Here’s our interview with team JUGG that took the first place in the European Guns of Boom ESL finals. Find out how it all started for them, how long is the road to glory, and what it takes to be a real winner!
Question (Holymoley): Hi! Tell me a few words about you. What's your name?
Answer (ll ADO ll): Hello, my name is Admir, I am 28 years old and I live in Luxembourg. I was born in Kosovo. My friends call me Ado.
Q: How long have you been playing Guns of Boom?
A: When the Halloween event finished I started with GoB - around the beginning of November 2017. So I missed maybe 1-2 days of the event.
Q: Wow! You started playing Guns of Boom just when I started my career at Game Insight. 😋 Btw, can I call you Ado?
A: Yes, of course you can. 🙂
Q: 🤗 Do you remember how you started in GoB? What piqued your interest in GoB? Why did you start playing?
A: I had read an article about this game. I don’t remember the exact words. So I tried it - and I was flashed. Could not figure out how I did not discover this game earlier! For me it was a new level of gaming on smartphones because the controls are perfect.
Q: It's so nice when the game leaves such impressions 😊. Let's go further in your story in GoB. When did you make your clan? How soon did you realize that it's not cool to play solo?
A: At the start I discovered that my cousin Meris was also playing. So I played a while with a small clan, only 3 people in it, until I discovered that I needed a real clan to advance in the game.
After a while I met a Bosnian guy in-game, his name was Kenan. We became friends and played together sometimes. He joined Jugg before me.
At this time Jugg Gold had only around 400k trophies. The clan was led by iLos. The only communication between us was based on in-game clan chat.
I led a clan in another game, Grepolis. There, I had the luck to get some really good clan experience. I got some amazing gamer memories and built up a really good clan that reached top 17. But this was a few years ago.
So I had prior knowledge about what a clan needs to feel like a family, a real community. It needed a place for communication and sharing.
So I slowly started to build up a discord server. After a while, something happened in Jugg, just like in almost every other clan. Following a big inside discussion, many members left the clan, and it looked like it was the end of Jugg. That’s why I also left the old Jugg and created a new one.
My first move was to get all the guys from the old Jugg into the new clan. Several days later, when the situation was stabilized, the other players came back, and the group decided together that I should be the leader of this new Jugg.
At this time Jugg had around 700k trophies.
Soon I created the Courtroom on our discord. Whenever I had to make big changes or to take important decisions, I pass them through our courtroom. This way, no single person can be made a scapegoat for any decision.
Q: Wow! So as I understand, you succeeded first in the other game and then came to GoB and made a real pro clan here, too. I want to tell you that your "forum," your channel in Discord, is awesome. Well, I have another question: Why did you keep the clan name "Jugg?” Why is it the Jugg - Knights of Honor? Does this name have any background?
A: At the start, we had only players from ex-Jugoslavija, with a few exceptions.
But I know it is not enough to have only players from our country/area. So Jugg has 2 meanings. One is for our guys to remember Jugoslavija. And the second is to get international guys. Juggernauts - a double meaning of this name - the reason why there are 2x Gs at end.
Q: Such an important meaning stands behind this name! We’d have never ever thought. Let's move on to esports: How did your clan react to the fact that we introduced esports activities in GoB?
A: Since EGL or ESL?
Q: Everything. You can talk about both. 😏
A: It was fascinating for us to see tournaments happening for a mobile game. The idea of EGL was good -- tournaments for Guns of Boom. A lot of us didn’t like the rules. ESL has found the perfect rules set which the community was looking for. No stim-guns, no other premium items. Only skills.
And the integration of ESL groups with the game was mind-blowing. No more waiting, no more texting opponents. We are so happy to see Guns of Boom evolving to a professional game, to see real tournaments happening through GoB.
Q: So when did you decide to participate in ESL? When it was announced?
A: Not instantly. 1 or 2 days before the start of the tournament, we joined the participants’ groups. The first tournament. We started 1-2 hours before the start of the tournament practicing Pro mode. After winning the first tournament, we changed our focus from normal battles to Pro mode. And we turned off the aim assist in the settings forever. So we can also practice in normal battles. Now we practice Pro mode daily.
Q: You looked so confident in the last matches. Did you ever have a doubt about winning?
A: I believed in our guys. I was sure they will make it one day. Yet the big hat trick in the grand Finals was still a dream come true for the clan.
Q: It was quite a devastating victory! 😋 Do you guys have any special ritual before the battle which brings you luck and confidence?
A: I always wish good luck to every team before the start of each battle. And when they reach a semi-final. I put more pressure on them and remind them of how long and hard the way was to get here, and how close the trophy is. We also had many friends and guests cheering for our gladiators on our Discord channel. Really good people who believed in our team.
Q: Well, this pressure is worth it. You, guys, win. 💪 Btw, what does this win in GO4 mean to you?
A: As a leader, I am satisfied. We reached - for 2 or 3 hours - the top 1 of the ranking list of clans in-game. I know it doesn’t show the skills. But it was always a secret dream to see Jugg as number 1.
And we had an amazing hat trick win on the first real tournament. I am more than satisfied. The money earned means nothing to me. The honor earned was the main pot for us.
Knights of Honor.
Q: The dreams come true when you make the effort! Your team on the 1st place is a nice example. 😉 Well, what are you planning to do next? Are you going to go to Katowice? Is this your goal?
A: I have already reached my personal goals in GoB. Now real life is causing pressure.
I am almost at the limit of my free time in total. I am planning to stop Guns of Boom until I get the control back of my RL. I have invested much time in this game and in Jugg.
I will come back for sure once RL is regulated.
Q: It's so sad. We'll miss you! 😢 Will you stay in touch with your team and follow their success?
A: Yes, of course!
Q: We wish you the best in arranging everything in your life, getting the coolest job and then returning! 😏 Who will be the leader instead of you?
A: Thank you. I think I will promote T-Mac as leader. I gave him the role once during the time of my marriage. And he did his job well.
Q: Well, good to know! Well, who are you in real life? What are your hobbies?
A: Most of us have the same hobbies: soccer and Guns of Boom.
Conor and Dobar are brothers. The age of this clan is between 20 and 45.
Djani also has a brother who is in Jugg Green for now. His name is Agent Pena, and he has been part of Jugg since day 1. Djani and Agent Pena live in Macedonia, but they are sometimes in Holland. Djani... this guy is so crazy. You can’t help but love him, once you get to know him. He plays tournaments while solving sudoku puzzles and still rocks. A really talented player. Known for his Porcupine.
iLos lives in Austria. Can’t add much to that; you’ve seen his monster skills on stream!
Conor and Dobar live in Croatia.
Mihael lives in Croatia, and is also a member from day 1. He’s a really good guy. Chief was for a long time a guest on our Discord. He was always on our side, but he came only when the time was right to play together.
Delta came from a transfer of multiple players from Jugg Green. Delta is an amazing player, I am proud of the evolution he did. He joined Jugg with my good old GoB GoB Friend Heinekin. This guy Heinekin and ArmAce helped me a lot trough the difficult times for our Green Jugg Extension. Delta has become a loyal member and a really strong player of Jugg.
T-Mac... this guy is amazing. When he joined Jugg, he had only around 40k trophies. Many players had over 50k more trophies than him. He outscored us all with his trophies with amazing speed. This guy is a real monster player and a really good person, open for jokes.
Dobar - I think many people remembers his Thanatos very well 😏
Conor is a good teamplayer. He is also in Jugg since day 1.
Chris was a guest on our Jugg Discord Server. It was a long way until he joined us. Discord gave us the ability to have something like members outside of an in-game clan.
Sneaky Bastard, real name Stefan. He is a silent Killer.
Kenan, he was such an amazing player and a really good person. He was the first guy I’ve met in GoB. We played for a long time in Jugg together. Until he had to quit GoB for RL. I hope to meet him one day again.
They are all loyal players - and really good persons.
The clan it self is now like a big family. Our Jugg community is so huge that we needed to create multiple clan extensions.
Q: Did you ever meet each other in real life?
A: No. The first time I saw their faces was when I called them over video call on Discord.
Q: Yep! Can you describe it in words? How did the guys react? What was your feeling seeing your teammates for the first time?
A: When you see someone for the first time on camera after hearing his voice for months... this smile wasn’t possible to hide :) You know the voice of them, you hear this guys almost every day. To see each other for first time after months of gameplay was an amazing moment.
Q: Well, only a few questions left, I promise. =) Do your family and friends know about the esports activities you take part in? How do they feel about it? Do they support you?
A: Hmm...I have some which support it. And others that don’t believe that a mobile game can have real tournaments.
Our members’ families mostly support them. I believe this support will grow even bigger once the Invitational in Poland becomes a reality.
Q: Well, what's your motto? In games, in life, everywhere?
A: When you have a Dream, you have to fight for it. It doesn’t matter how impossible the situation seems to be.
I forget almost my good old Friend Gavrilo. Gavrilo is my right hand. I have promoted him as moderator on our Discord. He is a person of trust. Even when he sometimes says bad things. This is only the moment of angry. But 5 minutes later, everyone can talk to him and see that he is actually a really good guy :-). 😏
Q: It's true friendship, I guess. We are sometimes angry with the people we trust, but it always comes back to the normal state. Your team is impressive. Such a huge background behind the Jugg name. And the last question! Tell me one fact about you that no one knows. May be something related to GoB.
A: I wasn’t ready for this interview :P
Q: 😅 Thank you very much for the answers! It was so exciting to get to know you and your team better.
