He can be recruited as soon as you can play blitzball from save points, and he costs 120 gil per game. Isken is a member of the Kilika Beasts at first, so you’ll have to wait until his contract with them expires before you can sign him onto the Besaid Aurochs.
Who is Isken?
Isken is a resident of Kilika who at one point had been afflicted with Sin’s toxin. This doesn’t seem to affect his ability to play Blitzball, though. Which is good, because Isken is one of the best forwards in the game. He starts out slow (probably because of the toxin). But at mid-to-high levels he achieves stats high enough to easily keep him as your main forward. His most standout stats are his Endurance (EN) and Shoot (SH). Both get extremely high, with his EN reaching the highest in the game once you get Isken up to high levels. These qualities make Isken a fantastic forward – maybe not the absolute best, but definitely one of the best. However, the issue with Isken is that it takes a considerable amount of time to train him up to reach these good numbers. Levels 1-40 are just average for Isken. Then once he crosses the level 45 threshold he becomes a true (Kilika) Beast. Put in the time and he’ll put in the work. I wonder if maybe Sin’s toxin actually made him a great Blitzer?
Is Isken Worth It?
Yes, but keep in mind you’ll need to have him around gaining EXP for a good amount of games before he flips the beast switch. If you’re out to just plow through Blitzball for Wakka’s reels and Celestial Weapon stuff then a player like Larbeight might be a better choice (he’s also located in Kilika). If you’re going for gold and want to make a real all-star level 99 team, then Isken deffo has a place. If you team him up with Larbeight then you could have one of the best & most unstoppable forwards in the game. So Isken is worth it – but be prepared to wait for him to grow.
