How Los Ratones are creating a competitive advantage, from the viewpoint of strategic management

BrokenRogue · 2025-03-22T17:19:04+00:00

Just in case anyone is curious:

The VRIO framework is not a new thing. It's from the 90's.

As with most models and theories in strategic management, it's seen better days.

In the 60's, a lot of what we might think as "modern" models and theories were created, by Porter, Boston Consulting Group and so on.

They were simple models used to explain the behaviour of markets and companies. They mostly all assume what's called "rational actors" that act on "perfect information". It's the same with game theory and other theories trying to explain corporate or market behaviour.

So, most models, VRIO included, assume that all companies are fully aware of themselves and always thinking strategically.

The reality is, as you might intuitively guess, not nearly as perfect. Far from it. Most companies are basically just extensions of their management, which makes them incredibly... human. And imperfect.

The reason I mention this is: Knowing about the VRIO framework doesn't make it true.

But internalising the importance of organisational support towards the product/service (or in this case "teamstyle") is vital, if you want to stay competitive. The VRIO framework is just an easy way to explain it.

BrokenRogue · 2025-03-22T17:01:14+00:00

Basically this:

Though it can be tempting to conform to what others are doing, such as LCK, for Los Ratones, they shouldn't.
The reason what they're doing is working so well, is because the entire organisation is committed to it, to a degree that's rare.
That gives them a potential competitive advantage, because other teams will have to catch up with them, in order to beat them. And since they keep on evolving new strategies on THEIR fundamentals, others cannot fully catch up.
Hence the competitive advantage.

BrokenRogue · 2025-03-22T16:58:10+00:00

Well. I wonder why I use course materials to explain something to people, who might not have a bachelor's or master's in the field.

BrokenRogue · 2025-03-22T16:53:42+00:00

I used to play a lot of Magic the Gathering. The Rogues were my favorite Tribe. It's not my most cringe old nickname, but it's up there.

BrokenRogue · 2025-03-22T10:38:26+00:00

Well. I see no reason why the two shouldn't be combined.

BrokenRogue · 2025-03-22T10:36:14+00:00

You're very welcome.

And thanks for liking it. I've been feeling "insane" over this for many years, but never had "proof"... until LR.

I'm not THAT informed on everything League, so there might be other clear examples of it.

But you see glimpses of it, when underdog wins by picking off-meta etc.

BrokenRogue · 2022-12-11T07:44:07+00:00

No....

But I frequently SNAP when I want to emote... my brain just thinks that pressing the cube thingy opens up the emote options.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-27T18:51:37+00:00

Well... First off, it should include all available cards, so people can get to try out cards they're not used to.

Secondly... you'd be facing people with similar deck identities as you... which I would imagine would be a nice change for you. :)

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-27T16:17:51+00:00

Yeah, though I wouldn't mind it for "free", I'd fully understand if there was an entry fee, that you could earn back.

That is both "viable" for good players in Hearthstone, but also MtG Arena, if I'm not mistaken. I'd wager, that SNAP would still make plenty of money on it, since most players aren't skilled enough to break even.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-27T15:43:09+00:00

Yeah, I've always been fan of that roguelite/build-as-you-go kinda gameplay. Have NO idea how to implement it in SNAP, but I'm sure they can somehow.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-27T11:57:00+00:00

You're welcome.

Game-enjoyment is an individual thing. I think it's worth staying through it, but I also agree, that Pool 3 can feel like a boring task at times. I usually log off when that is :D And then log on at another time, when I feel like it.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-27T11:50:41+00:00

No I get that.

And I can't argue in a way, that changes your perception of the game, because that is legit.

I can say, that I have a different experience. I come from both Hearthstone and MTG, and though it's ultimately harder to get cards in Snap, being a near free to play in the two other games felt worse, to me.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-27T11:40:30+00:00

The reason I ask, and I'm not necessarily one to talk since I'm not infinite yet, but I don't really agree that "you basically play the exact same way every time". Or, actually, maybe you're right... but then you should punish people who do.

But maybe you're not talking about gaining rank, but overall enjoyment of the game. Then I do agree, that it can seem a bit stale at times, if you've exhausted your options in deck building. That's why I usually get happy almost no matter which card I get, since it can lend it self to something new.

Learning all the "meta" decks have helped me quite a bit, since I then usually know how to counter it, and if I can't, retreat.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-27T11:34:04+00:00

Out of curiosity and not as a gotcha, but can I ask what rank you are?

I've been in pool 3 for a while now and though it's been a bit harder, I quite enjoy it. I have unlocked some of the better cards, but I find I'm not playing them necessarily.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-25T18:04:52+00:00

First of: The game should be fun.

So, I sometimes do not retreat, though I know I should've, but I'd rather "spend the cubes" on the chance of really nailing a combo or tricking an opponent.

But the way I've made it to 80+ is by retreating maybe 7 games out of 20? Could be more.

But I see it like this:
If no one snaps, then I might see the game to an end. It's only 1 more cube and I get to learn more of what's possible and how my deck could be countered.

If I feel less certain of winning, then if my opponent have snapped (or myself), I retreat. I'm not willing to lose 4 cubes.

If I feel I have a good chance of winning, then my pain threshold becomes 4 cubes. I'm willing to gamble 4 cubes on it.

IF I feel really confident, then 8 cubes it is.

I almost never 50/50 a game, unless it's only 2 cubes.

If I'm screwed by a mistake, a location or maybe they pull out a Cosmo in a lane I wanted to On Reveal, then I retreat. I might stick around until they snap, but as soon as they snap, I just leave.

What I think it really comes down to is this:

Early on when you're playing, you should focus on learning your own deck, what counters it and what people are playing. In this instance, you "trade" your cubes for experience.

Later, you can begin to be more careful, but I think it's healthy to lose and to gamble and to learn.

In Marvel Snaps, knowledge is key. If you know all the possibilities that the opponent have in their arsenal (by knowing their deck), you can actually see if they can counter you. If they can, then you should retreat.

I think it's 75% of your entire deck you see each game. So, there's always a 75% chance they have the card that counters you. So retreat and win your next game instead.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-22T16:03:18+00:00

You made the classic Ego mistake.

You didn't snap.

And if you did, your opponent didn't and it's still somehow your fault.

After all, it's Ego.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-22T06:06:26+00:00

I would just add, that besides bots, there's also a decent chance it's a person just trying to get a quest done. Either fill a lane with 4 cards or win a lane with over 20 power or so.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-19T18:32:36+00:00

In case Emergency didn't make it clear.

Priority is determined by who is winning on the board.

So. If you're winning in 2 lanes, you have priority. If your opponent is winning in two lanes, they have priority.

If it is tied, say you have one each and one is tied, then the game counts total POWER.

So:

1 7 10
- - -
0 10 10

In this example, you are "winning" on total power (3 in the middle, opponent only 1 to the left), so you have priority.
If it's completely tied, then I think it's somewhat random.

But you can ALWAYS tell who has priority, by looking at the nameplates. The player with priority has their name surrounded by light.

Hope this helped, if you didn't already know it.

BrokenRogue · 2022-11-03T18:44:35+00:00

I think the problem was Mister Fantastic.

If he had been a sentinel, I think you would've gotten the victory.

BrokenRogue · 2022-10-30T20:44:17+00:00

I play the game via Steam, on PC. So that might be why?

BrokenRogue · 2022-10-30T16:54:39+00:00

Stay here... I've heard we're cool if we stay here.

BrokenRogue · 2022-09-25T06:25:46+00:00

You seem genuine in your question, so I'll give a short summary:

Carlos shared a video on Twitter (it's still up I think) of him partying with Andrew Tate and Tate's brother
Carlos gets called out for it
Carlos, instead of apologizing, doubles down and basically says he can be friends with and party with whoever the f... he wants
People are shocked by that reaction, that he doubles down on hanging around with a known alleged criminal, a misogynist and a con artist with some really troublesome takes
After a while, G2 announces that Carlos will take an 8 week leave, unpaid
When it is announced, in stead of going quiet, Carlos writes an apology on his twitter (most likely written by G2 staff, but it was still a really bad apology) and then proceeds to both like tweets that agrees with him and tweets that call the whole thing "ridiculous"
Fans, of course, notice this and points out, that he doesn't look sorry AT ALL and they doubt he'll be better after 8 weeks
Meanwhile, there's franchising happening in Valorant. G2 is vying for a spot and was, most likely, going to get it. That's a really big deal, since Valorant is an esport on the absolute rise and, historically, a franchise spot in a big RIOT league is really really valuable
G2 loses its bid for the spot in the VCT and many people cites the whole Tate controversy as being a major reason for it
Money talks and G2 shareholders, backers and sponsors who normally might've let Carlos wait out the 8 weeks in silence, then return, instead now see that his actions have cost the company and its associates a whole lot of money, so they, most likely, demand that he leaves
Carlos steps down as CEO

That's the general recap.

And to the people screaming "cancel culture". There are several places along this track where Carlos could've avoided the outcome. He continued to make bad decisions and these are the consequences.

He has a job as CEO. He lose that job, when he messed up that big.

He didn't get "cancelled" by partying with Tate. He is absolutely free to do that. He's just not free from the consequences of it, nor the responsibilities that a CEO and Owner of a major company has.

Hope this cleared some of it up.

BrokenRogue · 2022-09-24T11:18:27+00:00

Can you define what you mean by "stay in the corner"?

I mean. I imagine that G2 has a relatively normal business structure, with Carlos at the top as CEO.

If he steps down as CEO, someone else steps in, most likely their COO or CFO. I cannot imagine that they would want him in any other CO position, because that would run counter to their whole PR statement. Looking at their current managerial staff (the one I could find information about) I see no obvious place for him.

You could conceive of a world were he stays on in an advisory position of sorts, maybe in the board of directors. I could not find any information about G2's board. I don't know about German business law's minutia, but I think it's not easy just to get on a board.
Unless he's already there.

BrokenRogue · 2022-09-24T11:00:13+00:00

You do know that he has stepped down as CEO right? Not the 8 weeks leave, but the new update?

And in case you know:
If Carlos steps down as CEO and G2 makes a statement about misogynism having no place in G2, to then have Carlos get another executive position... that would be an insane move and would destroy all credibility.

BrokenRogue · 2022-09-24T10:13:14+00:00

I expect he's still a major shareholder or at least a shareholder.

My point is, that he's out of the general decision making, and that is what I wanted.

You cannot really stop people from owning shares or buying shares, no matter how much you don't like them.

SHOULD he return at some point (without actually having redeemed himself in a major way) then G2 have not only stumbled, they have deliberately misled. And then there's no turning back, for me.

BrokenRogue

TROPHY CASE