How to Become a Good CSGO Analyst with sheddaN
Learn some tips on how to improve at the analyst role with the Dignitas CS:GO analyst, Mikael “sheddaN” Mellström.
The analyst was a role that started to become more and more common in a CS:GO team with the evolution of the esport and the way teams work. Having someone that is entirely dedicated to studying the opponents and helping the team with minor details is now a necessity in the best teams in the world.
The Dignitas’ CS:GO team also has an analyst - Mikael “sheddaN” Mellström is present in the day-to-day work of the team and helps it reach its goals. We sat down with him to ask him a few questions about being an analyst and how someone can become better at the role.
What are the Main Roles of an Analyst?
Being an analyst is all about studying the game and how the teams play it. Some are more aggressive, others are more passive, but, in the end, all of them share the same goal. It’s up to the analyst to find the style of teams and look at them to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each setup displayed.
When asked about this, sheddaN answered:
I think the main roles are mostly anti-strat related. As an analyst, you are the coach's assistant - in my opinion, so you need to be there to help with whatever the coach wants or needs.
sheddaN adds a few good points to what I wrote - you are essentially the coach’s assistant, being there to help make his job easier, or at least to provide him with enough headroom to focus on what really matters - improving the team.
sheddaN also sees the analyst role as a more anti-strat focused one. You’re there to study your opponents and provide the team with good enough information for them to know how to identify set strategies used by the opponents before they happen.
How Does the Job Differ from a Coach?
This is also a very important question since there are a lot of people that still don’t exactly know the differences between an analyst and a coach. A coach is more directly in contact with the team at all times, including during the matches, while an analyst works more on the sidelines. That doesn’t make him less important though, as everything is done to help the team.
The difference between it is that you, as an analyst, are doing more analytical work. For example, in my case, I'm preparing a lot more of the game plan while having the other team in mind so that my team always feels prepared.
Getting the team prepared for what’s to come regarding the opposing team - that’s one of the main jobs of a CS:GO analyst.
A coach might talk more to the team during practice and be more vocal in that sense, while an analyst provides more data on the other team. The analyst can give more analytical inputs while the coach is looking more toward developing the playstyle of the team.
As I said before, and as sheddaN confirmed, the coach is more vocal and is more focused on finding the right style for the team, one that works with all the five players. On the other hand, an analyst is focusing on finding mistakes that can be exploited, and that’s where you should focus if you want to become one.
What Makes a Good Analyst?
As with everything else, everyone can become an analyst - but there aren’t many that are able to become really good. But what exactly defines a good and bad analyst?
A good analyst, in my eyes, is someone who’s ready to help the team in an indirect way. Let’s say you were playing against the Dignitas CS:GO team. It’s your job as an analyst to watch their demos, study their style, look for tendencies and find out ways to anti-strat them. Not only that, you should be able to convey that information to the team in a way that they’re able to identify those tendencies with limited information - after all, they won’t know everything, as opposed to someone watching a demo.
The strengths of an analyst really depend on the person. Some have really good analytical skills, others analyze demos very well... in my opinion, a good analyst is the one that helps the coach the most. It’s the one that can help both himself and the team reach their goals and allow them to focus on other things without compromising the team's preparation. For example, I can watch the players' POV or note down statistics so that they don't have to, either the coach or the players. If they have a question, I can look it up for them, instead of having them "waste time".
Every person is different from one another. The same applies to being a player, a coach, an analyst, etc. You just have to find what works best for you and the team you’re currently playing with. Remember that different teams and different coaches have different needs, and you should be able to adapt if the situation requires it.
One good rule of thumb to have is to make sure you’re letting the players as free as possible to prepare their own game while having the calmness of mind by knowing that someone is studying their future opponents for them.
How Can You Become a Better Analyst?
I’ve shared a lot of tips in the previous paragraphs already, as well as sheddaN, but I can still provide you with some more that might prove useful in your career as an analyst. First of all, and this might seem stupid, make sure you love the game more than you love your team. You’re going to spend more time studying the game and other teams than watching your own team, so make sure you are in for the right reasons.
This is especially important since you might do a worse job if you’re not enjoying the process. You might start rushing things and missing out on crucial information for your team. Think about that before committing to the role.
The best thing to do is, if you have a coach, always talk to him, understand how he wants things and try to work towards that. Also, it's important to understand what the five players want when preparing anti-strats or other things you can provide for them.
Pay special attention to the last part of sheddaN’s quote - you should make sure the anti-strat you’re preparing works for your team. Some players are better than others in a particular role or spot and you should be able to identify that in your team to provide the most essential information that you believe will make the biggest difference.
Make sure to understand the team's dynamics, learn from that and just go with the flow. Different players have different needs, so just make sure to know your own players.
Know your players. That is it. It’s simple - the better you know them, the better your team reports will be, the better you’ll know how to effectively convey information to them and the better the effect your job will have on the team.
Thank you for reading this article. I wish you the very best of luck in your journey to becoming a better analyst every day!
You can reach out to me for feedback or suggestions via Twitter.
