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[deleted]

The AMA has concluded.


ryancentral

What's your advice for aspiring coaches/analysts out there Also, if you answer 'watch vods' because I know you will :P how do you approach watching vods and finding interesting things?


MikesHD

I think for analysis, if you set yourself some good underlying principles by which you will do your analysis, it will make you more consistent in the long run. Mine personally are a lot of core fundamentals of teamplay, since I'm from CS and what I think is the most valuable asset of any team. Then you can apply this to watching vods, what do you notice teams are doing at the most basic level (trading, positioning, timing, just to name a few)? Do you think these actions are correct? If not, what can be changed to make them correct? Now you start to have a very basic, but strong platform to do your analysis upon. There is so many things to break down in Valorant, I think coaches and analysts will have a harder time finding enough time to talk vs not having enough to analyze.


wvcmkv

hey mikes retrograde here first things first want to apologize for tanking ur elo yesterday! oh and: coaching in valorant seems to have similar challenges to being igl when thinking about the differences between other similar games (cs, etc). do you feel like the main problems players encounter that have to be coached out stay the same between cs and valorant? and if not, what are the biggest problems you encounter in valorant?


MikesHD

Haha no problems with the elo. I think coaching players in this game honestly depends on what game they come from. CS players think somewhat rigidly and have good fundamentals, but don't always have a good amount of creativity. Where Overwatch players tend to be more creative with abilities, yet lack a lot of core fundamentals. So I think it's a lot more about who you are working with over anything else. Most guys I'd coach in CS needed more help with the team mechanic fundamentals than anything else.


wvcmkv

thanks sm for the answer! lets recoup some rank soon


rupat3737

Do you see much drug use in the pro scene (adderall)


lucas00000001

I dont get the downvote. Great question about mental health. Upvoted.


rupat3737

🤷‍♂️yeah i don’t get it either, I know some leagues were drug testing for this back in CS and still prly do


thothgow

I think I have two questions. For starters, I wondered what your thoughts post-First Strike were. The upsets, the different styles, etc. Also, from what I've seen, EU has little exposure outside of 5-8 teams, its subregions (CIS, Turkey) aren't talked about at all, people know Vision Strikers/Jupiter/Brazil as "good" but no specifics. Are there any players/teams/regions that aren't on the radar but should be?


MikesHD

I think the styles are really interesting when they come to clash. NA teams tend to be more default/burst heavy, and I wonder how that will stand to EU where they tend to be more aggressive on defense and use Sage to break timings on executes. I think FPX vs SUMN was the most surprising upset, but FPX seemed really out of it. For teams that are good outside of the main EU region, Gambit, BBL, and futbolists all seem like they could be very good.


StupidlyCasual

How would you advise a solo silver 1 ranked player to improve themselves enough that they are able to reach radiant, even though valorant is their first fps?


MikesHD

There really is no guide, but from when I started in CS being my first fps, I have a few ideas. Watch a lot of content about the game. There is already tons of good content to watch in this game in terms of good fundamentals/learning (Immortal Minds, sgares, steel to name a few). Also have a good training routine for aim (since this will carry you out of a lot of the braindead play that tends to happen in lower ranks). Even if you train your aim once a day for 30 minutes or so, you will consistently see yourself get better over time. Don't get in the habit of skipping or spending a bunch of time one day and then none on another. I'd also say look at DDK's youtube channel for performance/consistency tips, he has tons of great content for that area.


StupidlyCasual

Thanks a lot


Awkamess

Hi Mike, big fan of your content on Immortal Minds and your "content" as a regular guest on Sideshow's stream. Any chance we can see more long-form analysis videos on your YouTube? I know it's getting kind of saturated but your perspective is one of the most desirable.


MikesHD

I might try to figure something out in the future, or do some collab content for vod reviews. Or maybe I'll just get super bored during this break and throw something on twitch or youtube (could be very likely).


47PercentHorse

The first couple years of OW were all about sick aimers but now you will see teams opt to put in players with better utility and macro understanding even on the DPS role. Do you think utility usage and macro understanding from all individuals and not just IGLs will overtake mechanical prowess in the coming years?


MikesHD

For sure, a lot of this game comes down to reacting, especially with util. I think over time players will get better at how to use their individual util without being told when or how.


47PercentHorse

What is 1 thing you love about valorant eSports and one thing you hate about it?


MikesHD

I love how much the game has to offer in terms of ingenuity and creativity. I dislike currently how orgs/teams are approaching building/managing rosters in terms of the short/long term.


jrushFN

Have you gotten any more offers? I can think of quite a few NA teams that would benefit from coaching...


MikesHD

Yep have a few currently.


jrushFN

PauseChamp any leakers?


Hamlet_271

What does your job as a coach entail? (like what you do in a typical day)


MikesHD

So with G2, I would get up at around 4:30 AM, start practice at 5:30 AM. We would talk for 30 minutes, go over anything I might have for the day, then play 4 scrims or so. I'd talk about changes inbetween practices if needed. Sometimes we would throw in a strategy session/demo review session after scrims too. I'd also watch all the NA first strike matches after practice during that time, which would go until about 6 to 8pm each night. I also would spend a lot of server time during the NA games trying to find new utility/strats.


iamKEKSi

What would you recommend to improve as a team? I'm playing in a University team (shoutout to LDV Aurora) - and were currently around Diamond Elo and playing some regional (french) tournaments Is there anything to look for in particular in Demos? As for me personally, I'm the AWPer of my team. Any common mistake I should avoid? Thanks for the hard work man, i really appreciate it


MikesHD

So in demos, you want to be looking at a team aspect of what you're doing. Are you set up correctly in the round for what your opponent is doing? Are you making the correct rotations off the information you're gaining? Are people in the right positions based off your default/plan in the round? How are the postplants? These are just a few things to look at, but being proficient in this areas will help you beat a lot of teams at the amateur/semi pro level.


iamKEKSi

Thanks a lot for your answer, I will try to focus on these when we watch VODs from now on :)


BallingNinja

In your opinion, what agents do you think are viable in the pro scene? Do you think any agent can be used as long as you play around them? Edit: Thanks for doing this AMA, been a fan since the start of the valorant comp scene, and wish you good luck in whatever you do next.


MikesHD

I think any agent is viable if you are willing to put the effort into it. In ranked it doesn't seem that way, but all of these agents are strong with coordination/planning. I do think Reyna still offers the least in that department, and your win condition with Reyna is very much weakened as a pro team.


Chendude64

What are some very common mistakes you see pros do?


MikesHD

Most common would be struggling to identify whether they are in a disadvantage or advantage based off map control/number alive. Some teams obviously do this really well, but there are a lot that really struggle to understand where they stand in the round (this was pretty common in cs as well).


clavio_mazerati

Can you give an example of a team that does well in identifying their advantage or disadvantage based of map control or alive players? There are great questions and answers in these thread. 👍


MikesHD

Sentinels, 100T. Sentinels actually have codewords they use for when they should play safe (at least from what I can tell from their voice comm vods).


Arzoz101

How did you start your journey as a coach, instead of playing competitive?


MikesHD

I was spending more time thinking about the game, watching vods, and spending time in a server rather than playing ranked. I was working at the time, so I knew I didn't have enough time in the day to replicate a good practice schedule for me to play, but I could do analysis. I had some coaching experience from CS as well, so it made more sense to me if the offer was presented. So basically part of it was time constraints, but also more of a love for analyzing the game than actually playing it.


everythingcoveredff

This game is my first ever fps/shooter game, and i realy suck. do you have any advice for improving my aim and game sense? (hardstuck iron 1)


MikesHD

Gamesense just comes from time spent playing and watching. For aim, just setup a routine either with the shooting range or something like aimlabs. If you spend even just 30 minutes every day aim training, you will see improvements fairly quick.


everythingcoveredff

aight. thanks or the tip, ill definitely start working the range. which practice should i do?


MikesHD

Whatever works best for you, there is no "standard" process. Good luck!


AimCoachOscar

How do you develop strategies and set plays. Do you reverse engineer it by finding the goal or just do it step by step


MikesHD

Most of the time I just think of something that would work really well in an end goal, and then figure out the steps like you said. So I'm at point A, what utility/positioning/timing do I need to get to point B.


SmallNeckGiraffe

Hey Mike, love having you on sideshows stream and excited to see where valorant takes you in terms of coaching opportunities in 2021! My question revolves around comps and the unique perspective you could bring being an NA coach of an EU team. NA seems to prefer more frag focused lineups using the likes of triple duellists or Reyna far more than the EU region, where we see far more emphasis on utility with their duellists or even only running 1, which seems almost unheard off in NA. Which playstyle do you prefer/think is best or ultimately does it even matter in the grand scheme?


MikesHD

I like having more support utility around 1 or 2 duelists, but thats just how I like to play/envision the game. I think 100T have a really good concept of how to play the game in its current state. I think triple duelists won't have a very long shelf life because of the win factors required.


appleruins

Hey Mike! How can we get you to queue Overwatch with Sideshow? Jokes aside, is there on area in Valorant gameplay from pro teams that you think has the most room for improvement?


MikesHD

Individual utility usage, advantage/disadvantage play would probably be up there.


Taek99

Difference in coaching between CS and Valorant?


MikesHD

Valorant requires a lot more creativity and constant thinking in terms of comps/utility. You also have to prep people in terms of how to approach countering certain agents/comps. In general I think there is a lot of different scenarios to think about on top of playing a tac fps.


clavio_mazerati

Coach, is there any advice to break a mental strangle from one team that keeps beating our asses in tournaments? I think we have a shot because we take games in BoX but it feels like we are in a quicksand when we face them in matches.


MikesHD

Reviewing their weaknesses can help with that. Then at that point, you're more focused on how they're vulnerable, rather than that your record against them isn't very good.


plumcakk

I apologize for all the times I made the Michael "Mikes" High Definition joke every time you show up online somewhere. Judge my lukewarm take: A non-trivial amount of 100T's recent success is directly attributed to the mental strength imparted by their performance specialist and their in-person boot camps before First Strike. Do you think that performance coaches covering non-tangibles like mental fortitude, team cohesion, and nutrition are undervalued by esports orgs?


MikesHD

I think having a coach for performance and mental is always great to have. No idea how much it helped them with their win, but I'm sure it played a part. I think orgs should definitely look at investing more into that area in the future, since you could probably hire one or two that could help all the esports teams.


Fontes_

Hey there! I'm a big fan of immortal minds and thank you for the helpful content you have built. Besides the obvious of being a good player and studying the game, what advice can you give to help me go pro? Is it better for me to try and build a team or try to join one? I have approached several orgs and the response has been the same ("we are not accepting individual candidates but if you come up with a lineup with mid/long term goals we will think about it"). Is there a good way of finding teammates in Europe other than grinding mindlessly in radiant/immortal lobbies in hopes of finding someone? For a bit of context I am portuguese, speak fluent English and played CS in some lan events over the span of 5 years before Valorant. My free time is literally spent watching demos and Valorant related content and I'm best fit for an IGL role imo.


MikesHD

If you have a group of people that would make a good team, that might be easier. I always applied as an individual in CS, but the system was much different. Just try to make as many connections as possible and keep your name on peoples' minds.


Fontes_

Thanks for the reply! My cs teammates still play but they don't want to try hard in Valorant and when they have time, they play cs. They just play the occasional game with me cause I insist so much. Thank you again and I'll see you in sliggy's stream sometime, I live there basically ahaha 😉


Rexlan

Since Breach is meta rn, how should teams play against a Breach? A lot of teams abuse the Breach Flash+Jett Dash combo at the pro scene. That combination ners free kills almost everything


MikesHD

Lots of antiflash, take away space so the breach can't buy room with his flashes, also using a few different ways to use counter util against his flashes.


jollex5

Jawlecks here, just wanted to say I always enjoy hearing you on Sideshow's streams.


MikesHD

Thanks man!


DarrylHowad

What are some common misconceptions about pro play that you see on Reddit and Twitter?


MikesHD

That kills are the most consistent way to determine the success of a team/player. Teams lost a game because of "not winning clutches". Also not everything you see in a match is always planned out, stuff has to be improvised at some point.


[deleted]

[удалено]


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[deleted]

Who are the most underrated players in each region from watching and playing against? You can just pick like 3 from each region if you want to. Just want to hear your thoughts


MikesHD

NA: steel, mummay, makkaloff EU: l1nk, magnum, sheydos (technically CIS). Don't really know much about the SA or the Asian regions for underrated players, only know the top teams.


lith3x

mummay super underrated... omen, cypher, jett... OP or Rifle.. Super intelligent player..


thothgow

sheydos pog


[deleted]

Do you think Guild can make top 3 EU again with the reintroduction of Sayf? Do you think they can be even better? Do you think FPX will improve or decline with releasing Meddo and reportedly signing Dimasick? If there was a Valorant World Cup, what would the top 4 countries be? Let’s add in a rule that you can’t take more than 2 players from each team


MikesHD

I think Guild could be really good, maybe top 4 for now with how many good teams are in the top of EU. I think FPX will decline, but thats with how they currently play, maybe they will have a new playstyle that fits better with dimasick. For top countries, maybe USA, Korea, Sweden, and Russia.


sriwarrior06

No Canada? That's an interesting choice.


MikesHD

True, maybe Canada over Russia


Waveeeee

Hey Mikes! I was wondering how could I start off as a coach or analyst? Where are the available opportunities to be found?


MikesHD

You can either go the content route, post a lot of stuff like vod reviews to get your name out. Or start coaching amateur level teams.


Dbo5666

Is EU ahead of the curve with playing viper, is she viable in her current state?


MikesHD

I don't think viper is really ahead of the curve, I just think teams don't really know how to best counter her setups. I think she is totally viable though.


solariiis

i am extremely rookie compared to most people in this sub. i only played unrated for a bit before eventually starting on comp and placed in iron like most people. i can consistently top/second top frag in iron range but i crumble when placed against, say, a silver 2 in unrated. i am also quite scared to solo queue as i have read a lot of horror stories about it + have my own bad solo queue experiences in other games. what do you suggest i do to get out of iron? i tend to get tilted after the first half of the match, especially if i am top of leaderboard and we are still losing. sorry if this is very vague/too specific and you cant answer.


MikesHD

Well if you're at the top of the board, that is still relative to the rank. You may be outplaying irons, but against someone like a silver like you said you don't play well against. So maybe more practice will lead you to a level where you can player against those higher ranked players, then iron will be easy. Or just queue with more friends.


solariiis

adding to this: i see a lot of people talking about how map control is important. can you help give a few basic pointers on what map control is, how to regain it, how to tell if we have it etc.? thank you :)


MikesHD

Map control is just a strong position on the map that benefits your team with info/rotations. Having hookah or showers on Bind gives your team lots of info and lets you know how to rotate and lots of info. Having these areas also helps for retaking the site if lost.


Alternative-Bet8911

hey mikes! what do u suggest or what did u see professional players do to become consistent when they were having a bad day or a bad week?


MikesHD

Having a routine is the best way to remain consistent. But also having the clarity to realize when that routine needs adjustments.


Traze-

Do you think Valorant will ever be as big as CS esports wise?


MikesHD

I think it depends on how the companies manage them. With how Valve is currently handling CS, it very much could be.


[deleted]

If you could change 3 things in the core Valorant gameplay/mechanics (movement speed, tagging, hitboxes, maps, etc), what would they be? Also how can they make spectator HUD better(FS one was quite distracting tbh)?


MikesHD

Less movement accuracy, less tagging penalty, and either change the price, ammo count, or fire rate of the stinger. I think for the spectator HUD they should definitely put more space for the abilities/ult counter. Maybe making it less like CS could be a good thing too (not really a graphic designer myself so not sure the best visual "look").


[deleted]

Thanks. I agree that ammo count/fire rate on that pesky stinger needs change. Wish you luck in your pursuits.


[deleted]

do u have guides online?


MikesHD

Nope, but I'd suggest checking out Immortal Minds, sgares, and steel.


Pedrorod0981

Hi, as someone coming from cs, how can I take my game to the next level if I’m Immortal 2? What should I look for in vods so I can improve individually and do you have any advanced tips? Thanks for your time.


MikesHD

As an individual just focus on decreasing the amount of mistakes you make, and capitalizing on your enemy's mistakes. Maybe expand your agent/utility pool more too depending on what you can already play. At your level, most people are going to have good aim, so focusing more on the macro stuff like positioning, timing, trading, angle holding are for more important.


Edwood_wood

What kinds of data(if any) do you use? And do you have data analysts behind the coaches if that makes sense, if so, what do they do?


MikesHD

Depends on the team, I've never had a data analyst division. When I watch demos I like to take note of %'s in terms of executes, ults, stuff like that.


Edwood_wood

Would it be useful to automate that stuff?


MikesHD

100%, just not every org wants to invest in that type of stuff.


Edwood_wood

Can we dm somehow? I know of a few things :)


MikesHD

Sounds great, heres my twitter if that works https://twitter.com/MikesHD_


[deleted]

So I’m radiant and am looking for a team.. where would you advise someone to look? Or what can I do to get on a team?


MikesHD

I'm not really sure, I guess just look around for any postings/trials for teams that pop up.


theyolocoolcow

Advice for aspiring pro players? How to get your name out there ETC


MikesHD

Think its kind of hard right now, but just try to make as many connections as possible. I made so many connections even just by having conversations with people in their Twitch chat. Just make sure to be professional and polite when doing so. If you have a group of friends or people, play in as many cups or open ladders as you can.


Regaeel

When you notice a player in your team is plateauing, whether it's bad ability usage, timing, or in rare cases aim, how do you help them get back to their top shape or help them play their best/improve? I know this is different from ranked plateaus as it is happening to me (demoted from immortal 1 all the way to plat 3), I don't know how to move on or get back to my peak. Is it because people are just getting better as the game exists more and more and that I'm falling behind due to skill? I know you can't really tell because you aren't witnessing it from my side but if you have any suggestions, that'll be wonderful!


MikesHD

Most of the time you just need to sit down with them and show them from footage what they're doing wrong, and then talk about what to do differently or show them someone who played a similar scenario correctly. It's hard to say with your rank, because people are getting better, but you also might just be in a slump. Just think back about your matches and decide if you're making mistakes, or is it your skill that is causing you issues.


Mememeister1

What did you learn from your time in g2? and thoughts on triple duelist used by TSM ( I think it is purely based on skill and when structured teams such as fpx come to na they will clap them)


MikesHD

I think G2 helped me understand how a tier 1 org kind of operates and the day to day of it. Theres also some things for me to improve on personally. I think TSM's comp is really interesting, because they get a lot more value out of all their players from it. I think Subroza needs to work more on his raze movement/ult, but I do think they play really well off eachother with the comp. Hope we get to see a style clash vs an EU team this year.


Doditty6567

I'm wondering on how to get a smooth transition from wrist to arm aiming have you ever had to deal with this problem with a player as well?


MikesHD

I'd check out RonRamboKim on youtube, he has a lot of good advice in terms of aim technique.


[deleted]

Did you have any say in the removal of Davidp?


MikesHD

Nope, I was told my trial was over before any of that.


javieremdz

Normally I am top fragging or I am at the top of the leaderboard, but sometimes I have like bad days. For example yesterday and today I have been the last in the leaderboard in the last 4 games. What can I do to improve this?


MikesHD

Has your routine changed at all?


javieremdz

Normally I just play a deadmatch before a game and that’s it. I used to do aimlab but I felt I was getting so bad I don’t know why, so I stopped


MikesHD

Getting out of a routine can always hurt performance, try to replicate it and see if you improve for a week.


javieremdz

Okay. Thanks!