TWDT 2016 Draft Review

[ogron]

TWDT 2016 Draft Review


TWDT-B

1. Baratheon (Ogron) A+

Terr: Ogron
Sharks: JAMAL, porkjet, Rodney (7), mr. homo (7)
Spiders: Diakka, Solace, M_M God, JAMAL, Tim (7), Reckful (7), Sulla (6), Afri (6), Kyler (6)

House Baratheon wasn't messing around in looking to repeat as TWDT-B Champion after clinching it in 2013, with Ogron terring ahead of JAMAL and porkjet, with Solace, M_M God, Diakka, Tim (7), and Sulla (6) or Afri (6) in spider should be absolutely dominating, while keeping the possibility of sharking Rodney or mr. homo and spidering JAMAL to just set the world on fire.

2. Terrorist (Dreamwin) A

Terr: Dreamwin
Sharks: Downfall, nokkonen (7), WAR (7)
Spiders: Stayon, Hellkite, NL>Trigger, Henry Saari, Rough (7), Pat B (7), Stung (6)

Another juggernaut TWDT-B contender, Dreamwin possesses the same advantages in base as Ogron, with the ability to terr himself and not waste a pick early on Mikkiz or Cape, the 2012 TWDT-B Champion is also looking to repeat, with a strong shark in Downfall, although serious questions in his choice of partner in nokkonen (7) and WAR (7), as neither are elite, but that is a minor issue in such a stacked line, especially considering how good a spider line Dreamwin has in Stayon, Hellkite, and NL>Trigger, alongside Henry Saari and one of the strongest 6-Star spiders in Stung (6).

3. Stark (Mean Gene) A-

Terr: Cape, Heaven (7)
Sharks: Zidane, markmrw (7)
Spiders: Cripple, squallFF8, Mean Gene, Omega Red, Best (7), Heaven (7), i.d. (7), Banks (6)

Mean Gene makes his capping debut with a strong foray into basing, amassing a juggernaut basing squad looking to capture the title. Cape is a risky pick, given that he's never taken TWDT seriously, but a good bet to take in the 4th round given the massive potential upside in the winningest terr of all time. Defending champion Heaven (7) is a good backup plan if things go awry. Zidane is the best shark in this draft, and markmrw (7) is a nice fit as an up-and-coming shark with good lag, a desire to learn, and a great attitude (not to mention fulfilling the 7-Star requirement.) Cripple, squallFF8, Mean Gene, Omega Red, and Banks (6) is a very good spider line, although not on the same level as Terrorist or Baratheon.

4. Blooms (Maketso) B+

Terr: Maketso (7), warportal (7)
Sharks: Oder, Dwopple, BongHits (7), Valker (7)
Spiders: Megaman89, wbm, Sphinx, Maketso (7), Spawnisen (6), ENF (6), haltaffin (6), Chrona (6)

Maketso has once again bet the house on players who may not show, a gamble that paid off last year and produced an 8-0 behemoth that was only taken out in the Semi-Finals. Blooms is solid at terr, above average in shark, and strong at spider -- assuming these players show. Maketso is banking on Dice synergy, furious texting, and a little luck to get Mega, wbm, sphinx, and Dwopple to show. Kate Upton attempted the same strategy in 2013 and finished dead last, but Maketso is a longtime Dice alum and may have the inside track and ability to get these players to show, once again making a push for a title.

5. Fire (Cres) B
Terr: Mikkiz
Sharks: Mcvicar, Violence (6), 24 (6)
Spiders: Turban, TJ Hazuki, Raazi (7), TheWadoRooster (7), Bugs (6), Raminator (6), Eel (6)

The best TWDT terrier in history is a great way to start off your draft, along with strong spiders in Turban, TJ Hazuki, Raazi, and TheWadoRooster (7). It would be an awesome spider line with Mcvicar, but he's going to have to shark with Violence (6) -- assuming he shows. If not, you're stuck with 24, who's about as ideal of a shark as Michael Jackson is a babysitter. Should be a decent ragtag outfit that will always compete thanks to Mikkiz's heroics, but not serious contender.

6. Silence (Commodo) C+

Terr: Mango, Zizzo
Sharks: Commodo, Major Crisis (7), Mattey
Spiders: Ease, Zizzo, Aprix (7), Rasaq (7), Fahrenheit (7), 7th (6)

Mango is serviceable in terr (if just barely), and while Commodo and Mattey would be the fiercest tandem in TWDT-B, I doubt Mattey will show much if at all, so he'll probably have to shark with Major Crisis (7). Ease is a monster in spider, while Zizzo is solid, and Aprix is probably an 8 in spider and a great baser, as is Rasaq, but it feels like they're missing one or two big names at the position and while Fahrenheit might show and be decent and 7th is looking like he'll be a good 6-Star player, I can't see this team advancing to the Finals in its current form.

7. Kamikaze (Skatarius) C-

Terr: ???
Sharks: Cranium, ???
Spiders: Kess, Spezza, Minotar, Skatarius, Cyrus (7), bellflowers (6)

A fantastic spider line that would strike fear into the heart of almost any enemy (assuming Spezza shows), and arguably the best 6-Star spider in the draft in bellflowers, and a top-tier shark in Cranium, who will be sharking with?? I don't see a second shark on this entire roster. Or a terr. The two most important ships in basing. Good luck trading for a terr in 2016...

8. Paddington (Tiny) D

Terr: Tiny (6), Gurliver (6)
Sharks: Hulk, Conspiracy (7), Beam (6)
Spiders: Trasher, JATT (7), Holy Ship (7), Kado (6), Gurliver (6), Jerome (6)

A pair of top-tier basers, Tiny in terr, and... who drafts Trasher and Hulk then doesn't pick another high level baser the entire draft... LOL. Anyway, Heaven-from-two-years-ago Tiny in terr, Hulk and DSB in shark is pretty good, Trasher is a god in spider, with a bunch of scrubs, and some awesome 6-star spiders like Gurliver and Kado. Yikes.

[ogron]

TWDT-D

1. Fire (Cres) A

Starters: Raazi, Turban, Cres, 24 (7), Raizin (6)
Subs: Jessup (7), Ravage (7), Saetep (6), Sir Spider (6)

I really like this TWDT-D line that Cres picked. Raazi is a fucking beast, Turban is an excellent warbird (doubly so in TWDT), and Cres is a veteran warbird. Then, going one step further, they have the best 7-Star warbird in the game in 24, who has been an absolute terror in TWDT, slamming Ease and Racka in the 2014 TWDT-D Finals and winning the title, with another strong 6-Star warbird in Raizin, and potentially game-breaking 6-Star inactives in Sir Spider and Saetep waiting in the wings. This is the most complete team in TWDT-D, and should reach the finals.

2. Silence (Commodo) A

Starters: Ease, Rasaq, ven0m, Zizzo (7), Pee Pee Sock (6)
Subs: Mattey (7), Fram (7), 2pacZ (7), Wicket (6)

Ease is 21-0 in the regular season of TWDT-D the past three season, so there's that. Rasaq is an excellent warbird who always shows, ven0m is another good starter, they are loaded with talented 7s who won't show + 2pacz who will show, I'm not sure who you start between him or Zizzo, and some decent 6s in Pee Pee Sock and Wicket. This should be a great warbird squadron capable of defending Commodo's 2015 TWDT-D title.

3. Blooms (Maketso) B+

Starters: Ricko, Racka, Megaman89, Maketso (7), WBM (6)
Subs: Wiibimbo (6)

Two of the best warbirds of all-time in Ricko and Racka, alongside an experienced TWLD veteran in Mega, a mediocre 7 in Maketso and ditto for WBM and Wiibimbo at the 6. This team extremely short on depth and weak at the low-star spots, but is frontloaded with two players who can carry most games, and if Mega shows, they are a serious title contender. Otherwise, they might fall short. History has shown a pair of superstars isn't enough to win TWDT-D -- you need a full line.

4. Paddington (Tiny) B

Starters: Weak, Shadowmere, POPO MAN, Beam (7), Ison (6)
Subs: Ardour (7), Trasher (7), Hulk (6), Inmate (6)

Weak is a superstar warbird, and the centrepiece of this line. The question is, will he get enough help from Shadowmere (who had a great season in TWDT-D last year) and POPO MAN, who is solid but inactive. Some nice 7-Star players in Beam, Ardour, and Trasher, and good 6-Stars in Ison, Hulk, and Inmate. This is a solid team that should do well.

5. Kamikaze (Skatarius) B

Starters: Iron Survivor, Spezza, Kentaro, Cloth (7), Jebass (6)
Subs: Casket, Cranium (7), Kira (7)

Iron Survivor had a very strong TWLD season, Kentaro is a veteran warbird, but I have doubts as to whether Casket or Spezza will show. Solid 7s in Cloth and Cranium, but very weak at the 6. Not much in terms of depth or activity. Iron, Kentaro, and Cloth are going to have to play really well for this team to compete.

6. Baratheon (Ogron) B-

Starters: JAMAL, Flew, Failed, Ogron (7), Buck (6)
Subs: Afri (7), Diakka (7), J-B-Inc (7), IXT (6), Tim (6), Lena (6), Steadman (6)

This team might not look like much on the surface, but JAMAL is one of the better warbirds in TWDT-D, Flew and Failed are two of the most active tryhards and play this game 14 hours a day, Ogron is one of the best 7-Star warbirds in the draft (as is Afri), and Buck is one of the best 6-Stars as well, giving them a strong starting line with enough depth to stay competitive through the season. The lack of superstar power is concerning, but this team has upset potential.

7. Stark (Mean Gene) C

Starters: Best, Tanzu, Cape (7), Zidane (7), Avale (6)
Subs: Exalt (7), Racketeer (7), Eren (6), Joemama (6)

Best is currently the top warbird in Subspace, and it's not even close or debatable. He also hasn't been seen in almost two months since murdering Fierce and sending them off to an ignominious retirement. Tanzu is one of the best warbirds left in the game, but he barely shows for TWL, let alone TWDT. Cape has won TWLD as a starter over Fierce, but he hasn't played the ship since TWL 17. None of these low-star players are good. If all of these players were active and showed 100%, this team would be very good. But as it stands, I think this team is a compete dud, and that Best and Tanzu won't show in combination to do damage to this league, leaving Stark in the mud.

8. Terrorist (Dreamwin) D

Starters: Geio, Stayon (7), Dreamwin (7), Rough (7), Stung (6)
Subs: WAR (7), Little Buddhist (7), Absent (7), Henry Saari (6)

Terrorist chose to completely ignore drafting warbirds, instead focusing on TWDT-B and TWDT-J. They should still be somewhat competitive with their dookie Dudgeon core, but this is basically the equivalent of giving up. Luckily for them, warbird league is in shambles with Fierce retiring. That said, when Geio is your best hope in warbird, something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

[ogron]

TWDT-J

1. Silence (Commodo) A

Starters: Ease, Commodo, Aprix, ven0m (7), Rasaq (6)
Subs: Fahrenheit, Zizzo, Fram, Kim, Mattey (7), Major Crisis (6), Hack (6)

Commodo drafted seven 8+ star javs, despite only being able to start three, and finds himself in possession of 900x TWLJ Champion Ease, alongside himself, Aprix, and Fahrenheit, yet for all this bluster, seemingly without any good 7-Star or 6-Star javs, an odd and inefficient mix. Nevertheless, Ease, Commodo and either Fah or Aprix is more than enough to win a title.

2. Terrorist (Dreamwin) A

Starters: Stayon, Dreamwin, Rough, Lorko (7), Ellis D (6)
Subs: Hellkite (7), Fork (7), NL>Trigger (6), Downfall (6)

Dreamwin has re-created Dudgeon with Stayon, Rough, and himself, alongside some strong low-star players, forming a very draft-cost efficient team on few picks (at the price of suffering Rough all season.) This is a very potent team with built-in synergy of having played together two seasons in a row, and should contend for the title.

3. Stark (Mean Gene) A

Starters: Zidane, Mean Gene, Healt, I.D. (7), Heaven (6)
Subs: Best, Cape, Tanzu (7), squallFF8 (6), Beasty (6)

Zidane is a firebrand, and while I'm not convinced Best will show, Mean Gene is a strong shark and Healt is active and playing well, making this a formidable outfit. Their sub-par low stars will hurt them in the long run, however, especially given how strong javelins are in the league at the moment.

4. Paddington (Tiny) A-

Starters: Tiny, Shadowmere, Roiwerk, Trasher (7), Conspiracy (6)
Subs: Ardour, Weak (7), Hulk (7), Kado (7), Cross (7)

Another very strong TWDT-J team, headlined by Tiny, Shadowmere and Roiwerk, along with the strongest pack of 7-Star javs in the league, meaning a lot of benching going on, but oddly short on 6s. All strong javs, but none of them have ever carried a line to a title, so some serious concerns as to who is going to lead them against lines featuring Zidane, Ease, Stayon, and Mega. Will someone step up?

2. Fire (Cres) B+

Starters: Turban, 24, Shaun, Wax (7), Cres (6)
Subs: Mikkiz (7), Saetep (7), Raazi (7), Jessup (6), Dour (6)

Turban and 24 are two of the best javs in the game, while Shaun is up-and-coming and pretty solid. They've got strong 7-Star javs in Wax, Raazi, Mikkiz, and Saetep, but weak 6s. This is another good jav line that should perform well, although given how much talent is left in TWDT-J (compared to the barren wasteland that is TWDT-D) this is by no means an unstoppable powerhouse.

6. Blooms (Maketso) B

Starters: Megaman89, Amnesti, Spawnisen, wbm (7), Sphinx (6)
Subs: Tsunami, Maketso, Might (7), Racka (7), Oder (6)

How much Mega shows will determine how well Blooms does in javs, although Amnesti, Spawnisen and Maketso still form a strong trio, although their low star players are trash. I doubt Tsunami will show. Amnesti is difficult to deal with. Is Spawnisen active? A lot of questions, but good potential.

7. Kamikaze (Skatarius) C

Starters: Kess, Kira_Tomato, Singer, Iron Survivor (7), Yojimbo (6)
Subs: Zazerick, Shan, Skatarius (7), Kentaro (6)

A solid line, although no superstars. Kess has been really strong in jav of late, while Singer has been a veteran forever, and Kira is quite good. I'm not sold on their 7-Stars, Iron is overrated, although Yojimbo at 6 is nice, but I see nothing beyond that. Their depth in the form of Zazerick (strays) and Shan (inactive) isn't much to look at.

8. Baratheon (Ogron) D-

Starters: Steadman, JAMAL (7), Diakka (7), M_M God (7), Ogron (6)
Subs: Tim (6), Rodney (6), Sulla (6)

Much like Dreamwin in warbird, Ogron completely ignored javelin and went for two leagues. This is the worst line in TWDT-J, I don't expect Steadman to show, or for this team to do much of anything in a stacked jav league. Yuck!

[ogron]

Final Recap

With the TWDT 2016 draft concluded, I feel like most captains acquitted themselves fairly well and put together good teams. Despite being at the biggest disadvantage as a 1-leaguer who isn't a superstar in his own league and most people voicing the most concern over his captaincy, I think Cres had the best draft this year, as Fire (B,A,B+) managed grades of B in TWDT-B, A in TWDT-D, and B+ in TWDT-J, drafting evenly across all three leagues, taking full advantage of the #2 draft spot and taking Turban, who is a star in all three leagues, and making the most of it, going Turban, Mikkiz, Raazi, 24, and Mcvicar in his first five picks. Kudos!

Dreamwin's Terrorist (A,D,A) is going to be a terror in base and jav, while completely ignoring warbird. Ditto for Commodo in his two-league defense of his 2015 titles, with Silence (C+,A,A) going for warbird and javelin once again, although I felt he could have done a bit more with the #1 pick in getting Ease, while Dreamwin had similar advantages at the #3 slot, as both are stars in javelin and base, giving them an edge over the other caps (on top of getting the best draft slots.)

Mean Gene also had a nice draft, as Stark (A-,C,A) should compete for the TWDT-B and TWDT-J titles, although a lot of that will depend on Best showing.

Ogron clearly was looking to repeat as TWDT-B champion, as Baratheon (A+,B-,D-) will be a force to reckon with in base, a darkhorse in warbird, and a travesty in javelin.

Blooms (B+,B+,B) had the most consistent draft, although Maketso took huge gambles on superstar players once again whose ability to show is suspect, but with the second-to-last spot in the draft and no superstar abilities himself, one can hardly blame him for the high-risk, high-reward strategy, and I'm a fan of what he tried to accomplish, as were others. Go big, or go home.

Tiny's team looks excellent in javelin, and while Paddington's (D,B,A-) basing potential is limited to say the least, they also have a lot of potential in warbird, and should have chances at winning two leagues.

In my opinion, Skatarius had the worst draft, and while the worst slot in the draft did him no favors, Kamikaze (C-,B,C) did itself no favors picking a dearth of inactive players. That said, they aren't bad in any league, and should be able to compete in every league.

My thanks to all eight caps for showing and drafting competently, this should be a great season of TWDT. TWDT-J looks extremely strong, and almost every team has some fantastic javelins. By contrast, TWDT-D looks pretty horrid, with a large chunk of the talent gone, the field is wide open. TWDT-B once again should be pretty epic, although more stratified than the other two leagues. The good games will be really good, and the bad games will be lopsided. Come playoff time, all three leagues should field some really strong, balanced play.

Good luck to all the teams!

[Skatarius]

u forgot to put my name and team name in bold in final recap

[Tiny]

1. Great right up
2. How do you not mention the #1 6* wb Tiny in the wb section?
3. Best is not our squad that you mentioned needed to show.

TY for all this

[MHz]

Ease not even on my basing bench

All looks accurate other than that.

[idkidc1233]

2. How do you not mention the #1 6* wb Tiny in the wb section?

TY for all this

Bc that's my role 8)

[Kim]

Damn Mattey a 7* wb, still remember the days when he was beasting and would not be any less than a 11*. Am old.

[cash.MONay]

Am easily the best WB on Dreamwin's squad yet no mention. Ogron you not taking your meds? Geio and I will smash our opponents.

Otherwise solid write-up. Ty for all your effort bud.

[ogron]

u forgot to put my name and team name in bold in final recap

done.

1. Great right up
2. How do you not mention the #1 6* wb Tiny in the wb section?
3. Best is not our squad that you mentioned needed to show.

TY for all this

1. ty
2. if i felt you were the #1 6* wb, i would have said so
3. fixed

Ease not even on my basing bench

All looks accurate other than that.

agh, my bad, i wrote this really late at night and... brain not work. Upgraded to a C+ in base, maybe even a B-.

Am easily the best WB on Dreamwin's squad yet no mention. Ogron you not taking your meds? Geio and I will smash our opponents.

Otherwise solid write-up. Ty for all your effort bud.

1. if geio is ur best hope, ur in big trouble
2. ty

[Dreamwin]

Am easily the best WB on Dreamwin's squad yet no mention. Ogron you not taking your meds? Geio and I will smash our opponents.

Otherwise solid write-up. Ty for all your effort bud.

That's the spirit bro. Looking forward to see you in action.

Also, thanks for the good write-up.