wadewilsonforever8626, Author at Woehammer

Noah (left) during the 2023 Las Vegas Open

Jiwan Noah Singh – The Stats

2022-2023
Events: 8
Game Wins: 32
Game Losses: 8
Win Rate: 80.0%

Joshua Bennett (JB): First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to chat with us and our readers. Has the feeling of winning the largest AOS event (Las Vegas Open) in the world worn off yet?

Jiwan Noah Singh (JNS): No problem, I’m a chatty guy. LVO really was quite something, not going to downplay how fun that was. But I had an itch to play some warhammer like 5-6 days after I got back. Sometimes, I look at the photos of everyone storming the stage during the ITC awards when I need a little serotonin boost

JB: I bet that was an insane experience. especially with your club behind you for support. Tough crowd is really amazing. The love and support you have for each other, not to mention the energy you guys bring to events. Do you think that is one of the things that keeps bringing you back?

JNS: I love Tough Crowd, and it was super special this year getting the team award. We also have other clubs we are super close with, Harumbes, Wicked Dicey, Georgia Warband, and a bunch of others. Having my wife come for the first time was great too, she got to see this part of my life that is so important to me. Having an amazing club and friends for sure is part of it, but I loved going to events even without knowing anyone. I met a lot of my close friends in the hobby now by just showing up to my first LVO, knowing nobody with three screaming bells, a gong and edible warpspark tokens.

I think even if you know nobody, you should rock up and make them know you

JB: That’s amazing, and let me take a moment to point out you are an amazing human being and make everyone feel welcome and an absolute joy to be around. How long have you been into the competitive world.

JNS: Lots of amazing people in this hobby. It’s so good. I started playing Aos in a shed in my yard in Key West during first edition, but most games didn’t end, and we got distracted or did stuff like try fireball objectives. I went to a couple of tournaments pre Covid but not really with any specific expectations, and they were really fun. Over Covid I started playing on tts, and the community and access to talking to people really helped me (I’m a classic extrovert and was kinda losing my mind up on a mountain in Vermont) The group I stumbled into happened to be competitive and it eventually led to being coach of the 2021 worlds team. I think I just got in a routine of playing aos constantly and became a competitive player out of that.

I would say I try to be competitively social, but I really enjoy figuring out puzzles in games and how to put myself in a position to win.

JB: which you do very well. being a coach to the worlds team had to be so much fun.

JNS: Yeah it was great, that year was Milan, which was a super fun place to roll around with a crew of warhammer players. Worlds and teams are such a fun part of warhammer, I highly suggest people participate in team events.

JB: I have seen team event pick up popularity in the states do you think that’s the future of AOS competition

JNS: I think gt play is great, I have loved that more premier events are swapping to top 8. There is something really fun about getting space to watch the top tables duke it out while you hang with the people you met. I think teams is a great second thing to expand though. There is room for both in my imagined future and I think it sounds fantastic.

JB: Speaking of the top 8 what advice would you give readers that want to get to that level?

JNS: I think the only real advice I have to get better is to play more and play clean and to lose more to great players.

JB: you have gone from AOS worlds coach to LVO winner what can we expect from you next

JNS: Lol I don’t know, I love playing AoS and am going to try to get to some new areas I haven’t played in yet. I like finding new lists and metas and seeing what they have going on in those places, that’s really what motivated me to keep doing this.

Although I am on the team this year again and will be playing in Amsterdam which will be a blast.

So I guess that’s next?

JB: Noah thank you so much for your time and good luck at worlds. I look forward to seeing you on the tables.

Our Other General Speaking Articles:

Gavin – The Stats

Events in 22-23 Pitched Battles (Season 1 and 2): 10
Game Wins: 43.5 (Draws counting as 0.5 wins and 0.5 losses)
Game Losses: 6.5
Win Rate: 87.0%
Woehammer Ranking Points: 928.4
North America Woehammer Ranking: 2nd
Worldwide Woehammer Ranking: 2nd

Events (Sorted by Woehammer Ranking Points):

Event	Faction	Wins	Losses	Ranking Points
Las Vegas Open 2023	CoS	5	0	264.6
Nova Open	Ser	5	0	228.8
US Open Kansas City	DoK	5	0	223.8
Old Town Throwdown Summer Smash	Ser	5	0	211.2
The Slambo GT	Ser	5	0	193.6
Harambe’s Heroes and Goldmine Games Rumble in the Jungle	DoK	5	0	186.5
Everwinter GT	DoK	4	1	181.4
US Open Chicago	Ser	4	1	169.0
Sooper Seekret Kastell Chon	GG	2.5	2.5	147.1
The Lone Star Grand Tournament	S2D	3	2	146.2

General Speaking

Joshua Bennett (JB): Hey buddy, first, I wanna say thank you so much for taking time out of your day and chatting with us. I guess we should start off with asking how long have you been wargaming?

Gavin Grigar (GG): Thanks for having me! I started wargaming around 2003 as a kid with 40k and then lost interest when I got to high school, which is probably similar to a lot of folks. Picked it up again in 2017 after I realized it was ok to be a nerd and then started playing Age of Sigmar in 2019 because it was what my friends were playing. Haven’t looked back since.

JB: You were last seasons number 1 ITC player with a few number 1s in multiple factions, you’re also representingteam USA in the AOS worlds event. Has it always been competitive play for you?

GG: Yea, I think I’ve always had a thing. Basketball, football (Peter: You mean Gridiron? That sport wherey, and Halo 3 growing up, then League of Legends for a while and now wargaming. This is probably the most invested I’ve been in a thing, though. The camaraderie of the community makes it easy to keep coming back.

JB: You boys in Texas have a pretty big community, and when we met, you and others from that community were very welcoming. Do you think that’s what makes you enjoy AOS more than the other hobbies you have done

GG: Thanks dude, you Georgia fellas are alright too, I guess. Yea, no matter what the game state is, the community consistently makes it a blast to travel and hang out.

JB: What do you think is an important step in becoming a competitive player? What advice would you give somebody wanting to play at that next level

GG: The most consistent thing I’ve noticed in other players that consistently do well is an obsession with the game. There are so many moving parts in AoS, and those parts are constantly changing, so it takes an obsessive person to learn and relearn the game as it evolves. Surrounding yourself with other great players and consistent practice also helps a ton.

JB: I know you’re getting ready for worlds, I would assume you’re getting to practice against some of the best. How much does that shift your focus while still playing in events?

GG: Practice for worlds has priority, and as it gets closer, I’ve scaled back my travel to focus on it. When I do get out to events lately, it’s been experimental things, and I’ve tried to start enjoying the hangout more(Tried being the keyword). After Worlds, I’ll probably readjust goals.

JB: Speaking of goals, did you plan on dominating the best in faction class, or was it more playing what was fun

GG: One of the things I wanted to do better at this year was focusing on a few factions, as in 2021, I felt like I had played too many (11 or 12, I believe). Daughters of Khaine have always been my favorite faction, and Seraphon has mechanics that I really enjoy the playstyle of (Yes, they are also strong). I missed out on best Gitz, though…

JB: Can we expect a repeat this season?

GG: In approach to army choice, I think so, yea, I have less time to allocate to the AoS this year and will be more selective of when I travel. As far as ITC, there are a ton of really talented people gunning for placements. I look forward to seeing everybody at upcoming GTs and competing, though!

JB: Gavin, thank you so much for your time. I just have one last question for you. What advice could you give to our readers that are just starting out in the hoppy

GG: If you’re already thinking about tournaments, my advice is just go and see what it’s like. The community is fantastic and very welcoming. Once you go, you can really decide what it is that you want from Aos, and there is plenty more available than just the competitive aspect. If competitive is your thing, find other like-minded people and enjoy the ride. Thanks for having me!

JB: It was our pleasure, and I look forward to seeing how the season shapes out for you. Good luck at Worlds, and I’ll see you on the tables!