And now for my shoutouts.
Catalystic thanks for being my comanager here. Having you onside to bounce ideas off was a huge help during the lead up to the draft, as well as during, and you were always available to help in AG to reinforce our position as best AG draft. You were a positive presence every week, and I knew if something happened and I was unavailable I could count on you to take up the role that week, be it for lineups, subs, or whatever.
Close you were one of the highest rated 1v1 players on my list going into the draft, and given your performance I feel validated in that choice. You never flinche away from taking on some of the toughest competition in the tour, and your builds were always something fresh and interesting. I know we didn't really fit room in the draft to get the 1v1 support we should have, but you helped fill that gap week after week.
Itchyy it might have seemed crazy to put a 3k player as a starter, but I knew from 1v1pl you had what it takes and your low profile was a result of them sleeping on your talent. You proved that trust right several times over throughout the tour, and I am glad you made it out with the positive record you deserve despite the somewhat lesser support we were able to offer you. Probably the best 3k I spent all auction :P
Fardin you were one of the most expensive picks in the daft, yes, but even during the bidding I still couldn't believe they let me pick you up that cheap. You consistently went in and duelled with the top talent in the AG1 pool, and came out with an excellent 5-2 record to show for it - the 4th best in the entire tour, and second best for AG. Even your games, however, only captures a fraction of what you were worth to the team. You were there to build, test, and refine teams for AG every week, and were almost always right on the money with your picks. Your piloting was excellent, but it's only a part of the role you played for this team, and I would happily draft you for any AG tour in the future as well.
PinkDragonTamer what can I say, 7-0 Champion. You had good support, yes, but I don't want you to discount how reassuring it was to know that we were guarenteed at least one other win in any week if you hadn't played yet. You also came through in a big way in supporting our ZU slots every week, and in general team aid; tbh, having you felt like there was a third manager there to help with the weight.
Monsareeasy aka nfe Main Arctic. I know you didn't initially expect to play NFE for the entire tour, but it ended up working out that way and you hit the ground running, ending up with the best NFE record in the entire pool. I might not have always understood your decisions, but you clearly knew what you were doing. It was a pleasure to team with you, even if now I'm left with the unenviable position of hoping you don't get that same success against my OMPL team :P.
85percent I'm sorry about how your initial game went in week 2, but while your record is disappointing you were most certainly not. You did scouting, building, testing, and even subbed into 1v1 when we ended up in a pinch week 4, where you did incredibly well, even when up against one of the best 1v1 players - and some of the best 1v1 support - in the entire tour, with just about no prep time to speak of. That says miles about what you brought to the table, and all of it good.
frisoeva you had just the worst tring of luck this tournament, but you didnt gave up, and you came through when it counted in playoffs. We can onyl hope you get a fairer run next time, and I'm glad we could bring home the win to you anyway.
EviGaro I hadn't originally planned to draft you due to your expected cost, but when they were willing to let me take you at that cheap a price I knew I had gotten a steal. Your 4-3 record is a respectable indicator of this, especially in a pool as deep as ZU, but I think we all know it should have been 5-2.
TJ You might not have been as active in chat as some, but your playing was always impeccable. I would frequently comment on your games in the discussion channel, and when you did something different from my guess you were almost always right to do so. The last game was an unfortunate end to the season, but I'm glad you stuck with us the entire way there.
BloodAce I'm still sad we didn't get you a chance to play, but I still wouldn't have given up your building support without a fight. Despite not being feilded, you never let your engagement suffer and continued to stay active and supportive every week, and were always available to sub when it looked like we might need it
When we finished the draft, I almost couldnt beleive the amount of talent we had packed into one team, and knew we had what it takes. Even through some rough weeks, we powered through, first to second seed and then to first place. To all of you, thanks for joining me on Grookeys, and congratulations on your win.
