Constructing A Competitive Team

Hey guys, Ghostatsuke here. Well Conduit 2 is coming out soon and many of you either already have your own teams, or your planning on starting one. With the playlists and all the other new features competition is sure to be fierce so I'm here to help you guys out with constructing a good team.

Understand there are many factors to look for and consider when putting together a team or as many of you may know it a clan. Gathering people is truthfully only part of the job and it can't just be anyone. You have to be able to work with these people you choose, and play off each others strengths and weaknesses. Here are the main things to think about:

Size - This is the start to all your success and all your complications as a team. Size is a major thing to think about. When creating a team, having the most people doesn't mean having the best chance of winning. A standard professional team in a league such as MLG or ECL (Major League Gaming + European Console League) is standardly 4 players large with the option of a team coach. Note that a majority of professional game types are played as a 4v4 setup. Nonetheless a team is not limited to so few players. Your welcome to have as many as you so wish but remember you will need to manage all of these people and give them a fair and equal amount of game time. So in all technicalities, the fewer people the better and the easier it is to work with.

Compatability - Think for a moment, you play games with plenty of people every day. How many of them can play the way you do?. Are they friends? Or are they just cool people you get along and play games with? Consider this cause everyone plays a different way. You want it to be balanced but you always want the play styles to compliment one another not conflict each other. As a team you have to be able to work together and persevere through some tough spots in matches. You all want to be able to get along and not be constantly arguing or having any bad blood. A team that plays well together, wins together.

Communication? - Communication is absolutely key in a team. It's one of the single most important thing you will need in order to move forward. How well you can communicate will almost directly determine how well you will do in a game. If you have a lone wolf in the group it's going to hurt your team since they may not be as much a team player as you and everyone else. When considering a free agent see how they play the game , and what tactics they use to communicate something, such as a weapon respawning or a location of another teammate that needs help. Remember that using callouts is BIG, so try and integrate it somewhere in a manner that everyone can pick it up and use it

to boost the communication level of the team overall. Every little push can make a difference.

Teamwork- Lastly, the most major thing is teamwork. This is where it all comes down to one thing; Can you all play as a team? Can you work together to setup a game winning push against the other team. Can you all communicate and play off of each others unique styles to shut down your competition. Are you all able to switch roles whenever needed and play either passively or aggressively when the time comes. This element ultimately relies on your teammates and should never be overlooked.

Well guys, that covers setting up the proper team. I hope this helps and pushes not just you but all your teams to an all new level and carry you farther than before. I'll be looking forward to seeing you all in competition when Conduit 2 drops in Q1 2011. If you have any questions just leave a comment below.