Scouting the Bracket
Gather VODs of returning teams and chart their tendencies. Do they favor stack strategies? Are their impostors aggressive or patient? Assign teammates to decode these patterns and present findings during prep meetings.
If footage is unavailable, scout public lobbies using the tournament rule set. Note how strangers exploit the format; their ideas can inspire contingency plans.
Scheduling Scrims
Structure scrims in three-act blocks: warmup (mechanics), competitive set (best-of-five), and cooldown (experimentation). The format keeps morale high while allowing targeted practice.
Invite guest teams periodically. Fresh opponents stress-test your communication and highlight blind spots your usual scrim partners overlook.
Day-of Routine
Tournament day should feel familiar. Run a short mechanics warmup, review map-specific reminders, and confirm tech setups thirty minutes before match time. Unplugging unexpected audio issues before the lobby fills avoids penalties.
Assign a mental coach who reminds the team to hydrate, breathe, and reset between rounds. The biggest upsets often stem from fatigue rather than raw mechanics.