Considering how competitive and fast DOTA 2 is for a non-league player, how high do you think the stakes are if you are a league player. Make no mistake about it, if you are a league player you really need to take your game to the highest level you're capable of taking it. This is no easy feat. I'm sure you are already well aware of this fact.
The sad reality is that as more players play DOTA 2, the bell curve as far as player competency is concerned keep shifting to the right. It's a never ending arm's race. It's easy to think that the skill set for this game is rather static and fixed. Well, I'm telling you right now, thinking along those lines will definitely retard the level of success you will achieve with this game. I'm not saying you won't be successful, however what I am saying is that you won't be successful enough.
You see, in any kind of competitive sports you have to keep pushing your limits. You have to keep moving. You can't fall into the trap of thinking, just because you hit the #1 slot 10 weeks ago that you can stay there. I know that this is very tempting. I know that this is the default position in as far as many people are concerned but this is definitely the path of this resistance. The big danger here however, is that you would overlook the fact that there's a tremendous amount of talent from all four corners of the globe trying to master the same game that you think you've mastered. What do you think will happen?
Since people skill sets are constantly mutating and moving forward, if you choose to stop for even a week you are simply going to get left behind. Even the best amongst us has found their self in the worst way possible. This is all very depressing and sobering but this leads to an even more depressing conclusion for many people.
In their minds, they had to basically camp out at DOTA 2 and put it on a godly amount of time trying to keep taking their game to the next level. They think that by simply putting in the time, they will get the results that they're looking for when it comes to managing their competition. I'm not going to lie, in the beginning this is going to work. After all you are going about it using sheer brute force.
However, if you're like most people, you're probably going to burnout at some point in time. This is all too natural that happens to the best of us. In fact, you might burnout so much that you end up dropping DOTA 2 for a long, long time. If you don't want that to happen and you still want to be at the top of your game as a league player, and also have enough time for the rest of your life, you need to listen up! Here are just some short guides for DOTA 2 players that want to operate at the league level:
Start Small
The first thing you need to do is that you need to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. If you think that you have to be the #1 league player or you have to live up to league standards, getting out of the game, you're simply playing the game wrong. It really is that simple!
You have to remember that DOTA 2 is not just a technical game, it's not just about knowing the right strategies, it's not just about reading the right combat context so you can operate in an optimal tactical way. It goes beyond those mere technicalities. You have to also understand that it is a psychological game. If you're putting a tremendous amount of pressure on yourself, it's going to somehow, some way cut into your performance.
I've seen this happen firsthand. In fact, it's happened to me! If I put so much stress on myself, I simply end up chasing my tail. Sure, I end up ranking very high but at the same time I put so much pressure that it feels almost that I'm about to have an emotional breakdown. You see where I'm coming from? This is unsustainable.
Allow yourself to start small. What I mean by this is, look at it for what it is. It's an adventure game. Allow yourself to have fun. Allow yourself to make a mistake here and there and to discover things.
When you go about playing at the league level with this mindset, a lot of the fun of DOTA 2 will come back and this fun will translate to real passion. Real passion solves problems, stress doesn't. Real passion enables you to tap into the depths of your imagination so you can see things that your competitors can't. This would enable you to come up with solutions by patching many different elements that your competitors simply can't even think about. You see where I'm coming from?
You would only be able to do this if you had a relax and calm perspective. This is very hard to pull off if you think that you have to achieve a certain level by certain time. This is very hard to do if you are working with a tremendous amount of self-imposed internal pressure. Take it easy! Take a deep breath and start small and scale up. You're in no rush.
Look Beyond the Big Prizes
It's easy to think that the main driver of league players is the big prizes for DOTA 2. I can't lie. This is pretty much a statement of fact for many people but, if you want your league playing intensity and skill level to be self-sustaining and self-reinforcing, you need to listen up!
You need to look pass the big prizes and focus on the ultimate prize. The ultimate prize is that you're competing against yourself. Your main motivator should be how to push your problem solving and imagination engineering capabilities to a whole other level.
When you're competing with yourself, it's easier to perform at peak levels. When you're consciously performing against other people and you are driven primarily by competition, it's going to be much harder for you. It really will be. Why? You're constantly looking over your shoulder, you're constantly thinking about what other people might be thinking. This is a sure recipe for disaster because you're constantly second guessing yourself.
Focus instead on what you know. Focus instead on your intuition. This is the ultimate prize because this requires a lot of imagination and creativity. You have to first pay attention to how you think and then look for blind spots. Look for exemptions and expectations that work against you instead of working for you. I hope you see where I'm coming from.
Because if you're able to learn from this and really take it to the next level, this can pay off tremendously in all areas of your life. You can become more productive at work. You can have more meaningful relationships. You can have a calmer perspective on life overall. Do you see where I'm coming from?
This is serious stuff and the good news is that all the time you invested on DOTA might not necessarily a wasted time.
via Dota2boosters.com http://www.dota2boosters.com/Guides/short-notes-for-dota-2-guides-for-league-players