Yeah 2GMT isn't an option for me any more due to working. I could try getting an EU version running, or run some earlier on in the afternoon (say 5-7EST) for NA people? The effort in getting the EU nlpg etc groups up and running again would be momentous and I don't have all that much time...

I've never truly understood why people on UGC teams with UGC experience show up. At that point it seems like hoping for free mentoring. They're already on teams that are ostensibly scrimming and competing - and it makes true newbies really difficult to manage in my experience - especially if you get a true noobie on medic or demo, your newbie mix pug is going to be a disaster for a sizable amount of time if you've got folks on the opposite end who are on teams.

Having the coaches simply watch was a definite improvement. The last time I was in - a few weeks ago, I had plenty of fun. I just don't find myself at home very often on Fridays.

If you're on a UGC team and you think you need help, I'm happy to provide, it's not like I'll be doing anything any week night for the next several months.

Pie hero said that people being coached preferred when coaches played as they felt as if they were more involved. As a coach I liked spectating more because otherwise it could be hard to see what the flank was doing right and wrong. I think if people are coaching from spec they need to be just as vocal as they would if they were maincalling, probably more.

yeah I don't like playing because it forces the coaches to essentially be final bosses, or you drive the boat entirely while everybody else just kinda spectates. Generally, the best way to learn is to drive yourself as opposed to watching somebody else - it's not like anybody is going to remember any of the calls you make in games or understand the circumstances that required that call if they're a true noobie anyways and you're trying to play effectively.

I really like this idea. I'm gonna start trying to do the same on random weeknights when I can

I really appreciate that this amount of people replied and some problems have come up in this thread that have been of concern of the newbie mixes. My main goal for this version of newbie mixes was not only to get new players but also give ugc players some amount of confidence and game sense to be able to play in open like the coaches had done for me. I like the idea of separating those 2 skill groups into 2 days but im afraid that there would be a lack of new newbies. I have been trying to plan a newbie mix tournament to try to get this group back on the map. The idea was kind of like a community vs the pros tournament except it would be community with the pros and there could possibly be prizes. I really need help on how to get this group back on the map (besides advertising on reddit and tumblr we got that covered.)

what do y'all think of separating newbies based on "brand new/lobby", "UGC exp.", and "low- open exp."?

as opposed to the loosely hour based exp. separation we've used in the past

That's how it's separated now - no comp experience, Highlander/UGC 6v6 lower divs, and UGC 6v6 Platinum/Open.

When I'm coaching, I like to have a mix of skills in the game. Otherwise, the games are pretty much always a 5-0 for one team or the other. It's really hard to coach 6 completely new players without making it kinda unfun. I find it hard to allow aggressive play because of how out of hand it can get with multiple people overextending and stuff. With some UGC people thrown into the mix, you get a group of people that can do their own thing, so you can really focus on teaching the newbies how to do stuff during the fights. Then, at the end of fights you critique the UGC player's playstyle. Also, in groups with just noobies, the punishment for major mistakes just isn't there. With mixed groups, the noobies get the basic, the ugc players get more complex advice, the game is less chaotic, the UGC players get good at shutting down people playing overly-aggressive, the noobs learn the over-aggression has consequences, and I don't get an aneurysm. Everybody wins!

I also like coaching while playing for a sort of similar reason. Not only can I balance the teams by handicapping myself/ tryharding, I can also focus on what the other people are doing without having to work with whoever would otherwise be on the class I'm playing. It's much easier to coach 5 people than it is to coach 6 people.

Edit: Also the more IM/ Invite players that coach, the better. Give it a shot!