A data-informed approach for Dota 2 professional player scouting, innovative in 3 different ways:
- an algorithm that classifies players by positions 1 through 5, something nobody has attempted so far
- ranking systems tuned to each of the 5 positions, driven by individual performance and not solely win/loss outcome for the team
- a matching algorithm that defines playstyles and evaluates how suitable players are for each other
Our philosophy is that carefully crafted metrics, designed with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques can offer an objective and reliable way to evaluate team and player performance. A form of Moneyball for Dota 2, we aim to dig deeper in the complex mountain of available data and uncover the diamonds within, while shattering misconceived ideas regarding value and talent for the game.
Our approach reflects our belief that the current ranking and scouting system is insufficient for a number of reasons:
- Leaderboards don’t rank players based on positions (carry, mid, offlane, supports)
- They no longer offer a relative scoring of players
- They don’t include tournament and in-house league performance
- They can be abused
- Teams and captains don’t always have time to check the replays and data behind multiple candidates
- Teams and captains can only consider a limited pool of potential candidates at a given time
- Selecting a candidates that best fits a playstyle is not an easy task
- Players have limited knowledge of each other, even the most active players in pubs and in-house leagues cannot keep an eye out for all peers simultaneously
With this in mind, we at womboscout set out to design a tool that would help the scouting efforts of organizations and players alike:
- Find and evaluate fresh new talent
- Fill in missing positions and make roster changes during the year
- Find last minute stand-ins
- Get the first mover advantage during hectic post-TI or mid-season shuffles
Player intuition, personal affinity and networks play an integral part in recruitment. We’re cool with that. We could never replace player preference and direct try-outs in scouting.
But we can provide carefully constructed, time-saving, wide-reaching shortlists of candidates that are designed to fit your team’s playstyle or a set of customized criteria.