Masters Tour Bucharest: Class is in Session

Bárbara "TheTeacher" Coelho is a mathematics major at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, but she grew up just a few hours’ drive north in the small town of Pereiro, where everyone knows each other. As a well-behaved kid with good grades and a big family, she was one of just four students her age at school. This allowed for a close teacher-student relationship that would inspire her to pursue education as a career.

“I am becoming a middle and high school teacher,” said TheTeacher. “Kids never like math, but I think there is an opportunity to join games with teaching, especially in mathematics where there are so many possibilities to do so.”

When she was introduced to Hearthstone by her boyfriend and current ORO Esports teammate Miguel “Reliquary” Galante, the blend of art and arithmetic spoke to her soul. “He tried to make me play other games before but failed, until Hearthstone captivated me!”

After watching Masters Tour Seoul and seeing the potential of Highlander Mage, TheTeacher used the deck to qualify for Masters Tour Bucharest. “In fact, I crafted the deck on the last Friday of the qualifying period and made top 8 on the same day, before qualifying on Saturday,” she said.

TheTeacher admits she’s been a casual player up until recently, with most of her competitive experience taking place online. “What excites me the most about going to Bucharest is actually the in-person competition itself, having the opportunity to meet other players and the other women especially.”

That doesn’t mean TheTeacher hasn’t been putting in the time for prep. “Most of my non-study time is spent on Hearthstone,” she said. “Besides Reliquary, my practice partners are Trauma, ArticPheonix, and DrBoom. For the meta, I expect to see the wild cards in most of the decks—they are quite powerful!”

Masters Tour Bucharest starts this weekend! The broadcast will be live on Oct. 17 at 11:00 p.m. PDT on Twitch.tv/PlayHearthstone!