Ryan "Realz" Masterson - most known for his DreamHack Summer top 4 finish - will be leaving the professional Hearthstone scene and switching careers. Masterson will be joining the Hearthstone dev team as an associate designer.
Since the birth of the competitive Hearthstone scene, Realz has been a player riding the top ranks. A member of Managrind for team's entire life-span, the American showed stellar performances in online and offline events alike.
Realz's journey into competitive fame began on the fields of IHU's King of the Hill, where he pinned three consecutive wins before being dethroned by Razor. Following this success was a weak appearance at ESGN's Fight Night Series where his run ended on a 1-3 record but it was all uphill for Masterson from there on.
In May, Realz took the gold in the first edition of the Tavern Takeover series, beating Janne "Savjz" Mikkonen 4-1 in the finals. Next month, a trip to Sweden for DreamHack Summer placed him in the top four of Hearthstone's biggest offline tournament to date and in early August he turned an invitation to the VGVN Naxx Release tournament into a second place finish, only losing to Jason "Amaz" Chan in the finals after a narrow 3-4 series.
Placed top 10 in the GosuGamers world rankings, Realz became the hottest free agent after the disbandment of his team Managrind. Although approached by several teams, Realz has ultimately chosen none as he will be switching careers altogether.
Hot Off The Press - I have accepted a position as Associate Game Designer (Hearthstone) with Blizzard Entertainment. A new chapter begins...
— Ryan Masterson (@Realz_HS) August 27, 2014
