Former San Fransisco Shock player David "nomy" Lizarraga Ramirez Osmar has had one hell of a year. The kind-hearted main tank has gone from leading the charge for his team in the Overwatch League to showcasing why he made it there in the first place on the Overwatch Contenders team, First Generation. The team is preparing for their week five match against Boston Uprising Academy and nomy is laser-focused on one thing: catapulting his team to success. He’s had a taste of Overwatch’s grand stage, but his appetite for it is far from full.

A veteran in his own right, nomy has been working, tooth and bone, to make his dreams a reality. Roughly two years ago, he was playing under the Immortals banner and booking his tickets to the Overwatch Winter Premiere, which he would end up winning. Nomy’s faced hurdles before and being let go from the Shock was just another hurdle he’ll undoubtedly leap over in due time. This return to form for nomy could come sooner than expect seeing how he and First Generation are already qualified for the Overwatch Contenders playoffs set to conclude sometime in January of 2019.

A top-four placing or even a win coupled with his past experience could be the push he needs to return to the biggest stage in Overwatch. The Overwatch League alumni spoke with Esports Heaven about his recent stint in the amateur division of Overwatch Contenders and what his goals are leading into the new year.

I learned a lot, it changed the perspective on how I see and play the game, also I learned a lot from playing with and against the best players in the world; there are no words to describe how much I was able to learn and I'm so grateful for it

For me practicing with my teammates helps me a lot. I really like my teammates and I want them to be successful in Overwatch and their esports careers. I want to be the best teammate I can, and make sure we are successful together.

Yes, the way that some of Overwatch characters are designed allows for a different set of skill set to come into play, as an example with the current GOATs meta. Instead of relying on raw mechanics, you need to have good cooldown and ult management to be successful. Of course, mechanics are still important, but decision making and cooldown and ultimate management matter a lot.

Hero bans sound really interesting in general. I think it can make the game less stale and more dynamic. In the beginning, it will have a huge impact on the professional scene, but I'm very positive it will bring a new and different set of problems that people will dislike.

The ideal scenario is being able to win Contenders and provide a good finals match. For the first-round match, I think a win vs XL2 sounds really good to me.

I think being able to have a good core on a team is important. If you play with the same teammates, you develop team synergy and personality. I do believe if you build a nice foundation for a team; the more time that core stays and plays together, the better of a team they will be.

Hahaha, I have been thinking about the coaching or analyst position for the future. For me, as long as I can play and prove that I have the potential and mechanical skills to play the game at a very high level I will still compete because that is what I love.

I want to perform my best in all my following tournaments and get myself back into the Overwatch League.

Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLGs of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at

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Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.