Counter Logic Gaming Utilizing Internal Competition to Succeed
Many believe that Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) is wasting the talents of Huhi and Stixxay in the esports scene. However, I disagree.
I believe that CLG’s strategy involves using Huhi and Stixxay to support and push Pobelter and Doublelift to perform better through internal competition instead of swapping them out on the stage. This approach has caught the attention of other organizations, like Team SoloMid.
During the mid-season break, CLG made a significant move by signing Pobelter and adding Huhi and Stixxay to their roster, creating a seven-player team with two ADCs and two Mids. While Pobelter has proven to be one of the top performers in the NA LCS, Huhi and Stixxay have not yet had their chance to shine on the LCS stage. Instead, they are providing competition and motivation for Pobelter and Doublelift. This deviated from people’s expectations, leading to a lot of discussion on social media:
It is understandable why people may think CLG’s plan was to have multiple strategic options with their expanded roster, similar to SK Telecom T1. However, CLG’s vision is different. Instead of rotating players, they brought Huhi and Stixxay on board to create internal competition.
If Huhi and Stixxay were meant to be alternates, then CLG has not executed the plan well. The limited number of games in an LCS season compared to other leagues makes it difficult for all seven players to get adequate play time together. Therefore, CLG’s intention was not to imitate SK Telecom T1, but to foster internal competition.
In an interview, CLG’s Head Coach, Chris “Blurred Limes” Ehrenreich, revealed that their goal was to have competition and depth in every position, not just to rotate players. Having two players in each position creates pressure on the starters, motivating them to perform better and proving that they are valuable to the team.
The results speak for themselves. Pobelter has been exceptional, dealing the highest average damage to champions per minute in the league. Doublelift, on the other hand, has the highest average earned gold per minute. Both players are performing at their peak, benefiting from the internal competition.
The success of CLG’s strategy has caught the attention of other teams, like TSM, who are also exploring the concept of internal competition. By creating pressure on starters and providing a potential replacement option, teams aim to improve performance and maintain their success.
While CLG is not the first to utilize internal competition, they are the first North American team to formalize this approach by expanding their roster and having additional players live in their gaming house.
Internal competition has proven to be effective for Team Liquid and CLG, leading to their success. As more teams witness the positive impact of internal competition, it is likely that other western teams will follow CLG’s path and expand their rosters.
*LPL data is not available.
Counter Logic Gaming, Huhi, Stixxay, internal competition, Pobelter, Doublelift, esports, LCS, Team SoloMid, SK Telecom T1, success, strategy.