To a high degree, eSports have become akin to the sports we’re accustomed to watching. Whether on the field or on the sticks, similar factors impact level of success. A major factor, and one that many have taken stock in, is analytics. With this being the case, DOJO Madness has announced the launch of Shadow.LoL, an analytics and data visualization platform for League of Legends (LoL) pro teams.
Built in partnership with Team Liquid and Tim “Magic” Sevenhuysen, a LoL statistician, the platform benefits teams & competitors in many ways. “League of Legends is a highly complex game, and the fact that most teams are basing their analysis on simple spreadsheets and gut feelings is insane,” said co-CEO of Team Liquid, Steve Arhancet, in a statement.
Replacing gut feeling will be Shadow’s 2D replay tools, scouting capabilities and advanced stats. The tools are designed to arm pro teams with all things necessary to dominate their opponents.
“We worked closely with Shadow during their beta to make sure their tools and data will enhance the work of our coaches, analysts, and players. We see Shadow as essential to our long-term success,” Arhancet said.
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Features like replay and advanced stats will be beneficial to both teams and broadcasters. For players they can go back to find tendencies in their own play, as well as their opponents. Information gained can be used to tweak strategies for future matches.
For analysts it creates more opportunity for insightful commentary. As we’ve seen in baseball this year with things like exit velocity, advanced metrics only lead to a more intriguing narrative (i.e. Aaron Judge).
In a way, Shadow somewhat represents the start of eSports data — something DOJO Madness CEO Jens Hilgers believes there is plenty of. “There’s also a great opportunity there,” said Hilgers on eSports data in a 2016 interview with eSports Insider. “The amount of data we have is greater than what we would have in most traditional sports.”