Adding coaching to champion select
Riot··0 votes·4,979 views
The offseason of every major sporting league the world over has something in common: meetings about potential rule changes. For the LCS, aside from an entirely new Summoner’s Rift, coaches have been added to the mix. Their presence on stage has fundamentally changed the game, but what do the coaches think about being thrust into the limelight?
John “Rnglol” Crichton, a veteran coach who is currently working with European Challenger Series contender SK Gaming Prime after stints with H2K Gaming and Gamers2, also believes that the change will help teams.
He believes “[the rule] should create a better ‘game of chess’ -- most teams have planned strategies heading into games, and a general idea of how things should go. They lacked on-the-fly decision making, so sometimes teams would tunnel really hard on their plan or totally mess up on-the-fly.” Allowing a coach to be onstage helps both of these tendencies.
Both coaches agree that the change will positively affect the overall game, and early results have born out their beliefs. Several games in the early weeks of the LCS have been instant classics from the moment the first ban was made until the Nexus exploded.
He had to work on “staying focused and articulating myself properly” during the first several weeks of the European LCS. Obviously, that work has given them success. SK Gaming is arguably the most dominant franchise in the 2015 LCS.
The challenges won't stop there. While the new rule has already been used to great effect during the first three weeks of LCS competition, how it translates to other formats is unknown. A Best of 5 stresses an entire organization, coaches and players alike. Rnglol, though, thinks coaches being allowed onstage during the playoffs should alleviate some of the stress as a series goes on.
“Having plans dependent on side is where the fun lies,” he said, “Best of one formats really weaken the impact coaches have. Adaptation is something that coaches can help with. In the past, teams which had a full series planned out would most likely 3-0.”
Rnglol explained that he regularly sits in Teamspeak with whatever team he is coaching, and has to write down everything as it is going on. From an infrastructural growth standpoint, the change will only help more new coaches gain experience coaching at a high level.
The new rule has definitely changed how the picks and bans phase is planned and executed. Whether it’s a better game of chess or an extension of extreme preparation, the primary beneficiary from the rule will be the fans. Coaches make the game better and more competitive, which enhances the spectacle on Summoner’s Rift. How early success in a Best of 1 format translates into a Best of five format isn’t known, but if it does have a similar effect, the 2015 Spring LCS Playoffs could easily jump to a whole new level.
On the stage
For SK Gaming’s Joe “InnerFlame” Elouassi, the rule change is just an extension of the preparation that coaches do before champion select even begins. “A good coach will not have to talk too much in champion select because he has spent countless hours before the game preparing for as many scenarios as possible. What a coach should be doing in champion select is helping the team adapt incase an oddball has been thrown or to slap people on the wrist if they decide to get too creative with picks when you haven’t practiced it as a team enough,” he said.
John “Rnglol” Crichton, a veteran coach who is currently working with European Challenger Series contender SK Gaming Prime after stints with H2K Gaming and Gamers2, also believes that the change will help teams.
He believes “[the rule] should create a better ‘game of chess’ -- most teams have planned strategies heading into games, and a general idea of how things should go. They lacked on-the-fly decision making, so sometimes teams would tunnel really hard on their plan or totally mess up on-the-fly.” Allowing a coach to be onstage helps both of these tendencies.
Both coaches agree that the change will positively affect the overall game, and early results have born out their beliefs. Several games in the early weeks of the LCS have been instant classics from the moment the first ban was made until the Nexus exploded.
Getting used to the limelight
Bringing coaches onstage has brought some adversity to organizations. While InnerFlame was quick to point out that the team has had few problems, he did highlight one thing he had to overcome: stage fright.
He had to work on “staying focused and articulating myself properly” during the first several weeks of the European LCS. Obviously, that work has given them success. SK Gaming is arguably the most dominant franchise in the 2015 LCS.
The challenges won't stop there. While the new rule has already been used to great effect during the first three weeks of LCS competition, how it translates to other formats is unknown. A Best of 5 stresses an entire organization, coaches and players alike. Rnglol, though, thinks coaches being allowed onstage during the playoffs should alleviate some of the stress as a series goes on.
“Having plans dependent on side is where the fun lies,” he said, “Best of one formats really weaken the impact coaches have. Adaptation is something that coaches can help with. In the past, teams which had a full series planned out would most likely 3-0.”
Up to speed
One thing many fans may not realize is that coaches participating live in the LCS brings them in line with how many Challenger teams plan out their picks and bans. The only difference? Most Challenger coaches cannot actually see the champion select screens, so the players have to relay information via voice communications.
Rnglol explained that he regularly sits in Teamspeak with whatever team he is coaching, and has to write down everything as it is going on. From an infrastructural growth standpoint, the change will only help more new coaches gain experience coaching at a high level.
The new rule has definitely changed how the picks and bans phase is planned and executed. Whether it’s a better game of chess or an extension of extreme preparation, the primary beneficiary from the rule will be the fans. Coaches make the game better and more competitive, which enhances the spectacle on Summoner’s Rift. How early success in a Best of 1 format translates into a Best of five format isn’t known, but if it does have a similar effect, the 2015 Spring LCS Playoffs could easily jump to a whole new level.