Climbing The Ladder
Parts 3 & 4

Intro

PART 3: Being an effective leader
- 1. CALLING THE SHOTS
- 2. DIRECTING FOCUS
- 3. OCCUPYING THE MIDDLE GROUND
- 4. THE HIDDEN VALUE OF LEADERSHIP

PART 4: The Three Steps
- 1. KEEPING A HOLISTIC VIEW
- 2. A CONSCIOUS EFFORT
- 3. MAINTAINING OBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENT
- 4. CONCLUSIONS

This guide consists of four parts:

In Part 1, I gave a general overview of my impressions of the players, play styles and skill level of the 3K MMR bracket. I explained the relevance of these trends to various models of skill acquisition in order to both ease frustration concerning the players that are commonly encountered in the 3K bracket, and to direct 3K players to better self analyse their own position as a learner.

Part 2 contained a breakdown of the major sub-brackets within the 3K MMR range, and will explain (with reference to part 1) the different skill levels, play styles, and effective strategies to play with and against players in each sub-bracket. I explained the common mistakes players in each sub-bracket make, how to exploit them, and how to avoid making such mistakes yourself.

In Part 3, I will explain the importance of being an effective leader, and how to increase your impact in games by effectively leading your team. With reference to parts 1 and 2, I will explain how simple tactics and practice in being an effective leader can easily rectify many common problems in teamwork which arise in the 3K bracket.

In Part 4, I will outline a three step process for analysing your games-both pre-game and postgame-in order to establish clear direction and goals when you play, and develop good learning habits for improving as a player.

After the release of “Mindset and You” I received a variety of questions from players on Reddit and Liquiddota pertaining to the problems they face in the 3K MMR bracket. Throughout this guide I have addressed these questions where relevant (questions are anonymous and paraphrased for convenience).

PART 3: Being an effective leader

CALLING THE SHOTS

Good leaders win games. I can’t tell you how many times calling for a smoke gank has been the tipping point that won me a game, or how many times I have rallied a defeated team to victory in a game they would have otherwise thrown away. Leadership has nothing to do with mechanical skill, or flashy plays, but it has everything to do with attitude, strategy and consistency. Think of every good gank, every sneaky Roshan, and every fight you diffuse as MMR to tuck in like a feather in your hat. The importance of consistency can’t be understated in climbing MMR, as it is mostly a grind, and inconsistent play will oftentimes leave you spinning your wheels. This section will cover simple ways to implement good leadership in your games, and bring consistency to yourself and your teammates.

Being a leader can be an intimidating notion for many. Most associate it with being the ‘boss,’ which is an undesirable title for some, and one that can meet a lot of resistance from players, especially in a game like Dota. However, to label a leader as a ‘boss’, the person who knows everything and barks orders at their team, is a rude oversimplification of the role. As I will explain, leadership is a multifaceted role, and being an effective leader is extremely difficult.

To me, the core ethos of leadership is establishment of clear goals. I am sure everyone reading this appreciates the value of a team having a clear and coherent understanding of the goals they need to achieve, and their individual role in achieving those goals. This is how leadership should be viewed. So anyone who feels anxious about taking a leadership role should ask themselves if they have a clear understanding of their goals, because if you do, then being a leader is nothing to be anxious about.

Of course, understanding your goals and being able to communicate those goals are not the same thing; this is another point of anxiety which players may struggle with. Having good goals comes as a result of a good understanding of strategy, a strong suit of many dedicated Dota players. However, having good communication relies on a good understanding of interpersonal relations. Luckily, the core concepts of interpersonal communication as they relate to effectively communicating in Dota are fairly simple to learn.

DIRECTING FOCUS

In Dota, leaders are not teachers. Leaders are not there to teach you how to play your hero, or help you discover anything new about the game. The role of a leader is to establish goals by directing focus. Directing focus means taking what the players already know, and emphasising the most important, then using a logical flow to create goals from said focus.

For example, players are already aware that killing enemy heroes is important. Given a situation where your team is ahead and wants to push high ground, and effective leader may direct focus to the importance of killing heroes in that particular situation. Successfully picking off a hero will allow an easy high ground push; thus, a goal is established and the leader can then direct the team to organise for a smoke gank to achieve that goal.

The connection between directing focus and following logic cannot be understated in its role in establishing goals. Concise and logical communication is much more effective than just saying “let’s smoke,” as it leaves much less room for interpretation or disagreement, which allows goals to become results much more smoothly. At a tertiary level, an effective leader should focus on creating a sense of urgency when necessary, to make sure that the team executes their plan as quickly as possible. This is very important in a game like Dota, where in many situations, mere fractions of seconds make the difference between success and failure.


Fig 1. The 4 stages of logical leadership. Directions should always be concise as possible; this allows for leaders to communicate quickly and effectively, with little chance for misinterpretation or argument. Efficiency is the key. Directions must include What the objective is, How you are going to achieve it and When you are going to execute the strategy. Finally, you need to give consideration to players who need time or resources before executing the strategy, such as a key level or item such as Mekansm. Leaders should also give support by clarifying questions or adjusting the strategy based on feedback.

OCCUPYING THE MIDDLE GROUND

You might argue that creating a leadership environment less conducive to argument or discussion may hurt a team’s potential; I would argue that a bad strategy executed well is better than a good strategy executed poorly. It is up to you as an individual to decide if your strategical sense is sufficient for any given game, and to step up only when you feel you have the capacity to lead your team the best. Also keep in mind that any leadership is oftentimes more effective than no leadership, so even if you aren’t totally comfortable, there will be many situations where you are still the best option.

With this in mind then, it is clear that much of the ability to lead effectively comes in the form of persuasion. Its is very rare in Dota for an argument to result in a decent group decision, and it is almost never an efficient process, because arguing takes time. Being persuasive from the outset is a necessary quality in a leader. People will not listen to a leader that does not sound confident in themselves, or who can not articulate in a persuasive way what their ideas are. For this reason, both overconfidence and underconfidence are not effective ways of leading.


This does not mean that leaders should completely ignore their team. As I will explain later, part of being an effective leader lies in awareness of the needs of your team, and taking their advice on board at appropriate times. Being an effective leader means occupying a middle ground where you are flexible and open to ideas from your teammates, without cultivating an environment where arguments can start; where directions are clear, logical and concise so that the team’s only focus is in executing them. So much of this is reliant on your confidence. Most players actually prefer to play with one person being the main director (if they feel confident in that person’s ability), and will cooperate and give counsel at appropriate times. Pay attention to your tone and clarity when you speak, and find a way of giving direction which works for you. It will take time, but it will be worth it.


Fig 2. The Leader’s loop. As with everything in Dota, all aspects of leadership are connected. The Leader’s Loop begins and ends in awareness of the game state. By having a strong understanding of the direction the game is heading in, leaders can choose where the team’s time and resources should be focused, motivating them to undertake various strategies. Being a prepared leader means having an understanding of how to execute various strategies, and judging whether the team is prepared for the strategy he or she plans to execute. These set the stage for the leader to effectively communicate the plan with the team which allows for smooth execution. The loop is closed as the leader takes on board feedback and counsel throughout the game to hone his awareness and better facilitate the team’s needs.

THE HIDDEN VALUE OF LEADERSHIP

Learning to be an effective leader will make you a better player overall. Being a leader forces you to put your reasoning in words and clearly and concisely explain game concepts you have simply taken for granted in the past. Thinking about these concepts will actually give you a clearer understanding of them, unearth misconceptions, and most importantly, draw attention to gaps in your knowledge. If you encounter a situation where you simply had no idea how to lead your team, you can revisit and analyze the situation post-game and you will grow as a player. It will teach you how to better communicate with your teammates even when you are not leading; as a result, the quality of your interaction with other players will improve dramatically.

PART 4: The Three Steps

KEEPING A HOLISTIC VIEW

A trap that many (including myself!) fall into from time to time is forgetting the bigger picture. It’s very easy to get tunnel vision when assessing your games both pre-game and postgame. For example, focusing too much on an overly strong hero, or excessive worrying about the strength or weakness of your lanes in the opening stages of the game can lead to over-correction or over-attention to those aspects of the game- leading to neglect for others. Similarly, in post-game analysis, it is very easy to focus on a particularly bad player or a hero that was particularly hard to deal with, and thereby entirely neglect other factors which may have influenced the outcome of the game. You can learn something from every game, and neglecting potential learning due to an unholistic analysis will cause you to improve much slower.

In this part, I present a simple three step method to quickly and consistently analyse your games, which will make sure you maintain a holistic appreciation of the game with a focus on improvement. Consistency is a particular weak point for many players who are frustrated with matchmaking; a repeatable and simple framework will help you to attain consistent results, so your climb will be less of a rollercoaster.

A CONSCIOUS EFFORT

The pre-game analysis above is something most players do subconsciously. However, making a conscious effort to assess your game before you start will help you to maintain consistency, as you will avoid going on autopilot during long sessions or if you are feeling more tired or less attentive than usual. Furthermore, forcing yourself to consciously analyse your games will immediately cause you to confront issues you may have otherwise overlooked, stimulating your growth as a player. Forcing yourself to summarise your strategy to win in one sentence might seem like a silly oversimplification at first, but you will see that it allows you to establish clear goals, which will aid you both as a player and as a leader in your games. Most pub games are actually fairly simple, and creating a simple plan will stop you from overcomplicating the game, so you can focus your mechanics and awareness.

Being on the lookout for specific indicators is a hugely important skill- one I believe is overlooked by even 4K and 5K players. If you take a short time before every game to think of the heroes who are major threats to you, or item timings and power peaks that you need to be mindful of (Mekansm is a good example, as it fuels pushes that can create huge advantages), you will be able to play around the strengths of your opponents. This was a key concept that I used while playing Storm Spirit in my climb. For example, if the enemy team had an Earthshaker, Axe, or Silencer, I would consciously avoid initiating a fight if those heroes were close or missing; a Fissure, blink and Berserker's Call, or Global Silence will ruin a Storm’s day.


Roro’s patented “color-threat-system technology” (his words, not mine). A great way to quickly assess your vulnerability at any stage of the game.


Appropriate post-game analysis is a major falling point for many players trying to climb MMR. First and foremost, people have a tendency to completely neglect post-game analysis after a win, as if they had played perfectly and there was nothing to be learned from the game. When they lose, however, instead of pointing the finger at themselves, players have a tendency to find scapegoats (both on their team and the enemy’s) to blame the loss on.
Post-game analysis is the number one resource you have as a player to improve, as it allows you to see the direct cause-and-effect of the way you play. Learning how to effectively analyse your games is difficult, and warrants its own guide, but the three step process above will ensure you don’t waste valuable experience that you can gain from reflecting on previous games.

MAINTAINING OBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENT

Comparing goals is the key to judging your ability to translate your intentions in-game into results. If you consistently find that things are not going to plan, then there must be something that you as a player are doing wrong which can be changed to better realise your goals. Remember: the only consistent factor in your games is you!

As I mentioned earlier, keeping a holistic view of the game is important, especially if you wish to learn from your post-game analysis. Your goal is to avoid letting anger, frustration, or tunnel vision cloud your analysis; you can accomplish this by forcing yourself to look at the game from different angles. One way to do this is by thinking of at least one positive and at least one negative decision that was made in the game, both by your team as a whole and by you as an individual. Furthermore, you can think of good and bad decisions your opponents made as well, for a truly holistic view of the game.

The third step is perhaps the most difficult for some. It is important to realise that the way you interact (or don’t interact) with your team has a huge influence on the way the game plays out. Think back to Part 3, and identify how you could have better led your team in that game. Remember that leading your team may not be effective or even possible in some games, and alter your playstyle accordingly. Part of your post-game analysis should be to look at the effectiveness of your playstyle relative to the level of cooperation that your team had.

CONCLUSIONS

Playing ranked matchmaking is a grind- a game of numbers. Players who hold themselves back with anger, ideals, or ego are only adding weight to an already difficult climb. Remembering that your actions are the only ones you can control, and that the only goal is winning, will take you far in ranked matchmaking. Hopefully, this guide has helped you to better understand where you should focus your efforts when trying to climb MMR. Remember that at its core, improving yourself in one way or another is the only way you will climb MMR in the long run. Using this guide as a scaffold to structure your improvement will take you far, but at the end of the day, it is only your own motivation, dedication, and hunger to climb that will get you where you want to go.

The real key is consistency. Climbing has less to do with what hero or role you play than it has to do with playing at a skill level above the other 9 players in the game, consistently. Again, the message is that you are the only consistent factor in your games, because, honestly, no 5K, 6K or even 4K player is stuck at 3K MMR, being held back by their team.

You need to decide for yourself what your true goal is in Dota, and if that goal is to improve your MMR, then all of your actions should only further that cause. That means if you think spamming Storm Spirit mid is the best way to improve your MMR, then do so (it isn’t), and if you think support heroes can’t climb MMR (they can), then simply don’t play support. At the end of the day, the onus is on you to do what you feel is necessary to improve your MMR.

A final piece of advice:
No matter what you choose to do in life, there will come a time where you hate it. That is the only time it’s really worth doing, and it’s the time when it’s most necessary to remind yourself why you are doing it.
Good Luck,
Dash.

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