‘Chiu on This’ is a short and regular opinion blast

After winning ESL One Cologne, Zeus tweeted this about Thorin.

Good thing I’m a bot winning my 3rd event in a row, while you watch our games and pretend like you know what’s going on. Since you never achieved anything signficant in CS, I don’t find your statements competent, neither do I think you’re worthy of being an analyst. No respect. https://t.co/GlwGo7bLcn — Daniil Teslenko (@ZeusCS_GO) July 8, 2018

This has caused a discussion about if you can be an analyst without having played the game you cover at the top level. I don’t think that’s the case and I know that particular statement that Thorin tweeted is basically a sentiment that multiple ex-pros turned analysts have stated before so by his own logic it is in fact competent. I personally think that Thorin is the best at map vetoes, historical analysis, breaking down individual style of play within the team aspect, and giving reasonable victory/loss conditions when he is on the panel.

Even outside of CS:GO, we’ve seen plenty of people without top pro achievements show an incredible ability to analyze and break down games. In Overwatch and League of Legends, some of the best analysts I follow have had nothing to do with the top pro scene like Moser, Emily Rand, or Montecristo. They can all break down the game in an eloquent way that makes you understand the schemes of the LoL teams or what makes a particular player special. There are even coaches like Deilor who wasn’t known for having great LoL knowledge, but was still the coach of one of the best EU teams. Or iloveoov who while being a legend of Brood War, had no such legacy in League of Legends and is arguably the best coach in the LCK right now.

In Montecristo’s case he’s done it with Overwatch as well. Speaking of Overwatch, some of the best analysts the scene has have had no top pro experience at all. Yiska, Volamel, Elbion, and Harsha are all people I’ve learned a ton from when following that scene. In Dota 2 we have 71, one of the most successful Dota 2 coaches in China who has been hailed for his skills from his players despite never being a top player himself. As for analysts, I’ve personally heard analysis from the likes of Skim, Noxville, and Pao that is mirrored or even more indepth than the Dota 2 panels at tournaments.

These are just the people I can name off the top of my head. There are even more than that, but I’ll just leave it there. I will say that even though it’s possible to be a top analyst without being a top player, that you naturally don’t get the same pedigree. For instance, I’ve heard Richard Lewis say the same thing as one of the ex-pros, but get flamed for it because he wasn’t a pro himself.

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