How to Review Better than 99% Of People (7 Steps You Must Follow)

Summary

In this video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of reviewing as a skill that takes time to master in the context of League of Legends. They offer seven tips for improving the review process, including focusing on significant game events, using both micro and macro perspectives, setting a timer for reviews, using emotions as a guide, and understanding the game from opponents' viewpoints. The speaker stresses the need for consistency, sustainability, and simplicity in the review process to avoid burnout and maintain enjoyment in the game.

Takeaways

• 📚 Reviewing is a skill that takes time to develop and is not something one masters overnight.
• ✂️ Cut the fat: Focus on identifying the 20 percenters, which are the significant mistakes that have a major impact on the game.
• 🔍 Identify the big fish: Look for the most impactful errors in your gameplay rather than getting lost in minor details.
• 🔄 Start the review sequentially: Work from the beginning of the game to maintain context and avoid overemphasizing end-game details.
• 🔍 Zoom in and out: Use both the micro (ability usage, mechanics) and macro (big picture, missed opportunities) lenses to analyze plays.
• ⏱ Set a timer: Limit reviews to no more than 5 minutes to maintain consistency and sustainability in your learning process.
• 🧐 Use emotions as a guide: If you felt confused, lost, or frustrated during the game, those emotions can help pinpoint areas for review.
• 🚫 Forgo learnings: Don't worry about missing learnings; focus on taking away a few key points from each game to avoid information overload.
• 🤔 Perspective shift: Gain value by asking what decisions your opponents were making and why, to improve your anticipation and reaction.
• 🎯 Learning objectives: Set only one in-game learning objective at a time to avoid overwhelming your mental capacity during gameplay.
• 🔚 Reviewing is a continuous journey: Be patient with your progress and understand that improvement comes with time and practice.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to provide tips and advice on improving the review process for players of the game League of Legends, emphasizing the importance of identifying key issues and developing a sustainable review strategy.

What does the term '20 percenters' refer to in the context of the video?

In the context of the video, '20 percenters' refers to the major mistakes or issues in a game that significantly impact the outcome, such as dying twice early in the game or losing important trades.

Why should players avoid focusing too much on the minutiae of late-game events during their review?

Players should avoid focusing too much on late-game events because it can lead to losing context of what is truly important. Major issues that occurred earlier in the game are often more impactful and should be the focus of the review.

What is the 'micro-macro framework' mentioned in the script?

The 'micro-macro framework' is a method of reviewing gameplay where players analyze situations both from a micro perspective (focusing on mechanics and execution) and a macro perspective (looking at the bigger picture and strategic decisions).

How long should a review session last according to the script?

According to the script, a review session should not exceed 5 minutes, especially for new reviewers, to maintain consistency, sustainability, and to avoid burnout.

Why is it suggested to use emotions as a guide during the review process?

Using emotions as a guide during the review process helps to identify moments in the game where something may have gone wrong. Emotions such as confusion, loss, anxiety, or frustration can signal areas that need improvement.

What is the importance of setting a single in-game learning objective?

Setting a single in-game learning objective helps to avoid overwhelming the player's mental capacity during gameplay. It allows for focused improvement on one aspect at a time without complicating the in-game experience.

How can understanding the opponent's perspective improve one's gameplay?

Understanding the opponent's perspective can improve one's gameplay by enhancing anticipation skills. By knowing why opponents make certain decisions, players can better prepare and adapt their strategies.

What is the main reason for not reviewing too many aspects of a game in one sitting?

Reviewing too many aspects of a game in one sitting can lead to information overload and a lack of retention. It's more effective to focus on a few key takeaways to ensure they are properly understood and can be applied in future games.

Why is it beneficial to review games sequentially from the start?

Reviewing games sequentially from the start helps maintain the context of the game and allows for a more systematic identification of issues. It prevents getting lost in details that may not be as impactful as earlier mistakes.

What does the script suggest about the review process for improving in League of Legends?

The script suggests that the review process is a skill that takes time to develop. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on major issues, using a micro-macro framework, setting realistic review time limits, and understanding the game from various perspectives.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Mastering the Art of Reviewing in Gaming

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of reviewing as a skill that takes time to develop. The speaker shares seven tips for improving the review process in gaming, starting with 'cut the fat' to focus on significant issues like early game deaths or being behind in gold. The advice includes identifying major problems early in the game, starting reviews sequentially, and avoiding getting lost in minor details. The speaker also introduces the concept of looking at games through both a micro (focusing on mechanics and execution) and macro (big picture strategy) lens, using a personal gameplay example to illustrate the micro-macro framework.

05:01

🔍 Balancing Micro and Macro Perspectives in Gameplay Analysis

The speaker discusses the importance of analyzing gameplay from both micro and macro perspectives, explaining that focusing on only one can lead to an incomplete understanding of the game. They provide an example of a chaotic play to demonstrate how to apply the micro-macro framework, suggesting that while the micro details are important, the macro view can offer insights into why certain plays were made and how to improve decision-making. The paragraph concludes with advice on keeping reviews concise, not exceeding 5 minutes, to maintain consistency and sustainability in the learning process.

10:02

⏱ The Sustainability of the Review Process

Here, the speaker argues for the necessity of a sustainable review process, warning against the pitfalls of over-analyzing games to the point of burnout. They stress the importance of consistency in improvement and suggest that reviews should be limited to a few key takeaways to avoid information overload. The speaker also encourages using emotions as a guide for identifying areas that need review and emphasizes the importance of not getting stuck on minor details, advocating for a streamlined approach to reviewing that focuses on major issues and sustainable learning.

15:03

🤔 Anticipating and Learning from Multiple Perspectives

The final paragraph focuses on the value of understanding the game from the perspectives of different players to improve anticipation and decision-making. The speaker provides an example of a failed play and how reviewing it from the viewpoints of both the aggressor and the victim can lead to a deeper understanding and better behavior in future games. They also discuss the concept of in-game learning objectives, cautioning against setting too many at once and suggesting that players focus on a single objective to avoid overwhelming themselves during gameplay.

Keywords

💡Reviewing

Reviewing in the context of the video refers to the process of analyzing one's gameplay in order to identify mistakes and areas for improvement. It is a skill that takes time to develop and is essential for players looking to enhance their performance in competitive gaming. The video emphasizes that reviewing is not an overnight process but one that requires years of practice to master, as it involves identifying key issues and learning from them.

💡20 percenters

The term '20 percenters' is used to describe significant mistakes or missed opportunities during gameplay that have a substantial impact on the game's outcome. In the video, the speaker advises focusing on these pivotal moments rather than getting lost in the minutiae of the game. An example given is being significantly behind in terms of gold or experience early in the game, which is a major issue that needs to be addressed during the review.

💡Macro and Micro

Macro and Micro are concepts used to describe two different levels of gameplay analysis. Macro refers to the broader strategic decisions and the overall game plan, while Micro pertains to the detailed mechanics and execution of individual actions. The video suggests that effective reviewing involves understanding plays through both lenses, as this comprehensive approach can lead to a deeper understanding of the game and better decision-making.

💡Consistency

Consistency is highlighted as a key to success in the video, emphasizing the importance of regularly reviewing games and applying lessons learned to future gameplay. It is noted that the process of reviewing should be sustainable and not overly time-consuming, as maintaining consistency over long periods is more beneficial than sporadic, intensive review sessions.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the context of the video refers to maintaining a review process that can be continued over time without leading to burnout or loss of interest. The speaker argues against lengthy review sessions, suggesting that keeping reviews short (no more than 5 minutes) is more likely to be sustainable and thus more effective in the long run.

💡Emotions

Emotions play a significant role in the reviewing process, as they can serve as indicators of where things went wrong during a game. The video suggests using feelings of confusion, loss, anxiety, anger, or frustration as guides to identify moments that require further analysis. This approach leverages the emotional response to gameplay as a tool for self-improvement.

💡Learning Objectives

Learning objectives are specific goals or focuses that a player sets for themselves to work on during gameplay. However, the video warns against setting too many in-game learning objectives, as this can overwhelm the player and detract from their performance. Instead, it recommends focusing on one learning objective at a time to maintain clarity and effectiveness.

💡Perspective Shift

Perspective shift involves understanding the game from the viewpoints of other players, which is crucial for anticipating their actions and making better strategic decisions. The video provides an example of analyzing a gank from both the aggressor's and the victim's perspectives to gain a deeper understanding of the situation and improve future gameplay.

💡Anticipation

Anticipation is the ability to predict and prepare for what opponents will do next. It is a critical skill in competitive gaming, allowing players to make proactive decisions rather than simply reacting to events as they unfold. The video stresses the importance of understanding the game through others' perspectives to improve one's level of anticipation.

💡Rep

In the context of the video, 'rep' likely refers to 'repetition' or 'reps' in terms of practicing specific mechanics or strategies in the game. The speaker mentions that getting in reps is very important, indicating that consistent practice is key to improvement. This aligns with the overall message of the video, which is that improvement comes from a combination of reviewing and practicing.

Highlights

The importance of reviewing as a skill that takes time to develop rather than an overnight process.

Cutting the fat by identifying the 20 percenters, which are the significant mistakes early in the game that affect the outcome.

The problem of dying twice in the first 12 minutes of the game as a major issue needing review.

Examples of 20 percenters such as bad trades, losing early game 2v2s, and enemy roaming influencing side lanes.

The advice to start the review sequentially from the beginning of the game to maintain context.

The concept of zooming in and out by using both micro and macro lenses to understand game situations.

The example of a chaotic play to illustrate the micro-macro framework for reviewing game decisions.

The recommendation to set a timer for reviews, suggesting no review should exceed 5 minutes for sustainability.

The argument against overcomplicating reviews and the importance of consistency and sustainability in improvement.

Using emotions as a guide for identifying areas in the game that need review, such as feeling confused or frustrated.

The idea of foregoing learnings from a review to maintain a sustainable and enjoyable gaming experience.

The perspective shift technique for improving threat assessment, skill shots, positioning, and trading by understanding opponents' decisions.

An example scenario of ganking to demonstrate the perspective shift and understanding opponents' motivations.

The concept of learning objectives and the suggestion to focus on one in-game learning objective at a time.

The warning against setting multiple in-game learning objectives to avoid overwhelming the mental stack during gameplay.

The conclusion emphasizing that reviewing is a skill that takes years to master and should not be overcomplicated.

Transcripts

reviewing is a skill you don't just

randomly overnight understand how to

review and get it and then you're a

master at it no it took me years it

literally took me years to get good at

reviewing hi everyone and welcome to

another video today we're going to be

covering reviewing specifically seven

tips or pieces of advice I would give

for improving your review process now

number one cut the fat your job and our

job is to identify 20 percenters in the

post game we don't want to be getting

into the minu show of mid to late game

if there are still 20 percenters left on

the table for example coming out of Lane

25 CS behind in a reasonable matchup is

a gigantic problem and is probably one

of the core reasons why that game was

difficult if you're dying twice in the

first 12 minutes of the game that is a

massive massive problem and that is

probably one of the major things that we

need to take away from the game before

getting into the Min usure of the mid

toay game examples of 20% is of things

such as dying to gangs support rooms uh

taking a really bad trade and going down

multiple waves uh losing an early game

2v2 Enemy later roaming and influencing

your side Lanes a bad reset you know

leading to multiple lost waves getting

stuck in Lane with no mana and you maybe

can't help at a neutral objectives these

are giant problems these are the big 20

percenters that are creating a partic

creating your particular game set that

you're in now identifying the big fish

this is the skill this is typically what

people kind of Overlook we have a

tendency to kind of look at the thing

that was the most kind of relevant um

when coming into the review for example

there's a a maybe like a burger flip

Baron play at 37 minutes into the game

and maybe you lose the game because your

jungler misses spot and you go straight

into the review and most people have the

tendency to be like oh I should have

kept that person out or I could have

been positioning better here or maybe we

should have done this Baron and we get

into the minua all the details of this

like 37 minute Baron play and it's like

well look guys yeah sure maybe there are

things to learn and take away from this

but in reality is this really what is

holding you back is this really what is

worth directing your attention towards

in the review when you come out of Lane

30cs down with two deaths by 15 minutes

I don't think so I I think that's that's

that's the cherry on top we shouldn't be

reviewing the game or overemphasizing

those details when you're in a terrible

position position from the get-go so one

of my major pieces of advice to you guys

is always start the review sequentially

and work your way from the start onwards

you don't really want to fall into the

Trap of going from the end of the game

back to the start because then you're

going to really lose context of what is

important and you're going to start

you're going to start to find yourself

getting into details that just have no

bearing on why you're at the rank that

you're at this is a skill it will take

time to develop but it's more of a

mindset more than anything and when

you're looking for those big 20

percenters this will really improve the

quality of your reviews now moving into

to zooming in and out most people tend

to view the game through one of two

lenses either through a micro lens or a

macro lens a micro lens is typically

maybe more so focusing on the ability

usage the fighting the mechanics all of

the actual execution of a situation

itself whereas the macro lens is more

the bigger picture for example why am I

at this play what else could I have done

kind of missed opportunities like

opportunity costs should we be giving

this neutral objective instead of

fighting it right these are the sorts of

kind of macro questions certain

personality types are drawn towards we

need to understand plays through both of

these lenses not just the micr lens not

just the macro lens both both of them so

rather than talking about it let's go

ahead and get into an example of

utilizing the micro macro framework so

here is a chaotic play from one of my

recent Way games where I was trying to

uh go into the top River to complement

my udio on the grubs like an idiot I

walk into this bush trying to get a Ward

and FAS ofo I disengage with my EQ peel

back narrowly escape with a good quality

Flash and just the viive now typically

you know this is where the micro macro

framework comes into play so you always

start with the micro what could I have

done better with my ability use my

positioning all that stuff to make this

situation a lot better for myself so um

from ability usage perspective I mean

look reality I should have used e maybe

ew in the bush I could have used qw in

the bush I could have used QQ I could

have taken

precautions understanding that there is

a a control ward in here to actually

protect myself a lot better especially

since the Vio is out of vision and the

support is missing right so there are a

lot of things I could have done in the

way I navigated the situation just from

a raw ability usage positioning raw

fighting as aspect and that would have

made my life a hell of a lot easier even

going for in my opinion even going for

the we probably wasn't even that

effective I should have ww or even uh WQ

to give my moves me to get out or ww for

the shield which would have protected

myself um a lot more reliably now from a

macro perspective now if we'll kind of

zoom out after we've looked at the micro

I would say okay well is this a good

grubs to fight well yeah I think it is

but I think it's just mainly my

positioning that doesn't make it great I

I could have actually either hugged this

wall moved over to the neutral objective

made come into us I could have like I

said before moved uh used my abilities

from a distance to Scout and then maybe

looked to get some Vision later on but I

think fundamentally it's still a good

grubs to uh to play for because my rud

was strong we had move from top side

I've got a lot of control from mid lane

I think still F looking at it from a

macro perspective the macro wasn't

really the problem in my opinion it was

more the micro so you're going to be in

scenarios whereby a lot of people would

only look at this through this micro

lens and be like oh yep uh yep ability

usage this and that and yeah cool there

some great learning but they wouldn't

even second guess the decision itself

they wouldn't even zoom out and ask well

why am I even here is this even a good

place to be should I even be contesting

this neutral objective we need to in

order to be complete players we need to

be able to look at these these scenarios

sorry through both the micro and the

macro lens set a timer guys no review

should be going longer than 5 minutes

especially if you are new to reviewing

now you may ask well why why is this the

case the key to having success in league

is consistently consist consistency and

sustainability if I told you to sit

there and review each and every game for

10 15 minutes what's the bet that you're

going to give up after a few blocks or

or a few days or even a week of games

you're going to lose your mind at the

end of the day League reviewing in

league is not overly fun we play league

because we just want to kill we

want to get that dopamine we want to see

the victory screen or whatever we don't

really want to sit there pumping hours

and hours hours into our reviews it's

just not sustainable even if it were

theoretically useful which is not to

it's actually not which we'll get to in

a

moment realistically it's not it's just

not sustainable so your process your

review process should always be

something that you believe to be TR that

you believe to be sustainable for you

and I've never seen anyone really in my

opinion over my entire time uh coaching

actually have a sustainable review

process that actually lasts for a long

period of time over 5 minutes now if you

are if your reviews are taking more than

5 minutes you're either likely reviewing

too many things in which case some of

that stuff's going to go way over your

head anyway or you probably don't

understand these things well enough to

even get value from it in the post game

you're going to be you know tweaking

away over here thinking oh should I've

done that should I've done that should

I've done that if you're if you're

having to go through hula hoops to to

break down a play you're probably never

going to understand it anyway you're

probably missing information and and

which case you probably need to get

someone else to help look at it um get a

friend um you know whatever uh because

yeah you're probably not going to get

that much value from it um and you'll

find yourself getting stuck in the weeds

a lot of people lose perspective they

get so nitty-gritty like oh should I

done this this that you know they they

they uh sit there in a play for 15

minutes trying to break it down and look

I myself when I was actually um coaching

a a pro coach a few years ago you would

commonly find teams they would get stuck

reviewing like a dragon play you I'm

sure many of you watching this with your

friends in Clash you would review this

game and post game and look at this

Dragon play and everyone would chime in

you know for a few minutes each and

before you know it you spent 20 minutes

looking at this dragon or this Rift play

or this Baron play and then you don't

even know what the hell to walk away

with it's like what's the learning here

you know it just you had to do Advanced

algebra or calculus just to figure out

what the hell to do next time and this

is a scenario you're never going to see

again that time was way better off being

spent queing up for another game and

it's playing another game or just

reviewing something else moving on to

follow emotions if you are un sure about

what to review and you felt you know

most things went well use your emotions

as a guide if you felt any of these

throughout the game you if you felt

confused lost anxious angry frustrated

well then this is likely a sign that

something wasn't quite right in the game

this is still the main methodology that

I use to this day if I played a game and

I'm looking at the review I'm like oh

yeah I remember this sequence here where

I was I was stuck in bot I felt really

uncomfortable I felt really constrained

I felt really Limited what I could do

okay chances I've messed something up

maybe my Lane assignment's wrong maybe I

was off off Tempo maybe I shov too many

ways maybe I hard shoved the way when I

should have slow build usually there's

something wrong there or maybe this

dragon fight felt very uncomfortable

well chances are okay maybe my

positioning was off maybe I didn't shove

mid before I went into the river maybe

this was just yeah not an objective that

we should have contested in hindsight so

I use my emotions as a guide as kind of

a signal to help streamline my review

process a lot of people they you know

they I guess push this whole belief or

narrative about kind of being this hyper

stoic logical person in reality it's

like you know League's a competition

it's a hobby we're all passionate about

it it's it's inevitably going to be

emotional rather than shutting down

those emotions use those emotions to

your advantage to streamline your review

process moving on to foregoing

learnings people worry about missing

learnings from overview don't sweat it

you're going to play thousands upon

thousands of games within your league

Journey just take two or three things

from your given VOD and move on our

brand can't take in that many new pieces

of information if you're sitting there

and trying to analyze you know 2015 25

different things it's just not going to

sink in it's okay to move away from a

VOD knowing that there maybe are maybe

there are some still learnings in the

VOD maybe there are so many things you

could spend in that review that's okay

let go move on play play another game

reps simply getting in reps in League of

Legends is very very very important and

this ties back to the sustainability

aspect of the journey as well right

again even if there were maybe 15 20

things you could take away from that

game you need to be okay with taking two

or three because that's the more

sustainable approach and also burnout

from reviewing is very real making the

game feel unfun I've seen many people

lose fun with their league Journey or

they just don't feel satisfied anymore

because they've been spent so much time

in the review that they they just don't

feel motivated to play anymore and they

don't they don't feel curious anymore so

I've seen this way too many times keep

your your process very sustainable it's

okay to move on from uh a review the

next one here is perspective shift when

improving upon upon things such as

threat assessment skill shots

positioning in fights trading Etc you

will get extreme value from asking

yourself the following questions number

one if I was them what would I do or if

I was in their shoes why would I make

that decision league is fundamentally a

game of anticipation if we can't

understand why they are doing what

they're doing then how the hell are we

going to outperform them how the hell

are we going to be able to outplay them

how are we going to be able to manage

this scenario it's just it's just

impossible if you're relying on

reactions instead of anticipation League

of Legends is a basically impossible

game because there is too many things

coming at you so in order to improve

levels of anticipation we need to

understand the game through other

people's lenses so let's go ahead and

take a look at an example utilizing this

process so here is a scenario at me in

that same game playing way into LeBlanc

and you'll see in a moment I'm kind of

mindlessly shoving here mindly trying to

do a two-wave cycle I believe poking

this LeBlanc and then what ends up

happening is that the Vigo comes from

behind me over here and ends up ganking

me now when you review this a lot of

people have the tendency to be like oh

okay gosh it my Waring and leaning

wasn't good enough or they'll say

something about like what they should

have done like immediately it's like

they'll just put a instant label on it

oh y wasn't watering leaning that's it

move on boom boom boom go to the next

thing in reality yes sure you can get

value from from doing that I'm not

saying it's useless but if I really want

to understand this if I really want to

prevent this from happening again I need

to look at this from both of their

lenses if I was this Vigo why would I

commit like what makes this a very kind

of sexy gang what makes this a very

appealing gang From vigo's perspective

well okay well I'm in a mobile Mage

right uh LeBlanc has really good gang

setup and has a way to get out all of my

CC so that's two things um and then also

leblanca 6 which is worth noting uh

rud's counter ganking is very

underwhelming and is probably clearing

camps because of the the Champs identity

and on top of that um look at where the

wave is the wave is in a very

compromised position it's it's

definitively on the blong side so I'm

quite overextended Ed and far away from

the tower and so you know looking at it

you know ticking all those boxes and

looking at it from those lenses it's a

no-brainer it looks incredibly obvious

so now that I understand this situation

more now that I actually have a more

refined understanding of the amount of

threat that I was under it's going to be

easier for me to change my behavior

moving forward into similar situations

versus these sorts of combinations now I

could go through this process with

LeBlanc okay if I was LeBlanc why would

I why would I call for this maybe

LeBlanc called for it it's like okay

leblanc's getting on in the 1 V one

can't beat me in the one one so she has

to she has to call for assistance that

is kind of part of her Champ's identity

right so she she you know she's really

good at at Mid jungle 2v2 so this is a

play that is completely aligned with

Leong's identity as a champion so that

makes sense as well so a lot of people

won't know how to or don't spend the

time looking at from other people's

perspectives and that really leads to

them getting in a rut and not really

being able to change the their behavior

in the long run in the next one here we

have learning objectives now I've

noticed many people are obsessed with

the idea of ingame learning objectives

you know learning objectives such as

focusing on timing trades with last hits

ensuring I'm Waring and leaning on every

single wave paying attention to my

jungler's location if you were to set

yourself say these three in-game

learning objectives your brain is going

to implode it's it's impossible to play

the game of League of Legends and do

your job while also balancing multiple

in-game learning objectives this is way

too much when it comes to in-game

learning objectives you basic basically

have two choices number one review these

scenarios in the post scam instead and

internalize the mistakes utilizing the

micro macro framework which is

completely fine and completely okay or

set one and only one in-game learning

objective to ensure that your mental

stack doesn't implode now look if you're

learning objective ingame are things

that are tied to LOL States well that's

not too bad because LOL States you're

not really in the action but even then I

try to avoid setting multiple in-game

learning objectives as much as humanly

possible game learning objectives are

fine because you can actually take the

time to look at that in the post games

not going to overwhelm your in-game

mental stack but I've had so many

clients say oh I'm I'm working on this

this this this this and I'm like dude

how the hell are you going to improve

all of that at once while playing the

game of League of Legends this is not

feasible so one ingame learning

objective at a time is all that you

really want to do now really just

concluding everything guys reviewing is

a skill you don't just randomly

overnight understand how to review and

get it and then you're a master at it no

it took me years it literally took me

years to get good at reviewing and for

most people it's going to take the same

so understand that it is a skill have a

crack it's not going to be perfect it's

it's going to be messy it's going to be

underwhelming and uh manage those

expectations don't over complicate it uh

hopefully you can take one or two things

away from this video otherwise I'll see

you guys for another one cheers guys