Volamel
2017-04-04 06:43:09
As we quickly approach Blizzcon in early November, the Overwatch League (OWL) still looms overhead like large thunderstorm clouds, ready to drench any unsuspecting patrons. As teams sign more and more talent, rosters seem stuck in an era of instability. One key factor for stability in a team environment starts from the head and travels down the chain of command, just like your spine sends electrical impulses to your limbs and extremities. If there is a problem, you start at the source, the head or in this case -- the coaches.
Undeniably, there is a correlation between the size and scope of an esport and its support staff. As esports continues to grow, the need grows more and more for fantastic leadership in and outside of the game. Coaches are an integral part of keeping a team or player level headed and on the fast track for success. Certainly the it comes down to the players to perform well, but the bottom line is this; if you don’t have structured practice and intelligent analysis, then your skill will plateau quickly.
If you replace the words “League of Legends” with “Overwatch”, we get a small glimpse from this LoL Esports doc, to what our future might hold.
Across many esports titles, we’ve seen all sorts of different coaching styles. Some more emotional, others more authoritative and some only have to keep things civil in the team environment. Needless to say, Overwatch is in an era of under-exposure, so it's hard to say exactly how coaches, analysts and other support staff members complement players currently. With teams like Cloud 9 and their recent addition to the team with Lee “Bishop” Beom Joon
added as head coach, hopefully this will shed spotlight how important coaches are in Overwatch.
To have a strong team, you need a strong leader. You need someone who is ambitious enough to believe they can be number one, someone who is motivated enough to actually put in the work and effort required to actually do it, and someone who is brave enough to step into a space plagued with uncertainty, ready to face each day's problems with an open mind. Having history within esports, not necessarily with a specific game or genre, is key when it comes to coaching. You need to know what you're getting yourself into, before you know how to direct anyone. Having that strong history in esports gives you some semblance of what goes on with young adults who play video games for a living, oddly enough coaching them is vastly different to coaching a baseball team. Some of that history even comes from being at the top of your class. After being a pro player, a select few players can and have become amazing coaches.
Choi “iloveoov” Yun Sung is an amazing example of this, coming from a legendary past in StarCraft: Brood War, iloveoov looks to transform the middle of the pack Afreeca Freecs into something much more “freec-ish”. Formerly a Starcraft pro player, now Afreeca Freecs League of Legends head coach, iloveoov cemented his legend between 2003-2005 where he was the prodigal student to the Terran Emperor; Lim “BoxeR” Yo Hawn. If BoxeR was the Emperor of Terran, than iloveoov was the High King.
In an interview with Inven Global, iloveoov goes in depth with his coaching struggles and the adaptation from training in one esport (StarCraft) to training in another (League of Legends). The overall theme of the interview is that League of Legends requires so much training and time invested into the game, so much so that you can never “solve” the game. Iloveoov references back to the old StarCraft days, where you had 10-13 players on a roster and everyone trained together -- all day. “A Starcraft pro team consists of a number of aces and other rookies. Aces practice with rookies, and rookies learn from the aces. I suggest that LoL pro teams should be organised in the same way.” [1]
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“Practice will always beat out talent. But when people with talent also practice, that is the best.” - iloveoov
* * *
This is a player, coach and leader who has played a pivotal role in “solving” his respective game. iloveoov created some of the most prolific strategies that people still use to this day. Having someone with that breadth of knowledge on your team offers you an endless boon. With his championship achievements comes the work ethic of a champion, iloveoov knows what it takes to win and not only how to win -- but to dominate. Within his new sphere of League of Legends, there is another example of a coach that has shaped one of modern esports biggest and most dominant dynasties.
Kim “kkOma” Jung Gyun is the head coach for SK Telecom T1’s League of Legends roster. Easily one of the best coaches in his respective field, kkOma has lead his team, SK Telecom T1, to an astonishing three World Championship wins. To understand the scope of this achievement, it's rare to even see teams make consecutive runs into the quarter and semi-finals of the world championship, let alone win three of them. This dominance comes from how hard he pushes his players, kkOma does not accept anything but excellence.
Coming from a small background in Starcraft 2, kkOma went on to join the starting line-up for team Startale’s League of Legends team back before 2012. April of 2012 would be his final roster and career move, kkOma took up the mantle of head coach for SK Telecom and has been there ever since. Collecting countless domestic victories in Korea, SK Telecom is a mainstay of League of Legends by a large margin. All of the strategy and overall performance is brought to you in part by their support staff, in particular kkOma. In an interview with Slingshot Esports kkOma was asked about having to face would be rivals, at the time, ROX Tigers in the Semifinals of World Championship, he had this to say; “...I want us to win against whatever team we face and become the center of the tournament. I also hope to become the first team to have two consecutive world championships and set a record that no one can take from us. We will win no matter what.” [2]
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“...so all things considered, I think that I am the best coach.” - kkOma
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There is a common trend we can derive from just these two examples; both completely trust and believe wholeheartedly that their respective teams can perform at the top level. That trust and belief comes from the numerous hours sat training, watching film, bonding as a team and then executing everything they have worked for on stage. A strong coach can instill a profound impact on how teams or players play their game. If the coach believes in his own process and philosophies, then the players well be more receptive to it. Now that we’ve learned a bit from the old masters of esports coaching, let us look now towards Overwatch and who might become the next kkOma or iloveoov -- who in Overwatch might make an all star coach?
Few players have shown wisdom beyond their years and Jake “JAKE” Lyon, star DPS player for Luminosity Gaming Evil, is the embodiment of a “growth mindset”. Even in the brief moments I’ve personally interacted with him, JAKE puts others to shame with a rock-solid mental game. I an previous interview I did with JAKE, I asked him about how much time it might take for someone to become good enough to become pro, he gave this wise and mature answer; “Time invested is relative. If you want to be the best at something, you can either be a prodigy already or work harder than everyone else. If every team starts investing more time, those that don't will be left behind. As in all FPS games, true "perfection" is beyond human possibility so, those who work the hardest and learn the fastest will prove the continued potency of hard work.” [3] It is obvious JAKE is putting his philosophy studies to good use and it shows in his individual play and I can’t help but guess that he plays a big role in his team's mental clarity and stability. Within a few years, he could easily step away from the spotlight and coach a team, in any esports and be fantastic at it, in my eyes.
As the anchor of the Korean team, RunAway, Yoon “Runner” Dae Hoon fills a similar role to JAKE, but with more of an emphasis to shot-calling and emotional support. Easily the most energetic Korean player I’ve seen in a long time, Runner is the hype man for RunAway. Not only does he keep the players energy high, but their deep run within APEX Season 2 rests on the shoulders of his in game leadership. In a recent AMA Runner’s teammate, KAISER, went on to say this about what it takes to win. “Most important things for our team to win? TRUST EACH OTHER. Whenever we have problem with that, we have [Coach] Nomi and Runner to deal with that problem.”
The quintessential “father-figure” style of leader when it comes to esports, Runner is quite a bit older than his teammates. Not only do they respect him, but they look to him for advice and guidance with problems they might face. At the core of RunAway is Runner, he is key in every single victory they claim -- and it's due to his leadership not mechanical skill.
In a majority of cases, players need only to focus on the game. This makes way for a more strict and regimented “traditional sports style” coaching method. Matt "Flame" Rod is the underground, freelance analyst that could potentially transition into a disciplined and strict head coach. When I asked Flame about his dream team, that he had full say-so in building, he dodged around it, citing possible future opportunities that he did not want to squander. “I have ideas if that were to ever come up. I would definitely consider that as an opportunity though since I do think it is important for the coach to pick the players, not the players to pick the coach, but I’d prefer not to answer in case that becomes a reality as we get closer to [the] Overwatch League.” Flame is in high demand; many teams have already spoken to him about joining their team. Flame is a high prospect and should be treated with priority. Not many people in the scene have the credentials that he possess, while also not being signed to any specific team. A free agent that has been contacted by almost every team in the scene sounds like a worthwhile investment.
A shoe in for any coaching position, if he so chose to take it, Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles is a number one contender for a potential star coach. Former head coach of the North American Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) League of Legends roster, formerly a caster of Warcraft 3, League of Legends and now landing in Overwatch, he has been around esports for a long time. MonteCristo checks all the boxes of a potentially great coach, there is one problem -- trying to peel him away from his career as a caster. In a short feature on the beginnings of the coaching in League of Legends, he mentions his passion for coaching his team. “I am doing this because I love coaching. There's nothing that emotionally affects me in esports more than if CLG wins or loses.” [4] With a statement like that, I don’t think that level of passion dies; however, it may fall lower on the priority list of things he might want to do. We may not see MonteCristo take up the coaching mantle this year and possibly not the next, but don’t be surprised if he does within the lifespan of Overwatch as an esport.
There are an assortment of different leadership styles, few of which have been explored throughout esports history. Partly due to the fact that in the West coaches are deemed “replaceable” and don’t get much power or support by general managers or the organisations’ owners. You could be a great analytical thinker coupled with a steady focus on players’ mindsets like JAKE could be. You could be the emotional leader, always pumping up your players to keep them from getting in their own heads like Runner. You could be a bit more stern and regimented like what I perceive Flame’s coaching style to be like, or you could be a mixture of all three, making your own unique style.
Again, the key to become successful in esports coaching is to be around it, submerse yourself fully in the respective game and learn it inside and out. The next step is to train and develop your own leadership skills to become the fire underneath your team to drive them to work their hardest. Anyone in this feature “could” in theory become a great coach, but coming from player and transitioning into a leadership role brings a level of relatability and respect. And, if we have learned anything over the years it is; if there is no respect and trust within a team it is doomed to fail.
With more information about the OWL coming within a few months time, hopefully the predicted outcome will remain the same. More and more teams will be investing not only in the scene, but in their own teams. Pouring money into the back-end support staff, hiring better analysts, coaches, and possibly even team housing. The possibilities are endless, but this all starts at the head. The coach is the taskmaster who gets his team ready for gameday; he is responsible for everything. To become a star coach in esports, you must have broad shoulders. Everything relies on you and everything will come back to you -- sink or swim. Ben Parker, Uncle to Peter Parker in the Amazing Spider-Man comic series said it best; “With great power, comes great responsibility” and that is exactly the mantra of an all-star esports coach.
Written by: @Volamel
Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment, IEM/Helena Kristiansson and LoL Esports.
