As many of you reading this know, this DCL was always intended to be the last dance for
KCric and I. Unlike the many memes about draft and pokemon players being unable to quit the game for real, sometimes you instinctively know when your time is up, and I have realized that my time in draft has come to an end. I've been playing draft for longer than a decade now. There used to be a running joke that whichever new league/server I joined I would always be the youngest player in said server. From the arduous climb of trying to prove myself to the community when draft moved from skype to discord, the creation of draft team tours and debuting the ZFG franchise, watching new players rise to the top and become veterans of the scene themselves... I can say that I'm both extremely satisfied with my accomplishments as well as time spent in this community. To top it off with a victory in the tour that means the most to me is a storybook ending that still feels surreal.
This team truly means a lot to me ever since creating the franchise in 2019 in DPL. We were 1st seed by a wide margin but narrowly lost in semis, and obviously it was managed by myself and my partner kcric while featuring many legends of the scene such as mayo greg jacko josh rye etc. Since then ZFG sort of developed a reputation of always being a tour favorite that would unfortunately never win the chip. Even my first DPL chip was when I chose to manage Caketakers and didn't take on the ZFG franchise name. In fact, it had been 5 years since kcric and I last managed a team together before we decided to do so again last year in DCL S3. While last year in and of itself was a very special victory, nothing could have compared to the storyline and stress that we experienced this season. Perhaps it was the stress of having more irl commitments, the fact that I'm also playing in more tours concurrently, our drafts being worse, the fact that we started 2 playoff tiebreaks down 0-1, or simply the competition being stronger, this season was extremely taxing and stressful from start to finish. It is no joke that in order to have a successful team, I've poured time equivalent to a full time job into the tour especially during playoff weeks. Yet at the same time it was fun and rewarding to see both my own effort and time investment pay off as well as the effort everyone on the team put in for weeks on end culminate in a trophy. Of course none of this would have been possible without my players so yea lets do these shoutouts. Usually do these in the teamcord but since I'm already here yapping about my retirement yall are gonna have to play second fiddle etc. just gonna go in price order as an excuse to have my tiebreak goat lax be first.
lax 2 game 3 TB wins in playoffs?? What happened to the lax that would always lose in draft playoffs that I could make fun of... Fr tho you were one of the players that all 3 managers knew we wanted before the draft even started and it obviously paid off hugely despite the fact that you went for 20k with a SV lock LOOOL. All of us had absolute faith in you every time you started, no matter what gen we put you into or nonsense draft we handed you to work with. I know this year had many low points for you, so it genuinely meant a lot to me to see you still dedicate time into both your own matchups as well as providing mocks to other players on the team, it was more than a lot of us could have asked for. It's not an exaggeration to say that I had absolute 0 doubts in either of your tiebreak games. Players who play draft for a long time develop their own style of prep and play, and for me you are without a doubt one of the absolute best SV draft minds right now when combining both prep and play. Your ability to identify lines with prep that values consistency but mixed with calculated surprise factors and the calmness to adjust in-game to unforeseen circumstances that you haven't seen in mocks makes it a nightmare for any opponent to face. Now maybe these skills didn't translate over completely to old gen draft BUT we can blame it on M-Beedrill for now. It's wild to me how I drafted you in DCL 1 kinda on a whim and then I became the first #draftmain that you nepoed into a trophy tour and we've been friends since. Life works in mysterious ways and I'm grateful to be able to call you a friend to this day and that I was able to introduce you to draft. Even though i'm retiring I'll be closing following your next venture into draft whenever you decide to play again.
~Undead~ Let's see what did I say last year "2nd most expensive??? NGL despite how much Kcric and I troll you there's no one we'd rather have in a deciding game when chips are down. And ofc you proved it once again by going 3-0 in POs. Your dedication to grinding and testing mu's and you're clutch factor is what makes you one of my favorite teammate of all time." Soooooo what happened? You got put on fraud watch this season bro LOOOL. Isn't it crazy that we've won 3 chips together and we both have the tied highest playoffs appearance of all time, it's almost like... you can't do shit without me. Jokes aside I guess it was time we carried you for once when you've always been the one clutching up for me. This season frankly was very unlucky for you. Not only did you roll rough matchups since we handed you terrible drafts but your luck in game was terrible as well. All that is to say, don't beat yourself up too much over this season. You still put in phenomenal amounts of work, provided mocks for almost every slot, and was probably the most important member for chat presence and team morale so that we have a community punching bag. There's a reason you are one of the clutchest players of all time still and one rough season doesn't change or take that fact away. While it's a shame the season didn't pan out the way you wanted it to you and I both know that this team wouldn't have won without you. So enjoy the chip and take your well deserved break, I'll be waiting for the Undead rebound now that your stocks are low again. Oh that koi game was still terrible though don't get it twisted.
NoName6293 The taker of names himself.While I definitely knew you would be shiest, I always thought you were an PNR lock the entire time pre draft so I never seriously considered you. But the moment during drafting we realized we could basically guarantee you since we had more money than them I knew we had to pick you up. Ngl I remember my pitch to my co-managers when we decided to pivot to get you in auction was that "Yo noname is pretty much eternally online I'm sure he'll mock at least a bit". Well let's just say I got way more than I could have ever asked for. I was right that you were pretty much online at ungodly hours every day but also you put in much more grind than I initially thought you would as well. I remember during semis you basically built your own team through mocking and I don't think you like lost a mock after thursday or smth I basically set you as a lock for a win. Seeing you try your hand at building and it working out over the week was shiest af. It is a shame that RNG kinda hoed you that game as well as throughout the season. Despite your record not being indicative of what it should have been, it did turn out you saved up all your karma for that finals game so ngl seems like it was all worth it in the end. I know I can speak on jscurf's behalf to say that we both greatly enjoyed working with you throughout the season. + now that I've teamed with you a couple of times now I can confidently say it's always fun to have you around in the teamcord as well, PNR have no clue what they missed out by snaking you. Just know I basically snaked Hellom to get you, so... you know where my loyalties lie. IDK if you plan on playing draft again, but if you do I will be tapped in
for the hatewatch with great intrigue and always be down to help as long as its for a real tier.
SEA The second runback member from our winning team last year. Kcric and I knew that we wanted you for VGC and/or SS before the season even started. We're also uhh VERY SORRY for putting you back into SS draft again but trust me it was tactical..
I knew that if we started you in VGC you would get tired of the drafts very fast and lo and behold thats low-key what happened in playoffs. You really do just embody the "fuck it we ball" mentality and honestly thats my favorite part about teaming with you. Sometimes it just leads to crazy shiest sets that no other player would be able to think of like the gengar you bought against theo. While you're definitely not a conventional draft player what can be said without a doubt is your understanding of mons and confidence in your own ability is second to none. Frankly no other player in the tour would be able to achieve such good results in tiers so vastly different like SS and Champs VGC. It is unfortunate champs had to nerf you by not introducing any pre-evo mons so we couldn't have the fabled Rhydon Girafarig Thwackey core this time around, i'm sure if we had those guys again you would have gone undefeated in playoffs. You got us some extremely crucial wins in the first few weeks playing preferred gens, and for that the team and I will always be grateful. I know that you plan on playing STC and old gens VGC draft, and I will be excited to see what you cook up in those tiers as well.
IMCOOKiNG One of the 3 moron trios in the flesh? Blitty cord really changed you for the worse man... That said I'm glad it didn't infect your draft skills because you were the fucking boss this season. You were probably the player I worked with most closely this season and that's a testament to your willingness to learn, test, and listen to criticism in order to improve and solve the matchup. Nobody embodies the classic draft player more than you and it clearly paid off to a fantastic record this season as well. You consistently challenge yourself by cteaming your own pastes and basically always account for the worst case scenario that each and every game you play seems like a breeze compared to the arduous amount of mocks that you run through in any given week. The semi-final game especially was perfectly executed when we were down 2-4 and needed 2 clutch wins to secure the tiebreak, it even made us consider putting you in for the tiebreak slot with how well that game was played. I know the finals game didn't go as how you planned, and I was also quite hard on you for it after the fact. While it was the most sloppy game of yours this season, now you have the experience of playing under possibly the most stressful environment in a draft team tour. I want you to learn from that experience and show that you can play to your very best the next time you are in that position, because I know a player of your caliber will be in one of these stressful finals position again. These experiences are what develop that confidence you need to be willing to tiebreak, and is what will make you a stronger player. For now though, it was a pleasure being able to work with you again, and seeing you change from only piloting alo balance to now piloting Bolt Harc offense and improving with each game was something that lit a fire under all of us and I know pushed me to work my best as well to reciprocate the effort you were putting in.
RK 9-0 in DCL all time. The absolute GOAT of champs draft. We really should have slotted you in finals tb over this bum kcric. While you do have the worst gif collection perhaps known to mankind? you were the absolute beast again for us this season. It's safe to say you won't ever be going for this cheap again. You were the slot I helped the least pretty much as I only provided mocks, and thats because I know wholeheartedly that you are the best champs draft player in the world. There is nothing in that tier that you haven't considered or know about. Every week I see you and idkup cooking it up in champs and frankly your mock record in that tier might be like 100-5 because I don't think you were losing any games outside of like the occasional one to focus punch lop.. During the auction, the only moment when all of us managers were cheering in sheer excitement was when we managed to pick you up and PNR didn't upbid us. You have no idea how shocked we are that we were able to get you and of course you were on our plans the entire time from start to finish. 5-0 record, clutching it up in semis to force the tie, and a slot that all of us on the team can have full confidence in. I know that pressure doesn't make it easy, but the result and precise gameplay you've shown is what makes you perhaps one of the lowkey goats of draft team tours.
ezra The other half of the 5-0 3k core alongside RK. You might be the biggest enigma of all time bro LOOL. I've never seen someone @ for mocks and then disappear immediately after that shit was funny af looking back. Despite the fact that we never knew when you would come online or if you would be coming online to test, what can be said is that you were a force to be reckoned in a tier that you were introduced to only this tour. Before the tour started and Jscurf recommended you as a cheap option I was reminded of the heroics I've heard from you in ND from the grape vine. Never would I have thought you would become one of the pillars of the team putting up W after W and going 2-0 in playoffs as well in crucial games. While you were susceptible to clicking a bit fast and being exposed to stuff that non-draft mains might not expect
cough cough psychic lando lmfao your calculated aggressive playstyle always put you ahead and exerted relentless pressure on the opponent. Your finals game might be one of the funniest game of all time because what do you mean you just reveal you were a mind control user and had nido get up rock + claim 2 when it should have just died to azelf LOOOL. Genuinely hilarious shit not to mention the endgame as well that game was actually crazy. Jscurf and I felt like proud dads seeing you pilot our builds to such success. You're the fucking goat man and I can't wait to see you in more draft tours if you choose to play them again.
idkup The second half of our undefeated champs DCL core. Even back in slay the spiker I could tell that you have a unique eye on the game and would be elite support, and it is undeniable that both your own 2-0 record as well as your support for RK was a integral part of our teams victory. While you are sometimes adamant about your own opinions, they are without a doubt well thought out and helpful as well. I'm sure that you will go along to put up your own amazing champs record one day in DCL as well, but for now I am extremely grateful that you were there alongside us to be able to help RK in his own amazing season.
Terekusai Record wise it was a rough season unfort, but I don't think that tells the full story. Not only did you get a bit unlucky in your games but you were SABOTAGED by fey and kcric giving you some bs for sure. That said, reading your reflection on your games during mids and identify areas of improvements and struggles was very heartwarming for me. Despite both being doubles, DOU and VGC draft can be said to be of complete opposite spectrums, down to even the minute details like timer. Your play was sharp, it just happened to not be enough this time around. I hope that this experience doesn't sour your mood on draft vgc because both Kcric and I truly believe that it was very likely for you to put up on a phenomenal record instead of what happened this season. I wish I could have given you more game time this season, but shameless Kcric just had to slot himself into VGC so he can have a "break" during vacation what an asshole. Despite all this, you were still willing to hang around and help mock and support our VGC slot late into the season, and for that I will always be grateful.
Now for my co-managers..
jscurf Mr Top 5 himself. Perhaps its more accurate to call you Mr 2023 Kcric because bro was out drinking every day of the week somehow LOL. There was one point in the season Kcric and I thought we got scammed asking you to be our 3rd since you were highkey not putting up numbers like u were doing on your previous teams. All that being said, you locked in after mids and I can't emphasis enough how important you were to the teams success. I know I asked many unreasonable things from you and you were willing to accommodate my selfishness every time. Things such as proxy mocking my builds, building initial pastes so that I have something to work off of, gathering mock pastes and replays, pre-making mocks for tiebreaks etc.. These are all things that I selfishly asked of you and you always did so to the best of your abilities every time. Of course, even more importantly, you were the driving engine behind our ORAS and SS slots for many of our wins. As both ezra and noname's first venture into draft seriously, it cannot be understated the value of your tests and builds were to their success. I knew that even if I was focusing on other slots, I can come into their slots knowing that significant progress has been made in any given week, and a lot of that was because of your involvement in those slot. Another thing is that despite it being expected of managers to mock every slot, I know firsthand that it isn't easy and how time consuming it is. You were building multiple mocks for many slots and that should not be taken for granted. In the past few short years, you've managed to become a force in the scene and one of the most successful managers as well. Kcric and I were able to see firsthand your importance to a team, and now we can say for certain that we made the absolute best decision asking you to be our 3rd manager out of the many choices we had. DCL is the one tour that has eluded your grasp this entire time, and now you can proudly say that you've won all of the major draft team tournaments, a feat that only a select few have accomplished. With us old guards retiring, you are slowly creating a new legacy that belongs solely to yourself as well as become the face of draft players for years to come. You will probably win more DCL chips to come under your own franchise and as a playing manager yourself putting up elite records. When all is said and done, I hope this experience was just as memorable to you as it was for Kcric and I, because I for one am glad to be able to share this chip and my last managing stint with you.
KCric The best friend I've made in this community. From laddering with Sawk and Sigilyph at 3am on the SM Ladder and laughing our asses off to the first ever back to back victory in draft, i'm so incredibly grateful that you were the one that accompanied me in this historic victory. Despite the fact that you've somehow become a fraud in singles and is now a DOU/VGC main, ZFG is just as much your team as it is my team. I can't believe when we won last year our first thought was that we would both take DPL off to come back and have our last dance in DCL and win back to back and then actually accomplish what we set out to do. It really is unbelievable that we took this huge gamble/risk to even manage and go for the 2peat and that it paid off in the most cinematic way possible. I could tell that this season took a large toll on you. The fact that you made your official debut in trophy tours at the exact same time DCL started did not help your stress either I imagine. I was afraid that even come playoffs you would still drained and be unable to put your best foot forward. But you locked in. Genuinely those mocks while you were on vacation and walking through the streets of Japan were what saved our season, and it is poetic that you had my back in TB G2 after I lost in semis and I was able to pay back that debt in finals TB G2. Ngl tho I can't believe you did EXACTLY what Undead did and almost cursed us to lose the season like he did so many years ago in DPL. This was still the funniest shit of all time that happened to us this season especially after how both of us have been clowning on him all this time for this LOOL
Sometimes I find myself missing the times in 2015/16/17 when we would just shoot the shit on discord and ladder for hours with bullshit teams that we built together, to this day those were probably the most enjoyable times I’ve had in this game. It's crazy how much we've grown since then. Through the many up and downs we've both had in this past decade, we've continued being friends throughout it all. I can't think of a better way to end both of our careers in draft, and I'm sure this win was just as satisfying to you as it is for me.
You better make worlds this year bro, I'll see you in Singapore.
Finally I want to give a quick shoutout to all the helpers that joined us in playoffs to help provide us mocks for no return whatsoever. I've said this before but I will say it again it can't be stated enough how important your guys roles were. High quality mocks is one of the most important part of draft and the fact that yall were willing to provide them to us without expectation of any return is an act that I will never take for granted. Like I said if any of yall need any help for anything from now on please feel free to reach out. There were many of you that joined to help so it would be too hard for me to shoutout everyone out but I did wanna mention
Offset Product and
impersonxtor specifically as you guys pretty much mocked every single slot and that is goated. If any future managers are reading this I would highly recommend picking up these guys.
