2026-08-11, 07:49 AM - Word count:
Mock Draft (First Round + Comp Picks)
Hello! With the draft starting sometime this week and being announced Sunday, this is my only real chance to do a mock draft. I can infer a little bit from my chats about potential rankings, but for the most part I'm flying blind here, as God intended. I'm also not in main so I am flying completely blind on the activity part. But being uneducated has never stopped me before, so why let it stop me now?
1. Dakar & Alfama
Needs: Yes.
Pick: Thomas Thunder, LAM/LM/CM
As much as I would love to put myself first overall (and I really would love to), I don't think I spoke with the scouts for Dakar leading up to the draft. Thomas Thunder can play the important CM position and has a very healthy bank account to go with it and assure earnings going forward. Best of all, Thunder is a new create and can help set the culture for the expansion team going forward.
2. Xelajú & Masques (via Casablanca & Guayaquil)
Needs: GK, CD/RD/LD
Pick: Swiss Cheese, GK
Xelajú traded one of their players to the expansion franchise to be the AM, and in return get the second overall pick in the draft (after previously trading away the fourth overall pick). The team has exactly one goalkeeper on the roster, a 414 TPE pick from the most recent draft. It's a deep GK class but there's something to be said for going out and getting your guy, and that's just what Xelajú do. They select Swiss Cheese, the highest TPE + bank account goalie of the group.
3. Reykjavik & North Shore (via Tokyo & Cairo)
4. Reykjavik & North Shore (via Xelajú & Masques)
Needs: CD/RD/LD, F, CAM
Picks:
Scott Newman, CAM/F/RAM
Butters Stotch, CM/CAM/RAM
Reykjavik has two picks here so they get lumped together. While writing this I looked back and realized I accidentally ghosted not one but two scouts from the org (I was on vacation!) which does not bode well for me, personally, here. Reykjavik is an older team, especially in their minors which features only 3 players from S20 on. I think they'll just be drafting best users available here to try and replenish the farm, especially given how many picks they have this draft. They take two midfielders, Newman and Stotch, both who have strong TPE earning early on with good bank accounts. Fight amongst yourselves on who goes 3 and who goes 4.
5. Schwarzwälder & Montreal
Needs: F, CF/RD/LD
Pick: Captain MetalBeard, RD/RM/RWB
Black Forest & Montreal are coming out of a pretty heavy rebuild and have a lot of young talent sitting in the minors, with 8 players from the last 3 drafts at various levels of earning. They're pretty well set up for the future thanks to this and therefore have a lot of flexibility with their pick here. The only real "need" might be at forward, or collecting another defender to even out the roster (5 at the majors level, 4 in the minors). They fall in love with the power user Tuba, a sim league veteran and a new create, and are happy to take the known, reliable presence here at fifth overall.
6. Buenos Aires & Athenai
Needs: GK
Pick: Slim Towered, GK
The organization is in need of goal keeper in a bad way, and it's a decent class. But they look at the board and think, man, these top keepers aren't getting back to us if we wait until the second round. So they're forced to take one early, and they decide on Slim Towered over Kagenori. Towered has earned really well so far.
8. Rome & London
Needs: CD/LD/RD
Pick: Paulie Wag, CD/LWB/CDM
London has only two defenders on the team, and there's 4 at the majors level... with 2 IA. I don't see any way they don't grab a defender here. I think I'm a strong candidate here, and life's short, so I'll send myself to Rome cause why not. I had a brief conversation with a scout for the team so that's as good of a reason as any. It's a bit of a fall from where I had hoped to be picked, to be honest, but between the various scouting conversations (or lack thereof), team needs, and trades, I just don't see it happening otherwise. I think the lack of activity in main (since i'm not in it) really hurts my draft stock and therefore my scouting conversations. C'est la via.
9. Casablanca & Guayaquil (via Shanghai & Magyar)
Needs: Still Yes.
Pick: Kazeno Kagenori, GK
The first true pick for the expansion team in Casablanca since they traded the second overall, and they have need of every position on the pitch. Really they just need enough bodies to form a team. That's kind of the main goal, here. They have 3 players in the majors and 5 in the minors, so again it's really just best user here, like it was for Dakar. Zephyrus is a pretty cool dude, so I'm gonna guess they fell in love with him and snag him with the ninth pick. That's the last of the strong goal keepers out of the pool now so it solves a couple problems at once for Casablanca.
10. Reykjavik & North Shore (via Tenochtitlan & Krung)
Needs: CD/LD/RD
Pick: Meisho Doto, CD/LD/RD
Reykjavik took two players at 3 and 4 to slot into their midfielder and forward roles, which just leaves a need on defense now. Nelson was almost taken at 8, but slips down the ladder two picks here. Doto, another CD out of Japan like myself (twins!), goes just after at the tenth pick. It's a strong pickup for Reykjavik to grab the next best earning CD and fits in perfectly with the team.
11. Liffeyside & Rova
Needs: GK?
Pick: Max Velox, RWB/RM/RD
Liffey has such a young roster in the minors that there's not really a "need" here. The entire group is from season 22 and on! Without a top tier goalie available, they just find a user they like, Sizz, and take them.
12. Dakar & Alfama (via Tokyo & Cairo via São Paulo & Paris)
Needs: You guessed it: Yes.
Pick: Gösta Holmberg, LAM/CAM/LM
Dakar is once again on the hunt for active players, preferably people who will stick around and build up the clubhouse. Hexx is around in a couple leagues and has a healthy bank balance, and can be counted on to contribute at least some to discord activity.
13. Reykjavik & North Shore
Needs: ? ???
Pick: Yoshisaur Munchakoopa, LAM/ST/RAM
Oh my god these guys again. They're not even an expansion team! How do they have so many picks??? I really like Yoshisaur's name and that's all I need for this pick.
14. Casablanca & Guayaquil (via Catalunya & Seoul via Hollywood & Cape Town)
Needs: Yes.
Pick: Idris Nelson, CD/LWB/LD
We're in a run of 3 straight expansion picks here to end the first round and into the comp picks. The expansion teams won't be picky about position at all and are just looking for people. Towards the end of the first, players bank accounts (and TPE) are starting to get lower and lower, with some exceptions. That's who the expansion teams will be targeting here, just trying to fill up the rosters and create a locker room culture.
15. Dakar & Alfama
Needs: More.
Pick: Cal McRae, CM/CDM/CD
16. Casablanca & Guayaquil
Needs: Even more.
Pick: Tadgh O'Hurley, LWB/LM/LD
17. Hollywood & Cape Town
Needs: Midfielder
Pick: Grant Transfer, LAM/CAM/LM
Hollywood get a compensatory pick after losing one of their players to be the expansion OM. It's another pretty young roster in the minors with a few exceptions. Some of their recent midfield picks aren't earning quote as much as you'd want, I think, so they pick up one here to supplement that group. Hacob is a sim league vet you can count on to earn well and slots in well with the team.
Hello! With the draft starting sometime this week and being announced Sunday, this is my only real chance to do a mock draft. I can infer a little bit from my chats about potential rankings, but for the most part I'm flying blind here, as God intended. I'm also not in main so I am flying completely blind on the activity part. But being uneducated has never stopped me before, so why let it stop me now?
1. Dakar & Alfama
Needs: Yes.
Pick: Thomas Thunder, LAM/LM/CM
As much as I would love to put myself first overall (and I really would love to), I don't think I spoke with the scouts for Dakar leading up to the draft. Thomas Thunder can play the important CM position and has a very healthy bank account to go with it and assure earnings going forward. Best of all, Thunder is a new create and can help set the culture for the expansion team going forward.
2. Xelajú & Masques (via Casablanca & Guayaquil)
Needs: GK, CD/RD/LD
Pick: Swiss Cheese, GK
Xelajú traded one of their players to the expansion franchise to be the AM, and in return get the second overall pick in the draft (after previously trading away the fourth overall pick). The team has exactly one goalkeeper on the roster, a 414 TPE pick from the most recent draft. It's a deep GK class but there's something to be said for going out and getting your guy, and that's just what Xelajú do. They select Swiss Cheese, the highest TPE + bank account goalie of the group.
3. Reykjavik & North Shore (via Tokyo & Cairo)
4. Reykjavik & North Shore (via Xelajú & Masques)
Needs: CD/RD/LD, F, CAM
Picks:
Scott Newman, CAM/F/RAM
Butters Stotch, CM/CAM/RAM
Reykjavik has two picks here so they get lumped together. While writing this I looked back and realized I accidentally ghosted not one but two scouts from the org (I was on vacation!) which does not bode well for me, personally, here. Reykjavik is an older team, especially in their minors which features only 3 players from S20 on. I think they'll just be drafting best users available here to try and replenish the farm, especially given how many picks they have this draft. They take two midfielders, Newman and Stotch, both who have strong TPE earning early on with good bank accounts. Fight amongst yourselves on who goes 3 and who goes 4.
5. Schwarzwälder & Montreal
Needs: F, CF/RD/LD
Pick: Captain MetalBeard, RD/RM/RWB
Black Forest & Montreal are coming out of a pretty heavy rebuild and have a lot of young talent sitting in the minors, with 8 players from the last 3 drafts at various levels of earning. They're pretty well set up for the future thanks to this and therefore have a lot of flexibility with their pick here. The only real "need" might be at forward, or collecting another defender to even out the roster (5 at the majors level, 4 in the minors). They fall in love with the power user Tuba, a sim league veteran and a new create, and are happy to take the known, reliable presence here at fifth overall.
6. Buenos Aires & Athenai
Needs: GK
Pick: Slim Towered, GK
The organization is in need of goal keeper in a bad way, and it's a decent class. But they look at the board and think, man, these top keepers aren't getting back to us if we wait until the second round. So they're forced to take one early, and they decide on Slim Towered over Kagenori. Towered has earned really well so far.
8. Rome & London
Needs: CD/LD/RD
Pick: Paulie Wag, CD/LWB/CDM
London has only two defenders on the team, and there's 4 at the majors level... with 2 IA. I don't see any way they don't grab a defender here. I think I'm a strong candidate here, and life's short, so I'll send myself to Rome cause why not. I had a brief conversation with a scout for the team so that's as good of a reason as any. It's a bit of a fall from where I had hoped to be picked, to be honest, but between the various scouting conversations (or lack thereof), team needs, and trades, I just don't see it happening otherwise. I think the lack of activity in main (since i'm not in it) really hurts my draft stock and therefore my scouting conversations. C'est la via.
9. Casablanca & Guayaquil (via Shanghai & Magyar)
Needs: Still Yes.
Pick: Kazeno Kagenori, GK
The first true pick for the expansion team in Casablanca since they traded the second overall, and they have need of every position on the pitch. Really they just need enough bodies to form a team. That's kind of the main goal, here. They have 3 players in the majors and 5 in the minors, so again it's really just best user here, like it was for Dakar. Zephyrus is a pretty cool dude, so I'm gonna guess they fell in love with him and snag him with the ninth pick. That's the last of the strong goal keepers out of the pool now so it solves a couple problems at once for Casablanca.
10. Reykjavik & North Shore (via Tenochtitlan & Krung)
Needs: CD/LD/RD
Pick: Meisho Doto, CD/LD/RD
Reykjavik took two players at 3 and 4 to slot into their midfielder and forward roles, which just leaves a need on defense now. Nelson was almost taken at 8, but slips down the ladder two picks here. Doto, another CD out of Japan like myself (twins!), goes just after at the tenth pick. It's a strong pickup for Reykjavik to grab the next best earning CD and fits in perfectly with the team.
11. Liffeyside & Rova
Needs: GK?
Pick: Max Velox, RWB/RM/RD
Liffey has such a young roster in the minors that there's not really a "need" here. The entire group is from season 22 and on! Without a top tier goalie available, they just find a user they like, Sizz, and take them.
12. Dakar & Alfama (via Tokyo & Cairo via São Paulo & Paris)
Needs: You guessed it: Yes.
Pick: Gösta Holmberg, LAM/CAM/LM
Dakar is once again on the hunt for active players, preferably people who will stick around and build up the clubhouse. Hexx is around in a couple leagues and has a healthy bank balance, and can be counted on to contribute at least some to discord activity.
13. Reykjavik & North Shore
Needs: ? ???
Pick: Yoshisaur Munchakoopa, LAM/ST/RAM
Oh my god these guys again. They're not even an expansion team! How do they have so many picks??? I really like Yoshisaur's name and that's all I need for this pick.
14. Casablanca & Guayaquil (via Catalunya & Seoul via Hollywood & Cape Town)
Needs: Yes.
Pick: Idris Nelson, CD/LWB/LD
We're in a run of 3 straight expansion picks here to end the first round and into the comp picks. The expansion teams won't be picky about position at all and are just looking for people. Towards the end of the first, players bank accounts (and TPE) are starting to get lower and lower, with some exceptions. That's who the expansion teams will be targeting here, just trying to fill up the rosters and create a locker room culture.
15. Dakar & Alfama
Needs: More.
Pick: Cal McRae, CM/CDM/CD
16. Casablanca & Guayaquil
Needs: Even more.
Pick: Tadgh O'Hurley, LWB/LM/LD
17. Hollywood & Cape Town
Needs: Midfielder
Pick: Grant Transfer, LAM/CAM/LM
Hollywood get a compensatory pick after losing one of their players to be the expansion OM. It's another pretty young roster in the minors with a few exceptions. Some of their recent midfield picks aren't earning quote as much as you'd want, I think, so they pick up one here to supplement that group. Hacob is a sim league vet you can count on to earn well and slots in well with the team.
![[Image: uF2FKWe.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uF2FKWe.png)
