Your team wins a few ranked games together, everyone feels sharp, and then someone asks the big question: "Should we start scrimming?" Suddenly you are sending messages to strangers, juggling time zones and wondering what to do when the other team shows up.
Scrims, short for scrimmages, are private practice matches between two teams. They are how organized squads, from school clubs to pro rosters, test strategies in a setting that feels like a real match. This guide explains how to find partners, run sessions smoothly and turn each scrim into actual progress.
🤝 What makes a scrim different from ranked or casual play?
In ranked, you queue with whoever the system picks, and the goal is to win that single game. In a scrim, both teams agree to practice together, often with specific goals, and the result matters less than what you learn.
That shift changes everything. You can repeat a strategy several times, ask for a specific map, pause to discuss a mistake, or agree to play out a scenario like a retake or an objective fight.
Scrims also expose you to a consistent opponent. Instead of random players with random habits, you face a coordinated team that punishes predictable plays, which is exactly what you need to grow as a unit.
- Ranked: individual climbing, random teammates and enemies.
- Casual: low stakes, good for warming up and trying ideas.
- Scrims: team practice against a known opponent, with shared rules and goals.
- Official matches: tournaments or leagues where results count.
🔎 Where can your team find practice partners?
Finding partners is the hardest part for new teams. The good news is that many amateur squads are in the same position and actively looking.
Common places to look include:
- Community Discord servers for your game or region, which often have a dedicated channel for scrim requests.
- Amateur tournament communities, where teams you meet in brackets may want regular practice.
- School and college esports clubs, which frequently scrim each other between league matches.
- Friends of friends, since a referral from someone you trust usually leads to reliable partners.
When you post a request, include the essentials so teams can answer quickly: game, region or server, approximate skill level, preferred days and times, and the format you want. A clear post looks organized, and organized teams attract other organized teams.
Tip: Keep a shared list of every team you have scrimmed with, plus a note on their skill level and reliability. After a month, you will have a small network of trusted partners and will rarely need to search from scratch.
Be honest about your level. Asking for practice against teams far above you sounds exciting, but lopsided scrims rarely teach much to either side. A partner slightly better than you is ideal.
Watch for red flags when someone new reaches out. A team that refuses to share a contact, asks for account details or wants money to "guarantee" a scrim is not a real practice partner. Legitimate scrims are free arrangements between teams, and nobody needs your password or payment to join a private lobby.
If you are struggling to find anyone, consider hosting an open practice night in a community server. Invite two or three teams, rotate matchups, and let everyone meet. Those evenings often turn into lasting partnerships.
📅 How do you schedule a scrim without chaos?
Scheduling problems cause more cancelled scrims than anything else. A little structure prevents most of them.
Agree on the basics in writing before the day:
| Detail | What to confirm | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Include the time zone | Avoids teams showing up an hour apart |
| Format | Number of games, maps or rounds | Keeps everyone on the same plan |
| Lobby setup | Who creates it and how others join | Saves the first 15 minutes |
| Server or region | One both teams can play on fairly | Keeps ping reasonable for both sides |
| Contacts | One captain from each team | Gives a single point for last-minute changes |
Send a reminder the day before and again about an hour before start time. If your team cannot make it, cancel as early as possible. Last-minute no-shows are the fastest way to lose a partner and earn a bad reputation in a small community.
Think about frequency, too. One or two scrims per week is plenty for most amateur teams, especially when players also have school, jobs and ranked goals. Regular sessions with the same partner let both teams track progress, while too many scrims can leave no time for the individual practice that fixes mechanical problems.
Have a backup player ready if you can. A sixth teammate, or a friend at a similar level, can save a session when someone gets stuck at work or school.
🎯 How should you run the session itself?
Show up ten minutes early, with everyone warmed up and in voice chat. Walking in cold wastes the first game and frustrates your partner.
Before you start, your team should know the goal for the day. Without one, scrims turn into casual matches with more pressure. Good goals are specific and limited:
- Practice one new default setup on a single map.
- Work on communication during objective fights.
- Test a new composition or role swap.
- Focus on a weak area, like defending after losing the first fight.
During games, keep comms calm and short. Save the long discussions for breaks between games. If something big goes wrong, one person can note the timestamp so you can review it later rather than arguing in the moment.
It also helps to give each teammate a job beyond playing. One person tracks timestamps of key moments, another watches the in-game clock or economy, and the captain handles talking with the other team. Splitting these duties keeps the session moving and stops one player from carrying all the mental load.
Take a short break between games. Five minutes to stretch, grab water and share one quick observation keeps energy up, especially during longer sessions that run past an hour or two.
Respect the other team's time and goals too. If they ask to replay a situation or swap sides, try to accommodate it. A scrim is a trade, and both teams should leave with something useful.
🧾 What does good scrim etiquette look like?
Reputation spreads fast in amateur scenes. Teams that are pleasant to practice with get more offers, better partners and invitations to tournaments.
Follow a few simple rules:
- Be on time and ready to play at the agreed start.
- Do not use the scrim to tilt or trash talk. Keep chat friendly or silent.
- Play seriously. Some teams agree to keep their tournament plans private, which is fine, but sandbagging the whole session wastes everyone's evening.
- Do not share the other team's strategies or recordings publicly without permission.
- Thank the other team and ask if they want to play again.
If problems happen, like disconnects or lag, communicate early through the captains. A short pause is better than finishing a game that does not reflect anything real.
📝 How do you review a scrim so it actually helps?
The real value of a scrim often comes after it ends. Teams that skip review tend to repeat the same mistakes week after week.
Keep the review short and focused. Thirty minutes right after the session, or the next day, is usually enough. Use recordings or replays if your game supports them.
A simple review structure:
- Start with what went well. Name two or three things worth repeating.
- Pick the biggest problem. Choose one main issue, not ten small ones.
- Find the cause. Was it communication, positioning, timing or decision making?
- Agree on a fix. Decide what you will try differently next time.
- Write it down. Keep a shared document with notes from each scrim.
Over time, that document becomes a record of your team's growth. You can look back and see which problems disappeared and which ones keep returning, which tells you where to focus individual practice.
Keep the tone constructive. Review is about decisions, not blame. Phrases like "what were we trying to do there?" open a conversation, while "you threw that round" usually shuts one down. Players who feel safe admitting mistakes learn faster, and the whole roster benefits.
Between scrims, turn the notes into small homework. If your team kept losing fights after a certain timing, each player can watch one replay and suggest a fix before the next session.
Rotate who leads the review if possible. When everyone takes turns, players feel more ownership, and quieter teammates get a chance to share what they noticed.
🏁 Ready to set up your first scrim?
Scrims are the bridge between playing together and actually functioning as a team. Find partners at a similar level, agree on clear details ahead of time, show up prepared with a goal, and review honestly afterward.
Remember that the scoreboard in a scrim is the least important number. A loss where you tested a new plan and learned why it failed is worth more than an easy win against a team that was not trying.
The first few might feel messy, and that is normal. After a handful of sessions, scheduling becomes routine, your partner list grows, and your team starts to win fights because of preparation rather than luck.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How many games should a typical scrim include?
It depends on the game and the time you have. Many teams play two or three full games or a fixed block of time, such as two hours, which leaves room for a short break and review.
Is it okay to scrim against a much better team?
Occasionally, yes, especially if they offer. Regular practice works best against teams near your level, since very one-sided games make it hard to test strategies or learn from close fights.
What should we do if the other team keeps cancelling?
Talk to their captain politely and ask if a different time works better. If cancellations continue, it is fine to stop scheduling with them and focus on more reliable partners.
Do scrims count toward ranked or official standings?
No. Scrims are private practice matches, so they do not affect ranked ratings or tournament results. That freedom is exactly what makes them valuable for experimenting.