FMI: Episode 10 (feat. Isco)

FMI: Episode 10 (feat. Isco)

Postby Barca » May 22nd, 2020, 12:22 am

Hello guys! It is such a long time ago where we had our last guest, but.. here we are back with another part of our loved series! This time we have Isco, currently 2nd record holder of impressive five Division 1 titles. Placed 7th on all-time assists, considering that he is only playing DM, is another fact showing his incredible class. By now Isco scored 37 goals and has 100 assists for 13 different teams. Starting his FM career in season 7 on with Poke Attackers, just where he won his first of three Division 2 titles, manifests his overall consistency through all of his further appearances.
In this interview we will get to know more about the person behind the name Isco, his opinion of Haxball back in the days and now, the israeli haxball scene, his former important teams and players & so much more. So have fun reading & I hope you enjoy it!


Fact sheet

Real name: Omry
Age: 25
Living in: Tel Aviv, Israel
Playing haxball since: 2011
Current teams: gentlegeeks
Former (important) teams: Seeders, ACDP, Nerdlucks
Working in: a digital marketing agency
Studying: not at the moment
Favourite food: Sushi


First of all, how you got to your name ‘Isco’ and what about your first steps as Haxball player?

So, how I got that nickname was pretty random, at first my nickname was written in hebrew letters after an israeli tv series actor. By time when I started to play in YeS I had to change it to english, one day I read an article about an unkown football player from Malaga, named Isco, and I just took it with me to haxball :D

Was there an Israeli scene with which you played in public or even leagues? And how did you get from public into leagues?

Hmm yes, actually when I started I used to play only in public rooms, at the time there was a scene of good israeli players, but they were playing 3vs3. My league journey starts in late 2011, when Yaadon, DaN and me joined ESL 3vs3 ladder. I remember at the time we had to play with high pings, since we're from Israel, and there were no hosts, but still, it was a great time.

As long as I remember you played all of your career as DM. You naturally just feel most confident on this position or whats the reason for it?

Actually i started as GK :D, but it is too long ago I can't even remember it by myself. I'm playing DM since 2013. Back then, I felt like I wasn't involved enough in the game and I wanted a change. I think that DM is the perfect position for me, since it not requires you to be a master in double kicks and bouncing the ball from corners. As DM, you can take charge of your team "pace" and gamestyle, even if you're not the most creative player. That's why i like it so much.

You are known as one of the best DMs for years now. But which players you did look up for and learnt the most from?

Back then, there were pretty good DM's like Dexter and Gerrarrd, but for me YaaDon was the greatest player to ever play this game. He was so smart for that period of time, when players weren't as fast as they are now. It was amazing how no one could stop him, no matter what position he played. It was a pleasure playing and learning from him.

You already mentioned some israeli players. So how is Israeli haxball currently doing? And what about your international performances?

Ahh :D, unfortunately Israeli haxball is not really worth talking about... Right now, there are only a few public players and most of them are not really into playing haxball, more into impersonating.
Luckily, when it comes to the national team, we're doing pretty fine winning the last two nations cup tournaments (even though i wasn't playing in the last one).


Spoiler: Show
"Isco playing with QuickSwans in season 22"
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To go through all of your FM teams would be a bit too much. From your fact sheet we know that ACDP and Seeders are outstanding. Could you tell us a bit about this period of time and why it was special for you?

Well, I first opened Seeders in 2014. If I'm not mistaken it was my first season as a main captain.
At the time I brought some random public Israeli player called Yannex. Together, we built a very nice, but competitive squad :). I'll never forget the good times I had during the years with Seeders.
My time at ACDP was very special too, it was my first FM Division 1 title. We actually took it back-to-back a season later. I liked that lineup we had so much, especially cause we had such a good chemistry and it was so nice playing with good people like Maddude, aero and Jai.


Managing to win three Division 1 titles in a row [together with Pringles, Yannex, aguero10 & mostly also Marble] feels like a masterpiece. Is this your biggest achievement to be proud of?

For sure it is. Especially those 3 titles in a row with Seeders. I think we're the only team to do that and I'm very proud of it. We got there some incredible achievements like scoring 118 goals in season 25.

Spoiler: Show
Isco playing HCL 17 final with BLACKOUT! and scoring in last minute to make it 2:2
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Despite having many trophies, the Haxball Champions League trophy is not one of it… as you lost in the final for two times. Can you sum up why it didn’t work out lifting the trophy?

Yep, we made it to HCL finals for two times in a row and lost both of them. Honestly, when I look at knock-out stage competitions such as Haxball Champions League, I can say with confidence that it's mostly based on luck. Unfortunately, at the time we weren't lucky enough to lift this very important trophy. We had to face very strong teams and in these kind of matches you usually end up winning/losing because of small things. Unlike playing a league, where you have like 20 matches per season and you can maintain your level, even if you're not winning one game it's not the end of the world.

And how were your feelings after those losses? Was it a special disappointment or did you kinda dealt with it like just another loss?

I know people probably won't believe it, but I really didn't cared that much :D... I remember getting a lot of messages after the 2nd final, with people feeling sorry for me saying that it's so sad that I haven't won this title yet. I always replied back that I'm not so sad about it. I mean sure... it's always nice winning and having a lot of trophies but at the end of the day having fun is the most important thing.

Spoiler: Show
Isco opened up HCL 18 final with Seeders
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Nice words. Is the Champions League trophy something you want to achieve before retiring?

Hmm not really, I actually retired already after losing those 2 finals. I didn't think I'd come back, but I had a lot of free time during qurantine ^^. Of course I'll be happy to win it one day, but it's really not my priority.

What were your best matches you remember to be part of?

Wow... it's difficult to name one. I was fortunate enough to take part in very high quality matches during the years. I remember one game though with the Israeli national team. We played vs. Turkey and it was the semi final of the ESL Country Championship tournament and the match lasted 60 mins... it was insane to play so long.

Let’s jump more into the current time. Smith leaving Fucked Ups for Slappers was on of the most controversial moves of recent Haxball. Was this strict decision by him a shock for you guys, as you couldn’t compete in Division 1 any more?

Hmm, yes for sure. We were really looking forward to play in Division 1. Smith made his decision after a heavy pressure that was exerted on him by another team. I can't accept and understand this decision, but at the same time I can't really complain cause it's his right to do whatever he wants to with the team.
The reason why we were a bit angry about it is because we had one more option to join another team from Division 1, but we already gave the word to Smith.

Spoiler: Show
Isco dominating in season 23
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Now you are captain of gentlegeeks, a formally new team, but in the end core players of which you did play for years already. What is the idea behind the name ‘gentlegeeks’ and what about your short- and long-term goals with this team?

Well, the idea was to play in Division 1, but as you know things went wrong :D Obviously we wanted to win Division 1, but at this point, we really dont have any specific goals that we want to achieve. We will try to play and have as much fun as possible out of Division 2.
So I was talking with Saky a few weeks ago and we were trying to find a name for the team. We already had this logo of a nerd monkey and we thought that gentlegeeks should fit perfectly :D


Why you decided to compete with a new team name and not Seeders again?

Hmm, I wasn't exactly sure what lineup we're gonna have at first. Yannex wasn't really into playing in Division 2, and without him I couldn't name the team Seeders. But to be honest, it might be even better this way. We've created a nice legacy and maybe it's time to start a new legacy with a new team.

Currently you have 7 players in your squad, 5 of which are veterans. With Uxie and Lozano you also have two players who didn’t really prove themselves in FM by now. What we can expect from them?

Well, I know Lozano and Uxie for a while and I have full confidence in their abillities to play in the highest level. Lozano already has experience playing as GK and DM in Division 1. Since we're playing in Division 2, they have more time to adapt and there is no pressure to play their best in every matchday. The current situation might be good for them.

Are more signings likely soon?

Yes, I'm signing shaxlele, who was our goalkeeper in Seeders too. I am just waiting for him to sign up in free agency. ^^

Corona brang back many players and teams. With a new high in applications and bringing back the top of accepted 10 new teams, record hold at season 23 with 10 as well, it is getting more intense and competitive. Would you say Haxball is booming again?

I can say that it's always a good thing to have as many players as possible in the community. In my opinion Haxball is still not booming as it is supposed to, even though it is going into the right direction ever since the FM admins came up with new rules last season.

Spoiler: Show
Isco playing in season 25 with Seeders (1st place in league & cup winners)
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With 100 assists you are, just behind wroz(bita) having 107 assists, the 2nd in leading all time assists statistcs of DM players. Planning on going first soon?

It's always a nice bonus to have personal achivements, but to be honest, I'm more interested on the team trophies :D

Over the years of Haxball the style, skill of teams and players and the game itself has changed and improved. How did you get along with all those changes?

I feel like in the past the game was more stable. I had nice solid 8 years on Flash without many changes. Of course players improved during the years, but as long as I kept playing on a daily basis I could adapt easily. When Basro released HTML5, there were a lot of changes. Especially when he added the extrapolation command, the gameplay was drastically changed. I didnt like it, but you know... what can we do? Luckily, I still manage to have fun somehow ^^.

Is there a feature you would add to or remove of Haxball if you had the opportunity?

Hmm, honestly I think the game is perfect the way it is. I would probably focus more on making the game more competitive, with professional and sponsored leagues.

What are your top players who were outstanding the most at all positions?

Current: shaxlele - Misaj - Yannex/Saky - Vak
All time: Pringles/Caccapupu - YaaDon - aguero10 - Ced


To finalize our interview, is there a tip you could give to talents getting better?

I guess the best tip i can give in case someone wants to get better is - to watch some old recs of good players and try to do the same things in fs, even if you feel like you're not as good as you want to be, just keep trying and it will come :).

Thanks for this sick interview! Feel free to add whatever you want or give shoutouts.

Thanks for making this interview, it was a pleasure.

next one is an allrounder[/i]
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