Dentist: The leader of the pack
Riot·3/19/2015, 7:02:56 PM·0 votes·6,648 views
The Copenhagen Wolves have proven this season that attitude is everything.
Having ended the 2014 Summer split of EU LCS with an 8-20 record, the team dodged relegations by defeating H2K. They had earned another opportunity to prove themselves, but something needed to change.
After attaining a more positive outlook, the team saw some major changes. The players had become more cohesive and spent more time together outside of the game. “Team cohesion is so important, like we’re living together for 24 hours each and every day,” says Dentist. He believes that even the little things can have a huge impact, like leaving the house to get coffee together. This bonding improved their in-game performance, and brought the Copenhagen Wolves to a new level of play. “They started to actually win their games. You can see a difference not only in mentality, but also in their playstyle. They’re actually starting to play well, to play on a better level than anyone ever imagined from the Copenhagen Wolves.”
To help ensure their success, Dentist makes sure that everyone has an established role on the team. By having clearly defined roles, players have a clearer focus of what to improve upon in their personal play and a better understanding of how to help their team succeed. He explains that a player’s position and their role are two very different things. “Youngbuck, for example: his position is top lane, but his role is not carry. His role is to be a hybrid, supportive carry.” By fulfilling their individual roles, the team becomes a cohesive, formidable unit. “Suddenly we are winning teamfights, then scrimmages, then LCS matches. Focus on the team and what’s important rather than personal success,” he says. “Although, personal success will come when you focus on the team.”
Copenhagen’s Catalyst
Karl “Dentist” Krey saw that the team needed direction. Despite once aspiring to play professionally himself, Dentist concluded it wasn't plausible anymore because of his age -- he's 27. He began to watch the game more than he played it, and focused on other regions to gain perspective into their strategy. When there was an open recruitment for the Copenhagen Wolves, Dentist seized the opportunity. “I decided that there was no way I’d be qualified for head coach, so I applied to be an analyst. Joey ‘Youngbuck’ Steltenpool read my application and said, ‘Well, you’re old… why not apply to be head coach?” Having never coached before, Dentist says that all of his preparation occurred in the recruitment process. The first step was focusing on the Wolves’ in-game play and analyzing how they could improve. “It just came step by step. At first you focus on the in-game stuff, because that’s easy and can be done on a remote basis.” Before moving in with the team, Dentist spent up to seven hours every day watching the them play and taking notes on how they could improve.A New Outlook
His coaching really kicked off when he bootcamped in Copenhagen with the team. Dentist had to shift his focus from gameplay to improving the team’s morale. After a tough split, the team focused primarily on avoiding relegation. Dentist believed that this should not be their main goal, and that they should aspire for more. “Their fears and insecurities were holding them back from what they could be doing. They were going into the game believing that there was no way that they could win it. I took that away from them.” By taking practice one game at a time, the Wolves could leave their troubles in the past and move forward, focusing on improving as a team. Dentist focused on giving the Copenhagen Wolves the self-esteem to overcome the community’s criticisms so they could focus on what was most important: playing on the LCS stage. He believes that coaching isn’t about teaching a player how to play the game. Instead, there should be a greater focus on making sure players go into games with the right mindset, allowing them to reach their full potential. “They are professional players, they are all good at what they do. Their mentality was just wrong.”After attaining a more positive outlook, the team saw some major changes. The players had become more cohesive and spent more time together outside of the game. “Team cohesion is so important, like we’re living together for 24 hours each and every day,” says Dentist. He believes that even the little things can have a huge impact, like leaving the house to get coffee together. This bonding improved their in-game performance, and brought the Copenhagen Wolves to a new level of play. “They started to actually win their games. You can see a difference not only in mentality, but also in their playstyle. They’re actually starting to play well, to play on a better level than anyone ever imagined from the Copenhagen Wolves.”
To help ensure their success, Dentist makes sure that everyone has an established role on the team. By having clearly defined roles, players have a clearer focus of what to improve upon in their personal play and a better understanding of how to help their team succeed. He explains that a player’s position and their role are two very different things. “Youngbuck, for example: his position is top lane, but his role is not carry. His role is to be a hybrid, supportive carry.” By fulfilling their individual roles, the team becomes a cohesive, formidable unit. “Suddenly we are winning teamfights, then scrimmages, then LCS matches. Focus on the team and what’s important rather than personal success,” he says. “Although, personal success will come when you focus on the team.”
