Hunter Kaye also know for the pen name “MapleBlade” was one of the first friends I had made in college during my freshman year. We met at a gaming club and quickly became friends over our passion for card games. I recently learned that Hunter had started writing articles and blog post similar to mine, except he chose to focus on Yu-Gi-Oh!. Being a close friend of his, I was able to conduct a short interview with him, here is what Hunter “MapleBlade” Kaye had to say.

Q. How long have you been writing?
A. I’ve been writing for five months.

Q. What made you choose to write about card games?
A. I write about card games because it helps me think about the more intricate processes. By finding a way to explain it to an audience, I find new ways to understand strategies. Also, I read similar strategy articles as a teenager, and those helped me as a competitor. I’d like to help people like that, too.

Q. When did this become a profession, did it take a while?
A. I started writing articles for my own blog, and when I published my second article, my current boss approached me and offered to pay to write articles on his website.

Q. Do you see yourself doing this in the future? If so, do you hope to reach other forms of media?
A. While I plan to continue to write about card games, I hope to use this experience to help with jobs like newspaper editing once I graduate.

Q. What’s your favorite thing about card games?
A. My favorite thing about card games are the diverse strategies you’re forced to think about. Probability, risk and synergy are just a few aspects that make card games complex. It continually teaches me how to approach situations logically, as well as thinking about what the situation looks like to my opponent. I’m very competitive, so it’s exciting when I can meet people who are passionate about card games too, and we can clash with the hard work we’ve put in.

It is truly impressive that just after a few months Hunter started getting paid for his articles, this just goes to show the quality of his work. Most card game players tend to play more than one card game at a time. If you play Yu-Gi-Oh! Or would like in-depth analysis on the game as well as help with decks and understanding the game better, I definitely recommend you go give Hunter’s articles a read. I definitely recommend the article on card advantage as that is a key concept to keep in mind when playing any card game.