amellowfellow asked: Hi Monte, deeply respect your work / casting. My question would be how you see your role as a CLG coach, what is your job description? You've been steadily growing in game as an analyst / color commentator, but your deep history in esports especially in the Korean scene has surely given you not just the smarts of a strategist / analyst, but also a deep understanding of a professional gaming culture that has so far been the most successful in producing the best of the best. Thanks for your time!

Since I can’t actually live with the team and provide the hour to hour structure that I could optimally provide, I can’t really consider myself a coach. That said, I do more than simply feed comps and tactics to the players like an analyst would; I also try to keep player personalities in line and can dictate player interactions. I feel that I’m currently in a strange in-between place that’s more than an analyst but less than a live-in coach. I’m not sure what to call this.

I typically spend 2-3 hours a day working on CLG-related tasks and on calls with the team. I review scrim replays with audio recordings of their voice comm, and we talk about and break down the games. We hold discussions on the types of champions and comps that we need to practice, and before the LCS matches we map out numerous team comps that depend on opponents’ picks and bans. We also run drills to refine team communication, increase the speed of strategy identification, and improve shotcalling. The final task is to review VODs of other leagues - that I select - to add to our own pool of strategies or to fix flaws in CLG’s game.

If I lived with the team, I would also impose the following:

1. Daily exercise

Pretty simple: healthy body, healthy mind. It’s also important to look good for sponsors and other media opportunities.

2. Daily meditation

It’s good to step back from the game and quiet the mind. Most pro gamers tend to be manic and lack focus, and meditation has aided concentration for thousands of years. It’s one of the least valued tools for pro gamers.

3. Bedtime

There would be a rigid bedtime and wake up time for the team to go along with their planned schedule. A distinct itinerary creates a system where the players can focus more on the game and less on the day-to-day trivialities.

4. Healthy diet

I would ensure that players received home-cooked, healthy meals. This eliminates their need to leave the house to purchase food or to even think about their next meal. Meals would be at the same time every day, would be nutritious, and healthy snacks would be available in-between. Again, it’s important to remove all concerns from the players besides the game itself.

5. Team-building

It’s important to get a team out to other activities or play other games where they can cooperate and compete OUTSIDE of video games. Whether it’s board games, bowling, or other activities, it’s critical to develop synergy and friendship outside of the professional competitive atmosphere. They must create a bond that can withstand the stress of LCS competition in order to reduce friction and the blame-game.

It’s a bare-bones overview, but I hope it gives some insight into what I do now and my overall philosophy on eSports coaching!