Welcome, Terror. To me and many people you are the first person to think of, when talking about Arena players. Maybe Edie is more famous, but from what I know you have been playing AoE 2 twice as long as he has.
Anyhow, before we talk about Age of Empires, do you mind, if I ask you some questions about your secondary career?
Do you expect to die in Season 8?
Nope, the throne will be mine.
Who was the better lover? Ygritte or Daenerys?
Khaleesi ftw.
How did you feel when you found out that you and Daenerys are so closely related?
I read all the books and it was a popular fan theory for a long time so it was kind of expected.
The show is obviously very successful, how would you rate the books? I’m thinking about reading one day if I have time, but not before the TV show finishes, because always if I had read a book before watching the movie, the movie was disappointing.
The books are 10/10, if you enjoyed the show you must read them, in many storylines they are completely different from the show so I would definitely recommend.
DraCoNT is Littlefinger, you are obviously Jon Snow, which AoE personalities would the other Game of Thrones main characters be?
I’d say DraCoNT is more like one of the dragons, because they are basically flying lizards after all.
Metal will be Joffrey, cause you usually want to slap him and Littlefinger will be Glokken, cause he knows his way around brothels. Can’t think about any other fitting roles.
Now to your main career:
How old are you and since when do you play Age of Empires 2, have you played Age of Empires 1/3? What are your expectations and wishes for AoE 4? If you could change one thing about AoE 2, what would it be?
I’m 31 and I played some Age of Empires as a kid offline and I started playing online when I was around 14 I think. I didn't play AoE 1, but I did play some AoE 3, when it came out but not for long. I really don't know what to expect from AoE 4, I just hope it won't tear the community apart, so either make it an awesome game and everyone will move there or make it a failure so people will stay in AoE 2.
If I could change AoE 2, then I would remove water from the game, I fricking hate water 11.
Why did you choose the names “Terror”, JonSnow and JonSlow? When and why did you switch between using these 3 names predominantly?
Actually my first online nickname was Batigol after my most favorite football player of all times, Gabriel Batistuta. But when I joined BrO clan around 2005+-, I had to change the nick, cause all the nicks in the clan were formated xxx_BrO and batigol_BrO made no sense, so the clan leader suggested TeRRoR_BrO since I was from Israel, maybe? Lol, so I just took it. After some years, I kind of got tired of that nickname (it was already long after I joined RoR), so after watching the first season of Game of Thrones and reading all the books after it, I decided to take JonSnow as my nick, cause he was my favorite character.
After I started streaming and people saw my magnificent apm, people started making fun of me calling me Jon Slow, so I found it funny and decided to adopt it as my nick and I love it.
You also have some experience on Arabia and other maps, not just Arena, but on Arena you can be called a top player, while on other maps you have still much to improve despite your age and experience.
How was Arena 20, 10 and 5 years ago compared to now?
When I just started Arena, the map wasn't really popular and only a few people were playing it, so the meta wasn't evolved at all, back then people mostly boomed, so it was easy to surprise them with some castle push with Turks or an Aztec monk rush, cause no one did those strategies and no one expected them.
After that, when the map became more popular, those 1 tc all in strategies like monks and castle push into fast imp became the meta.
Since WK, the meta completely changed again and trush became very popular and I actually really like it.
What made you not get bored of that specific map?
Well, for me Arena is the most fun map in Age of Empires, so if I get bored of it, I get bored from the game, I did quit for short periods in the past, because I was bored, but it didn't happen for a few years now and I enjoy playing it even more since I started streaming.
Despite reaching 2k3+ and often being around 2k2, what do you think are the reasons why you did not go far in any big Arena tournaments?
Mostly because I’m slow and lazy 11.
How do you see your chances in the DERA Cup and Aspiring Experts Cup?
I don’t think I have a high chance in neither of them. In DERAC, the other 7 players are really strong, so it will be a very hard task. In AE, the level of the players is of course lower, but I don't know the maps and didn't even have the chance to practice any of them yet and it has fricking water, so I don’t think I’ll go far there.
Your opponent, Scotty_, is a 100 % Arabia player, so I don’t think you have a big disadvantage on water maps. After that it would be Cyclops - who probably is stronger than you, but I think you at least know the new civilisations really well.
I have no idea what Scotty’s level is, so hard to tell. Cyclops is strong for sure but he's an old pleb like myself so we will see.
Who do you think will win the tournament?
I’d bet on Lojza, if he takes it seriously.
How would you describe your playstyle and how much has it changed during the last years?
I think chill and lazy is the best description?
My style changed a lot in the last years, back in the day I was usually all in 1 tc and if the push failed it was gg, these days I rarely go all in and I try to always add some economy.
Do you stream? If yes, what is your stream link and how often do you stream? What is special about it?
Yes, I do.
https://www.twitch.tv/jonslow_
I usually stream at least 4-5 times a week.
I think my stream is a bit unusual, it’s not for everyone I’d say 11, me and some of my viewers enjoy a humor that some people might find “offensive”?
I also try to entertain in my games and go for funny strategies and that combined with the slow pace of my games make my stream kind of relaxing in my opinion
You have not played in any recent big team in any team game tournament. If you could, would you like to or do you prefer 1v1?
I did play in 2 WCLs with RoR back in the days and those were huge tournaments.
But these days I rarely play tgs so, I don’t see a reason for any team to pick me, but maybe someday it will change, I definitely prefer 1v1 though.
Also my tg level wasn't good enough for any of the recent tourneys.
Now to some more personal information in between:
Which city do you come from/live in? What do you like/dislike about it and where would you like to move to?
I was born in Minsk, Belarus and moved to Israel when I was 4.
Today I live in a city called Ramat-gan, which is like a suburb of Tel Aviv where I work. What I like about it is, it’s really quiet here, what I dislike is the traffic to Tel Aviv, even though it’s only 4 km from my house to my work it can take me more than 30 min to get there.
I’d love to move to some major city in Europe for a few years, Amsterdam is the dream.
I think everyone who knows you knows you are from Israel and almost everything you hear/see on the news about Israel is about war and religion. I don’t want to discuss those with you, but as I have not been to Israel and never talked to someone from Israel in person, I have some questions.
I know about Israel from the news, I know the world map pretty well, I now some population numbers. If I lived in Israel, I would not feel safe. How does it feel for someone who lives there permanently? How does it feel like every day, when there is war around only a few 100 km away or even closer? Have you experienced anything you want to share?
I actually enjoy talking about this topic, so no problem.
People think it’s a war zone of some kind or a desert with camels 11, but it’s completely not like that. I feel safer than anywhere in Israel. As you say, it’s 100 km, but it’s 2 different worlds, Tel Aviv is a modern city with great food and nightlife and I offer everyone to visit it.
Of course the situation in the country is far from perfect and I would change many things (elections are coming next month so maybe a change is possible) but I feel like that most of the hate that the country gets is from people who have no idea what they are talking about.
The most “war” I experienced were some missile sirens and I did hear 1-2 of them exploding, but never close to me. I also did 3 years in the military but not in the fighting forces, but even then I never felt like I was in any danger.
The second question is about prejudices. How did and does your nationality affect how you are treated online (on Voobly)? How do you deal with it. Actually, some years ago, I spectated one of your games on Voobly and after the game (I don’t remember if you had left the game room already) some other spectators (and among them some high-rated players) heavily insulted Israel and you. If someone would have told a mod, they easily could have been banned. As it was more than 10 minutes, it seemed pretty serious, not just like someone calling another player “macaco”, “fdp” etc. after losing a game. How often do things like that happen to you?
It almost never happens to me to be honest, at least not in the last few years. When it did happen in the past and I got hate messages I used to respond with things like “sure bro, I love you too <3” and close the message, it never made me mad, I find stupid people entertaining.
Now some lighter topics:
Favourite things:
a) What is your favourite food and drink?
I love food too much, so hard to pick a favourite. Guess I’d pick some seafood or foie gras if I have too.
Favourite drink would be wine.
Which wine or does it not matter?
I love both red and white, it depends on what I’m eating.
Which foods from your home country/region and family background would you recommend?
My family background is Russian and I just hate Russian food (sorry Keif 11), so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I guess I’ll recommend Humus as food from my region.
What can you cook well yourself and how often do you do it?
Does cereal with milk count? 11 I never cook. I almost always eat outside or order.
You can cook the cereals with milk 11. But unless you want to make porridge, I wouldn’t recommend it. Is ordering or eating outside cheap compared to western/northern Europe and in relation to average income?
I’d say it’s the same like in western/northern Europe, it’s not cheap for sure.
What would you put on top of a pizza?
I always order half pepperoni/ananas half tuna/onion, I’m mad, I know.
b) What is your favourite colour? (Does not need to be one of the 8 AoE II colours)
Black.
c) What is your favourite animal? Why?
Teacup pigs or raccoons, they are adorable.
d) What/where is your favourite place on Earth?
Amsterdam.
e) What is your favourite song at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)?
I don’t think I have a favourite one at the moment but if I had to pick top 5 maybe:
Winds of change - Scorpions
Let her go - Passenger
Everything I do - Bryan Adams
Angels - Robbie Williams
Numb - Linkin Park
f) What is your favourite movie at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)?
Will be too hard to choose top 5 but Lord of the Rings movies are definitely number one.
g) Do you have a favourite sports team? (football, basketball etc.)
I just love football and my favourite club is Beitar Jerusalem. Worldwide it’s Chelsea.
h) What are your favourite traits on a woman?
Butt (wish I had Glokken’s emoticon here).
What time do you usually go to sleep? What do you like doing before sleeping?
I usually go to sleep around 0:00 and I love browsing funny topics on Reddit after smoking a joint before I fall asleep 11.
Which countries have you visited?
Belarus, England, Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, Netherlands, Belgium and Czech Republic (hope I didn’t forget anything).
And where would you like to go to? Why?
I want to visit places outside of Europe, mainly Japan and USA. Why? Because I want to visit every country, I love traveling.
What are your hobbies beside AoE?
My other big hobby beside AoE is football. I used to play twice a week for a couple of years until I tore my ACL last August while playing. Since then I spent most of my free time on recovery (physiotherapy and gym up to 5 times a week), so hopefully I will be able to return to football around May.
Which languages do you speak/understand and which would you like to learn?
I speak Hebrew, Russian and English and I’d love to learn Spanish to flame wakko better.
You have already met Edie (I know of that because he posted the photos) and some other AoE players. Who did you meet and what was your favourite experience?
Back in the days we used to have a RoR meeting every year or 2, so I met most of my clan mates at those time but most of them are retired. Besides them I met Edie as you said and Iviktorius 3 times already. Some Dutch plebs like AJ, gmicha, people who visited israel like Reaper and ugtarr and all the people who were at NAC2, oh and I almost forgot the weekend in Prague with wakko <3.
My favourite experience was probably the 2 weeks trip around the Balkans that I did with 2 guys from RoR.
Who would you like to meet once, who you have not met? One AoE player and one other person.
Glokken and Emilia Clarke <3.
Do you have an AoE idol?
Not really.
What is your favourite civilisation, map and unit?
Aztecs, Arena, Mangudai.
Why is Arena the third-most played map on Voobly (after Arabia and Black Forest)?
Because everybody loves the circus.
What is your favourite in-game sound?
Petard exloading.
If Arena did not exist, which map do you think everyone would be playing (and not Hideout, Fortress etc., which are just very similar to Arena)?
Oasis.
Who is your favourite and least favourite 1v1 opponent?
Favourite: Darknoob.
Least favourite: Metal.
Why did you not donate your old friend wAkKo a few points to reach 2k1?
Because he wants to be an Arabia pleb so he deserves to suffer.
Who is your favourite team mate?
a) For just playing
Used to be Abe or Rami, but both quit ages ago.
b) Also outside of the game
Hard to choose.
c) Would you live in a a) 1-bedroom, b) 2-bedroom) apartment with him/her for a) 1 month, b) 1 year?
Never, 11, I need my space.
In the new expansions, what is your favourite new civilisation and unit?
Malay - Karambit.
Make a list of the current top 1v1 Arena players.
If we consider only clowns or part clowns:
1. Melkor
2. Lojza
3. Vinchester
4. Metal
5. Me (Lizard will be mad).
Which 8 players would you invite for Nili’s Apartment Cup 3?
Nili’s Apartment Cup 3 - Clown edition:
Edie, Metal, Stefan, Dracont, Keif, Darknoob, Tom_yum and wakko.
And you as co-caster? And should it be Arena or to be more entertaining Double Arabia, Nomad, Islands, Water Nomad, Atacama, Border Dispute…?
Arena only of course 11, and yea, I’d co-cast.
Should be live from an Arena then. Like this one:
I don’t think Israel ever participated in one of the AoC Nations Cups. Why? Do you think it would be possible to find 4 players to make a team? Even Denmark with about half as many inhabitants finds 6 players to play. Or even Norway. And Belgium with 1.3 million more inhabitants even had 2 teams.
We actually did play in a Nations Cup, I don't remember what edition that was but we didn't lose a single Arena game, we even beat Japan with Halen, if I remember correctly. Was me Rami and Eyal, both of them were 2k+ back in Zone days. These days I know maybe about only 1 or 2 other Israeli players so it will be hard to make a team, maybe team Belarus? 11.
I looked it up, it was 2005 - so a long time ago.
It would probably be on WK, which maps would you like to be included apart from Arabia, Nomad, Islands?
Arena.
Where/how do you think a next Nations Cup should be organised? In the Escape Gaming studio in England? By Memb, by Nili, by Zak or by all of them together? I would like it to be in China again, but at the moment that does not seem so realistic without the Chinese sponsors.
I have no idea.
Which 4 players would you like to see forming a team? (can include inactive players)
Fedex, Juan, Nicov and Monoz, 3 brains team.
In which tournaments would you like to participate? (maps, seeding method, player limitations, team size etc.)
Obviously I enjoy Master of Arena most, but I always liked 1v1 tournaments which were open for all unlike the 16-32 players tourney we see these days.
When you visit AoEZone and Voobly, is there something you like especially or would like to have improved?
I LOVE drama 11, we need more of it.
Then you should do more than just comparing Metal to Joffrey. The clown topic also seems to be overused now…
I don’t want to be part of the drama, just enjoy it.
What is a) the funniest and b) the strangest moment in your life you experienced because of AoE?
Had a lot of funny moments, hard to pick one but it might be Keif saying “I know how to calm the lizard” 11, can't think of a strange moment.
What would you do to make the world a better place?
Personally nothing, I’m very lazy.
If you were not in a relationship, and could date anyone, who would it be?
Either Emilia Clarke or Odette 11.
Choose without having any background information or what it should be about:
Chris or DauT? DauT
Tim or TheViper? TheViper
Metal or DraCoNT? DraCoNT
FeAge or Lavie_Head? Lavie_Head
Nili or Memb? Memb
Lumberjack or Farmer? Lumberjack
Knight or Cavalry Archer? Knight
1v1 or 4v4? 1v1
Feudal Age or Imperial Age? Imperial Age
Nomad or Islands? Alt F4.
Thank you for the interview.
Sure, was fun.
Anyhow, before we talk about Age of Empires, do you mind, if I ask you some questions about your secondary career?
Do you expect to die in Season 8?
Nope, the throne will be mine.
Who was the better lover? Ygritte or Daenerys?
Khaleesi ftw.
How did you feel when you found out that you and Daenerys are so closely related?
I read all the books and it was a popular fan theory for a long time so it was kind of expected.
The show is obviously very successful, how would you rate the books? I’m thinking about reading one day if I have time, but not before the TV show finishes, because always if I had read a book before watching the movie, the movie was disappointing.
The books are 10/10, if you enjoyed the show you must read them, in many storylines they are completely different from the show so I would definitely recommend.
DraCoNT is Littlefinger, you are obviously Jon Snow, which AoE personalities would the other Game of Thrones main characters be?
I’d say DraCoNT is more like one of the dragons, because they are basically flying lizards after all.
Metal will be Joffrey, cause you usually want to slap him and Littlefinger will be Glokken, cause he knows his way around brothels. Can’t think about any other fitting roles.
Now to your main career:
How old are you and since when do you play Age of Empires 2, have you played Age of Empires 1/3? What are your expectations and wishes for AoE 4? If you could change one thing about AoE 2, what would it be?
I’m 31 and I played some Age of Empires as a kid offline and I started playing online when I was around 14 I think. I didn't play AoE 1, but I did play some AoE 3, when it came out but not for long. I really don't know what to expect from AoE 4, I just hope it won't tear the community apart, so either make it an awesome game and everyone will move there or make it a failure so people will stay in AoE 2.
If I could change AoE 2, then I would remove water from the game, I fricking hate water 11.
Why did you choose the names “Terror”, JonSnow and JonSlow? When and why did you switch between using these 3 names predominantly?
Actually my first online nickname was Batigol after my most favorite football player of all times, Gabriel Batistuta. But when I joined BrO clan around 2005+-, I had to change the nick, cause all the nicks in the clan were formated xxx_BrO and batigol_BrO made no sense, so the clan leader suggested TeRRoR_BrO since I was from Israel, maybe? Lol, so I just took it. After some years, I kind of got tired of that nickname (it was already long after I joined RoR), so after watching the first season of Game of Thrones and reading all the books after it, I decided to take JonSnow as my nick, cause he was my favorite character.
After I started streaming and people saw my magnificent apm, people started making fun of me calling me Jon Slow, so I found it funny and decided to adopt it as my nick and I love it.
You also have some experience on Arabia and other maps, not just Arena, but on Arena you can be called a top player, while on other maps you have still much to improve despite your age and experience.
How was Arena 20, 10 and 5 years ago compared to now?
When I just started Arena, the map wasn't really popular and only a few people were playing it, so the meta wasn't evolved at all, back then people mostly boomed, so it was easy to surprise them with some castle push with Turks or an Aztec monk rush, cause no one did those strategies and no one expected them.
After that, when the map became more popular, those 1 tc all in strategies like monks and castle push into fast imp became the meta.
Since WK, the meta completely changed again and trush became very popular and I actually really like it.
What made you not get bored of that specific map?
Well, for me Arena is the most fun map in Age of Empires, so if I get bored of it, I get bored from the game, I did quit for short periods in the past, because I was bored, but it didn't happen for a few years now and I enjoy playing it even more since I started streaming.
Despite reaching 2k3+ and often being around 2k2, what do you think are the reasons why you did not go far in any big Arena tournaments?
Mostly because I’m slow and lazy 11.
How do you see your chances in the DERA Cup and Aspiring Experts Cup?
I don’t think I have a high chance in neither of them. In DERAC, the other 7 players are really strong, so it will be a very hard task. In AE, the level of the players is of course lower, but I don't know the maps and didn't even have the chance to practice any of them yet and it has fricking water, so I don’t think I’ll go far there.
Your opponent, Scotty_, is a 100 % Arabia player, so I don’t think you have a big disadvantage on water maps. After that it would be Cyclops - who probably is stronger than you, but I think you at least know the new civilisations really well.
I have no idea what Scotty’s level is, so hard to tell. Cyclops is strong for sure but he's an old pleb like myself so we will see.
Who do you think will win the tournament?
I’d bet on Lojza, if he takes it seriously.
How would you describe your playstyle and how much has it changed during the last years?
I think chill and lazy is the best description?
My style changed a lot in the last years, back in the day I was usually all in 1 tc and if the push failed it was gg, these days I rarely go all in and I try to always add some economy.
Do you stream? If yes, what is your stream link and how often do you stream? What is special about it?
Yes, I do.
https://www.twitch.tv/jonslow_
I usually stream at least 4-5 times a week.
I think my stream is a bit unusual, it’s not for everyone I’d say 11, me and some of my viewers enjoy a humor that some people might find “offensive”?
I also try to entertain in my games and go for funny strategies and that combined with the slow pace of my games make my stream kind of relaxing in my opinion
You have not played in any recent big team in any team game tournament. If you could, would you like to or do you prefer 1v1?
I did play in 2 WCLs with RoR back in the days and those were huge tournaments.
But these days I rarely play tgs so, I don’t see a reason for any team to pick me, but maybe someday it will change, I definitely prefer 1v1 though.
Also my tg level wasn't good enough for any of the recent tourneys.
Now to some more personal information in between:
Which city do you come from/live in? What do you like/dislike about it and where would you like to move to?
I was born in Minsk, Belarus and moved to Israel when I was 4.
Today I live in a city called Ramat-gan, which is like a suburb of Tel Aviv where I work. What I like about it is, it’s really quiet here, what I dislike is the traffic to Tel Aviv, even though it’s only 4 km from my house to my work it can take me more than 30 min to get there.
I’d love to move to some major city in Europe for a few years, Amsterdam is the dream.
I think everyone who knows you knows you are from Israel and almost everything you hear/see on the news about Israel is about war and religion. I don’t want to discuss those with you, but as I have not been to Israel and never talked to someone from Israel in person, I have some questions.
I know about Israel from the news, I know the world map pretty well, I now some population numbers. If I lived in Israel, I would not feel safe. How does it feel for someone who lives there permanently? How does it feel like every day, when there is war around only a few 100 km away or even closer? Have you experienced anything you want to share?
I actually enjoy talking about this topic, so no problem.
People think it’s a war zone of some kind or a desert with camels 11, but it’s completely not like that. I feel safer than anywhere in Israel. As you say, it’s 100 km, but it’s 2 different worlds, Tel Aviv is a modern city with great food and nightlife and I offer everyone to visit it.
Of course the situation in the country is far from perfect and I would change many things (elections are coming next month so maybe a change is possible) but I feel like that most of the hate that the country gets is from people who have no idea what they are talking about.
The most “war” I experienced were some missile sirens and I did hear 1-2 of them exploding, but never close to me. I also did 3 years in the military but not in the fighting forces, but even then I never felt like I was in any danger.
The second question is about prejudices. How did and does your nationality affect how you are treated online (on Voobly)? How do you deal with it. Actually, some years ago, I spectated one of your games on Voobly and after the game (I don’t remember if you had left the game room already) some other spectators (and among them some high-rated players) heavily insulted Israel and you. If someone would have told a mod, they easily could have been banned. As it was more than 10 minutes, it seemed pretty serious, not just like someone calling another player “macaco”, “fdp” etc. after losing a game. How often do things like that happen to you?
It almost never happens to me to be honest, at least not in the last few years. When it did happen in the past and I got hate messages I used to respond with things like “sure bro, I love you too <3” and close the message, it never made me mad, I find stupid people entertaining.
Now some lighter topics:
Favourite things:
a) What is your favourite food and drink?
I love food too much, so hard to pick a favourite. Guess I’d pick some seafood or foie gras if I have too.
Favourite drink would be wine.
Which wine or does it not matter?
I love both red and white, it depends on what I’m eating.
Which foods from your home country/region and family background would you recommend?
My family background is Russian and I just hate Russian food (sorry Keif 11), so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I guess I’ll recommend Humus as food from my region.
What can you cook well yourself and how often do you do it?
Does cereal with milk count? 11 I never cook. I almost always eat outside or order.
You can cook the cereals with milk 11. But unless you want to make porridge, I wouldn’t recommend it. Is ordering or eating outside cheap compared to western/northern Europe and in relation to average income?
I’d say it’s the same like in western/northern Europe, it’s not cheap for sure.
What would you put on top of a pizza?
I always order half pepperoni/ananas half tuna/onion, I’m mad, I know.
b) What is your favourite colour? (Does not need to be one of the 8 AoE II colours)
Black.
c) What is your favourite animal? Why?
Teacup pigs or raccoons, they are adorable.
d) What/where is your favourite place on Earth?
Amsterdam.
e) What is your favourite song at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)?
I don’t think I have a favourite one at the moment but if I had to pick top 5 maybe:
Winds of change - Scorpions
Let her go - Passenger
Everything I do - Bryan Adams
Angels - Robbie Williams
Numb - Linkin Park
f) What is your favourite movie at the moment, of all time (can be top 5)?
Will be too hard to choose top 5 but Lord of the Rings movies are definitely number one.
g) Do you have a favourite sports team? (football, basketball etc.)
I just love football and my favourite club is Beitar Jerusalem. Worldwide it’s Chelsea.
h) What are your favourite traits on a woman?
Butt (wish I had Glokken’s emoticon here).
What time do you usually go to sleep? What do you like doing before sleeping?
I usually go to sleep around 0:00 and I love browsing funny topics on Reddit after smoking a joint before I fall asleep 11.
Which countries have you visited?
Belarus, England, Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, Netherlands, Belgium and Czech Republic (hope I didn’t forget anything).
And where would you like to go to? Why?
I want to visit places outside of Europe, mainly Japan and USA. Why? Because I want to visit every country, I love traveling.
What are your hobbies beside AoE?
My other big hobby beside AoE is football. I used to play twice a week for a couple of years until I tore my ACL last August while playing. Since then I spent most of my free time on recovery (physiotherapy and gym up to 5 times a week), so hopefully I will be able to return to football around May.
Which languages do you speak/understand and which would you like to learn?
I speak Hebrew, Russian and English and I’d love to learn Spanish to flame wakko better.
You have already met Edie (I know of that because he posted the photos) and some other AoE players. Who did you meet and what was your favourite experience?
Back in the days we used to have a RoR meeting every year or 2, so I met most of my clan mates at those time but most of them are retired. Besides them I met Edie as you said and Iviktorius 3 times already. Some Dutch plebs like AJ, gmicha, people who visited israel like Reaper and ugtarr and all the people who were at NAC2, oh and I almost forgot the weekend in Prague with wakko <3.
My favourite experience was probably the 2 weeks trip around the Balkans that I did with 2 guys from RoR.
Who would you like to meet once, who you have not met? One AoE player and one other person.
Glokken and Emilia Clarke <3.
Do you have an AoE idol?
Not really.
What is your favourite civilisation, map and unit?
Aztecs, Arena, Mangudai.
Why is Arena the third-most played map on Voobly (after Arabia and Black Forest)?
Because everybody loves the circus.
What is your favourite in-game sound?
Petard exloading.
If Arena did not exist, which map do you think everyone would be playing (and not Hideout, Fortress etc., which are just very similar to Arena)?
Oasis.
Who is your favourite and least favourite 1v1 opponent?
Favourite: Darknoob.
Least favourite: Metal.
Why did you not donate your old friend wAkKo a few points to reach 2k1?
Because he wants to be an Arabia pleb so he deserves to suffer.
Who is your favourite team mate?
a) For just playing
Used to be Abe or Rami, but both quit ages ago.
b) Also outside of the game
Hard to choose.
c) Would you live in a a) 1-bedroom, b) 2-bedroom) apartment with him/her for a) 1 month, b) 1 year?
Never, 11, I need my space.
In the new expansions, what is your favourite new civilisation and unit?
Malay - Karambit.
Make a list of the current top 1v1 Arena players.
If we consider only clowns or part clowns:
1. Melkor
2. Lojza
3. Vinchester
4. Metal
5. Me (Lizard will be mad).
Which 8 players would you invite for Nili’s Apartment Cup 3?
Nili’s Apartment Cup 3 - Clown edition:
Edie, Metal, Stefan, Dracont, Keif, Darknoob, Tom_yum and wakko.
And you as co-caster? And should it be Arena or to be more entertaining Double Arabia, Nomad, Islands, Water Nomad, Atacama, Border Dispute…?
Arena only of course 11, and yea, I’d co-cast.
Should be live from an Arena then. Like this one:
I don’t think Israel ever participated in one of the AoC Nations Cups. Why? Do you think it would be possible to find 4 players to make a team? Even Denmark with about half as many inhabitants finds 6 players to play. Or even Norway. And Belgium with 1.3 million more inhabitants even had 2 teams.
We actually did play in a Nations Cup, I don't remember what edition that was but we didn't lose a single Arena game, we even beat Japan with Halen, if I remember correctly. Was me Rami and Eyal, both of them were 2k+ back in Zone days. These days I know maybe about only 1 or 2 other Israeli players so it will be hard to make a team, maybe team Belarus? 11.
I looked it up, it was 2005 - so a long time ago.
It would probably be on WK, which maps would you like to be included apart from Arabia, Nomad, Islands?
Arena.
Where/how do you think a next Nations Cup should be organised? In the Escape Gaming studio in England? By Memb, by Nili, by Zak or by all of them together? I would like it to be in China again, but at the moment that does not seem so realistic without the Chinese sponsors.
I have no idea.
Which 4 players would you like to see forming a team? (can include inactive players)
Fedex, Juan, Nicov and Monoz, 3 brains team.
In which tournaments would you like to participate? (maps, seeding method, player limitations, team size etc.)
Obviously I enjoy Master of Arena most, but I always liked 1v1 tournaments which were open for all unlike the 16-32 players tourney we see these days.
When you visit AoEZone and Voobly, is there something you like especially or would like to have improved?
I LOVE drama 11, we need more of it.
Then you should do more than just comparing Metal to Joffrey. The clown topic also seems to be overused now…
I don’t want to be part of the drama, just enjoy it.
What is a) the funniest and b) the strangest moment in your life you experienced because of AoE?
Had a lot of funny moments, hard to pick one but it might be Keif saying “I know how to calm the lizard” 11, can't think of a strange moment.
What would you do to make the world a better place?
Personally nothing, I’m very lazy.
If you were not in a relationship, and could date anyone, who would it be?
Either Emilia Clarke or Odette 11.
Choose without having any background information or what it should be about:
Chris or DauT? DauT
Tim or TheViper? TheViper
Metal or DraCoNT? DraCoNT
FeAge or Lavie_Head? Lavie_Head
Nili or Memb? Memb
Lumberjack or Farmer? Lumberjack
Knight or Cavalry Archer? Knight
1v1 or 4v4? 1v1
Feudal Age or Imperial Age? Imperial Age
Nomad or Islands? Alt F4.
Thank you for the interview.
Sure, was fun.
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