Casters,
Welcome back to the Community Spotlight series, where MetaZoo News shines a light on the incredible people who make the world of MetaZoo come alive! From passionate community members, to dedicated staff, artists and beyond, this series is your chance to meet the individuals who keep the magic flowing and the community thriving.
Today we're thrilled to feature none other than MetaZoo Crew! As an original partner, a current moderator and an amazing streamer, Crew has been a pillar of the MetaZoo community through every twist and turn.
Let's dive in and get to know MetaZoo Crew!
MetaZoo News (MZN): Tell us a little about yourself - How did you first discover MetaZoo and what drew you to the game?
MetaZoo Crew (Crew): Initially, "MetaZoo Crew" was a family project with my son, daughter and me. We first came across MetaZoo through an Andy Schrock video, just a few moths before the Cryptid Nation release. As I delved further into researching the game, I also stumbled upon Rudy's videos. What really drew me in was the cryptids - for me, it felt like Pokemon, but a little darker and more mature, with real-world monsters and folklore! The unique concept and artwork hooked us instantly, and we began creating content together, doing box openings, etc. And as they say, the rest is history!
MZN: What is your favorite MetaZoo cryptid and/or card?
Crew: My favorite MetaZoo card, without a doubt, has to be Possessed Aura. I think it's the darkest and most beautiful card they've printed. As for my favorite cryptid, hmm, there are so many it's hard to choose just one. If I had to pick a top five, in no particular order, they would be Piasa Bird, Mothman, Grim Reaper, Loveland Frogman and Wendigo.
MZN: What led you to become a MetaZoo streamer? Any amazing pulls live on stream?
Crew: I never planned on becoming a Whatnot streamer or a MetaZoo retailer when we started collecting; it just sort of happened. During the Cryptid Nation through Wilderness sets, my son, daughter and I would casually stream box openings live on Instagram for fun. Eventually, my son came up with the idea of streaming on Whatnot as a fun way to interact with the community. In the early days, we'd stream as a team, but now he's a senior in high school and focused on more meaningful endeavors, lol. As for amazing pulls, we've had too many to count, but the top two would have to be the serialized SRs, a Heart Seed Token from Native, and the UFO Meteorite pin and card from the UFO Pinclub.
MZN: What does your personal collection look like?
Crew: I've always enjoyed collecting binder sets and sealed products. As far as grails go, I have a few Kickstarter boxes, a few slabs and samples, as well as some original artwork that I purchased directly from the artists, but nothing too crazy.
MZN: As someone deeply involved in MetaZoo, what has been your most memorable moment with the game or community?
Crew: There have been so many memorable moments, but one of the highlights has to be driving an hour and a half with my kids on Cryptid Nation release day, waiting in the parking lot for Game Kastle to open so we could grab our pre-order bundles. Coming home and unboxing our very first MetaZoo products and experiencing the cards for the first time was pure magic. Another unforgettable moment was when I received the news that I had been selected as an official MetaZoo partner!
MZN: As an original partner and a current moderator on the official MetaZoo discord, how would you describe the current state of the MetaZoo community?
Crew: I think the community is buzzing with excitement as we all eagerly await updates on the upcoming relaunch. Everyone's really pumped to see the new product, even though the wait can be a bit tough at times, haha. It's just awesome to see that, after everything we've been through, we finally have something exciting to look forward to! It truly feels like starting a new chapter, and everyone's coming together with renewed energy and hope for what's next. It's a reminder of how strong the MetaZoo community is.
MZN: What role do you see the community playing in the success of MetaZoo's upcoming relaunch?
Crew: I believe the community will play a vital role in MetaZoo's upcoming relaunch by driving excitement and support. Their enthusiasm and unity, especially after everything we've been through, will help create a strong fanbase that's ready to embrace the new chapter.
MZN: Can you tell us a bit about what your first reaction was to Mike's letter shuttering the company and how that impacted your business and the community writ large?
Crew: That was definitely a dark day for MetaZoo fans. The closure letter took me completely by surprise. But, true to form with old MetaZoo, it only took a few hours for conflicting statements to start surfacing. They couldn't even close up shop without some sort of delay or retraction, haha. I think the hardest part was seeing friends panic-sell off their collections for next to nothing.
As far as my business, not much changed. I continued streaming regularly; even if there were only five of us in the stream, we still had fun ripping packs and enjoying MetaZoo! I was always confident that MetaZoo would make a comeback. What they had accomplished in just a few short years was truly remarkable, and I was confident that someone would see its potential and seize the opportunity!
MZN: Can you tell us a bit about your thoughts on, and expectations for, the new MetaZoo ownership and distribution?
Crew: I think MetaZoo's new ownership is a total game-changer! They've assembled an amazing team with tons of experience in TCGs, game design, and collecting. Their strong industry connections will definitely help take things to the next level and I'm excited to see what comes next!
MZN: What is your favorite spoiler art piece thus far?
Crew: I like them all, but I'm really loving the Casey Jones spoiler that just dropped this week!
MZN: Speaking of spoilers, what was it like being approached to release a spoiler with Escaped Alien?
Crew: It was an incredible honor to be asked to release a spoiler with Escaped Alien live on YouTube! We're really thankful to MetaZoo for allowing us to do that for the community. It's super exciting to be part of something like this, and we're thrilled to contrbuted to the hype around the new set!
MZN: Is there anything about your journey with MetaZoo or the upcoming relaunch that you'd like to share with the fans that we haven't covered yet?
Crew: I'm just really excited about the upcoming relaunch and everything that's ahead! I can't wait to watch this incredible community grow and see MetaZoo reach its full potential!
MZN: Where can the fans find you online, and are there any upcoming streams or projects we should look out for?
Crew: You can catch my streams on Whatnot, or you can connect with me on my Instagram or the MetaZoo Discord!
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