The True Sight Podcast by Oracle's Elixir

Evil Geniuses won a championship with a couple of North American teenagers. What kind of ripple effects will that have on the league, and how should other orgs respond? Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TimSevenhuysen Discord: https://discord.gg/KY6XHaF Patreon: https://patreon.com/OraclesElixir

Some of you really like living in a dream world. ;) Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TimSevenhuysen Discord: https://discord.gg/KY6XHaF Patreon: https://patreon.com/OraclesElixir

Tim picks his current and all-time American and Canadian national teams. Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TimSevenhuysen Discord: https://discord.gg/KY6XHaF Patreon: https://patreon.com/OraclesElixir

Tim predicts the entire LCS 2022 Spring Playoff bracket. Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TimSevenhuysen Discord: https://discord.gg/KY6XHaF Patreon: https://patreon.com/OraclesElixir

Tim's current-strength power rankings: https://youtu.be/gB04_ljv5Dc Tim's preseason power rankings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM990wD4F4A Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TimSevenhuysen Discord: https://discord.gg/KY6XHaF Patreon: https://patreon.com/OraclesElixir

The Executive Director of the LCS Players' Association, Phillip Aram, joins the show to talk Champions Queue, the ways LCS players share contract details with one another, how he coaches pros on trash talk, and a lot more. Follow Phillip at twitter.com/Phillip_Aram Follow the LCSPA at twitter.com/NALCSPA Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 2:24 Phil's background in esports 5:45 How Phil became the LCSPA Exec. Director 9:40 The LCSPA board 15:05 The LCSPA's player leadership 21:05 How the LCSPA's success has achieved greater player buy-in 24:00 How LCS players share salary info with one other 27:45 How the LCSPA helps players navigate the tension between players and teams 33:10 How does the LCSPA advise players around appropriate/inappropriate agent behaviour? 37:30 Champions Queue 49:30 On trash talk 54:20 What's next for the LCSPA? A secret project!? 56:30 Outro

NA Academy colour caster Joshua "Joushi" Howard lifts the curtain on the new Academy casting team and structure, and breaks down all of the most interesting, high-performing Academy teams and players. Follow Joushi at twitter.com/Joushi_TV Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:10 The new Academy casting setup 12:40 Reception to the new broadcast 19:00 Which Academy teams look best? CLG, 100 30:29 Cloud9 Academy 37:25 Immortals Academy 41:08 How players catch the eyes of fans (and GMs) 47:22 Team Liquid Academy 53:58 Promotion-ready players 57:50 Outro

The new TSM FTX VP of Esports joins Tim to break down his plans for TSM's future, the org's relationship with its fans, and his goals for 2022 and beyond. Follow Dominic at twitter.com/KallasDominic Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:10 About Dominic and what brought him to TSM 11:23 Dominic's role, responsibilities, and projects 18:36 Differences between TSM and Gen.G 21:00 Dominic's goals for TSM 28:25 TSM's approach to its LoL roster 39:15 Does TSM have more resources than other orgs? 46:55 Are anti-fans a curse or a blessing? 50:44 Outro

Kelsey Moser returns to the show to talk LCS MVP candidates, Lock-In predictions, and sarcastic shutdowns of your bold takes. Follow Kelsey at twitter.com/karonmoser and twitch.tv/karonmoser Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:57 Biggest offseason stories 15:35 Season 12 meta 25:15 Lock-In preview 44:12 Predicting LCS Spring MVP 51:12 Takedown 1:15:23 Outro

Gabriel "Invert" Zoltan-Johan, head coach of Dignitas Academy, returns to the show to talk about the World Championships group draw, do a retrospective on Proving Grounds, and look ahead to 2022. Follow Invert at twitter.com/Invert_LoL Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Side Selection on YouTube Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:40 Worlds group draw 21:50 DIGA's Proving Grounds run 33:54 DIG Will - where did he come from and how much has he improved? 49:08 DIG Spawn 54:35 Soligo, Lourlo, and JayJ 1:05:45 Outro

Emily Rand, signature member of the LCS Analyst Desk, is back on the show to set the table for the World Championships, check in on Proving Grounds, and generally be awesome. Follow Emily Rand at twitter.com/leagueofemily Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 3:17 Getting ready for Worlds 22:02 Is it beneficial to go through Play-Ins? 28:29 Do the LCS teams have good play styles to succeed at Worlds? 37:37 Proving Grounds check-in 52:53 Thoughts on 100/TL/C9's different Worlds subs strategies 1:02:30 Listener questions 1:02:40 Brandon Brobst: What are Emily's thoughts on the Game Changers event? 1:08:10 Alexander Wu: Who led the decision to have the Analyst Desk cover picks and bans? 1:11:13 Outro

Golden Guardians head coach Nick "Inero" Smith and mid laner Nick "Ablazeolive" Abbot join the show to look back on GG's 2021 season and share their thoughts on the upcoming LCS Finals and World Championships and their goals and expectations for 2022. Follow Inero at twitter.com/Inero Follow Ablazeolive at twitter.com/Ablazeolive and twitch.tv/Ablazeolive Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Learn more about Adamas Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 3:20 Was 2021 a "success" for Golden Guardians? 9:13 Is Academy coaching improving? 19:18 Licorice's influence on GG 22:05 Rookie of the Year results 27:50 LCS Finals weekend and Worlds expectations 46:35 Goals and expectations for 2022 57:25 Listener questions 57:52 Hakei: Does Ablazeolive come up against anyone who just absolutely crushes him and he's always scared of playing against? 59:42 higherbrow: Inero: You're developing a reputation for taking low-budget, developmental rosters and overperforming. Do you prefer this style, or do you someday hope to have a big budget to gun for a top tier, win-now roster? 1:01:58 zerolimits_gk: is GG planning on going to Europe during Worlds to maybe scrim/practice more? 1:03:27 Outro

Greg Kim, the new Head of CLG, shares about his approach and strategy for celebrating the legacy of Counter Logic Gaming while building towards the future, including building on the ties between CLG and its Madison Square Gardens ownership. Follow Greg at twitter.com/KimDynasty Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 0:59 Who is Greg Kim? 4:45 Why did Greg join CLG (and EG before that)? 13:47 What did Greg learn at EG? 22:10 How is Greg taking stock of CLG's current state? 28:30 How much does MSG care about CLG? 35:35 What is the vision for CLG? 39:39 How are CLG preparing for the offseason? 55:30 How can senior management evaluate staff's game knowledge? 1:01:52 KryptoXD: How challenging is it for you coming into CLG and having to appeal to older diehard fans, while also moving towards the future? 1:04:57 Outro

Sam "Smax" Heid gives insight into recent NA amateur results and the best teams heading towards Proving Grounds, and picks his first and second Academy All-Star teams based on the Summer Split so far, along with an Armchair GM exercise to cap things off. Follow Smax at twitter.com/SmaxCasts Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:45 About Smax 5:15 EGL results and expectations for Proving Grounds Qualifiers 15:35 Academy playoffs race 27:35 Academy All-Stars leaders 1:07:38 Best possible team of Academy/amateur players 1:16:15 Outro

Chris "PapaSmithy" Smith finally gets to appear on the True Sight Podcast and shares insight into the acquisition of Abbedagge, the value of FBI to 100 Thieves, and Reapered's influence on the team's communication, game preparation, and synergy. Follow PapaSmithy at twitter.com/PapaSmithy Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:30 Acquiring Abbedagge / building rosters 19:33 FBI's importance to 100 Thieves 25:38 Reapered's effect on the team, particularly Closer 35:54 Opinions on other LCS teams and their roster moves 52:55 100T's talent pipeline 1:00:10 Listener Questions 1:00:25 Cole Isenbarger: What differences in match prep strategies has 100T implemented between Spring and Summer? 1:02:21 Flailure: How would 100T finishing 3rd in regular season be viewed internally? 1:04:09 Outro

Nick "Swaguhsaurus" Phan, General Manager of FlyQuest League of Legends, goes in depth on the sale of Licorice to Golden Guardians, the opportunity for Kumo to step up, and the team's plans for the future. Follow Nick at twitter.com/Swaguhsaurus Follow FlyQuest at twitter.com/FlyQuest Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:40 FLY's recent changes 7:00 Why sell Licorice? 20:35 What do FLY see in Kumo? 29:50 FLY Academy playing in LCS 44:30 Performance of FLY coaching staff 47:35 Goals for rest of 2021 50:15 Business consequences of benching Josedeodo 53:38 Listener Questions: Nightfiend (EG GM) - What are FLY's offseason plans? ;) 54:50 Outro

RBM and pookar of AOE Esports in the NA amateur scene join the show to talk about their experiences balancing amateur coaching and play with school and work, the strongest players and teams in amateur this split, and their reactions to Team Liquid's big coaching and roster announcements. Follow RBM at twitter.com/lolrbm and twitch.tv/lolrbm Follow pookar at twitter.com/pookarGG Follow AOE Esports at twitter.com/esports_aoe Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:00 Getting to know pookar and RBM 7:30 AOE Esports 23:10 Top teams and players in NA amateur 40:00 Competing while working/studying 50:30 Playing comfort vs. meta in amateur 52:20 Incon: What does pookar think the meta is after the new items being released and mage items being changed? 57:30 Team Liquid's changes 1:07:30 Outro

Froskurinn joins the True Sight Podcast to discuss the current metagame and its flexibility; how to VOD review effectively; the urgency for 100 Thieves to get to Worlds after acquiring Abbedagge; and the LCS team she would put together in Tim's "armchair GM" game. Armchair LCS GM original tweet Froskurinn's armchair GM Phreak's armchair GM Azael's armchair GM Watch Froskurinn on G4TV: twitch.tv/G4TV Follow Froskurinn at twitter.com/Froskurinn Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 5:55 The summer 2021 meta 11:55 Coaching and "learning how to learn" 25:00 Froskurinn's draft analytics project 29:00 Are 100 Thieves good? Was Abbedagge worth the money? 44:15 Team Liquid 52:15 LCS armchair GM 1:02:20 Listener Questions 1:02:35 Chris Zak: How many LoL casters have degrees in broadcasting? 1:06:15 Mojo: Who is the biggest "what if?" player in LoL history? 1:09:10 Angus Lockhart: Who is the best player to never attend Worlds? 1:13:00 Outro

The podcast welcomes NA amateur mid laner Aidan "5fire" Reckamp to talk through his playing career so far, his thoughts on LCS, and players to watch in Academy and amateur this summer. Follow 5fire at twitter.com/5fireleague and twitch.tv/5fire Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 2:00 5fire's playing achievements 13:25 Experiences finding a team 20:20 Time with EG Academy 24:43 Best coaching 5fire has received 30:55 LCS summer expectations 42:34 Academy/amateur players to watch for 51:30 Expanding your champion pool comfort zone 55:35 Mid laners in amateur/Academy 5fire respects most 1:00:17 Listener questions 1:00:32 Brandon Brobst: With new mid picks like Lee Sin and new champs Gwen and Viego being strong, what's your process for learning a new champ? 1:02:20 Purliini: Would you ever go to EU for a split and play some regional league and same time climb EUW solo queue? 1:03:25 Stargazingspot: What's 5fire's favourite league to watch? 1:06:18 Outro

Jordan "Lyric" Corby, colour caster for the LPL's English broadcast, finally joins the True Sight Podcast to talk all things LPL, from the league's impressive depth to the value of Korean imports. Follow Lyric at twitter.com/JordanCorbylol Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:20 Lyric's esports resume 3:00 How deep is the LPL? 17:50 Evaluating other regions at MSI 24:44 Should LPL import less? 35:55 LPL roster moves 50:30 Can you be a good coach without being a top-tier player? 54:45 Listener questions 55:02 jetlagging1: Will LPL English casting return to the studio for summer? 55:43 k0r3: Should pro game replays be more widely available? 1:03:05 Outro

Peter Dun, head coach of Evil Geniuses League of Legends, returns to the show to give his thoughts on MSI and the reasons for Cloud9's weak performance; to talk us through EG's mid-season roster changes at the LCS, Academy, and amateur levels; and to opine on NA talent development and infrastructure. Follow Peter at twitter.com/pcdv8r Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:42 MSI recap 17:18 EG mid-season changes 31:20 Expiring contracts and talent retention/attraction 43:01 More on EG mid-season 59:39 Listener questions 59:54 Masternamer123: How important is it for coaches to learn multiple coaching styles? 1:05:53 j663beast: What does Peter think of VCS? 1:08:53 edgyhoon: Will EG move players between Academy and LCS? 1:11:10 LaHoyaDon: Is the LCS on the right path towards competing better internationally?

Zack "Rusty" Pye, caster for the LCO, talks about Pentanet.GG's huge achievement at the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational, and the past, present, and future of Oceanic League of Legends. Follow Rusty at twitter.com/RustyLoL and instagram.com/zack_rusty_pye Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:41 Rusty's background in esports 4:00 Pentanet.GG at MSI 22:22 What does PGG's achievement mean for LCO? 25:42 RNG vs PSG 31:18 Is "fog of war" the least-used tactic in high-level LoL? 36:10 Storylines for LCO Summer 46:22 DWG vs MAD 53:24 Outro

Jensen Goh, coach of Immortals Academy, talks about the team's roster changes for summer, analyzes the MSI meta, and breaks down the teams competing in the MSI Rumble Stage. Jensen's Youtube channel Follow Jensen at twitter.com/JensenGohLoL Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:45 IMT Academy roster changes 15:45 MSI meta: is Rumble jungle good? 24:00 Why so much Varus, Jayce, etc.? 28:40 Analytical schools: map control vs. efficiency 38:30 MSI team rankings 58:30 Listener questions 59:00 liposuctionlane: Do teams use data/ML enough? 1:03:15 yunbooo: Can C9 beat DK in a Bo5? 1:06:30 Outro

Kelsey Moser breaks down Damwon Gaming KIA, Royal Never Give Up, MAD Lions, Cloud9, and the rest of the Mid-Season Invitational. Evil Geniuses Youth Gaming Making the Rounds Follow Kelsey at twitter.com/karonmoser Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:30 Are DWG KIA the favourites for MSI? 3:00 DK vs. RNG in depth 20:30 Who can take down DK and RNG? 29:20 Are MAD Lions better than they were at Worlds 2020? 30:50 Who might break into the top 4? 34:30 What new champions will be seen on patch 11.9? 37:50 How well might GAM Esports have performed? 41:20 None of the MSI teams are the "complete package" 42:50 Listener questions 43:05 Deeliman: Who is a dark horse to win MSI? 45:35 whywhywhyquestionmark: Do you agree with tier lists that put PSG above MAD? 50:50 Truth: Are there any players who will surprise us at MSI? 54:05 Outro

Kaizen "Primal" Asiedu shares about his Emmy-winning career in esports, from disciplinary policy and ecosystem development to event production, and gives thoughts on LCS news and the Mid-Season Invitational. Follow Primal at twitter.com/thatsPRIMAL Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:20 Primal's background 13:00 Favourite career moments 16:05 MSI expectations 23:30 Can Blaber become the NA GOAT? 32:35 Primal's favourite player 36:50 100 Thieves' moves 45:30 Which LCS teams will go to Worlds? 48:35 Listener questions 48:50 Joao Barros: Which NA org has the most talent? 52:30 Smax: How excited is Primal for getting into the studio? 59:15 Ravish: How can analyst desks be more than "filler content"? 1:04:15 Outro

Emily Rand returns to the show to break down the LCS Finals and catch Tim up on the LPL Spring playoffs. Follow Emily at twitter.com/leagueofemily Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 2:40 LCS Finals Weekend 15:15 Vulcan 21:35 Team Liquid 26:55 LPL catch-up 41:30 Cryin 46:45 Nuguri 53:20 Edward Greene: What would Emily like to do more in summer? 55:45 FranzLeague: How high is Tian's peak? 58:25 J663beast: Will DK 6-0 MSI groups? 1:00:35 Smax: Who will win Proving Grounds? 1:03:50 Outro

LCS play-by-play caster David "Phreak" Turley puts aside his very legitimate Twitter feud with Tim to talk through LCS playoffs, marketable players, and Legends of Runeterra. Phreak's Youtube: youtube.com/Phreak Phreak's stream: twitch.tv/PhreakStream Follow Phreak at twitter.com/RiotPhreak Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:10 Recapping C9 vs. TL and TSM vs. 100 7:40 Was TSM vs. 100 really a bad series? 11:20 Returning to in-person competition 12:45 Predicting TSM vs. TL 17:15 Which team has a better chance to beat C9? 24:30 What have been the best positive surprises of the split? 36:40 Who are the new "faces" of the LCS? 44:40 Phreak's presence in Legends of RuneTerra 54:10 Listener questions 54:20 Edward Greene: How has Phreak's casting style changed over the years? 1:00:30 Bebop1988: What does Phreak think about LCS playing on an older patch in the playoffs in other regions? 1:04:25 dv9r: Why do esports fans tend to support a region instead of a specific team? 1:09:10 Outro

NA colour caster Matt "Cubby" Samuelson returns to the show to check in on the Proving Grounds tournament. Proving Grounds Podcast: twitter.com/PGroundsPod Follow Cubby at twitter.com/Cubbyxx Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:30 Proving Grounds results so far 2:52 TSM Academy vs. Zoos, how did they lose? 8:20 EG Academy vs. FLY Academy 13:10 100T Academy vs. CLG Academy 19:30 Babip failing to farm krugs 22:10 Tournament favourites 30:00 Which Academy players are the most LCS-ready? 39:45 Which amateur players are most Academy-ready? 43:50 Shiro vs. Shoryu: who would you promote? 48:50 How are ex-LCS players like V1per performing in amateur? 52:25 TomShoe: How do you feel about the Proving Grounds format? What changes would you suggest for summer? 58:20 AlphariStan: How do we perceive Jenkins, and where could he end up? 1:02:30 Empyre: How can we solve the "buyout problem" to help players get promoted into the LCS? 1:17:00 Outro

LEC play-by-play caster Aaron "Medic" Chamberlain guides us through the key storylines of the spring split, shares his MVP and rookie of the split candidates, and tees up the playoffs. Follow Medic at twitter.com/MedicCasts Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 1:35 Biggest surprises of the LEC regular season 6:48 Have G2 maintained their flexibility? 11:55 Can Rogue win the LEC? 15:00 Who should win rookie of the split? 20:25 Should LEC teams make roster changes for summer? 22:40 Scaling comps and degree of difficulty 26:30 Is Inspired an MVP candidate? Who else? 30:05 Have MAD Lions' roster changes been an upgrade? 34:10 What's up with Fnatic's play style? 41:05 Playoff preview 46:10 Listener questions 46:30 IamnottheNSA: Has the LEC improved compared to previous years? 49:55 Chase Schweitzer: What are the most memorable moments from Medic's casting career so far? 51:55 j663beast: When reviewing teams before an international event, what tools or approaches does Medic use? 54:10 TheSciFiGirl: How hyped is Medic for EU Masters? 56:06 Outro

LCS caster Crumbz takes us through his thoughts on LCS Spring all-pro team and MVP voting, and sets the stage for the Mid-Season Showdown spring playoffs. Follow Crumbz at twitter.com/ProphetCrumbz Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:43 All-Pro voting 6:10 Balancing players' early-game and late-game contributions 11:55 Mid lane voting, e.g. Perkz and Jensen 14:05 How can we use stats effectively when a player plays a ton of different styles? 17:58 Best coaching staff? 21:45 MVP candidates 24:40 MSS preview: TL vs. TSM 33:30 MSS first-round predictions 39:20 Who's the bigger dark horse, DIG or EG? How can they win? 57:55 mynameisnoturbusiness: Who is the "player to watch" for each of the top 4 teams? 1:00:05 iamnotthensa: Is there any non-playoff team that could beat one of the playoff teams? 1:04:45 Outro

Invert, coach of Dignitas Academy, tells us about DIG's newly announced partnership with Mirage in NA amateur, and we take listener call-ins and questions about NA coaching, the Academy format, and more. Follow Invert at twitter.com/Invert_LoL Follow DIG Mirage at twitter.com/MirageSportE Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:30 How is the Dignitas / Mirage partnership set up? 5:10 The success of FakeGod and Soligo as "second-chance" players 9:15 Did DIG always plan to partner with an amateur org instead of starting a new team? 13:00 Copiz - Golden Guardians haven't built a successful development roster 29:00 tap2gg - What does Invert think of the level of coaching in NA? 34:35 MagicalQaz - Academy regular season should be Bo3 41:25 higherbrow - How does Invert balance the "learning vs. winning" priorities? 44:40 Outro

Gary "Tolki" Mialaret, co-coach of Fnatic, talks about his background in data science and his work as a data analyst with T1 and Splyce, his move to coaching with Fnatic, and how the team is coming together around Nisqy and Upset. Follow Tolki at twitter.com/TolkiCasts Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:05 Tolki's background in esports 6:10 Why did Tolki build the in-house queue tools for the LCS players? 10:05 How do Tolki and Yamato share coaching duties? 12:30 What is it like coaching such experienced players? 17:30 What are some of Tolki's favourite metrics or models? 21:05 Does Fnatic's 7-6 record reflect how well they're playing? 25:55 How well is Nisqy re-integrating into the LEC? 29:40 Are Selfmade/Nisqy clicking well together? 32:50 Have any players from other LEC teams caught Tolki's eye this year? 34:00 Thoughts on Upset's play with FNC so far 38:10 Do the coaches ever try to slow down FNC's super-high aggression? 41:00 How do pro teams use data differently than broadcasts, fans, or content creators? 48:05 IamnottheNSA: When recommending item builds, runes, or champion picks, how much of your input comes from analytics vs. your experiences as a player? 52:10 Warringkingdoms: Do you think it's important to have an academic background in analytics to be a data analyst in LoL? 54:35 Outro

Jake "Spawn" Tiberi shares about the 2021 Oceanic influx, building the Team Liquid Academy roster, TLA's impressive 7-2 regular season, CoreJJ's influence on the team, and whether top Academy teams could compete with bottom LCS teams. Follow Spawn at twitter.com/Spawnlol Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 0:50 Spawn's transition from the OPL to TLA 4:40 How strong are the Oceanic players that came to NA for 2021? 8:15 Why did TLA sign Eyla and Haeri? 13:50 What convinced Spawn to keep Jenkins and Armao for TLA? 18:20 How do you decide whether to give a player "another shot" or find a new rookie? 23:00 Is Jenkins a top 3 Top laner in Academy?2 5:30 How good is Yeon? 32:25 Did Spawn expect TLA to be tied for first? 35:55 How much has CoreJJ helped the Academy team improve? 40:05 Listener questions 40:20 IamnottheNSA: What do you think of the influx of OCE players in both LCS and Academy? Was this merit to the number of signings, or were they a knee-jerk response to their residency status, with teams looking to find the next FBI, K1ng, or Lost? 46:00 MagicalQaz: What does Spawn think can be done for teams that perform well in Academy? Because 9 games and you're done is a bit silly. 49:25 PapaSmithy: How big is the gap between the top 3 Academy teams and the bottom 4 LCS teams? 52:20 Edward Greene: What is your favorite international game you've casted and why is it C9 vs Vitality at 2018 Worlds? 54:30 Outro

Jimmy Harrison, the division coach for Dignitas, shares about the Dignitas roster and goals, Dardoch's champion pool, and developing the team's young talent. Follow Jimmy at twitter.com/jimmyharrison Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 0:20 Jimmy's role and background 3:30 How was the Dignitas roster built? 9:10 Did COVID influence the team's budget partway through the offseason? 10:15 What are the goals and identity of the Dignitas roster? 13:20 What are FakeGod's strength and play style? 17:30 What stood about Soligo compared to other Academy Mids? 21:30 Why did DIG choose to promote Neo instead of finding someone else on the market? 29:00 How does the DIG coaching staff help the players deal with losses? 31:10 How does Jimmy balance mistake identification and positive reinforcement? 33:40 What is DIG's competitive ceiling in 2021? 36:35 Selling players for profit and making DIG a place players want to play 42:35 What is the role of Academy for the DIG org? 44:40 IamnottheNSA: "How is the coaching staff managing Dardoch's unique pick every game?" 48:20 Why should fans cheer for DIG? 49:45 Outro

Tim talks LCS with Barento "Raz" Mohammed, pending member of the LCS Analyst Desk and former LCS, OPL, and NA Academy coach. Follow Raz at twitter.com/Razleplasm Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:00 How was the level of play in LCS week 1? 3:30 Do 100 Thieves deserve to be 3-0? 13:10 Are Evil Geniuses as good as 100T? 18:30 Blaber leading the way for C9 27:25 Is Perkz living up to expectations? 36:30 Can C9 surpass TL by Spring playoffs? 39:45 Can FLY be top 4 by Summer? 45:15 Is TSM doomed? 55:50 Listener questions 56:00 EdwardGreen: What are some lessons Raz learned from coaching that have helped him as a caster? 1:01:00 Smax: How can a broadcast communicate "hard to recognize" insights about a player to a viewer? 1:06:50 Winter: How is Raz feeling about NA Amateur in 2021? 1:12:40 Outro

Kublai "Kubz" Barlas, head coach of Golden Guardians Academy, shares about his progress with the team, coaching in EU vs. NA, learning from Reapered, and more. Follow Kubz at twitter.com/Kubz91 Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:20 Settling in with Golden Guardians Academy 2:40 Does Kubz prefer working in player development? 10:40 Teaching comms vs. teaching mechanics 13:50 How good is the level of play in Academy in 2021? 16:00 Are LCS orgs getting better at using Academy to develop talent? 18:20 What does "success" look like for GGA in 2021? 20:15 Academy/amateur format and LCS org involvement and success 27:50 Learning to coach LoL 34:53 Coaching in NA vs. EU 43:40 Listener questions 44:05 AngusLockhart: Are GGA players meant to compete for LCS spots, or is it more of a long-term project? 46:20 SeeEl: How can an aspiring coach "get good"? 50:00 How does Kubz approach VOD review? 52:25 JustCasual: What's it like working in a large staff like GG have? 54:30 Outro

Prussian and Cubby join the show to give insight into the start of the NA amateur year, following the conclusion of the first Tier 2 tournament. Follow Cubby at twitter.com/cubbyxx Follow Prussian at twitter.com/PrussianLoL Cubby's Podcast Prussian's YouTube Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:50 Why "veteran" teams like SolaFide and ANEW aren't dominating the younger amateur talent 8:20 Which teams surprised the most at Risen? 12:00 How much presence do collegiate teams have in amateur in 2021? 15:03 Which players caught your attention most during Risen? 18:08 Giving "experienced" players a chance 19:33 How are the LCS-backed amateur teams performing? 27:15 Improving stability of the amateur scene 31:50 How well have LCS-backed amateur teams been scouting talent? 38:30 Quality of coaching in LCS-backed amateur teams 44:55 How good are teams like SolaFide and Barrage? 49:05 Why are so many good players in amateur instead of Academy? 53:35 Who will be the top 4 of the BIG League tournament? 56:20 Why were there so many ANEW roster changes after Risen? 1:00:10 How valuable is it to have a veteran on a developmental team as a mentor? 1:05:35 Outro

Emily Rand joins the show to talk about LCS Lock In, including Evil Geniuses' great debut, from Impact in particular; the Golden Guardians; the LCS's rookie movement; and more. Follow Emily at twitter.com/leagueofemily Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:58 Joining the LCS Analyst Desk 5:40 Evil Geniuses' 3-0 start 21:55 Golden Guardians: are they not the 10th place team after all? 27:00 TSM vs. GG drafts and difficulty of execution 33:15 New LCS players: Ablazeolive, Revenge, and how to view and evaluate rookies as fans and content creators 44:30 Fudge's opening weekend and Cloud9's mid/jungle synergy 55:06 zole24: "Should the LCS lose its first-pool seed at Worlds?" Trajectory of NA LoL 1:04:23 Outro

Peter Dun, Head Coach of Evil Geniuses, explains what we should expect from EG in 2021, why they signed both IgNar and Mystiques, how good Jojopyun, TonyTop, and the rest of EG Academy are going to be, and what he expects from the top teams in the LEC. Follow Peter at twitter.com/pcdv8r Follow Evil Geniuses at twitter.com/EvilGeniuses Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:10 How are scrims going for EG LCS? 2:15 How seriously does EG take the Lock-In tournament? 7:00 How LCS is growing stylistically for 2021 (learning to play side lanes, e.g.) 13:45 Can Svenskeren have a "comeback year" in 2021? 15:30 How Impact is "categorized incorrectly" by the NA community 20:20 IgNar as a leading playmaker for EG 25:15 Philosophy of aggression and risk-taking in LoL play styles (great metaphor!) 28:10 The importance of trust for a pro team 33:30 Why Peter came to the LCS and chose Evil Geniuses 35:40 EG Academy - why should we be excited? 41:30 EG Prodigies (amateur) - Peter gives us a "sales pitch" on why they are going to be successful 45:00 EG Academy roster rundown 46:35 Peter: "I think Contractz is a top 6 Jungler in the LCS" 50:45 Why did EG sign Mystiques to play behind IgNar? 55:05 How will MAD Lions do with Armut and Elyoya? 1:00:10 How will G2 perform with Rekkles? 1:03:15 Can Fnatic challenge G2? 1:07:10 Will Nisqy hold Fnatic back? 1:12:35 Outro

Kelsey Moser returns to the show to discuss NA amateur and Academy and the best teams in the LCS. (Apologies for some technical issues during different portions of the show!) Watch Kelsey's content at youtube.com/karonmoser Follow Kelsey at twitter.com/karonmoser Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 0:47 Previewing the the first NA Amateur tournament of 2021 3:10 Strongest teams in the Risen Esports tournament 8:35 Is it better for experienced NA players to play amateur or just focus on climbing solo queue? 14:45 Incentivization for LCS orgs to run amateur teams, and retaining players beyond the end of their contract 20:40 Evil Geniuses Academy roster reaction 26:05 Dignitas Academy roster reaction 36:15 Academy players to watch in 2021 (Isles vs. Eyla, Poome and Chime, and others) 43:25 Who should lead the Academy power rankings? 46:30 K1ng vs. Lost, and thoughts on Luger 50:10 Who are the best teams in the LCS? Is FlyQuest one of them? 58:58 Has LCS gotten better for 2021? 1:02:35 Where to find Kelsey's content 1:03:40 Outro

Veteran esports caster Erik "DoA" Lonnquist shares insights on his career, from StarCraft 2 to League of Legends to Overwatch and more and talks about his responsibility to make the esports industry a better place, as well as advice for aspiring casters. Watch DoA's stream: twitch.tv/ggDoA Follow DoA at twitter.com/ggDoA and instagram.com/doagames Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:20 DoA's background and the wide variety of current games he's casting 7:37 The game DoA wants to cast in the future 8:50 Differences between casting for a secondary audience vs. the primary broadcast 12:13 Experiences anchoring the English casting community in South Korea 19:15 The most "out there" food DoA has eaten on his international travels 21:22 Constructing narratives about players and teams 29:15 Reflecting on the influence of casters on how the community perceives players 33:41 Taking a stand on freelance caster pay rates 41:59 Advice for aspiring casters 44:16 DoA's current projects and future plans 47:36 OP_TSM_FAN: What are the biggest things you want to see change in the esports space to make it better? 51:26 d2Squar3d: Does DoA ever miss the "Rain Bros" outfits? 52:12: Kbot: How can someone maintain self-confidence in casting or other types of work? 54:56: scaf: What are the most important factors in having an esport last long-term? 57:55 Outro

Much-traveled LoL coach Jensen Goh, the new Head Coach of Immortals Academy, joins the show to give his insights on player development, performance ceilings, veteranship, and the criteria he used to assemble the IMTA roster for 2021. Jensen's YouTube channel Follow Jensen at twitter.com/JensenGohLoL Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 1:00 Jensen Goh's diverse background 7:00 Biggest successes in coaching career 11:45 Difference in coaching approach for current team 17:15 Immortals Academy roster changes 20:55 Why should we be excited about Immortals Academy? 29:35 Thoughts on veteran/older players in Academy 35:20 The role of mentorship from veteran players in building a roster 41:40 What concepts are most important to teach Academy players? 46:55 Teaching players from a standard "textbook" vs. adapting to their unique needs 50:10 What would "success" look like for Jensen in 2021? 54:00 SpaceAlpaca: Is the plan to rotate rookies between IMT and IMTA? Does that even work in a game where synergy is so important? 57:05 Genes1s: In Academy, is it acceptable to "play to improve", or should you also be doing everything you can to win? 58:35 OP_TSM_FAN: Are there any drills [or unique coaching practices] you've come across that help get concepts across or help players improve? 1:02:40 Outro

Rogue finished 1st in the 2020 Summer regular season and went to Worlds but still struggle to get much recognition in public narratives. The team's General Manager, Tomislav "flyy" Mihailov, joins the show to talk about his experience in 2020, building the team's 2021 roster, negative community sentiment around Top laner Finn, and much more. Follow flyy at twitter.com/flyy90 Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 2:23 flyy's background in esports 4:38 Reflections on Rogue's 2020 12:45 Rogue's performance and experience at Worlds 16:28 The value of attending Worlds (event experience, Chinese solo queue, scrims against Asian teams) 27:09 Did Rogue's performance at Worlds influence their offseason choices? 29:00 Odoamne and Trymbi - Rogue's roster changes for 2021 39:15 Negative coverage and narratives around Finn 42:35 How does Rogue help players handle negative community sentiment? 45:35 Insights into Rogue's Academy team, AGO Rogue 52:20 Listener Questions - I_am_not_the_nsa: “What goes into the decision to bring up an Academy player like Trymbi vs. looking at other existing LEC talent?” 58:34 Thoughts on Fnatic's 2021 roster 59:42 Parting thoughts and predictions for 2021 1:02:20 Outro

The Golden Guardians are undergoing a complete overhaul and rebuild with a focus on new talent. General Manager Danan Flander and Assistant GM Jonathon McDaniel joined the show to explain what a rebuild means Discussion with Jon about NA Academy/amateur format changes Follow Danan at twitter.com/Danan Follow Jon at twitter.com/kamikazplatypus Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 0:50 What is a "rebuild" and why are the Golden Guardians rebuilding? 6:40 Were GG pursuing Licorice, and were they planning to upgrade at Support? 9:05 Why did GG fully reset instead of retaining at least 1 or 2 of their existing players? 11:00 How is a rebuilding different in LCS compared to traditional sports? 13:50 What does a rebuild achieve? 15:30 What's the relative value of retaining players vs. selling them for a profit? 18:00 How long will the GG rebuild take? 20:20 Niles and Iconic 26:20 Newbie 30:05 Ablazeolive 33:55 Stixxay 40:25 Academy roster (Tally, RoseThorn, Yunbee, Prismal, Chime) 44:15 How important is it for an Academy team to win? 46:50 Did the Academy/amateur format changes affect the way GG built their Academy team? 48:35 Discussing GG's coaching staff, specifically Academy Head Coach Kubz 56:15 What would "success" look like for GG in 2021? 59:05 Closing words 1:01:45 Telling Ablazeolive on his birthday that he was going to be the LCS starter 1:02:50 Outro

Julian "Pastrytime" Carr calls in to share his impressions of the 2020 Honda Scouting Grounds, review the power rankings he and Tim put together for the Mobalytics analytical coverage of the event, and give some opinions on Cloud9, Team Liquid, and the rest of the LCS offseason. Mobalytics Scouting Grounds portal: https://app.mobalytics.gg/lol/scouting-grounds/power-rankings Follow Pastrytime at twitter.com/Pastrytime Pastrytime's Instagram: instagram.com/therealpastrytime Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:30 Impressions of 2020 Scouting Grounds and growth of the event over time 8:55 Differences in Tim's and Pastry's Scouting Grounds power rankings 16:50 Drafts discussion for Scouting Grounds 26:58 nxi interview 35:15 Niles interview 44:00 Yunbee interview 51:25 RoseThorn interview 57:55 Spawwwwn interview 1:03:10 Back to Pastrytime: LCS offseason discussion 1:05:15 Most exciting offseason moves 1:08:00 Who looks better for 2021, TL or C9? Which other teams might threaten them? 1:17:20 NA's overall improvement this offseason 1:24:36 Outro

Christopher "Prussian" Troeh guests on the show to give his insight on NA amateur, speculate on the amateur/Academy format changes for 2021, highlight Scouting Grounds players who have been impressing so far, and run a mock Scouting Grounds draft for all 10 LCS teams. Follow Prussian at twitter.com/PrussianLoL Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Prussian's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo5P-PvfRCDlxklmkJilvGQ Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 2:56 NA Academy/amateur competitive format wish list and expected changes 10:36 What would be the best competitive format for the amateur scene? 14:09 Value of amateur roster flexibility vs. format stability and “league” structure 17:11 Which Scouting Grounds players are standing out most? 27:41 Listener questions: Which players were “snubbed” from Scouting Grounds? 29:41 Listener questions: How useful is the Scouting Grounds draft, really? 32:25 Listener questions: Is collegiate a legitimate talent pipeline to the LCS? 36:56 Scouting Grounds mock draft! 59:00 Outro

Michael "Veteran" Archer, a longstanding expert of the European LoL scene, joins the show to give his takes on Alphari and other European players coming to North America, the differences in the NA and EU talent development ecosystems, and more, plus he provides some free analytical coaching! Follow Veteran at twitter.com/VeteranEU Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Get coaching from Veteran on GamerSensei Veteran's Discord Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Intro 1:25 Veteran's offseason 2:50 Ways Veteran coaches players one-on-one 4:50 Differences between individual coaching and team-based coaching 7:15 Alphari's move to TL: “I think [Alphari joining TL] is a great tragedy for him and for Europe as a whole” 9:45 Could Alphari eventually come back to Europe? 11:20 NA contract buyouts reducing players' options 13:16 Reasons Alphari or other EU players might decide to join LCS 15:50 Will Alphari actually shift play style enough, or be better enough than Impact, to help TL succeed internationally? 23:30 Blaming NA teams for not learning how to play through top lane 27:45 Rumours of other LEC players potentially coming to LCS? Perkz, Xerxe 39:00 NA vs. EU talent development ecosystems 50:25 Veteran teaches us some new analytical concepts 55:40 Outro

Kelsey Moser, Coach of 100 Thieves Academy, joins Tim to preview the World Championship Finals and give her uniquely insightful perspective on North American talent development, the amateur scene, and pathways to pro, including the upcoming Honda Scouting Grounds event. Follow Kelsey at twitter.com/karonmoser Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Follow 100T players Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 1:44 Expectations for worlds finals 2:40 Strategic bandaiding by teams like Team Liquid and Suning 7:25 Best team fighting teams at Worlds 8:55 Jungle matchup for finals 14:05 Kelsey's predictions for finals 15:55 Discussing Suning series 19:10 North American talent development 20:30 Scouting Grounds 27:15 LCS organizations' prioritization of talent development 31:50 Importance of coaching in talent development 35:50 Resources for developing as a coach 39:30 Has coaching in North America improved? 42:15 Does NA lack talent? 46:40 Inhouse solo queue and the tournament realm 49:45 Listener-submitted questions JustAPoeBoy: In your opinion, what defines a successful Academy team? SpaceAlpaca: In your opinion, do former LCS players belong in Academy? ChaseSchweitzer: How much does your personal vision for building a team align with PapaSmithy's? For example, he seems focused on developing a talent pipeline that can compete with Cloud9… 58:35 Outro

Nick Phan, FlyQuest's General Manager, talks through building the 2020 roster, the V1per/Solo change, efforts to re-sign Santorin for 2021, developing player and coaching talent in NA through Academy and Amateur, and much more. Follow Nick at twitter.com/Swaguhsaurus Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen FlyQuest Discord FlyQuest Store Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 2:01 Nick's start in esports 3:41 Nick's role at FlyQuest, past work experience, and key skill sets 8:22 Building the roster for 2020 10:42 The importance of attitude, approach, and fit 12:35 Adding PoE and Ignar 15:21 Goals going into spring, and V1per/Solo change 23:24 Expectations for summer 2020 26:54 COVID-19 and differences in playing from home 28:20 FlyQuest at Worlds 33:15 Mental aspects of worlds 35:45 Playing to your strengths and opponent weaknesses, not just the meta 38:16 FlyQuest's 2020 MVP 42:10 2020/21 offseason: what changes are coming? 42:58 Will FlyQuest re-sign Santorin? 44:05 How much does free agency come down to being the highest bidder? 45:15 Would losing Santorin have knock-on effects for other roster changes at FLY? 46:40 Importing talent and Oceanic opportunities in the age of COVID-19 48:50 Developing talent in NA, and the amateur scene 55:40 What are FlyQuest's goals for Academy? 1:00:00 Developing quality staff and infrastructure to feed into player development 1:02:40 Listener questions Chase Schweitzer: What are the 5 primary skills/factors you look into a player when building a roster? Baseball examples, exit velocity for hitters, spin rate for pitchers, etc. Joshua Gutman: Why does it seem that team's playstyles are so dependent on their roster? Is this because the players aren't good enough to play multiple playstyles, it's too hard to learn other playstyles, or do not enough coaches exist that could properly coach players to learn new playstyles? 1:11:20 Outro

Joseph "Sygh" Pomroy, the Lead Analyst for FlyQuest's LCS team, joins the show to talk about the team's experiences at the 2020 World Championships, what it's like working on level 1s with IgNar, how Santorin approaches jungling, and what makes PowerOfEvil so unique as a Mid laner. Follow Sygh at twitter.com/Sygh_lol Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 2:10 Sygh's background in esports 4:15 Designing a Twisted Treeline speedrun for CLG 6:50 Transition to FlyQuest 8:53 Experiences working with FlyQuest 11:18 Players' receptivity to feedback 12:16 Sygh's responsibilities as Lead Analyst - how does he help FlyQuest win? 17:00 FlyQuest's experience at Worlds 18:57 Adapting to the Worlds meta 28:00 Example insights on facing Top Esports and DRX 30:25 Thoughts on Fnatic vs. Top Esports 33:45 FlyQuest's creative level 1 strategies 39:16 Importance of people skills in working with players 40:16 Prepping against unfamiliar opponents 44:45 Jungle expression and individuality 54:10 “Player gaps”; how to handle big individual skill differences between teams 55:22 Finding the most value out of scrims. Did FLY scrim against Damwon? 1:01:03 Questions from Patreon Angus Lockhart: What's the balance between VOD review and stats analysis for analysts? From what I can imagine, it's presumably mostly VOD review, but is there a place for stats on the team side or are they currently most just for viewers to enjoy? 1:09:20 Outro

MAD Lions Head Coach James "Mac" MacCormack talks us through his rookie team's 2020 accomplishments, his coaching philosophies, and his approach to talent scouting and player development. Follow Mac at twitter.com/MacCLoL Follow Tim at twitter.com/TimSevenhuysen Subscribe on Anchor Support the show on Patreon Join the community on Discord Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 2:48 Perspective on MAD Lions' overall achievements in 2020 4:58 - Relating Structure and Environment/Experience to success of the year 6:20 - Messaging to give your team in difficult situations 9:00 - Coaching isn't just about the game; messaging at worlds when losing 11:10 - Looking back on good moments 12:35 - Using negative feelings and losing as motivators 13:30 Mac's background for getting into coaching LoL 14:10 - Working with Intz, doing analysis/scouting 17:24 - Skillsets, improvement, and development as a coach along career 21:50 Building out the MAD Lions roster 25:25 - Scouting and free agency during the regular season 26:50 - Other players that MAD Lions was scouting in 2020? 28:15 - Talent in Europe 29:55 - Skills vs. underlying qualities for development (nature/nurture) 33:09 - Prioritizing individual skill vs. team fit 35:49 - How much can play style and champion pool be taught? 39:30 - Can certain play styles be taught/learned more easily? 42:38 Expected growth vs. overachievement for MAD Lions 43:54 - How explicitly does Mac set expectations for his players? 46:20 - Goal setting and targets for 2021 49:20 Mac's predictions for World Championships Finals 50:30 - JDG's play style 52:50 Questions from Patreon Joshua Gutman: How did MAD Lions come together so quickly as a cohesive unit? When did you start to believe it was something real instead of just potential? 55:11 Outro