My T8M's Fantasy Fantasy All-Timer Tournament team- Part 1
Hi everyone,
Happy New Year and welcome to the first article of 2021!
I hope everyone is well during these difficult times. I intended for this to be released several months ago however, life got in the way so here we are. I wanted to write a piece to talk about The Eighth Man's Fantasy Fantasy All-Timer Tournament & Draft. A hypothetical fantasy quidditch tournament that took place from April till July last year in which I was participating as a General Manager (GM). As a GM, my aim was to put together a roster of some of the best quidditch players of all time, battling it out against 7 other GMs in order to see who can create the best team. In this scenario, each GM drafts a roster of 14 players to play a tournament under MLQ (Major League Quidditch) and USQ (US Quidditch) rules, including the 4 max gender rule. You can draft any player who has ever played competitive quidditch in any country and select them in their prime (allowing retired and injured players to be considered for selection). In this hypothetical scenario, the team would then have a month of training together prior to the tournament to build cohesion between the players, create tactics/strategies and to bring retired players up to speed with fitness and any newer rules they're unfamiliar with (e.g. Two armed tackling, the MLQ set score. I'll probably go into this in more depth when I write about MLQ at some point) if it's necessary to do so. The winner would be decided by a panel of judges and a public vote once the teams had been put together.
The draft was done in snake format (the draft follows a certain order, each GM makes their pick then the order is reversed for the next round so the GM who had the last pick in the first round gets the first pick in the second round) with two rounds completed each week. During the draft each week, there would be a live panel of Eighth Man Analysts on their facebook page who would discuss the picks as the teams were being constructed. If you're familiar with this page then you'll know that because I had such a great time participating in this competition, I went ahead and ran a European only version with some adjustments during August and September. If you missed it though, you can check it out here and on the TQ facebook page.
So, why am I telling you all this?
Well, besides the fact you probably like or at least are somewhat interested in quidditch which is why you're here in the first place, I thought I'd take this opportunity to go through the team that I drafted and what my process was. Each one of the 14 players I selected for this fantasy fantasy team is someone I consider to be one of the greatest athletes to play the game and I feel that it would be nice to celebrate them in all their glory. Like the finale of a teen action fantasy film series, this is part 1 of 2, the second part will be released shortly after this one.
Position(s)- Beater
Notable teams played for- Texas State Quidditch, Texas Hill Country Heat Quidditch (abbreviated to
THC Heat- Current team), Austin Outlaws (MLQ team), USA National Quidditch Team (abbreviated to USNQT)
Country- USA
With my first pick, I was always going to draft a beater. The way I see it, beater is the most valuable position in any quidditch team. It's the one position that interacts with all the other positions on the field (including with each other) and is also the most unique and tactically nuanced position to quidditch. I knew that I needed to start strong by picking one of the very best.
The debate over who is the best beater in the world is arguably a two-horse race between Boston's Max Havlin and THC Heat's Jackson Johnson and while Havlin was taken with the pick directly before me, I had the pleasure of having Johnson be the first player to join my team. The driving force behind THC Heat (perhaps the best club quidditch team in the world at the moment) and the USA's IQA World Cup 2018 triumph, Johnson has almost everything you could possibly want from your star beater. His mental abilities to read the game, his awareness and confidence coupled with his fast reflexes and athleticism allow him to regularly blow up the play, creating chaos and dominating the pitch. On top of that, throughout his playing career, Johnson has been a leader and star player on basically every team he has played on, elevating them to another level and making key plays in high pressure situations.
Pick #2- Stevie Bell
Position(s)- Keeper, Seeker
Notable teams played for- Texas Quidditch, Lone Star QC, Austin Outlaws (MLQ team), USA National Quidditch Team (USNQT)
Country- USA
Another key component of any quidditch team is a dominant keeper so that was my next focus after beater. On defence, they are one of the main organisers due to them usually starting as the hoop defender at the beginning of the play and this deep positioning allows them to get a better angle on the opposition and how they are setting up to attack. On offence, they are effectively like a Point Guard in basketball, tasked with running the offence and being one of the main goal scorers. After picking Johnson with my first pick, my second pick was a fellow Texan and former Lone Star QC and Austin Outlaws teammate, none-other than Stevie Bell. In my first couple of seasons playing quidditch, Lone Star were at the peak of their powers, playing a brand of quidditch that was both highly effective and easy on the eye with Bell being one of the main players of that star studded team. I would describe Stevie as one of the most 'fun' players I've seen play quidditch. A real flare player with an iconic sidestep who can at times make the game look effortless. Coming from a background in basketball, Bell has a great understanding of how to run both a half court offence and the speed and agility to score on the fast break along with the ability to pass and shoot to high standard making him an ideal playmaker for any team.
Pick #3- Simon Arends Jr.
Position(s)- Chaser/Keeper
Notable teams played for- Texas Quidditch, Lone Star QC, Texas Cavalry, Austin Outlaws (MLQ Team), USA National Quidditch Team (USNQT)
Country- USA
After drafting Stevie, I wanted a player who would be able to 'bounce off' of him. A player who would compliment his skills as the main ball carrier on offence as a second option and could serve as a physical point defender. By some luck, I was able to get the perfect fit with my third Texan, Simon Arends Jr. Not only does Simon have that pre-existing chemistry with Bell and Johnson across multiple Texas college, community and MLQ teams, I'd argue that he's the most complete male chaser to play the game. Fast enough to run brooms up, strong enough to play as an aggressive point defender and agile enough to play as both an off-ball defender or receiver on offence, Arends has all the physical skills you'd want from a chaser. Couple that with the ability to play as a primary or secondary ball carrier on offence who can reliably pass, shoot and drive on the hoops and you have one hell of a player. Not to mention, while Simon has taken a step back from playing in recent years, he also proved his mental capability and team management skills by successfully coaching the UT team to back-to-back USQ Cup finals in the College Division and winning one of them in 2019, nurturing a new generation of talented UT athletes, helping them get back to the top following their post USQ Cup 8 decline.
Pick #4- Lucy Quidditch
Position(s)- Beater
Notable teams played for- Velociraptors QC, Nottingham Nightmares, West Midlands Revolution, East Midlands Archers, Team UK (UK national team)
Country- UK
Pick #5- Seppe De Wit
Position(s)- Chaser/Keeper
Notable teams played for- Antwerp QC, Belgian Gryffins (Belgium national team)
Country- Belgium
Pick #6- Valentin Farese
Position(s)- Chaser
Notable teams played for- Titans Paris, France
Country- France
Pick #7- Becca DuPont
Position(s)- Chaser
Notable teams played for- Texas A&M Quidditch, Lone Star QC, Austin Outlaws (MLQ Team) USA National Quidditch Team (USNQT)
Country- USA
Happy New Year and welcome to the first article of 2021!
I hope everyone is well during these difficult times. I intended for this to be released several months ago however, life got in the way so here we are. I wanted to write a piece to talk about The Eighth Man's Fantasy Fantasy All-Timer Tournament & Draft. A hypothetical fantasy quidditch tournament that took place from April till July last year in which I was participating as a General Manager (GM). As a GM, my aim was to put together a roster of some of the best quidditch players of all time, battling it out against 7 other GMs in order to see who can create the best team. In this scenario, each GM drafts a roster of 14 players to play a tournament under MLQ (Major League Quidditch) and USQ (US Quidditch) rules, including the 4 max gender rule. You can draft any player who has ever played competitive quidditch in any country and select them in their prime (allowing retired and injured players to be considered for selection). In this hypothetical scenario, the team would then have a month of training together prior to the tournament to build cohesion between the players, create tactics/strategies and to bring retired players up to speed with fitness and any newer rules they're unfamiliar with (e.g. Two armed tackling, the MLQ set score. I'll probably go into this in more depth when I write about MLQ at some point) if it's necessary to do so. The winner would be decided by a panel of judges and a public vote once the teams had been put together.
The draft was done in snake format (the draft follows a certain order, each GM makes their pick then the order is reversed for the next round so the GM who had the last pick in the first round gets the first pick in the second round) with two rounds completed each week. During the draft each week, there would be a live panel of Eighth Man Analysts on their facebook page who would discuss the picks as the teams were being constructed. If you're familiar with this page then you'll know that because I had such a great time participating in this competition, I went ahead and ran a European only version with some adjustments during August and September. If you missed it though, you can check it out here and on the TQ facebook page.
So, why am I telling you all this?
Well, besides the fact you probably like or at least are somewhat interested in quidditch which is why you're here in the first place, I thought I'd take this opportunity to go through the team that I drafted and what my process was. Each one of the 14 players I selected for this fantasy fantasy team is someone I consider to be one of the greatest athletes to play the game and I feel that it would be nice to celebrate them in all their glory. Like the finale of a teen action fantasy film series, this is part 1 of 2, the second part will be released shortly after this one.
Let's get started!
Pick #1- Jackson Johnson
Pick #1- Jackson Johnson
 |
| Photo Credit- Nikki Smith Photos |
Position(s)- Beater
Notable teams played for- Texas State Quidditch, Texas Hill Country Heat Quidditch (abbreviated to
THC Heat- Current team), Austin Outlaws (MLQ team), USA National Quidditch Team (abbreviated to USNQT)
Country- USA
With my first pick, I was always going to draft a beater. The way I see it, beater is the most valuable position in any quidditch team. It's the one position that interacts with all the other positions on the field (including with each other) and is also the most unique and tactically nuanced position to quidditch. I knew that I needed to start strong by picking one of the very best.
The debate over who is the best beater in the world is arguably a two-horse race between Boston's Max Havlin and THC Heat's Jackson Johnson and while Havlin was taken with the pick directly before me, I had the pleasure of having Johnson be the first player to join my team. The driving force behind THC Heat (perhaps the best club quidditch team in the world at the moment) and the USA's IQA World Cup 2018 triumph, Johnson has almost everything you could possibly want from your star beater. His mental abilities to read the game, his awareness and confidence coupled with his fast reflexes and athleticism allow him to regularly blow up the play, creating chaos and dominating the pitch. On top of that, throughout his playing career, Johnson has been a leader and star player on basically every team he has played on, elevating them to another level and making key plays in high pressure situations.
 |
| Credit- International Quidditch Association (via Ruhr Phoenix TV) |
 |
| Credit- International Quidditch Association (via Ruhr Phoenix TV) |
 |
| Credit- Texas State Quidditch |
Pick #2- Stevie Bell
 |
| Photo Credit- Nikki Smith Photos |
Position(s)- Keeper, Seeker
Notable teams played for- Texas Quidditch, Lone Star QC, Austin Outlaws (MLQ team), USA National Quidditch Team (USNQT)
Country- USA
Another key component of any quidditch team is a dominant keeper so that was my next focus after beater. On defence, they are one of the main organisers due to them usually starting as the hoop defender at the beginning of the play and this deep positioning allows them to get a better angle on the opposition and how they are setting up to attack. On offence, they are effectively like a Point Guard in basketball, tasked with running the offence and being one of the main goal scorers. After picking Johnson with my first pick, my second pick was a fellow Texan and former Lone Star QC and Austin Outlaws teammate, none-other than Stevie Bell. In my first couple of seasons playing quidditch, Lone Star were at the peak of their powers, playing a brand of quidditch that was both highly effective and easy on the eye with Bell being one of the main players of that star studded team. I would describe Stevie as one of the most 'fun' players I've seen play quidditch. A real flare player with an iconic sidestep who can at times make the game look effortless. Coming from a background in basketball, Bell has a great understanding of how to run both a half court offence and the speed and agility to score on the fast break along with the ability to pass and shoot to high standard making him an ideal playmaker for any team.
 |
| Credit- Billy Quach Films |
 |
| Credit- Billy Quach Films |
Pick #3- Simon Arends Jr.
 |
| Photo Credit- Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography |
Position(s)- Chaser/Keeper
Notable teams played for- Texas Quidditch, Lone Star QC, Texas Cavalry, Austin Outlaws (MLQ Team), USA National Quidditch Team (USNQT)
Country- USA
After drafting Stevie, I wanted a player who would be able to 'bounce off' of him. A player who would compliment his skills as the main ball carrier on offence as a second option and could serve as a physical point defender. By some luck, I was able to get the perfect fit with my third Texan, Simon Arends Jr. Not only does Simon have that pre-existing chemistry with Bell and Johnson across multiple Texas college, community and MLQ teams, I'd argue that he's the most complete male chaser to play the game. Fast enough to run brooms up, strong enough to play as an aggressive point defender and agile enough to play as both an off-ball defender or receiver on offence, Arends has all the physical skills you'd want from a chaser. Couple that with the ability to play as a primary or secondary ball carrier on offence who can reliably pass, shoot and drive on the hoops and you have one hell of a player. Not to mention, while Simon has taken a step back from playing in recent years, he also proved his mental capability and team management skills by successfully coaching the UT team to back-to-back USQ Cup finals in the College Division and winning one of them in 2019, nurturing a new generation of talented UT athletes, helping them get back to the top following their post USQ Cup 8 decline.
 |
| Credit- Billy Quach Films |
 |
| Credit- Billy Quach Films |
Pick #4- Lucy Quidditch
 |
| Photo Credit- Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography |
Position(s)- Beater
Notable teams played for- Velociraptors QC, Nottingham Nightmares, West Midlands Revolution, East Midlands Archers, Team UK (UK national team)
Country- UK
Beating is all about strong partnerships. A beater may be an amazing player however if their fellow beater isn't on the same wavelength as them, a lot of their hard work can come undone, especially against top opposition. Having taken two quaffle players in the last two rounds, I knew that I needed to draft a beater to partner with Jackson and/or the other beaters on my team. With most of the picks being American players at this point in the draft, a lot of international talent was still available which allowed me to pick a certain tall beater from the UK- Lucy Quidditch. If you asked just about any European or UK quidditch player who the best player in the UK is, the vast majority would say Lucy Q and a lot of them would also choose her to be one of the best players in Europe (as demonstrated by her being picked number 2 overall in the TQ All-Time European draft). Lucy is perhaps the most talented and intelligent player I've played with. She combines a wealth of experience and a tactical mind with a mightily accurate throwing arm, phenomenal reflexes and ice cold composure, making her a nightmare opponent to face. Later in her career, Lucy has branched out into Dodgeball and has quickly advanced to being selected for the England dodgeball squad, proving her athletic ability at the highest level in more than just quidditch. Thanks to her stamina, Lucy is capable of playing full games while beater partners sub in and out to play with her meaning that she's quite adept at being the spine of a team while also being accustomed to playing with a variety of beater partners which will come in handy in this fantasy setting. Along with Johnson, Lucy would be one of the key leaders and decision makers on this team and I'd love to see how she would apply herself to the MLQ ruleset.
 |
| Credit- Quidditch Europe (via Ruhr Phoenix TV) |
 |
| Credit- Triple Hoops Films |
Pick #5- Seppe De Wit
 |
| Photo Credit- Claire Purslow Quidditch Photography |
Position(s)- Chaser/Keeper
Notable teams played for- Antwerp QC, Belgian Gryffins (Belgium national team)
Country- Belgium
I wanted to consolidate my quaffle lineup with a solid dependable option, capable of playing with the previously selected quaffle players but also able to lead the second line. Like Arends, Seppe De Wit is an incredible all-round chaser who can also reliably play keeper if necessary. Whether it was because of a lack of roster depth or for tactical purposes, De Wit would routinely play entire matches for Antwerp and Belgium which did mean at times Seppe would have to hold himself back in order to prioritise playing the full 18+ minutes. Sustaining such a high level of performance for as long as De Wit did in games was his most admirable quality and it takes some serious ability to be able to do so playing fatigued against opposition who may have only just subbed into the action. However, on this roster, he would not be relied upon in the same way that he was during his career which would give him the freedom to play with greater aggression and explosiveness, the thought of which is frankly terrifying. His recent retirement (along with many of his fellow Antwerp teammates) is a tragic loss for the sport in Europe and as a whole.
 |
| Credit- Antwerp Quidditch Club |
 |
| Credit- Ruhr Phoenix TV |
Pick #6- Valentin Farese
 |
| Photo Credit- Claire Purslow Quidditch Photography |
Position(s)- Chaser
Notable teams played for- Titans Paris, France
Country- France
This pick was received with a fair bit of shock by the US-dominated 8th Man panel and audience when I drafted this player with my 6th pick. In hindsight, I probably overestimated how highly the other GMs (all of which were either American or Canadian) rated this player, and European and international talent in general, so I probably could've waited to draft this person later in the draft. However, pretty much as soon as I started planning for the draft, I knew that I wanted this player on my team, and with time ticking away on my turn to make a selection, I took the plunge and selected him. Valentin Farese may be a widely underrated player but he really shouldn't be. Farese has been one of the key components in a Titans Paris and France core that has largely dominated across European quidditch history. To put it simply, Val is the fastest quidditch player I've ever faced and at times has made me feel so hopelessly out of my depth (however, we did win a fantasy tournament together once and that was a much more pleasant experience). Besides his speed, he is a deceptively strong tackler and point defender as well as a highly capable receiver thanks to his background in American Football. Val's ability to finish around hoops is exceptional, be it from a solo drive or cutting in to receive a pass from a teammate, keeping his arm free and finishing at the right time in heavy traffic. It gives me great pleasure to get him the recognition he deserves. The quidditch world has been denied a France-USA matchup for nearly 7 years now and by not getting a chance to play the US, France's global recognition has taken an unfortunate hit but if this tournament were played, I'm sure Val would surprise many non-European viewers and prove his worth in this All-Time tournament.
 |
| Credit- Joe Schmoe |
 |
| Credit-Ruhr Phoenix TV |
Pick #7- Becca DuPont
 |
| Photo Credit- Jessica Jiamin Lang Photography |
Position(s)- Chaser
Notable teams played for- Texas A&M Quidditch, Lone Star QC, Austin Outlaws (MLQ Team) USA National Quidditch Team (USNQT)
Country- USA
When it came to my 7th pick, I knew that I needed to get myself a first female chaser as I probably made a mistake not drafting one sooner with some talented options coming off the board earlier in the draft. Having already drafted Bell and Arends, taking Becca DuPont with this pick seemed like a very logical choice. DuPont was a key component of what made those Lone Star teams of the 2014-2016 era so appealing to watch and I knew by having this trio in my quaffle game, I'd have the core of a very successful unit. A ferocious competitor, DuPont was renowned as one of the best chasers in the game when she played. Highly capable with and without the ball, a very clinical finisher and hard hitter on defence with agility to boot. I knew that DuPont would be a fantastic addition to those already drafted and to the roster that this team would ultimately become.
 |
| Credit- Billy Quach Films |
 |
| Credit- Billy Quach Films |
That's it for Part 1, Part 2 will be arriving soon, stay tuned.
#LiveTheGame
Comments
Post a Comment