In-Game Leader
The player with final tactical authority in-game — setting the macro strategy and unifying all calls.
Where shot calling is the act, IGL is the role. Concentrating the map-by-map game plan, authority over ult usage, and risk tolerance in one player keeps decisions from slowing down when several opinions collide at the critical moment. A team with no fixed IGL wavers on mid-round reset decisions. In OWCS the tank or the main support usually carries it, and it demands the decision speed to compute respawn distance and time remaining on the spot and rule an engage in or out.
In scrims and competitive play generally, fixing who the IGL is unifies engage decisions and reset decisions under one voice. In-game the rest of the team defers to the IGL's calls, and disagreements get raised after the fight.
No IGL, so every player makes calls off their own read and engage collides with reset. The IGL's calls aren't trusted, several players move on separate reads, and all five drift apart and lose.
Staging
Pre-fight phase where all 5 players align positions, sightlines, and retreat routes before engaging.
Ult Cycle
Long-game management of team ult economy across fights — engineering favorable trades every round.
Tempo
The initiative — who gets to choose when and on whose terms the next fight starts.
Shot Calling
Real-time verbal calls that synchronize when to engage, disengage, and align ultimates — translating information into action for the whole team.
Fight Reset
Choosing to disengage from a stalled or losing fight in order to rebuild formation, cooldowns, and HP.