Hi!
Unfortunately, Ubers was not included in this year's SPL. Ubers had a strong argument to get in (particularly since the playerbase is arguablydeeper than it was last year), but ultimately, the TD's decided to choose RBY OU and LC over this tier. With the exception of Winter Seasonal, this leaves us with little to do for the next few months.
The original plan was to have UPL after SPL, but I am considering changing our plans. It's all up to you guys. The negative of having UPL during SPL are the fewer number of "tournament" (i.e. multi-tier) players that would be willing to play, but I'll be honest and say that I couldn't really care less. This tournament should be about the Ubers playerbase first and foremost. Older gens would feature a slightly lower quality of play, but more true Ubers players would get an opportunity to prove themselves at the highest level Ubers can offer. I myself would suffer from this potential change -- I badly want to manage but will not have time to because of SPL commitments + IRL stuff -- but if you guys want UPL earlier than originally planned, who am I to say no (Fireburn can veto this if he wants to though)!
There are other things to talk about, too. Here's a list of questions and issues that need to be addressed:
1. What tiers should be offered during UPL? ADV was successful last year so I don't want to remove that. We will definitely have 2 ORAS, 1 XY, 1 BW2, 1 DPP, and 1 ADV; what should the last 2-3 tiers be? Last year we had 2 BW2 and and 2 DPP, but I'd support cutting one of the DPP slots for another ORAS slot if we start the tournament early. Also, should we have an even or odd # of games? I'd prefer an even number because I like that ties keep teams alive in the playoff chase for longer, but idk what the consensus is here.
2. How many teams should we have? We had 6 last year and that number worked well for us; does the larger pool of players this year justify another team? (for the record I lean no)
3. Should we have an all-star week during the midseason auction? If we do this, the midseason auction would take place after week 3 instead of week 2.
4. How should we determine managers? Mr.378 and Astounded will definitely be managing this year if they want managerial slots, but other spots are up in the air. Hack and Blim can manage if they want to but I'm assuming they'll be too busy, and steelphoenix will be MIA for awhile. I am thinking of having a manager sign-up thread and have Fireburn and I pick from that pool of applicants. I'm open to hearing other ideas, though.
5. Should we have a smack talk thread?
6. As noted earlier, when should UPL "begin" (i.e. when should Fireburn and I post the manager application thread / sign-ups?)
Even if we start UPL up in March as originally planned, I don't see the harm in discussing this stuff now.
Unfortunately, Ubers was not included in this year's SPL. Ubers had a strong argument to get in (particularly since the playerbase is arguablydeeper than it was last year), but ultimately, the TD's decided to choose RBY OU and LC over this tier. With the exception of Winter Seasonal, this leaves us with little to do for the next few months.
The original plan was to have UPL after SPL, but I am considering changing our plans. It's all up to you guys. The negative of having UPL during SPL are the fewer number of "tournament" (i.e. multi-tier) players that would be willing to play, but I'll be honest and say that I couldn't really care less. This tournament should be about the Ubers playerbase first and foremost. Older gens would feature a slightly lower quality of play, but more true Ubers players would get an opportunity to prove themselves at the highest level Ubers can offer. I myself would suffer from this potential change -- I badly want to manage but will not have time to because of SPL commitments + IRL stuff -- but if you guys want UPL earlier than originally planned, who am I to say no (Fireburn can veto this if he wants to though)!
There are other things to talk about, too. Here's a list of questions and issues that need to be addressed:
1. What tiers should be offered during UPL? ADV was successful last year so I don't want to remove that. We will definitely have 2 ORAS, 1 XY, 1 BW2, 1 DPP, and 1 ADV; what should the last 2-3 tiers be? Last year we had 2 BW2 and and 2 DPP, but I'd support cutting one of the DPP slots for another ORAS slot if we start the tournament early. Also, should we have an even or odd # of games? I'd prefer an even number because I like that ties keep teams alive in the playoff chase for longer, but idk what the consensus is here.
2. How many teams should we have? We had 6 last year and that number worked well for us; does the larger pool of players this year justify another team? (for the record I lean no)
3. Should we have an all-star week during the midseason auction? If we do this, the midseason auction would take place after week 3 instead of week 2.
4. How should we determine managers? Mr.378 and Astounded will definitely be managing this year if they want managerial slots, but other spots are up in the air. Hack and Blim can manage if they want to but I'm assuming they'll be too busy, and steelphoenix will be MIA for awhile. I am thinking of having a manager sign-up thread and have Fireburn and I pick from that pool of applicants. I'm open to hearing other ideas, though.
5. Should we have a smack talk thread?
6. As noted earlier, when should UPL "begin" (i.e. when should Fireburn and I post the manager application thread / sign-ups?)
Even if we start UPL up in March as originally planned, I don't see the harm in discussing this stuff now.