Knowing Legacy – Max and Mel

First off before we begin let me say welcome to the team and family! Let’s get a small intro of who you are and why you joined the team?

Melissa: “Thank you! We’re very excited to be part of the team! I’m a full time nurse, but in my free time, I enjoy reading fantasy books and trashy reality TV when I’m not working or playing Gwent. Also of course being a cat mom to the two sweetest cats in the world. I think joining Team Legacy is a really great opportunity for us as streamers. Not only can we reach new viewers, but the team is a great resource to bounce creative ideas off of. We’re both also looking to improve as players, so joining Team Legacy is a great opportunity to be able to connect with some of the best players in Gwent and be able to ask for deck or playing advice to improve our gameplay.”

Max: “What she said. In all seriousness, we couldn’t be more excited to be joining Team Legacy. Having access to a community of some of the best Gwent players in the world has been incredible. It’s definitely made us better players & streamers already. For my day job, I’m a recruiter for an accounting company in the New York City area where Melissa and I are from. In terms of hobbies, I’ve been a gamer all my life and still play many other games alongside Gwent. I also love to travel, play sports and eat food!”

 

What made both of you start playing Gwent and what keeps you playing to this day?

 

Melissa: “I actually never played any video games ever before Gwent and the Witcher 3. During COVID quarantine, I found myself being very bored like most people, so my best friend suggested I started playing the Witcher 3 because she thought I would enjoy the story. After playing for a few weeks, I found myself only interested in playing Gwent. Max told me that there was a standalone Gwent game, I’ll admit I was a little hesitant to try it. When I did eventually give in and try it I was hooked and totally gave up my Witcher 3 play through. We started playing on Max’s account since he had resources from open beta but after a month I wanted to start my own account from scratch and that’s the one you’ll see us play on stream. I’ve actually been playing Gwent pretty consistently for a year now and I just love the game. I really enjoy trying to constantly get better and beating my best every season. I’ve tried other card games and I love that in Gwent you can only play one card per turn and the three round aspect of it, I think that makes it very strategic. I also love the art work, I’m reading the books now so I also enjoy seeing the characters in the books as cards.”

 

Max: “Like many Gwent players, I first discovered it while playing the Witcher 3. I played for a week or two in open beta but only really started playing seriously in 2020 when Melissa discovered Gwent. It was something we could play together which kept us hooked, which is also a big reason why we still continue to play to this day. It allows us to spend time together while doing something we both enjoy.”

How did you two meet and have you ever played against each other to see who has the bragging rights to say I am better as some friendly banter or maybe it’s some future content Team Max vs Team Mel? 

Melissa: “We actually met in our second year at University we lived on the same floor in our dorm. I think we’ve only played each other twice maybe as we had a little tournament with some friends who were trying out the game. I can’t remember who won though (which means it was unfortunately probably Max). We would for sure do some Max vs. Mel games on stream though, it’s been requested a few times. I think it’ll be really fun content since we each know the other one’s favorite decks and playstyle very well.”

Max: “As Melissa said we were “college sweethearts” and have been a couple for almost 11 years; married for 5. We’re lucky in that even though we went to a large University we both grew up not too far from each other. In terms of playing against each other, it’s definitely something we’re looking forward to doing more of on stream. When we play together on and off stream we try to talk through lines of plays together so it would be interesting to see who comes out on top.  Although unfortunately I think Melissa has surpassed me as a Gwent player so she would kick my butt!”

Where do you see yourselves in two years on Twitch, What is the goal for your channel?

Melissa: “I think our next big goals are to make Twitch partner. We really stream for fun, we have a great time playing together and hanging out with chat. It’s been great seeing how much the channel has grown, since we only started streaming in the fall. If we can continue on that trajectory that would be amazing.”

Max: “Being able to become a Twitch partner is definitely a huge goal of ours but for now we’re just focused on improving our stream and content each and every day. We want to continue to grow our community and the connection we have with our viewers. A couple more emote slots wouldn’t hurt either haha.”

Do you guys have any favorite cards/combos you like to pull off and get that feeling of that never gets old to you?

Melissa: “I’ve really enjoyed Koshchey since its release. Unfortunately it wasn’t the strongest deck but I still played it fairly often because I really enjoyed it. When both the Caranthir spawned Koshchey and when Koshchey actually sticks on board and it is a perfect five card round three, it’s so satisfying to see all the thrive procs. Of course, with the new patch Koshchey decks seem stronger so I’m really looking forward to exploring that.”

Max: “My favorite card is the Griffin Witcher. I love that its power level is actually increased by being on blue coin and it has such a unique interaction with Veil status. I find that type of card design super refreshing for the game as it’s a step in the right direction in terms of card complexity that I think Gwent benefits from. In terms of my favorite combo, I really enjoy the feeling of slamming Draug, creating a ton of Revenants and then playing Voymir. That never gets old for me.”

What was your favorite series of games from Masters Season 1?

Melissa: “I really enjoyed the final between Freddy and Kolemoen. I thought it was full of emotion and both players played really well. It was really great to watch the masters season 1 since I wasn’t watching Gwent during season 1. Being able to see all the legendary players that I’ve heard everyone speak about play was great.”

Max: “I also enjoyed the final Freddy vs. Kolemoen games mainly because they both brought NR, which was fun to watch as it’s my favorite faction.”

If you could live in the Witcherverse who would you be and why? You could be any person from a famous character that we all know or a simple person that left an impression on you from the games/books.

Melissa: “That’s a really good question. I’m not too familiar with the games since I never got too far, I am almost done with the books though. I would for sure have to pick a sorceress. I always thought Francesca Findabair had a really interesting story, but at least where I am in the books I don’t know too much about her. I would probably choose Yennifer for her magical skill, her intelligence and her social graces.”

Max: “Oh man, this is a tough one. Conventional wisdom says I’d “like” to be Geralt. I mean, who doesn’t want to be the main character right? In actuality, I’m probably closer to Lambert, Dandelion or maybe the Bloody Baron when I’m in a bad mood. I’ve been known to mald here and there.”

Have you guys ever watched the Witcher Netflix series and what were your opinions on it if you have?

Melissa: “The Witcher Netflix series was actually my first introduction to the Witcher universe which I know is totally backwards of most people. Max convinced me to watch it and I really enjoyed it and thought it was very well done. Henry Cavill did such an outstanding job as Geralt, if I read the books first it’s exactly how I would imagine Geralt to be. I’m thinking of rewatching once I finish the books though, hopefully before the next season.”

Max: “I enjoyed the Netflix series for sure. I thought it was fairly loyal to the source material while also introducing the incredible Witcher universe to a broader audience. I also thought Henry Cavill did a great job portraying Geralt – I’m kind of a fan boy of his. If you didn’t know already he’s a total nerd which is cool to see from a Hollywood star. He plays a ton of games and paints Warhammer Fantasy miniatures. I look forward to season 2 and how they continue to adapt the source material for TV.”

Do you two have a favorite deck/faction?

Melissa: “My favorite faction has always been Scoia’tael, my first deck ever was a Harmony deck. I’ll never forget my first card I crafted on my own account was Waters of Brokilon right before the Harmony nerf. My favorite deck right now is nature’s gift though. I really enjoy the nature card synergy and that it has a little bit of control as well.”

Max: “It’s gotta be NR Witchers for me. I love the lines of play and the fact that you’re often pushing heavily into round 2. It’s just a deck I really enjoy playing. Also, it has a quality bronze package and runs many neutrals which is interesting to me.”

What are your initial impressions of the new cards from Price of Power first set?

Melissa: “There’s for sure a few cards that I’m very excited to try out. Overall, I think it’s a great move for the game to release smaller sets where the majority of cards will see play as opposed to a big expansion where half of the cards rarely get played.”

Max: “I’m really liking the direction that CDPR is taking Gwent in terms of the content release schedule. Smaller, more focused content drops helps to keep the game and the meta fresh. Having a slow drip of new cards versus one giant release will allow more time to playtest cards and deck lists as all of the Price of Power cards are introduced. I also think it will provide the Gwent dev teams more opportunities to tune cards/factions on a rolling basis.”

Do you have any advice for new players that you feel you wish you knew back when you two started?

Melissa: “I know personally in terms of resources, when I first started I would mill any cards from Syndicate and Northern Realms because I never thought I would play them. I would definitely not recommend doing something like that because when I went to try new factions I wound up having to craft all of the cards anyway.”

Max: “My advice to newer players is always to find content creators you enjoy watching and learn from them through Twitch and/or YouTube. The community, while small, is lucky to have so many quality content creators that are willing to help teach and actively talk through their lines of play. This certainly has been helpful for Mel and me.”

What new things would you guys like to see happen to Gwent in the future? 

Melissa: “I would definitely like to see Gwent better advertised, I think it has so much potential to reach a bigger player base. I’m also really looking forward to new play modes and of course draft mode being finalized.”

Max: “I think, to Mel’s point, Gwent can be and should be better advertised. It’s such an incredible game and deserves a larger player base. Additionally, I’d love if certain underplayed cards could get full reworks but I feel like this is something the development team is aware of and actively working on.”

Do you plan on making YT content or even dare we say writing articles for the team in the future?

Melissa: “We’ve thought about making YouTube content potentially in the future, but we’re not sure exactly what we would want that to look like yet. Right now we’re focusing on making the stream the best it can possibly be before we expand to YouTube. Max would probably be the article writer if we did, as you can tell from reading our answers here, he’s the much better writer.”

Max: “Yes, it’s definitely something we discuss often. It’s a bit harder for us as we both have demanding fulltime jobs and spare time outside of streaming can be hard to come by. I’d love to continue to build out our Twitch channel and explore additional horizons thereafter. I think writing articles would be a great opportunity as I have always thought of it as one of my strong suits. Maybe I’ll write an article from the perspective of a pro-misplayer.”

Do you play any other games besides Gwent together off stream?

Melissa: “Right now, if we do play anything together off stream its Gwent only. We used to do some Hearthstone arena together and Max used to help me with my Witcher 3 play through before I abandoned it for Gwent. We’re thinking about resuming The Witcher 3 though soon, possibly streaming it.”

Max: “Too many games outside of Gwent if I’m being honest! I unfortunately have a bad case of video game ADHD. Maybe I should focus more time on Gwent and I’ll make less misplays. I enjoy playing Destiny 2, Total War: Warhammer 2, Valorant. I’m really excited for the Diablo 2 remaster that’s coming out later this year. I also want to buy a Switch soon.”

Before I let you two go where can you be found for those who may not have discovered you guys yet? Do you guys have any social media accounts for our readers and fans to keep updated on when you guys want to share something exciting?

” We try to stream every other day at http://www.twitch.com/maxandmelgwent, we’re working on getting a more normal schedule once life allows it! You can also find us on twitter http://www.twitter.com/maxandmelgwent “