A year ago, I subscribed to every Hearthstone podcast available in itunes. Gradually over the course of this year, I have narrowed my HS podcast subscriptions to four. And if I had to further narrow them down to only one, Walk to Work would be that one, without question. This isn't a slight to the other HS podcasts--many of which are excellent and well worth a HS player's time--so much as a high compliment to Walk to Work and the host, BlisterGuy.
A typical episode of Walk to Work is around 30 minutes (significantly shorter than most other HS podcasts) and consists of two parts--a discussion of a topic of current interest to the HS community (such as the current meta, an upcoming expansion, etc.) followed by playing a game or two (he plays with a different deck each episode).
The first part of the podcast--the discussion portion--is where the host, BlisterGuy, really separates himself from the pack of other podcasters. Perhaps because of his self-imposed time constraint, his discussion is focused and concise. More importantly, he almost always offers a more thoughtful, balanced and compassionate discussion of the topic at hand than other podcasts and the major HS websites. BlisterGuy seems to be less prone to simply express anger or frustration and much more likely to examine the topic in a mature and insightful manner, no matter the topic--such as when the HS balance team seemingly drops the ball (such as with Evolve and then Gala Shaman) or HS corporate issues an apparently draconian punishment to a Grandmaster for voicing support for Hong Kong protesters or a different Grandmaster makes a mistake during a GM match because he is simultaneously playing in an auto-chess tournament. No matter the topic, I generally come away from BlisterGuy's discussion having gained a more empathetic understanding of the underlying issues.
As for the play portion of the episode, BlisterGuy does a fine job verbalizing what is happening in the game and his thought process as a player. The host is no slouch as a player--he reaches legend rank most months--but he's not an elite, GM-level player. Yet I often learn as much or more from hearing his discription of a single game than I do from watching multiple games on an elite player's Twitch stream. BlisterGuy verbalizes what goes on in the head of a player during a HS game, including his strategy and what he anticipates is the opponent's strategy. When he plays a deck that I will probably never play--such as any Wild deck or an expensive one that I am unlikey to craft--I usually listen anyway, because his thought processes are still generally applicable and helpful to any player looking to improve. And I appreciate that, after the game, BlisterGuy devotes a few moments to considering how he might have player better.
Finally, BlisterGuy ends every podcast with the phrase, "Good luck in everything that you do and I love you all." Frankly, this phrase uttered to a bunch of faceless podcast listeners would sound cloying and insincere coming from most people--including myself. But BlisterGuy manages to pull it off. It always leaves me with a smile, feeling more positive and compassionate towards myself as a HS player, towards other HS players, and even towards the world in general. And that's the highest compliment I can think of.
