When you look at the top of the NA LCS standings, the way the top teams are run carry fundamentally common visions with vastly different ways of applying it to the day to day life of the players. The common thread that teams have learned in recent times is that it is extremely important to value the players and team not only in the game and practice situations, but maintaining healthy and happy lifestyles as well. This is a fundamental shift from some of the over aggressive tactics that teams have taken in the past that push players to unhealthy mental and physical states and, in the long run, become a detriment to their performance and the team.

Previously, Team SoloMid had often struggled to maintain a positive team environment. Quite often, players themselves were held solely accountable, but to lay all the blame at their feet is a disservice. When watching old interactions between coaching staff and the team, the negativity was coming top down. Often, you would see staff lowering their level rather than pushing to create a positive environment. When your leadership cannot be counted on to hold you accountable, set an example and to be a source of positive energy, then it is hard to expect as much of the players.

In this same thread, TSM has come a long, long way. In the Summer Split, thus far, we have seen tremendous improvement in the team environment which is extending to an undefeated first half of the split. It would be fair to say, this is in large part due to the guidance of Weldon Green.

Photo: LolEsports Flickr

Immortals has been a stronghold ever since entering in Spring Split of 2016. They since have hit a couple of rough spots, including disappointing in playoffs. However, despite dropping games in the Summer Split, so far, they have only lost one series to the undefeated TSM. One thing that has remained consistent within the long term success of IMT thus far is that they have an innate ability, it seems, to remain positive and everyone involved shares responsibility in every success or failure. Robert Yip elaborated on the mindset:

“In my opinion, the most important aspect of creating a good team environment is to create a culture that fosters growth, player investment and player empowerment.  The best teams in the world have created a culture of not just winning but the manner through which everything is achieved within the brand.  Notable examples of this include Barcelona, All Blacks and the New England Patriots.  Once a new player enters into an existing team, he/she will be forced to adopt the culture that is already established.  A strong team identity makes it much more likely that fringe players or incoming 'bigger ego' players can align to key cultural ideals.  Once a team commits to this culture their common goals will focus work and intensity on the task at hand.  They will work towards a common goal and share the brunt of defeat when things go wrong.  The high level of team cohesion makes a hard working team difficult to beat and even harder to keep down.  Nothing facilitates a good team environment more than a culture of hard work, accountability and striving for success.”

“The bulk of the responsibility for a productive environment falls on the players, coaches and owners equally.  The level of expectation is set by all those that contribute to success.  Coaches may have a more visible role in creating the environment productive but everyone participates.  The coach should always lead by example and hold himself/herself accountable for everything done or said -- but this not absolve the players of responsibility, it merely creates a role model for the players to measure themselves against.”

Photo: Lolesports Flickr

How does a team remain positive after a let down like Spring Playoffs? When you’re accustomed to winning, how does leadership help maintain that winning drive? Yip provided some insight, “The most challenging or demanding aspect to creating a positive environment for staff and players alike is consistency.  Each day is an opportunity to to succeed or fail.  We, as coaches, can set the tone for an entire week of practice through the effort and energy we put into planning.  Everyday we, as a team, have to seek perfection and look to improve the effectiveness and application to practice.  The best aspect about working for Immortals is the players and staff we have working together all understand the benefits of what we do on a daily basis and share a common goal.  It can be very hard to create a sustainable culture or change an existing one when you have players or staff ingrained in a negative environment.  Therefore I think it is always more optimal to try to communicate, implement and maintain this new identity pre-season.”

There are few teams that have gone through the extreme highs and the extreme lows that Cloud 9 has and still managed to be relatively successful by the end of each split. Cloud 9 has experienced negativity that was brought on by staff behavior but also team cohesion issues. We saw them have to take drastic measures, replacing William “Meteos” Hartman with Hai “Hai” Lam last year in the Jungle to help smooth the transition with their imported Mid Laner, Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen.

Despite the appearances, Cloud 9 has not always been a bed of roses even before that, but the team was dedicated to being a working unit -- and even with Daerek “LemonNation” Hart and Meteos having their differences, they had overall maintained a positive environment. The players of Cloud 9, uniquely, were the ones that really drove their environment for most of the time the organization has been around under the in game and out of game leadership of Hai.

This has changed in the Summer Split. Their coach is now a driving force for the team and it feels that the players are a little less self-reliant on one player to set the tone. That new voice in Cloud 9 is Bok “Reapered” HanGyu, which is a stark contrast to the C9 of old.

It is clear when you look at the top of the standings, that regardless of what philosophy the teams are using to get there — all of the top teams are proving heavily invested in positive environments. This is a change for some teams and has shown us a remarkable gain of strength through the region upholding this trend.