Interview

Michelle Baines
Los Angeles, California 

Michelle has got to be one of the craziest and unique girls I have talked to in a long time (and no, it's definitely not a bad thing).  I think she has the kind of sprit that can put you in good mood whether you're winning or losing in a big event or just having a bad day.  The other person I have met in UFS that has that impact is Omar Chavez (Gouhadou).  When meeting him and team nice head at worlds, within about 5 minutes this encounter was worth the 3 hour flight from Fort Myers to Gencon.  Omar, James, and Fred were all excellent deck builders and players that had enthusiastic personalities.  This was a great experience since out of most CCG's I have played, the top-level players are often arrogant, and I was uncomfortable playing with them.  On top of that, their sarcasm and never ending comedy always lightens the tension before an event. With Omar commenting on how tall I am and busting Vik on anything from his height or his Indian friend, Dhalsim.  Then James's presence haunting Vik to the point where Vik needs a James Hata-proof bubble whenever they are around each other.  We get the same comedy from Michelle and Mark on the forums, which is quite priceless.  On top of that, when conducting this interview, Mark would chime in when I was going through the questions with Michelle, and that distracted her. Basically it was by far the longest one on one interview of all the girls in this series. None the less, it was great and I would not change how it was done. Thanks again Michelle.

1. Scuba-Have you ever played a CCG before UFS?

Michelle-No.

2. Scuba-Are you a fan of any of the games and/or licenses?  Or, do you just like the UFS engine?

Michelle-I'm a huge fan of dark stalkers, especially Morrigan.

3. Scuba-If you did play one of these games, does that sway you to that license for choosing a character when in the deck building process? 

Michelle-Yes it does. But it also depends on how good the character is, but I fell in love with Morrigan.

4. Scuba-How did you hear of UFS and STG? 

Michelle-From Lemming Stampede.

Ok enough background information. Now that our viewers have a general idea about you let's see your input on girls in the CCG world.

General Questions:

1. Scuba-Of girls who play UFS, do you think it is better for them to learn from guys or girls? 

Michelle-Better to learn from a guy to learn how they think to play the game.  And to make better plays and to get a better insight from both guys and my own.

2. Scuba-If another girl or a guy teaches a girl, do you think it holds an advantage one way or the other?

Michelle-I think both [girls and guys] should teach her to learn the strengths of both people. I think guys overall build better decks.  They can look at the big picture and can envision how each card will affect that aspect of the game.

3. Scuba-Do you think girls have enough girls to play against in a general playgroup or do you view this as a current problem?

Michelle-There are hardly any girls, and I think this is a problem. We need more girls in UFS.

4. Scuba-Do you think sometimes a reason a girl won't get into a CCG like UFS is because they aren't comfortable playing against a group of guys being the only girl?

Michelle-I was nervous that I might be treated different for being a girl.  Making fun of me for playing the game.  But overall it went over well. I've only had one bad experience.

5. Scuba-Would you feel comfortable showing someone else how to play the game Why or why not?  Does the answer change depending on the gender of your student?

Michelle-Yes. I would love to show the person how to play, but I don't know if I would have enough knowledge to teach fully.  I would be more excited to teach a girl but would teach the same no matter what.

6. Scuba-Do you prefer your opponent to play to their full potential, or let you feel like you're in the game?  Do you want cat-n-mouse or reality?  Does the answer change if the opponent is willing afterwards to give you their tips on plays and deck building and how they were able to win (if they won, that is, hehe)? 

Michelle-I would never want someone to let me win.

7. Scuba-If you ever lose a match, do you ever ask your opponent for some help and what is the general answer? 

Michelle-I always ask my opponent what I did wrong. Otherwise I won't get better and make the same errors.

8. Scuba-Do you ever go to a local tournament or travel to a tournament? 

Michelle-Yeah, we travel and go to local tourneys.

9. Scuba-Do you only play with pretty characters? (I know guys that do this, so don't be offended) Have you ever used, for example: Nightmare, Hugo, Cervantes, or Astraoath? 

Michelle-I play Astaroth, but I have him in the cutest card sleeves with pink and anime characters.

10. Scuba-What kind of hobbies do you have outside of playing UFS?

Michelle-Reading, playing PS3, WOW.

11. Scuba-How often do you get harassed by male players when you play against them and how do they take it when you beat them?

Michelle-Most have been cool. One person at the AOP was a jerk; very cocky, won the first game. Then he got serious after I won the first game, and then he ended up winning the match.

12. Scuba-Do you try to bring other friends who are non-gamers (Guy/Girls) to play the game?

Michelle-I have tried, but they have fell through. The girls have been flaky. It didn't last.

 13. Scuba-Did you get dragged into gaming by a significant other or was it always one of your callings?

Michelle-Lemming stampede got me into the game.

14. Scuba-Who do you think is the strongest player in your area? 

Michelle-Demon caliber, Leeming Stampede.

15. Scuba-Do you feel comfortable approaching this person and asking for advice? Why or why not? 

Michelle-Yes, cause he's a friend of really good player and mine with strengths I don't have a great control player mind set.

16. Scuba-Do you ever feel intimidated?  Why or why not? 

Michelle-Yes, I don't ever think I will win. I think I am too low on the skill level at this point to take an AOP or something of the sort.

17. Scuba-How much do you buy?  If you're in a relationship with a gamer, do you ask said gamer to build you decks, or do you take initiative and acquire your own cards?

Michelle-My happiest memory is to get god packs. I love it. Me and Mark buy all our cards together.

18. Scuba-Do you have other girls that game in the group or are you the only girl in the group?

Michelle-We have two girls in our group.

19. Scuba-Do you think there is a different play style between males and females?

Michelle-I think there is difference, but it depends on the personality of the player. I have seen most girls play agro decks. I don't know if this is all the same or it is just in my area.

20. Scuba-Do you think it is possible for men or women to step outside the box and try to think like one another to get in their heads or are our brains just too different? 

Michelle-I think we have to. If we don't, we will lose or underestimate the person and possibly make play mistakes.

21. Scuba-Knowing that guys strongly dominate the CCG world, do you ever use that knowledge to your advantage?

Michelle-Absolutely. Any advantage, take it. I have played to make guys think I am there for my BF, and if they believe it then it's their fault. I will do what I can to win. 

22. Scuba-Do you ever try to play mind games with your opponent, thinking they will underestimate you?

Michelle-Yes. I will wear makeup and dress up cute so they might think I am in the game not for competition but there for other reasons. If they are distracted that's their fault.

23. Scuba-Do you ever intentionally act like you're new to the game to give your opponent a false incentive?

Michelle-No, I don't think that's fair.

24. Scuba-How do you play in your normal playgroup compared to the matches you might get at a Nationals or Worlds event?

Michelle-I do worse in normal playgroup compared to a big event. But I do try to size up my opponent so I know what I need to do to win. I don't know enough to make assumptions about characters before starting the match.  I definitely don't have enough info on the game to try anything like a team event yet.

25. Scuba-Do you think the general CCG market is affect by groups like MTV?  Do you think that CCG's are viewed as dorky and that inhibits people from trying the game? 

Michelle-I do think a lot of people think it is dorky no matter what CCG it is. Heck, I was one of them. I don't think everyone should play UFS. This helps us to weed out the bad eggs of CCG world.

Closing thoughts:

Scuba-I would like to thank you for your time and insight on UFS and the CCG world. Are there any closing thoughts you would like to share new players out there (guys and girls)? 

Michelle-For guys, you should never underestimate us. More of reason for us to win.  For girls, to take it seriously and have fun playing the game and broaden their horizon and hopefully a girl will win a major championship some day. 

Well this concludes my interview with Mini Morrigan. Definitely one of the most unique UFS female players I have had the pleasure of talking to.  Let's put it this way: her interview took the time it took for me to interview 3 different girls. But thanks, it was a of fun getting to know you. 

If you have any questions about any of the topics discussed or anything in general contact me on the boards or email me This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thanks,
Scubadude