Fantasy Team Contest

[Slartucker]

Registration for the tournament is now closed. We have a very competitive field of 35 players. Now the question is -- who do you think will win? Will it be an old hand or one of the many prodigious new players? In a Warlocks tournament, anything can happen...

Now's your chance to predict the winners, by participating in the Fantasy Team Contest! Assemble your fantasy team from the 35 warlocks listed below, send in your entry, and if the warlocks you choose do well, you just might win your own prize.

Each of your team members will accrue points for each game he or she wins. For example, if Bob wins 3 games in his initial pod, goes 2-1 in round 2 and 1-2 in round 3, he might end up with 12 points for his six game wins. If he went 0-2 in round 2 he'd have six points, and if he lost all his pod games he'd have zero. Your team's score will be equal to the sum of its members' scores, and of course, the team with the highest score wins. Note that this scoring system is a significant change from last year's fantasy contest. It should be much more equitable!

Just as last year, there's a restriction on your team. You can choose between 3 and 5 warlocks from the list; however, their total point value cannot exceed 100. To aid in assembling your teams, some statistics about each entrant are listed in the table below -- but the best teams may rely on your own opinions about who the best values are.

Sample teams: Vermont, Zugzwang, and Toyotami (Total: 100 points); or Atticus, Derfel, Jes, Alaric, and Dubber (Total: 95 points).

Warlock	Point Value	ELO	Wins / games	Other notes
Alaric	20	1711	2040 / 2953	Most games played of any warlock
Atticus	15	1713	105 / 198
Awall	20	1741	26 / 33
Bzali	15	1660	43 / 82
CalicoJack	35	1888	372 / 567	2004 champion, 2006 quarterfinalist, d-1337
Chaz	10	1511	249 / 591
Dakuan	10	1531	28 / 69
Derfel	15	1625	482 / 893
Dni	10	1526	57 / 191
Dubber	25	1800	1577 / 2505	2006 placer, d-1337
Dummiesday	20	1770	133 / 208
Ericdcrow	15	1648	99 / 198
Freesoul	30	1842	416 / 690	Team champion, 2006 placer
Grep	15	1679	218 / 419
Jes	20	1801	217 / 365
Laxen	10	1491	7 / 16
Maven	25	1752	790 / 1390	Team champion, 2006 semifinalist, d-1337
Morzas	10	1375	26 / 126
Mpchatty	10	1413	17 / 70
Nawglan	15	1701	794 / 1492	d-1337, Warlocks archive author
Neocow	10	1472	0 / 4
QnanG5284	10	1493	7 / 20
Rasper	15	1652	52 / 112	Gesture evaluator author
Reds	30	1853	419 / 619	2006 semifinalist, d-1337
Rycchus	25	1837	127 / 202
Sneezy	15	1629	83 / 173
Spacca	40	1934	Countless	Master warlock, 2004 runner-up
Spez	25	1790	390 / 592	2006 placer
Spleenboy	10	1401	9 / 41
Toyotami	40	1998	535 / 793	2006 runner-up, d-1337
Twobee	15	1641	133 / 258	Earliest Warlocks career of all participants
Vermont	20	1788	190 / 350
Xade	35	1898	431 / 660	2006 quarterfinalist
Zen	10	1567	468 / 969
Zugzwang	40	1966	197 / 312	2006 quarterfinalist, d-1337

You don't have to be part of the tournament to enter the contest. If you are, you're still free to pick yourself for your fantasy team (or not to).

Enter the Contest by clicking on this link and sending a message to Slartucker.
Teams posted in this thread will not be entered in the contest.

Each entry must include the following:
1) Your own Warlocks ID
2) The NAME of your team -- this is up to you
3) The members of your team

Entries will be accepted until the first round of the tournament begins, which will be around September 7. Good luck!

[vermont]

Have the pools been published yet? It would make selecting my choices much easier.

[Derfel]

Agreed - that's what I'm waiting for.

[Rycchus]

No, I think it's more fun without.

[vermont]

I disagree. If you happen to pick warlocks that end up in the same pool, your odds of doing well are basically nil. It makes it more about the pool determination than you skill is selecting warlocks.

[freesoul]

Unfortunately, being able to select your fantasy team after the pools have been disclosed would be an unfair advantage to those who already selected their team.

[Derfel]

Okay, so I picked sans pools.

[vermont]

I'm sure they could amend their picks.

Although, I guess making more work for Slarty is not a good idea. I'll just hope to get lucky!

[Derfel]

I picked myself 6 and a half times. Hope that works out...

[Slartucker]

In case it wasn't clear, you have to pick your teams BEFORE the pods are published. The pods are published when round 1 starts, which is the same time the contest ends. This was intentional.

And Vermont, I completely disagree. Suppose there are 10 warlocks, and just 2 are top notch. If they are in the same pool one will likely win 4 games and one will win 3. Both will advance and likely win more games in subsequent rounds. In different pools they'll both win 4, and both advance. So the randomization of pools doesn't really make a big difference.

[calicojack]

But if 3 of your picks are in one pool, you're screwed. But then that rarely happends. Eh, if it does, perhaps give someone the option to make 1 swap to rectify that situation.

[xade]

I'm just hoping that my picks aren't in my pool...

[Rycchus]

Yeah, I found myself looking at the people I think can beat me easily... but that's kind of a conflict of interests if I end up playing them!
Ideally I want players who can beat everyone in the tournament except me

And it's great fun looking for bargains!

[Slartucker]

calicojack said:

But if 3 of your picks are in one pool, you're screwed. But then that rarely happends. Eh, if it does, perhaps give someone the option to make 1 swap to rectify that situation.

Perhaps I should also give someone the option to make 1 swap if 3 of their picks lose.

Seriously, this is a crapshoot. Even in the single elim tourney there is randomness involved. That's part of the fun. If the randomness is not kind to you, whining will only reflect poorly on your ability to cope with frustration.

[Derfel]

Confusion!