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　　Leviathan (left) along with Tabzz and Nyph. Photo Credits: Riot Games FlickrFor the first time in the history of the European League of Legends Championship Series Fnatic are no longer the champions of Europe. The team assembled by Froggen has usurped them 3-1 and claimed victory at the European Playoffs in Gamescom. Forged by a brutal breakup of one of Europe’s most beloved teams, Alliance started at the rock bottom and climbed their way to the apex of the league, becoming the first team to topple Fnatic’s unquestioned dominance of the European LCS playoffs. The story of Alliance is a monumental tale that I'll eventually write, but today I’d like to focus on Alliance’s coach: Jordan “Leviathan” Thwaites and how he helped lead the men in grey and white to their first ever League of Legends Championship Series victory.

　　Alliance at the start of the spring split was a shade of its current self and communication issues were everywhere. Things weren't looking so well for one of the most hyped teams in Europe and frequent jeers were lambasted against them. The team that was formed from some of the best players in European League of Legends was struggling and looked hopelessly lost. Alliance’s early game was excellent but their picks and bans, their macro game rotations and the general mood of the team was on a severe downwards turn.

　　Although I volunteered as an analyst for Alliance for a small period during the Spring Split, the time-zone difference between the Australia and Europe, coupled with my university studies meant whatever analysis I could provide was sporadic at best. So we set out searching for a proper coach to help Alliance secure their dreams of attending worlds.

　　I plopped Tabzz into a skype chat with managers and analysts and advertised a vacant position in the chat. One of the applicants that applied was Leviathan who was looking for a change after helping Team Complexity upset Coast in the 2014 Summer Promotions and eventually Alliance recruited Leviathan as their coach. Below is an interview with the coach that lead Alliance to the apex of Europe.

　　

Greetings Jordan, could you please introduce yourself to our readers who might be unfamiliar with your work?

Hello guys, I’m Jordan Leviathan Thwaites, Coach of Alliance League of Legends. I take on a variety of tasks behind the scenes with our players that includes scheduling scrims, running practice, Strategic adjustments to our gameplay and overall preparation for matches.

　　

Congrats on your victory, how does it feel winning in front of the crowd at gamescom?

It’s really nice to put up a victory at my first large esports LAN event, especially with a crowd as awesome as the gamescom fans were. The whole experience of gamescom was unforgettable and was easily the best experience of my esports career.

　　

You’ve answered this already in your ask.fm but for those who don’t regularly follow you, how did you get involved with coaching?

I made some friends at a LAN event that turned out to be competitors in the NA challenger scene. One night on skype we were watching an OGN stream together and the AD carry at the time invited me out to give some analysis of their teams play. I just tried to work hard and prove my worth to teams and eventually I had enough experience and a solid enough resume to impress Alliance and here I am now

　　

How important is it to have a coach? Even challenger teams such as H2K are picking up coaches, how much do you think a coach improves the team?

A coach fills a role required by the team because it facilitates growth. Having an extra set of eyes on the game sees the mistakes that the players can’t, and for good reason - you would never make a move or play that you believe is incorrect, so having someone that is able to review your play from a different perspective is required to improve.

　　

You’re Diamond 1 on the North American servers. Some analysts have previously stated that one doesn't need to be high Elo to be a competent analyst. What do you think about this statement in general, and how do you think your high soloq queue level affects your analytical abilities versus someone who doesn't play the game at a high enough level?

I don't believe it's required to be high elo to be a coach or an analyst, but I believe it would be required to be able to prove you're capable of applying the same techniques that you request of the players. During the off season or when I wasn’t with a team I was able to sit down and play the ladder and tweak my own game to varied success, but during the season with scrim schedules and the extra duties as a coach you can't be asked to also find time to grind solo queue and perfect your game. I guess I don't think having high elo is important because its impossible to maintain, but being able to prove you've been there I'm sure gives players a tiny bit more confidence in the messages you convey to them

　　

One of the major challenges of coaching is a team is gaining the respect of the players. How did you overcome this challenge so well?

One of the biggest things I've learned is to always be genuine with what your thoughts are and how you honestly feel about each and every situation. I’m not afraid to admit when I don’t know the answer to a question or puzzle in the game and the dialog among the team when we’re faced with an obstacle is very honest. Honesty and trust is the foundation of respect and the players have shown a lot of it not only to myself but to everyone else on the team.

　　

In League of Legends, the lines between analyst and coach are extremely blurry. How do you define the difference between an analyst and a coach?

Everyone has their own definition of the two roles it seems, but I feel a greater responsibility to the players in a leadership and guidance role - I am the one that will resolve conflict or take the lead when we're having trouble seeing the same play or having a disagreement with the fundamentals of the game. Analysts are expected more to just provide quality analysis and perspective on the game with less of the interacting side of my position. each role has to have some of the skill set of the other of course but with only so many hours in a day it’s very difficult for one person to fill both roles.

　　

Throughout the European Split, who do you believe was your toughest opponent?

SK plays the tightest strategical game, they give me the biggest sweat. I’m not sure who the players have trouble pressing buttons against, but our semi finals opponents gave me the hardest time in pick/ban and strategical adjustments out of the entire league

　　

What are the main challenges of remote coaching? How much more impact did flying to Gamescom have on coaching the team?

Once you actually meet the players and you get to see how they live their life you get a better idea of what their personality is and the type of player that they are. It adds a more personal touch that isn't there from remote and it's a lot more genuine to speak to someone face to face rather than over communication software.

　　

Adapting to patches is one of the main curiosities in league of legends that other sports generally do not have. How does coaching vary from patch to patch?

Yes it does, mostly how you have to approach the game. Some teams have a certain strategy they enjoy playing, but I like to think we don’t limit ourselves to one style - We just play League of Legends. Each patch is a puzzle and it's a race to adapt the fastest. As soon as a patch hits we will try to find the new most optimal way to destroy the nexus and go from there. The coaching changes when strategies change so drastically that you have to prioritize objectives differently and certain aspects of the game become more or less important.

　　

In a recent interview with fragbite, Froggen stated that he hoped to boot-camp in Korea. How’s the progress going so far on figuring out the details for your bootcamp?

I'm pretty sure we're going, we just need to figure out what is the most optimal way to execute the boot-camp. CLG bootcamp looked cramped and uncomfortable. We’re looking to maybe organize something with other teams interested in travelling, but we’re not exactly sure on the details. We will find out more later this week. In the meantime, we remain in europe and we will scrim here until management handles the situation for us.

　　

Thanks for answering all these questions, do you have anything to add?

I would love to thank our wonderful sponsors Hyperx, Monster Energy, XMG, Planetside2, LogitechG, Axe, Design by Humans and Need for Seat. You can find me on twitter at @Leviathanlol. Thanks a lot for the support from everyone, we have the best fans in esports and we appreciate the love you guys give us throughout our quest to become world champions

　　Headline Image: Riot Games Flickr