Believe it or not, when I was a student at Illinois State University I actually had a class which juxtaposed literature and video games. The professor, one who I took several classes with, had one of his degrees in British Romanticism but was equally into Lord Byron and William Blake as he was into video games like Alien: Isolation and Hohokum. We studied video games for an entire semester as a virtual medium right alongside acclaimed literary works. It was nerd-tacular paradise, I won't lie.

One of the bigger things we covered, however, wasn't just playing games aside literature; we watched games, too. Viewing gameplay streams, strategy guides in video form, and more were a part of it, and for many this isn't where one gets introduced to streaming. (For me, it was the largest part responsible. Late to the party, I know.) For instance, a friend of mine had a Twitch account long before I linked my Amazon Prime to Twitch Prime during a promotion they had going, and he got me into a variety of professional streamers for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.

Yeah yeah, I know. Another Hearthstone piece.

This being said, here's a short list of kick-ass casters to watch (i.e. there are more, but this is simply my personal list for the time being) if you're just getting into Hearthstone or if you're a more seasoned player:

1. Brian Kilber - bmkibler (https://www.twitch.tv/bmkibler)

"Welcome! Welcome to the Dragon Army!" If you subscribe to his streams, that's generally what you'll hear upon your arrival. Kibler is a master player and has attended countless Hearthstone events in addition to owning at other card games like Magic: The Gathering. (Seems like a really nice guy and definitely has the skills.)

2. Sean Plott - day9tv (https://www.twitch.tv/day9tv)

Two words, folks: Funny guy! For real, Sean "Day[9]" Plott has got the raps, the jokes, the rhymes, the massive Starcraft knowledge, the math/RNG calculating skills, the ridiculous deck builds, and more. He was my first subscribe! Worth watching every week.

3. Octavian Morosan - Kripparrian / nl_Kripp (https://www.twitch.tv/nl_kripp)

Basically, here's the gist: Canadian streamer, most Hearthstone at night, knuckle-bumps the webcam when new subs roll in, absolutely slays at Arena with an incredibly high number of 12-win runs. Check him out!

4. Janne Mikkonen - Savjz (https://www.twitch.tv/savjz)

One word this time: Accent! (Just kidding. Well, I mean he does have the accent, but there's obviously more here.) Another star-studded pro player, this European Legend-hitter never fails to impress.

5. Cong Shu - StrifeCro (https://www.twitch.tv/strifecro)

Quick example: The first time I ever watched StrifeCro's stream, he was testing out a Shaman deck built so strangely... Months later, you see someone playing that same deck, you usually end up thinking of StrifeCro. Check him out, as well!

What other streamers would you add to the list? What other opinions are there on the ones listed? Let Odyssey know!