Former World Champion – Baolan shared his views on the coaching job in League of Legends during a recent stream.
According to Baolan: “The gameplay does not depend on the coach. Out of 10 coaches, 8 of them don’t know exactly what they are supposed to do. They are there to connect players or join because of their relationships. And they don’t play the game well, so what they communicate doesn’t hold much meaning.”
Additionally, the former World Champion 2018 suggested organizing a tournament among coaches to see who really knows how to play the game.
In fact, the role of coaches in League of Legends specifically or esports in general does not have a significant direct impact during gameplay. Unlike traditional sports like football or basketball, esports coaches only communicate before and after the matches. Therefore, their influence is often not very prominent.
Moreover, in some major teams, such as T1 or GAM Esports, many mic-check segments have shown that players themselves often provide feedback to coaches about champions they can play or those that should be banned. From these mic-checks, many viewers believe that the role of coaches is not truly effective and, for some teams, is merely a formality.
However, many viewers disagree with the former World Champion
According to some opinions, while the role of coaches may not be directly evident during gameplay, their influence before and after matches is significant. The difference between T1 during Coach Daeny – Zefa and T1 with Bengi – Tom – Roach or KkOma – Tom – Roach is clear to everyone.
A good coach in all sports, including esports and League of Legends specifically, has never been required to be an excellent player or athlete. Coach KkOma is considered the greatest coach in League of Legends, yet his rank has not surpassed the Grandmaster tier (the minimum standard for selecting players).
– I disagree with the first statement. There is a big gap between teams with capable coaching staff and those without. Many do not see the true value that coaches bring.
– Coaches are very important, but I think many coaches in the East are really bad. This is one of the few advantages that NA/EU teams can have. Like NRG/FLY/TL recently.
– Baolan forgets that he was nothing until Coach Kim and real superstars like Duke, TheShy came and helped IG win the championship in 2018.
Good coaches are those who have enough expertise to discuss and collaborate with superstar players; they also provide stability and mental support for their players before and after each match. They are a backbone for the players but also need to enforce discipline so that team members are in the best state, ready for every match.
Therefore, to completely deny the role of coaches in a League of Legends team would be extremely misleading. Especially for Baolan himself, who, along with his teammates from Invictus Gaming, struggled in the LPL for two years, until Coach Kim and superstars like Duke and TheShy came, then they finally “saw the light.”