Amaz

Early Life and Background

Jason Chan was born in Hong Kong on April 12, 1991. He moved to Vancouver, Canada with his mother during fourth grade, where he learned English and was introduced to computer games by his cousin, becoming a dedicated fan of Blizzard titles like Warcraft III and World of Warcraft. The family later returned to Hong Kong, where Chan attended an international school. He pursued mathematics at the University of Waterloo, but put his studies on hold in 2011 following the passing of his mother from intestinal cancer.

Rise to Streaming Prominence

After working an office job in Hong Kong in 2013, which he found boring, Chan began streaming Hearthstone on Twitch later that year on a friend's suggestion. His early success was boosted by frequently matching against fellow streamer Artosis, which at one point drew him a concurrent viewership high of 20,000. This launchpad established him as a major streaming personality.

Chan's popularity was formally recognized when he won the Best Hearthstone Streamer award at the Blizzard 2014 Stream Awards. He also placed highly in categories for Most Active Chat and Highest Mean Viewership for Blizzard games on the platform.

Competitive Hearthstone Career

Amaz was the first Hearthstone streamer signed by the prestigious organization Team Liquid. In November 2014, he left to found his own team, Team Archon, and immediately signed the reigning world champion, Firebat. Beyond playing, Chan contributed to the game's community as a commentator for the 2015 Hearthstone World Championship and provided Cantonese and Taiwanese voice acting for cards in the Blackrock Mountain expansion.

In September 2016, he departed the team he created to join NRG Esports. He also made a significant mark as a tournament organizer, producing the Amaz Team League Championships (ATLC), later described as one of the most successful third-party tournaments in Hearthstone. An attempt to crowdfund a second season via Kickstarter in 2016 was cancelled due to insufficient funding.

Ventures into Magic: The Gathering

Beyond Hearthstone, Amaz is an active player and streamer of Magic: The Gathering and its digital versions. Wizards of the Coast granted him special invitations to Pro Tour events in Kyoto 2017 and Minneapolis 2018, where he also played in an exhibition match celebrating the game's 25th anniversary, finishing as runner-up. He achieved a Top 32 finish with his team in Minneapolis and recorded two Grand Prix top eight finishes in the 2018-19 season.

He is sponsored by ChannelFireball as a regular streamer and video producer for Magic: The Gathering Arena, maintaining a parallel career in the card game community.

Legacy and Community Impact

Amaz's influence extends beyond his individual play. His creation of Team Archon helped shape the early professional Hearthstone landscape, and the ATLC tournament set a high bar for community-run events. His move to NRG signaled a continued commitment to a professional esports career. As a streamer, he has maintained a consistent and popular broadcast schedule, often branching out to playthroughs of other games, and he was invited to participate in a Teamfight Tactics tournament in 2019. His journey from mathematics student to esports icon illustrates a path forged by passion and community engagement.