celebrity enter!

pic.twitter.com/doaH8B9whq

— ralph wiggum (@ralphwi87888864) August 1, 2019

Ultimately, though, RNG decided that RAWSHUN would take home the 50 packs.

pic.twitter.com/0z5uwj3wB0

— RAWSHUN (@RAWSHUNEZ) July 31, 2019

The winner was so incredibly thankful that it made my cold dead heart swell with happiness.

Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who entered!

PS. You may be wondering why I went with this additional layer when the traditional like and follow competitions generated a lot more entries.

For me, it was all about the engagement. It was fun to see the creative ways people responded, and it struck up a few good conversations. 

Oh, and it also instantly ruled out any giveaway bots. If I’m going to boost my followers with a cheeky giveaway, they may as well be actual humans

In fact, I played like someone who had been away from the game for three years, not three weeks and it did a real number on me.

Here’s how it went:

• Start off with a Mage deck that isn’t Conjurer’s Calling – losing streak.
• Switch to a Mech Hunter deck to save a little dignity – still get wrecked by a mish-mash of Paladin decks and end up just a few more losses from Rank 15 no stars.
• Cry for a bit.
• Decide against switching to Teamfight Tactics and instead play a stupid meme Pogo Rogue deck and… actually win some games?

Bless those bunnies, they put in some real work and both chat and I were pretty entertained by them, especially when they resulted in a rare win.

That’s right, much to everyone’s surprise, I clawed my way out of the depths of 15 and went on a much needed win streak that took me right to the door of 13.

But, as you have probably guessed, it didn’t last.

In fact, I did the whole, “If I lose this game I’m going to bed!” thing, proceeded to lose said game and then did the always cursed, “Let’s go for one more”.

It was a terrible mistake.

The house always wins, people! Especially when you’re tilted off the face of the planet

What games have you been enjoying (or hating) over the weekend? Let me know in the comments!

There are so many questions swirling around on the internet at the moment about the move and what it means for the streaming ecosystem – will this force Twitch to address discoverability and community standards? Does this make it easier for streamers on both platforms to be seen? Should broadcasters follow suit and make the switch? Will people stick with Mixer once Ninja’s contract expires?

So many questions, no real answers.

Ninja is now officially live for the first time on Mixer and he says he already has over 370,000 SUBSCRIBERS

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 2, 2019

I myself took a look at Mixer earlier this year. I will admit, the platform was more lively than I expected, with quite a few channels in the high thousands. Hearthstone however was dead, as were most games that aren’t Fortnite. I thought to myself back then, ‘Oooh, free real estate!” but obviously, I never acted on it because the next time I went live it was on my usual Twitch channel.

It turns out not much has changed, at least not for Hearthstone:

With @Ninja‘s move to @WatchMixer, I decided to look up the viewership on there for my favorite game, @PlayHearthstone. (See below.)

Seems like an opportunity could be struck there. Just saying. pic.twitter.com/lu9eHLfB1N

— 𝗕𝘅𝗔 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗱𝘆 (@SquiddyHS) August 2, 2019

So does this mean we should all jump ship?

Sure, go claim your username (You should be doing that on any new platform anyhow, just in case) and definitely experiment with it, but don’t throw your Twitch community in the bin just yet.

Personally, I don’t think someone like Ninja will suddenly bring hordes of Hearthstone viewers to the platform. This is purely hypothetical, but I suspect that there is pretty much zero crossover between the Hearthstone and Fortnite playerbases.

The only way I can see Hearthstone viewership on Mixer spiking is if someone like Thijs or Kripp are also bribed with truckloads of cash to make the switch.

Twitch is a behemoth that can be credited for making streaming as accessible as it is today. There are people who have been on the platform for almost a decade now – even my pathetic little account is seven years old. That is a lot of history, especially for the bigger streamers. What is the payoff for veteran streamers and viewers alike to switch?

Only time will tell.

One final note, as I’ve seen a lot of people say that Ninja’s insane sub count on Mixer “doesn’t count” because they are free. There are now 360,000 people that probably didn’t have Mixer accounts before who are now all set up, and a whole bunch of Twitch subs who don’t feel like they lost value in this the switch (Imagine how pissed you’d be if your Ninja sub renewed yesterday!), which creates more good will toward the platform. It’s a brilliant marketing move by Mixer that was definitely factored into whatever mammoth budget they have set aside for this power play.

Will this move by Mixer make you reconsider what platform you use?

You can join as many servers as you like, or even create your own server to communicate with your own budding community at no cost! I have used Discord to get video feeds for interviews, organise tournaments and so much more.

But here’s the thing: you can join and create these servers at will, but there is something even more important that you need to do, and it’s this step where I always come unstuck.

You have to actually interact with these servers, and more than once!

Typically, when I join a new server I’m pretty good (for me) and I make sure I introduce myself. I’ll participate in a few text conversations and then I’ll go about my business as usual.

The next time I return to Discord, I’m lost. The conversations I was a part of are now over and I need to try and pick up on new ones, which is more annoying than anything,  but this isn’t where I get bad at Discord.

It’s when I look at my phone.

Servers are set to send notifications by default, and when you’re as infrequent at checking Discord as I am, these pile up pretty quickly. Every time someone types something in a text channel my phone vibrates.

Now imagine you’re in a super active server… yeah I bet you can see where this is going.

I do what any rational person would do, and I mute the server. ROOKIE MISTAKE. Once a server is muted, it’s soon forgotten about entirely. Rest in peace, awesome Discord community. I barely knew you.

There’s probably a billion easy fixes for this, so the real issue here isn’t so much my phone as it is me not prioritising Discord enough.

If I’ve got some spare time during my lunch break I’m much more likely to be trolling Twitter than I am to be on Discord, and if I’m home and on my computer I want to be playing something rather than talking about games. Same goes with talking in Twitch chat.

Don’t be like me!

Remove any servers that don’t spark joy and make sure you some time chatting with the ones you do care about! Not just for the networking benefits, do it because finding people who like the same stuff as you and who share the same passion is probably why you started blogging or streaming in the first place.

Plus Discord means you can keep that conversation going even when you’re on the go, and that’s pretty sweet too. Just make sure you customise your notifications first

If you’re looking for other bloggers to chat with, the Blaugust Discord server is popping off so be sure to get in there and say hi!

Viewership is down and TwitLongers like this one by talented streamer and competitor TvZgames keep popping up, and they’re usually followed with a flood of comments from players chiming in with their own additions to her many well-thought out points, such as:

• Specialist format sucks
• Open Cups are a hot mess
• Grandmasters get all the love
• No incentive to ladder
• It’s getting too expensive to play
• New games like TFT and Dota Underlords are more appealing
• Rehashed cards making things feel stale
• Still pissed about in-game tournament mode being ditched

Even first Master’s Tour Stop winner and Grandmaster Dog has bowed out from the competition because he’d rather be streaming Teamfight Tactics.

Grandmasters Update @Liquid_hsdog is stepping down from Grandmasters ahead of Season 2 to focus on streaming and other personal pursuits. We are excited to announce that @GO_Gallon, runner-up at #MastersTourVegas, will be promoted to fill the spot! pic.twitter.com/MeTDjriUaw

— Hearthstone Esports (@HSesports) July 25, 2019

So, what about me?

Admittedly I’ve not played much Hearthstone lately either, but I will stop short of saying I’m ‘breaking up’ with the game.

To me, things seem pretty much the way it’s always been. For as long as I’ve played, there has always been some busted deck that people have despised.

Secret Pally, Grim Patron Warrior, Shudderwok Shaman, and now Conjurer’s Calling Mage, the list goes on. Having some kind of OP deck that reigns supreme seems pretty standard (heh, get it?) for card games. At least this time around Blizzard seem to be doing more regular nerfs and even buffs, even if they don’t seem to be addressing people’s concerns.

And perhaps that’s the real issue here. Hearthstone has been out for almost five years now, and if you’re a competitive player, nothing inside the game has really changed.

But I’m not competitive. Sure, I’ve gotten to Dad Legend, but I simply can’t force myself to push for that golden jewel card back. Instead, if I’m logged into Hearthstone then I’m most likely having an absolute blast in solo content (although that will change when Saviors of Uldum drops next week and shakes up meta).

Seriously though, I adore the dungeon runs and the Dalaran Heist knocked it out of the park for me. I am 100% certain that when the next solo player experience comes out, I will definitely be able to tear myself away from Teamfight Tactics to get that bad boy cleared.

My love of Hearthstone Esports, on the other hand…

Once again, I’m not a competitive player but I am an avid viewer who loves watching the game being played at the highest level.

BUT.

Season One of Grandmasters got repetitive very quickly, and I place the blame on that squarely at the feet of Specialist format. I get why it was a thing – if you need to burn through three regions’ worth of a round robin tournament, traditional Conquest will take too long.

So instead of games blowing out the schedule, we get to see the same classes over. And over. And over again. Yawn.

This means that as excited as I was originally to tune in and cheer on Pathra or Frostee or Boarcontrol every week, I stopped paying attention and it was only on in the background if I remembered it was on, rather than it being a must-see like the events of yesteryear. Even the playoffs were super underwhelming and simply felt like another week of normal play.

Thankfully, it would appear that Blizzard are listening and we now have a new format to look forward to for Season 2 of Grandmasters.

That still doesn’t help those players who are grinding their face off trying to qualify for Masters tour stops, but at least viewers like me will no longer end up using the PlayHearthstone channel to fall asleep each night.

NB. In case you’ve missed it, there is a survey going around asking what players would like to see from Hearthstone Esports going forward, so be sure to have your say!

Overall, the winds of change are definitely ruffling the feathers of the Hearthstone community and I’m cautiously optimistic that things will start to trend upward again. It will be interesting to see whether or not Saviors of Uldum can convince those who have dumped it to give the game a second chance.

And hey, if you don’t want to wallet drop on new packs, I’m giving some away

It’s time for another #Hearthstone GIVEAWAY! I’ve got 50 #SaviorsofUldum packs to give to one lucky champ thanks to @Blizzard_ANZ. To enter:

LIKE + RT this tweet
FOLLOW @nerisanda
REPLY with your best #selloutselfie!

Winner will be drawn randomly on Mon 5 August pic.twitter.com/1Dgi5ER5Ew

— Neri (@nerisanda) July 31, 2019

Over to you: what do you think about the current state of the game? Drop a comment below or spam me on Twitter.

I guess I probably fell out of love with World of Warcraft or got too focused on the my other blog, but whatever it was, it meant I hit publish on this post in October of 2013 (!!!) and then never came back. I even let my sweet custom URL expire and now it takes you to some Chinese plastic surgery business. Whoops.

Anyhow, thanks to Blaugust, I’ve decided to clear off six years of dust, give the ol’ girl a new coat of paint and get back into blogging like I never stopped.

So, yeah, hi!

What have I done with my life?

Video game wise, I went a few years without even having an active World of Warcraft subscription. These days I play super casually – like ilevel 370 casual – so I’ve gone from leading raids to not having the attention span to finish a dungeon half the time. How times change, right?

Don’t take this to mean that I turned my back on gaming altogether though! Oh no, definitely not. I’ve just changed how I spend my time with video games.

Here’s a TL;DR version of my last six years (in no particular order):

• Switched to Hearthstone
• Started running Fireside Gatherings + online tournaments
• Founded and ran a Heroes of the Storm community website for two years
• Spawned another human
• Produced a weekly Heroes of the Storm video news wrap up
• Helped found an esports organisation
• Became an admin for Hearthstone Australia
• Started studying
• Did a bunch of freelance esports stuff
• Had a short stint as a streamer for ATK Mode
• Went to BlizzCon
• Met a bunch of phenomenal people
• Started a career in Communications
• Watched a lot of esports on Twitch. Like, a LOT.

Earlier this year I cut back on pretty much all extra-curricular activities and am solely focusing on doing my own thing. Whether that thing is occasionally streaming or sitting on the couch watching Netflix, it’s been nice to take a step back and focus on what I want to do instead of pushing myself to do all the things.

Come to think of it, this change of pace is probably why I want to write again. Huh.

What can you expect from me now that I’m writing again?

Who really knows. As viewers of my stream can attest to, I really just do what I want with no real consistency, so taking part in Blaugust will hopefully help me shake that bad habit. I don’t think I’ve ever successfully completed any of these daily blogging challenges in the past, but my theory is now that writing to a deadline has been a part of my job for the last three years I should be able to ace it.

Content wise, there definitely won’t be as much of a focus on World of Warcraft as there was back in the day (at least not until WoW Classic launches!) but there should be plenty of gaming and esports related goodness.

I’ve also picked up, like, a lot of tricks and tips on all things content creation so if you have any questions please hit me up either here on on Twitter, which I still use religiously.

I’m really looking forward to smashing the keyboard with you all once again

Interested in participating in Blaugust? Be sure to sign up and then join the official Discord.

Presenting the “I will never be as amazing at naming ‘mogs as Prinnie” bastardisation of Vestments of Ternion Glory:

Helm – Hidden

Shoulders – Shoulderpads of Pulsing Protection

Cloak – Hidden

Chest – Robes of the Guardian Saint

Bracers – Lifebane Bracers

Gloves – Seebo’s Sainted Touch

Waist – Sash of the Last Guardian

Legs – Cindercloth Pants

Feet – Don’t match. Whoops!

Staff – Vicious Gladiator’s Energy Staff

As you can probably tell, I am so not cool enough to raid on a proper team! Since moving interstate, I’m now in an awful position where even if I wanted to raid, I can’t because now every single guild I am in raids too early for me to participate. Curse you, time zones! At least LFR has been kind to me, and felt it necessary to give me these phat lewtz so I wasn’t a carry could finally make use of these gorgeous robes without looking like a train wreck from The Burning Crusade. Thanks, Blizz!

All that there is left to do is to figure out why my screenshot quality has plummeted without accidentally whispering Navi console commands or falling off the edge of Netherstorm. Oh, and actually finish all the LFR’s to do the aforementioned smiting of Garrosh. Yeah, that too.

It’s good to be back