PUBG Principles

What are the fundamentals of competitive PUBG?

Since I’ve started coaching several years ago, I’ve had this constant struggle to find resources I could learn from. Even if it’s easier and easier to find resources for League of Legends, the game I’ve started with, It’s still pretty much impossible to find resources for PUBG.

You can easily find tips and advice about how to grow as an individual. However, you can barely find anything about how to improve as a team.

In this article, I’ll start covering the topic and share my knowledge so, hopefully, players or coaches can find resources they’ve been looking for. My goal isn’t to give a textbook you can use and expect to be better within 24 hours, but rather to provide ideas and concepts you can think about, and try applying.

Recordings

Record each practice session you have as a team, and record as much POV as possible.

It might sound like a very basic tip. However, having “unbiased” tools to work from as a team is mandatory. I’ve heard a lot of “I think”, “I’m pretty sure”, “I believe” during team talks which led to unproductive discussions because they were based on feelings instead of facts.

Other than teamwork, it’s also a great resource to work on your habits and understand by yourself what you should change to reach your objectives.

Mechanical skills

Another basic tip: you should be on point mechanically. Even if it’s not the first thing I’m looking for when observing a player, it’s a great asset, especially when you’re trying to get noticed.

If you consider two players of equal level to have a 50% chance to win a straight gunfight, imagine if you have a player able to get to 60%, or maybe 65% thanks to his mechanics. It’s a life-changing skill for a team to have such an entry fragger, It makes a lot of situations way easier to deal with, and represents a lot of additional points in the end.

However, keep in mind that’s a secondary skill. A lot of top players have similar shooting skills, and their ability to make the best use of them will mostly depend on team play and positioning.

Vehicles and manpower

Good team strengths can be found in its ability to make a decision and execute it properly.

To maximize your chances to do so, you have to preserve your main resources in the game:

• Vehicles: having the freedom for each player of your team. Vehicles are not only a tool to move and rotate, but they can also be used as covers or as baits. Having 4 vehicles is a guarantee to maximize the success of your plans.
• Manpower: no matter what part of the game you’re thinking of, having as many people alive is the key to success. The winning team is usually one of the teams entering a late-game with 4 players alive: in theory, you’re guaranteed to take over any 3-man team if you play accordingly.

I often see a lot of players giving away these two resources too easily during games and at the end of an 18 or 24 matches series, it can represent a lot of missing points.

Knowledge

Even if it applies more easily to higher lobbies, you can always learn more from the game, and do researches to open up your mind:

• Learn what other teams' habits are: teams are very predictable. Knowing what other teams will do (rotation, fighting habits, loot spots) can both save you time and reduce risks,
• Learn how to play from your loot spot, and look at teams playing the same positions to learn: when you’re trying to improve, the first step is to copy. You don’t want to just reproduce what you’re seeing, but you want to reproduce to make others plans yours over time,
• Learn circle patterns and tendencies for the current patch: it’ll help you to improve your choices when it comes to positions (related article).

Preparation usually doesn’t include a lot of theory. However, it’s not only an edge by itself, but it’s also a bonus when it comes to confidence and should be a standard for any team willing to perform.

Trinity

For me, the basic thought process consists of 3 steps you go through over and over every match:

• Information: You need to gather as much information as possible about your environment. From what position is free, and what position isn’t. From potential splits to 4 man stacks. You need to hunt for information every time you’re allowed to, and not being afraid to test waters. Information is the key to the game and allows one to anticipate future problems,
• Decision: You need to figure out what you’re trying to achieve as a team. Are you trying to rotate? Are you trying to push? Are you trying to hold? I would describe it as the overall idea, the objective. There are often talks before you get to a decision, but there is an important need to have a clear decision to make sure the team is on the same page,
• Execution: When you’ve figured out the decision, you need to break it down into actions. How are we going to realize our plan? According to the decision, the execution can take a lot of different forms. My main advice regarding this point would be to say what you do, and do what you say. Remember that you’re 4 individuals, with 4 separate brains, and what makes sense to you doesn’t necessarily make sense for your mates. If you stick to facts, you’re more likely to play together.

Now, if you go back to my first point and use your recordings to figure out every time you’re not respecting any of these points, I’m pretty sure you can find a lot of examples.

These points are the basis of my approach to competitive PUBG: they can be applied to all situations no matter what your play style is.

I’ll go more into details in future articles. However, if you’d like to talk about the game, have my opinion on a specific topic, or just share your thoughts, feel free to reach me through Twitter or Discord (Znooper#8033).

Maxime “Znooper” GONY