Even more #CGHolidays — Responsible for creating the next League Pros, Brendan “mcscrag” McGee (@mcscrags) is joining CG to coach our Academy team!

Q: What got you started in League?

A: My brother told me to download this new game to play together. We had been playing Heroes of Newerth for a long time and League was the fun new moba to try. I was in grad school at the time so I didn’t get to play as much back then but I remember we used to duo Fizz/Wukong in the top lane. Different times.

Q: What’s your personal take on Challenger transitioning into Academy League?

A: Academy is just better for developing players in NA. Without the pressure to promote into LCS, teams can focus on long term development. Not only with roster but also with training. There’s just less emphasis on winning so coaches can focus on creating well rounded, meta resilient players instead of players good at winning in a 6 week window. Also, with 10 teams and less imports, more players get the chance to get picked up and prove themselves.

Q: What made you decide to join Clutch Gaming?

A: I joined Clutch Gaming because I knew that here I’d have the freedom and support to build an academy team that will not only win, but produce quality LCS players. I also knew that this organization would have the best support staff in the league with an emphasis on collaboration. I still have ample room to grow as a coach and CG’s collaborative structure is ideal for that.

Q: What’s your specific duty at CG?

A: I am the head coach of the academy team. I’ll have all the normal duties of coaching a team through a split with an emphasis on helping our players set and achieve long term development goals such as champion pool expansion, effective communication, confidence and macro decision making. I also strongly believe in a holistic approach to coaching that will help them become better teammates more equipped for their future in esports and beyond.

Q: Who’s your favorite champ?

A: Fizz. I used to love playing him top lane a few seasons ago and hope he makes a comeback there! I even play him jungle still occasionally though I don’t think my teams appreciate it.

Q: What are you looking forward to most in 2018?

A: I’m looking forward to spending the year with an incredibly talented staff and experiencing a lot of growth myself as a coach. Then translating this growth into creating the most fertile and challenging possible environment for our academy players. Oh yeah, and winning academy will be pretty fun too.