Esports Stats Cheatsheet (What They Mean & Why They Matter)

*Context matters by role, map, and meta. Use benchmarks as rough guides only.

Esports A–Z

A

• ADC (Attack Damage Carry) — Late-game damage role (MOBA); needs peel and items.
• ADR / ACS — Avg Damage/Round; Avg Combat Score (Valorant) — quick strength snapshots.
• ADS — Aim Down Sights for accuracy over speed.
• Aerial — Rocket League airborne touch/play.
• Anchor — Site hold / cap hold; also late-round clutch role.
• Angles (Tight/Wide) — Sightlines that set pre-aim expectations.
• Anti-Eco — Respect saves; trade safely; deny weapon pickups.
• AP / HE / SAP — WoWS shell types: Armor-Piercing, High-Explosive, Semi-AP.
• APM — Actions per Minute; RTS heritage metric.

B

• Backcap — Ninja capture on an unattended objective.
• Bait & Switch — Show presence → rotate or swing with second player.
• Best-of (Bo1/Bo3/Bo5) — Series length; affects upset odds.
• Bracket Reset — Lower-bracket team wins first grands to force a final set.
• Break / Shield Break — FGC neutral break or guard break into punish.
• BR (Battle Royale) — Last-team-standing with zone pressure.
• Broadside — WoWS side-on angle; risky vs AP citadels.
• Buff / Nerf — Balance change stronger/weaker.
• Buy / Half-Buy / Eco — Round economy decisions.

C

• Cap — Capture zone (A/B/C) for points/pressure.
• Carry — Converts resources to wins; build around them.
• CC (Crowd Control) — Stuns, slows, roots; enables picks.
• Choke Point — Narrow path; utility amplifies defense.
• Citadel — WoWS vital area; AP hits here = massive damage.
• Clear / Pathing — Efficient jungle/looting routes.
• Clutch — Low-odds win (often 1vX) via spacing/utility.
• Coach Pause — Tactical timeout called by coach/IGL.
• Confirm — FGC hit-confirm into max punish.

D

• Dash / Wave Dash — FGC/Smash movement tech.
• Default — Spread to gather info and bait utility.
• Dev Strike — WoWS near-instant deletion (citadels/torps).
• DLP (Damage, Location, Pressure) — Fast fight evaluation lens.
• DNF — Did Not Finish; DC/forfeit outcome.
• Double-Elimination — Two losses → out; reset possible.
• DPI / eDPI — Mouse sens; eDPI = DPI × sens.
• Draft — Pick/ban maps/heroes/agents.
• Drift — Rocket League controlled slide into power shot.

E

• Econ — Managing resources across rounds.
• Ego Peek — Overconfident wide swing; punishable.
• Elastic Defense — Give space to buy time for rotations.
• Elo / MMR — Skill rating systems; implementations vary.
• Entry — First in; baits shots; creates trade timing.
• Execute — Coordinated hit with layered utility.

F

• Fake — Lurk/utility noise to force rotations.
• First Blood — First pick/stock; tempo swing.
• Flick — Rapid aim correction.
• Flank — Attack from unexpected angle.
• Footsies — FGC spacing mind-games in neutral.
• Force Buy — Invest on a save round for momentum.
• Free Look / Spotting — Info without overexposing.

G

• Game Sense — Pattern reads + timing intuition.
• GG / GGs — Sportsmanship “good game(s)”.
• Gimmick — Off-beat strat; works once—use sparingly.
• Glass Cannon — High damage; low durability.
• GSL Groups — Winners/losers decide two advancers.
• Grapple / Zip — Mobility tech (Apex/OW/etc.).

H

• Hard Commit — Full-send; no fake/rotate.
• Head Glitch — Only head exposed; hard to hit.
• HE Spam — WoWS fire farming; module damage.
• Hit Confirm — FGC reaction confirm into combo.
• HP Trade — Take damage to win space/time.
• HUD — On-screen status info.

I

• IGL — In-game leader; macro calls.
• Invade — Contest enemy space/resources early.
• i-Frames — Invincibility windows on moves.
• Int — Intentionally feeding; TOS violation.

J

• Jiggle Peek — Micro-peeks to bait shots/info.
• Juke — Movement feint to waste enemy utility.
• Jungle — MOBA role managing neutral camps/objectives.

K

• K/D — Kills/Deaths; role-context critical.
• KAST — % rounds with kill/assist/survive/traded.
• Kit — Agent/hero ability loadout.
• Kickoff — Rocket League opening play.
• Knock — BR down-but-not-out state.

L

• Ledge Trap — Smash ledge pressure.
• Lineups — Pre-learned utility angles.
• LOS — Line of sight; break LOS to live.
• Lurk — Solo pressure to catch rotations.
• Losers’ Run — LB momentum to grands.

M

• Macro — Rotations, objectives, tempo.
• Micro — Aim, movement, timing.
• Meta — Most effective strategies this patch.
• MMR — Matchmaking rating; hidden/visible.
• Mock / Dry Run — Practice execute.
• Mount / Cap Pressure — WoWS cap control for points.

N

• NA / EU / APAC / LATAM — Regions.
• Neutral — No advantage; FGC core state.
• No-Scope / Quickscope — Sniper shot types.
• NT — “Nice try.”

O

• Objective Play — Caps/plants/defuses over chase kills.
• Off-Angle — Uncommon position; breaks crosshair placement.
• One-Way — Utility lets you see them first.
• OT — Overtime; tie-break rounds/maps.
• Overmatch / Overpen — WoWS AP armor rules.
• Overpeek — Swing too wide/alone; free trade.

P

• Parry — FGC defensive counter.
• Peek Advantage — Netcode/angle timing edge.
• Pick/Ban — Pre-match selection process.
• Pivot — Mid-round site switch.
• Plant / Post-Plant — Bomb down; play time with lineups.
• PUG / Scrim — Ad-hoc vs arranged practice.
• Pushblock — FGC defense to create space.

Q

• Queue Dodge — Leave before start; penalties apply.
• Quick Chat — Rocket League macros for comms.

R

• Read — Informed prediction of tendencies.
• Reset — FGC neutral reset / bracket reset.
• Retake — Coordinated site reclaim.
• RLCS — Rocket League Championship Series.
• ROI (Role Impact) — How role converts to wins.
• Rotate — Move to support/hit opening.

S

• Save — Keep guns/ults for next round.
• Seeding — Place teams by rank/data.
• Set Play — Rehearsed timing/pathing.
• Shield Drop — Smash fast exit from block.
• Shotcall — Real-time directives.
• Side-B — Smash directional special.
• Spam — Utility/fire volume for control.
• Split Push — MOBA dual-lane pressure.
• Spotting / Hydro / Radar — WoWS vision tools.
• Swiss — Same-record pairings each round.

T

• TAW / AA — WoWS aircraft spotting / anti-air.
• Teamfight / Skirmish — 5v5 vs small numbers.
• Tempo — Speed of decision cycles.
• Third Party — BR team crashes ongoing fight.
• Tilt — Mental spiral; pause and reset.
• Timing — Windows of power/weakness.
• TK — Team kill; penalties vary.
• Trade — Immediate refrag to keep numbers.
• Turtle — Sit deep, force errors.

U

• Ult Economy — Track and convert ults.
• Utility — Smokes, flashes, mollies, drones, walls.
• Unranked MMR — Hidden rating before placements.

V

• VOD Review — Rewatch/annotate to fix patterns.
• Valorant Roles — Duelist, Controller, Initiator, Sentinel.
• Vision Control — Wards/denies; BR info utilities.
• Volleys / Salvos — WoWS alpha strike pacing.

W

• Walk / Shift — Silent movement.
• Ward / Sweep — MOBA vision tools.
• Wave Clear — Clear minions fast.
• Wide Swing — Break held angles.
• Win Condition — Most reliable path to victory.
• World of Warships Core — Angling, Concealment, Dispersion, DCP, Heal, Spotter, CV, AA, Overmatch/Overpen. Start here: World of Warships review.

X

• X-Factor — Player/strat that swings series beyond averages.
• X-Ray — Observer wall vision for viewers only.

Y

• Y-Peek — Shoulder-bait then wide swing vs AWPer.
• Yield (Play for Time) — Delay fights to win on clock/rotations.

Z

• Zone — BR circle or area control objective.
• Zone Break — Layered utility to crack entrenched setups.

Esports FAQ

What’s the difference between Elo and MMR?

Elo is a classic rating model; MMR is the umbrella term for a game’s internal skill score. Each title implements its own version to create fair matches.

How do double-elimination brackets work?

Everyone starts in upper bracket; a loss sends you to lower; a second loss eliminates you. Grand finals may include a bracket reset if lower-bracket wins the first series.

What is “meta” and how often does it change?

Meta = most effective strategies this patch/season. It shifts with balance updates, new maps/heroes, and pro innovation.

Where should I start with World of Warships?

Begin with our World of Warships review for core mechanics (angling, concealment, overmatch) and beginner tips.

How do I find beginner tournaments?

Start with platform/community events and weekly cups. Use our guide: Enter online gaming tournaments.

Cite This Glossary

You’re welcome to quote 1–2 definitions with a link back. Quick copy attribution:

Esports Terms A–Z — Free Gaming Lounge. Available at: https://freegaminglounge.com/esports-glossary/ (accessed on November 6, 2025).

Longer excerpts are fine for non-commercial education with a clear link to this page.