A Beaver's S21 Mock Draft (Featuring Bunny)

[Beavie]

*Breaks down a door with the help of a cute Bunny*

WHO WANTS TO TALK MOCK DRAFTS!?

One of the most exciting times for a player is the draft. What team will pick you? Will you go high? I also know through my limited knowledge in regards to being a newly minted CO-GM in a partner league, it is very stressful and coming down to a final choice is not easy. This is not a real life league where we look at raw stats on the field, instead it comes down to a few factors.

TPE and ability to earn: Are they going to be a top earner, or at least consistent?

User: The user’s personality, potential LR presence, are they likely to stay around and not be a headache?

Team needs: Are we doubling up on positions? Are they willing to change if needed? Is it more important to have a sparkplug in the LR or a good earning user? (Or can you be both!?)

I can speak from personal experience in my SHL draft(s) that as someone who has a goaltender in the SHL, I had several teams wish I was not a goaltender due to them being set between the pipes and likely would have fell further if a team didn’t have an opening in net. I’ve also seen some people fall due to being low earners despite being a fun person to be around, or completely tank their draft status due to drama. It’s a balancing act.

But I can say I’ve enjoyed multiple of my fellow s21 classmates, so, in an effort to learn the league a lil’ and have some fun, I’m going to predict the top 10, likely fail horribly, and ‘put over’ some of my fellow classmates.

However, as a note. This will be going off of the current standings as of May 24th, pending this ongoing sim, and on the assumption each team has their pick in round one. I’m sorry, I don’t have access to that information. I’ll try to consider those things above. I’ll also go on the assumption that teams will ideally aim for people who play a position of need currently, though I imagine a number of users may be willing to change positions.

Ready? Fight!

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1st overall:

  Shanghai Dragons FC 

One of the two new teams on the block, the pride of China has not had a prideful season with them falling towards the bottom of the league table and even their Minor Club, Rapid Magyar SC, find themselves on the towards the bottom. With them still finding their identity, you can point to their needs as “Everything” and call it a day. To narrow it down, I find they have a few inactive spots they could very well fill some of with the draft. Their highest needs though are three spots with retiring players hanging up their cleats, two CD and one RWB. The back field is a need and I have learned quickly that it is valuable in a draft.

So with that, the first pick will be:

Prediction: Petter Lind, Central Back

Suppose we will need Henrik Lind’s young son? At 479 TPE as of the time of writing this, towards the top of the class in earning, this is a very safe pick. Canadice is the league commish, already familiar with the club, and will be able to consistently earn throughout his player’s career. As one of the league’s head honcho’s, you have the right person to guide any new users that come into your locker room and with them being an expansion team, to build a healthy locker room long term, it isn’t just about having some energetic new users, but several who know what they’re doing to reign them in and create a long-term vision.

Add him being in a position of high need? This seems like a win-win.

2nd overall:
CF Catalunya

While Barcelona in real life is a football powerhouse, the team in the SSL from the same region right now has fallen to the bottom of the standings, with their Minor club finding themselves mid-pool. There’s some potential in their organization, but if they end up with an early pick, then they can find a nice way to add to their club. Right now they are a young team. Most of their players appear to be within that s18 to s20 range and they are full of active users. In a few seasons, I can see them at the top of the standings.

To find what they really need (Apart from the passage of time and their young users to keep earning) is to fill two spots. The first is an s3, Hugh Mann, at Left wingback. Then, Apollo Zervas who has an inactive user who plays striker. Striker does not seem as pressing of the two, at least not for this first pick, as they have an s18 striker who is active on the main club.

Prediction: Carolina Salazar, Left Wing Back

While there is a striker who is high up in terms of TPE, I think Carolina Salazar, with the current build, slots well into CF Catalunya’s current needs at Left Wingback. Renomitsu also has history in the same SHL I GM, so you earn points there. This is a recreate with great energy every time I see him in the locker rooms with a lovely Espeon avatar, there’s a lot to like. With a recreate, especially if they have been able to have semi-long careers with their previous player, there is some level of certainty. Who his old player was, that I’m still learning about in the Portal, haha. I could see Catalunya going another direction if a player they like more is willing to change positions, but even with going with Carolina, you are going to likely get someone good.

Top ten in TPE in the class right now, with a bounty or two and some training, can jump ahead.

3rd Overall:
CA Buenos Aires 

We go from the country of the Spanish Inquisition to the country of Messi, CA Buenos Aires in Argentina. They are in third from the bottom at the time of writing so I’ll mark them as next. For their club, I see three inactive spots and one older player. They have Sloth at Right Attacking Midfield as an S4 and inactive users at CD, Central Attacking Midfield, and Left Wing Back. I can see them looking towards these positions in the draft. Whatever they prioritize will just depend on the user and what is available. If not picked yet, Carolina could go here and fill that slot right away. I also give an honourable mention to Roy Rivers, a fellow Victoria Falls Eagle who is in that Central Attacking Midfield position. But, I’ll pick a user who has some locker room familiarity, is near the top of earning for the class, and is in a position they will likely need to fill for the long term.

Prediction: Allie Bunson Right Attacking Midfield

It’s not confidence, it’s All Ego.

Am I going in the top ten? We’ll see. As of right now, I can see multiple teams I can go through and each conversation I’ve had with scouts have been fun. So, if I don’t end up going this, or slide, so be it. But looking at the aging Sloth, finding someone they can hope to fill that role long-term would be ideal and as of right now I am the highest earning RAM in the class, and am hovering in and out of the top five for the class in TPE, depending on my predictions and whether or not this gets me over the edge for complete training this season.

I also will not reveal what teams I have talked to, but I’ll at least say in regards to this locker room, I’m already familiar with a few of them thanks to the SHL, so in theory I’d be able to fit well in the locker room and meet a few new people. If they go another direction,  I wouldn’t lose sleep over it, and wish them luck on the pitch against any club not my own. And for reference, as I mentioned before, I'm open to re-rolling and finding a playstyle that I can have fun with and fill a position of need on the team.

As for Allie herself, she’s a fire-type from Galar, Jolly Nature, knows High Jump Kick, Flame Charge, Headbutt, and Bounce, and her hugs are warm. So if you need someone to sub off to keep the bench warm on a cold night, she’d be down if you give her a box of nuggets, or a hot cocoa.

And who would say no to this face?

4th Overall:
CD Tenochtitlan 

Another expansion team, this time South of the Border in Mexico. While they are performing better than the Dragons, they are in a spot where they need a lot of positions, and since I am not considering who has made trades as of now, likely have acquired or will acquire a few picks this draft. There are six inactives and a retiring player in their organization as of now. I am not sure if they will get all those spots filled this class, but these next few classes will be about finding users to set what they want to be THEIR club of the future.

So with that in mind, I’m going to the top.

Prediction: Sandro da Silva, Right Wing Back

Let’s get something very strong right off the bat. As of this moment, SdS has 500 TPE in the class (Well, as I am writing this section). He leads the class and even as some users do training before the draft, will finish very highly. But something else which is appealing is that he plays multiple positions on the right side and they do currently lack someone who is primarily a Right Wing Back. Long-term, this is a user who can fill the right side of the pitch and be a good first step towards building their long-term vision for a team.

Fifth Overall:
A.C. Romana

When in Rome, you have multiple inactives to fill. The main club for AC Romana appears solid with some users in their prime and a handful of young users who will hopefully be good for TPE in a few seasons. But for the minor club they have inactive spots at Central D, Central Mid, Goalkeeper (only one) and Right Wing Back. Stocking up the minor team to develop their next wave will be ideal, especially with Inter London in the lower half of the table.

I could go with the possibility of a goalkeeper here, and there are a few VERY good goalkeeper users in this class. But I also know, with not every team needing one and how rough it is being in a goalie in another league (Going top 10 as a Goalie in the SHL is an exception, not the rule) at least waiting until later round one or round two could be a calculated risk, especially with multiple other spots to fill.

Prediction: Keiser Summers, Right Midfield

The Summer of Keiser has arrived, and while he appears to be a Right Midfielder for his primary position, one of his secondary positions is the sought after Center Defense. He also has a defensive build, a rarity in this league it seems, and has a very solid 378 TPE as of the time of writing this section, placing him in the top ten of the class. He will be a player who can take some pressure off a future goalkeeper and keep the ball out of the net. Good pick in theory.

Sixth Overall:
Tokyo S.C.

This one goes out to the weebs with one of my favourite logos in the league, Tokyo Sporting Club. They find themselves in the middle of the table, but their minor league club, Cairo, is near the bottom and they have some spots to fill up. There is a doubling up of Central Attacking Midfielders, one of which has gone inactive (for understandable reasons for what I know). They also have two strikers on the main club, one IA, and have a retiring Left Wing Back. There is also a goalkeeper inactive on the main club, but at over 1k TPE, they will likely be fine to keep him there if they can until their young GK in Cairo is ready. Also both strikers are inactive

This is strange to mark down. So this next pick might be a bit of a biased one.

Prediction: Roy Rivers, Central Attacking Midfield

Fellow Victoria Falls Eagle, fellow Battleborn. Yep, biased. But I do think this isn’t a bad option. Roy’s got experience in sim leagues and so far has been earning well. But positionally he works well for the team. He covers that Central Attacking Midfield spot, giving them room to potentially call their active up, but also plays Central Mid and striker. He’s got an offensive punch, fun for Allie to set up and he’s been a good person in the locker rooms I’ve shared with him. Roy to Tokyo? I can see that.

Seventh Overall:
Hollywood FC

In this mock draft, we will not get Beverly Hills Scorbunny, but Hollywood FC’s got an active team right now with a fully active minor league club with mostly young users outside of their aging Goalkeeper and a main club that only has an inactive striker. I do see the need for another goalkeeper in the pipeline, but with no primary strikers in their youth club, looking for a striking option of the future can be a strong pick-up. So who will go Hollywood?

Prediction: Black Leg Sanji, Striker

One of the top earners of this class with a badass player name, BLS is possibly the best option for a team who is looking for a striker without having to worry about someone having to re-roll. I can also say I’ve had a few laughs from something DigDoug has said/posted about in the league discord. I do also believe that him being able to earn as well as he has is not an exception, he has earned well in the SHL, hitting the 2k TPE club and will get a fancy trading card for it.

If Hollywood FC picks him up? They can have a star.

Eighth Overall:
Schwarzwälder FV

Black Forest cake is amazing. End of discussion. Okay, the German Club, SFV, is a club with a lot of strong users with some over 1k TPE on their minor league club and are fortunate enough to see both their main team and North Shore near the top of both tables. The only thing they really need is to build enough Youth to replace the aging players as they regress and retire. One retiree is Left Wing Back, one which already has its best option picked in this universe.

Oops.

There’s also some s7 players on their team who likely will regress further in the near future.

I do think if they haven’t already, trading a theoretical pick would be something that would make sense, fill a role now, go for the title in the next couple seasons, then get their next wave of players when the time is right, but there is value in having some young players now.

So, what to predict?

Prediction: Tommy Moff, LAM

This pick is a bit harder to read because this team is well rounded and has a lot of players around the pitch and sometimes it is nice to just pick one of the best users available and in this case, it is the best pick available from the list outside of goalkeepers. Their current goalkeeper in the main club is a high TPE and their second is still young. Tommy does fill LAM, LM and RAM. They do lack a primary Right Attacking Midfielder in the org, and I do think, if he’s willing to re-roll or change position to fill a need, can be a great weapon in the org.

Ninth Overall:
Reykjavik United

Ladies and gentlemen, the defending champs who are in the hunt again for the title. North Shore does have some inactive users, but are already in a good spot. Both teams are contending and that is a sign of a healthy team. I think the spot that is in the most need is Allie Bunson’s position of Right Attacking Midfield. But with the Bunny gone to Argentina, I’m looking for someone who’s still near the top of earning and knows how to RAM it in their secondary position.

So I think of someone Allie’s set up for some goals.

Prediction,  Zaza Banana Striker (RAM Secondary)

WE IN VICTORIA FALLS LOVE OUR POTASSIUM!

475 TPE as of this moment, Zaza has as his secondary positions RAM and LAM, so if he builds up his weak foot, he can work very well on either wing, especially with his good dribbling and crossing. Generally his build is also very offensively minded, and I think adding him to their team can make an already strong team even stronger in the future with another option to set up or finish goals.

Tenth Overall:
União São Paulo

In this mock draft, these are the champions. So congrats. Now finding someone to fill the roster who is quality is just gravy for the Brazilian club. AS Paris is also at the top of the Minor league. Them winning would both be I would call the ultimate flex. I have avoided goalkeepers for a bit, but I look at Sao Paulo having a fairly strong team overall, I notice they have a s8 goalkeeper for AS Paris who is inactive and in regression. There’s a few spots which also make sense, but if they are able to pick a goalkeeper with good energy, both clubs will be set, and if expansion comes down the road as rumoured, they will have extra insurance.

So….

Prediction: Goalkeeper, either Chicken McTendie, Snor Lax, or Maverick Jones.

This may be a cop-out, but in reality, all users are great options, and Snor Lax could make it two Pokemon in the top ten. Both McTendie and Maverick are high in TPE. 488 right now for Nol, and 490 for Maverick. It will just come down to what Sao Paulo (or whoever takes the first goalkeeper of the board) would want. Thunder is a great designer and graphics maker. Nol has been a lightning rod of energy everywhere he has been. And I know Ghmas would be a reliable option in the net not too far behind (Just keep Lax away from Allie’s nuggets). All would be awesome pick-ups, and there’s the potential for one of these users to be top ten, just their position may hold them back.

Conclusions:

Drafts are hard to predict. Changes for a team can happen in a short instant, or someone who earns well may have something which causes them to slide past a team. There are a good number of users not even mentioned here that will be great pick-ups for a club. Hell, I could end up where I predicted, or rise or fall. Each team has different needs, I would not take it personally (Unless you do something VERY BAD to tank your draft status/reputation).

Just remember, it’s not the number you’re picked at.

It’s where you end up and, most importantly, what you do with it.

Good luck my fellow draftees, and good luck to the teams.

[GHamss]

Awesome article, Beavie! I'm excited to be in a class with such steller GK and users! I don't think a team can go wrong with any of the GK this season. Will be interesting to see where we all go!

[frithjofr]

Great draft content, Beavie!

[Domffl]

Wow I love the formatting! Excellent write up ((-:

[Beavie]

Wow I love the formatting! Excellent write up ((-:

Thanks, site squished the text together a bit more than I'd like and even editing won't change it, but otherwise I'm happy with how it looks. It isn't much, but a lil colour and formatting goes a long way to make it visually appealing :)

[Domffl]

Wow I love the formatting! Excellent write up ((-:

Thanks, site squished the text together a bit more than I'd like and even editing won't change it, but otherwise I'm happy with how it looks. It isn't much, but a lil colour and formatting goes a long way to make it visually appealing :)

It really does! That was the first thing that caught my attention. No joke, my first thought was: "oh wow, I didnt know we could even do that on this forum" xD

[gucci]

Great mock! But if I’m Shanghai it’s Tommy Moff 1OA. Didn’t put up ridiculous numbers, but I think he was the biggest 1v1 challenge Sandro da Silva faced this season by far. The commish can wait haha

[norththegreatestshowman]

Great mock! But if I’m Shanghai it’s Tommy Moff 1OA. Didn’t put up ridiculous numbers, but I think he was the biggest 1v1 challenge Sandro da Silva faced this season by far. The commish can wait haha

Dully noted :D

North, OM of Shanghai  

[Beavie]

Great mock! But if I’m Shanghai it’s Tommy Moff 1OA. Didn’t put up ridiculous numbers, but I think he was the biggest 1v1 challenge Sandro da Silva faced this season by far. The commish can wait haha

You know what? Shanghai doesn't have someone on the left side, Tommy fits that, it can work! Didn't think of that! But I guess the "guarantee" of the commish being a reliable member does appeal, especially when Central Defense being a position in demand. Like I know in the SHL in my draft we had a co-commish in it, and a strong user in HO. Those two were the top picks for a reason.

But of course, with what I know now, it is Hollywood FC with the first pick via CFC, and I believe Canadice mentioned a desire for someone else to go first. So things are wide open and with Hollywood they have inactives at Striker, in net, two Central Defenders, RAM (it), and Right Midfield. I think a player who fills one of those spots (or willing to re-roll to fit it) can be a really good option, outside of maybe a player who fits formations they hope to run. Them having a young LAM may bring it to someone else, but Tommy I think is a strong contender for a top ten pick. So with Shanghai having pick #2 and #3 now, that could be a spot for Tommy.