Hello and welcome everyone to a very special article! As many of you are aware, the ROC wanted to start a program that exemplifies the achievements and careers of Heroclix players around the world. We announced our end of year awards a few weeks ago, but there was a small announcement made that stated a new Heroclix Hall of Fame would be created. This group will be made of Heroclix players that have a large and lasting impact on the community, have proven their skill with the game, and have tested their mettle on the field of battle, and have emerged victorious! It is very important to also understand that greatness in battle is not the only thing that makes a player “Great.” We wanted to make it very clear that other acts within the community such as judging, game design, podcasting, etc will be kept in consideration when nominations are placed. The ROC has nominated the first five members for the class of 2020, and the members will be responsible for nominating new members every other year going forward. That way this will be a group of players, by players, and for players. 

Let’s get started with our fifth and final inductee: Edward Shelton. 

 

I will start off this bit by saying, I have an enormous amount of bias when it comes to this article. Edward is my team captain on Phoenix Nest, and more importantly he has been a great mentor, a wonderful teammate, and one of my very good friends. It thrills me to see him receive this honor. Now that we have the sappy BS out of the way, let’s get into the article.

 

Edward has been playing Heroclix and rolling dice since 2005. His journey began when he found some figures in a local store that caught his eye. The initial plan was to use them as a display, but eventually he accumulated enough to teach himself how to play. His first memory with competitive was a local tournament during Mutant Mayhem. Needless to say he received a rude awakening into the world of HeroClix competition. For some, that would be their breaking point and many would just give up completely, or focus exclusively on small local matches, but Edwarrd had the fire, and he told himself then and there that he would not stop playing HeroClix until he had won a major event. 

 

Later, he competed at a Wizard Worlds qualifier in the Tulsa OK area, and made top 8. This was the first of many times Edward would subvert the expectations of many and take a team some would consider “out there” and achieve success. The fire was already in place, and Edward pursued every available avenue to continue and advance his career. He started making waves by engaging top competitive players. He would play online matches with players like Daniel Joynes and this is where he said he actually learned how to play Heroclix. Speaking from experience, I can confirm online play has elevated my HeroClix ability immensely and I would highly recommend using the tools available. 

 

Like many of us, Edward eventually became a judge at his local venue. This allowed him to share ideas and obtain thoughts and strategies from other players to expand his game. He emphasized that the broad methods and ideas from other players has heavily expanded his playstyle and allowed him to adapt to many different types of opponents and builds. Edward at his core is an analyst. He loves breaking down players and builds to a microscopic level and picking apart their strengths and weaknesses. This allows him to reconstruct these elements to either enhance for his own play, or prepare defenses for opposing play at events. 

 

In 2011, Edward started his new show “Starting Area” (now known as Starting Over) where he broke down game winning builds and the strategies of other players. Edward was the first player to have a show that focused completely on strategy and competition. Over the years, Edward has helped countless players elevate their game and obtain useful information for preparing for big events. Edward was the first person to also interview World and National champions on his show, giving them the attention and props they deserve for accomplishing such a huge feat. Over the years Edward has also hosted the Quarry for HCRealms which ended in 2018. 

 

After Patrick Yapjoco won worlds in 2014, Edward realized that players at the top tables were obtaining advantages for their play by having groups of players they would surround themselves with to exchange pieces, and practice strategies on a closed forum. He realized that failing to adapt would only result in falling behind the field and in turn, falling down the standings at major events. He formed a group with some friends at the time to exchange ideas, share resources, and travel together to events such as worlds and nationals. After awhile, Phoenix Nest was born. The team has evolved over the years, but the mission still stands, and it is all thanks to Edward. He has developed a squad of world class players that work well together, grow with each other, and continue to improve and conquer events around the world. If you look around now, teams are a mainstay in high level competitive HeroClix. 

 

While many would look to only at event wins, it is very evident that there are many important factors to what makes a player great and worthy of the Hall of Fame. Edward has won a Regional, state tournaments, and WKOs, but more importantly, he was a pioneer for competitive HeroClix by increasing the way we distribute knowledge, giving praise to those who conquer events, and establishing a need for comradery in teamwork. 

 

Congratulations Edward Shelton on your Hall of Fame 2020 Induction! 


Starting Over Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/startingoverpodcast