DataCoach X NRG Case Study: Offensive Corner Challenges

by | Oct 9, 2025 | Esports, Partnerships

Background:

DataCoach has been supporting individuals with personalized analytics to help accomplish their in-game goals by streamlining improvement & optimizing time spent in game. By allowing users to upload their own replays, we’re able to identify areas within their gameplay they need to work on & provide instructional videos, training packs & weekly goals to keep them on track. With 35,000+ accounts and 600,000+ replays, DataCoach has an analytics platform unique within Rocket League, leveraging our large dataset to train our AI Coach & drive the best results possible.

“Working with Josh and the DataCoach team was a great experience. I wanted to look at a few pivotal relationships on the field that aren’t commonly tracked and was really impressed at the detailed analytics they were able to provide.” – Satthew @ NRG

At the beginning of the 2025 RLCS season, we were fortunate to connect with a few active and retired coaches & analysts in the pro scene, to get a better understanding of analytics available at the professional level. While certain information was available, it was tedious for them to combine manual replay reviews with statistics to infer value and then apply it. In these discussions, the topic of Expected Goals (xG) arose, in which we at DataCoach had our own version of it but hadn’t put a name to it yet. 

We then spent the next few months refining our xG model at the pro level leading into Major 1, identifying underlying analytical anomalies in player and team performance, and posting our high level findings in the esports subreddit. While we dealt with the typical skeptic online, it was clear that there was a hunger for more advanced analytics within the competitive scene. So, we got to work. 

Coming out of Major 2, we were fortunate enough to start a dialogue with Satthew, the coach of NRG, North America’s top team entering Worlds. Little did we know that Satthew holds a degree in analytics and was interested in the work we were doing – interested enough to run a pilot project with us leading into the Esport World Cup (EWC) and RLCS Worlds.

Case Study: Offensive Corner Challenges

As we discussed matchup specific capabilities, Satthew brought up offensive corner challenges, specifically against Vitality. NRG had been struggling with their Vitality matchup all year, and he had an inkling that offensive corner challenges by his team were contributing to the poor results. Even though we didn’t track this specifically at the moment, I offered to set up the analysis to see how impactful they really were. We got to work.

Theory:

After discussing some of our capabilities with Satthew, he honed in on one facet of his team’s game that warranted more exploration: first man offensive corner challenges. Specifically, Satthew was interested in the difference in results when using a flip to challenge and if it was having a negative impact on NRG’s results vs Vitality.

Parameters:

  • Identify, by player, the success rate of first man challenges in the offensive corner, split when the NRG player uses their flip or not.
  • Map results into buckets: 
  • Outcomes Categorized within 10s of Challenge:
    • Goal Conceded: Conceded a Goal
    • Shot Conceded: Shot given up but no Goal Conceded
    • Possession Lost: Ball ended up in Defensive Half
    • Possession Maintained: Ball maintained in Offensive Half
    • Shot Taken: Team Managed a shot (any player)
    • Goal Scored: Scored a goal (any player)
    • The first 3 are determined to be negative outcomes, while the following 3 are positive outcomes.

Benchmarking

Identify other teams and first man offensive challenges, their strategies and results versus Vitality as well to establish benchmark.

  • Dignitas & Karmine Corps
  • All replays included are from EU Open playoff weekends & Majors
  • Total dataset: 35 matches

Dataset 

2025 matches versus Vitality

  • Birmingham Swiss (4 matches)
  • Raleigh Swiss (4 matches)
  • Raleigh UB Quarters (4 matches)

Results

Quantity vs Benchmark

  • The first major difference was the quantity of first man challenges per match versus benchmark
  • NRG averaged ~40%+ more per match, showing a far more aggressive first man approach
  • While NRG mixed Flip/No Flip similar to Dignitas, Karmine Corp used Flip significantly less

Flip vs No Flip Results

With Flip

  • NRG’s first man offensive corner challenges with flip resulted in more positive outcomes overall
  • However, it also resulted in 9% goal conceded, vs Dignitas’ 3.1% and KC’s 0%
  • Takeaway: Flip challenges are more boom or bust, resulting in overall positive or extreme negative each time
    • Goals against outweighed goals for in current approach
  • Player level:
    • Daniel’s Flip challenges were a statistical outlier: ~70% positive outcome, ~15% chance in goal scored and 0% Goal conceded.
    • Atomic and BM’s were not as strong, conceding a goal ~10% of the time with Atomic and almost 20% of the time with Beastmode

Without Flip

  • Overall positive outcome was comparable to Dignitas and KC when challenging without flip
  • NRG conceded no goals when challenging without flip as first man in the offensive corner
  • Takeaway: No flip results in a more neutral result, but does not concede goals. 
  • Player level:
    • Daniel continues to shine with ~40% of no flip challenges resulting in a shot on net
    • While not resulting in any goals or more shots, Atomic’s no flip challenges result in possession lost over 60% of the time. 

Overall highlights:

  • Using Flip to challenge as first man in the offensive corner for NRG results in boom or bust results: higher probability of positive outcome, however also result in the worst possible outcome of a goal conceded in almost 1 in 10 attempts. 
  • While true at the team level, Daniel’s Flip challenges are extremely positive and do not result in any goals conceded
  • Without Flip results in more neutral results, in line with other teams against Vitality. Need to review Atomic’s approach specifically as he overindexes in possession lost.

 

Key Takeaways

  • When first man challenging in the offensive corners, NRG is more aggressive than other teams who have had success against Vitality.
  • Let Daniel continue challenging as he determines appropriate, while working with BM and Atomic on not using their flip to challenge. 
  • No flip challenges can include drive throughs & fake challenges. Would need further breakdown to figure out best no flip challenge options. 

 

2025 RLCS Worlds Results

While NRG did not line up against Vitality, we pulled the results of their Playoff Sunday against GeeKay and Team Falcons to see how they fared in Offensive Corner Challenges.

Takeaways

  • More aggressive: NRG amped up their challenges, increasing to 12.4 per game
  • Less flips: NRG mixed no flip challenges ~79% of the time, vs 60% prior
  • NRG increased the positive outcome of Flip challenges vs prior, with Beastmode and Daniel near not conceding any shots or goals against
  • NRG dramatically increased their positive outcome on no flip challenges, to 55% from 42%
    • Most notably, Atomic’s positive outcome went from 31% to 60%. 

 

Satthew’s feeling that first man offensive corner challenges were an area of concern were on point and DataCoach was able to help provide the insights to help make more informed coaching decisions. NRG was able to win in the offensive corners consistently on Championship Sunday, securing the crown for NA.

 

 

 

If you’re interested in how DataCoach can help provide custom analytics for your team, please reach out to josh@rldatacoach.com

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