European All-Time Fantasy Fantasy Draft & Tournament. Draft Summaries and Voting Details
After 5 weeks of drafting, the 8 teams have been selected by our GMs for the European All-Time Fantasy Fantasy Tournament. 128 players from 17 different countries (including some international players from the USA, Mexico and Australia who have played competitively in Europe). If you would like to see exactly who was drafted for each team, click on the link to the spreadsheet HERE
Now we move onto the "tournament" itself and to deciding which of the 8 rosters created is going to win this hypothetical competition. The winning GM and team will be decided via a part public and part judges vote. The judging panel will be comprised of 11 members, 8 of which are people who have been selected as players in the draft and 3 who are independent judges. The 8 who have been selected in the draft will act as their team's judge and will evaluate the other 7 teams (not their own team, in order to avoid bias) while our 3 independent judges will evaluate all 8 teams. The 11 person judges panel will be comprised of the following people-
8 team judges-
Kaan Bolat (Turkey, Stein's team), Max Martens (Germany, James' team), Louis Lermytte (Belgium, Lucy's team), Leander Troll (Germany, Amund's team), Paul Fander (Germany, Glenn's team), Albert Bregeault (France, Andrew's team), Andrea Wöger (Austria, Lore's team), Jemma Thripp (United Kingdom, Michele's team)
3 independent judges-
Bex McLaughlin (United Kingdom/Catalonia/Ireland/Austria), Michael 'Yada' Parada (United States), Austin Wallace (Canada)
The public voting form is at the END of this article. But, before you scroll down there, make sure you read the Draft Summaries that our GMs have made to accompany their teams. In these summaries, they will attempt to justify their selections, describe how their team would play in this hypothetical tournament and ultimately, persuade you as to why you should vote for their team.
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| Original Image (Photo) Credit- Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography |
Here are our GMs Draft Summaries-
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| Photo Credit- Hannah Dignum |
"Team UK and the Heartbreakers"
Captain: Lucy Quidditch
Coach: James Thanagadan
This team has one aim- to win quidditch matches and has been picked to do just that. It is filled with players who are no stranger to winning at the highest level and knows how best to achieve that goal -with fast paced, unrelenting aggressive quidditch.
In the TUK and Velociraptor QC pair of Lucy Quidditch and Mikey Orridge,
we have one of the most dominant pairs of front foot beaters in the world let
alone Europe. They have excellent pre-existing chemistry on pitch with the
stamina to play high intensity quidditch all day long. They are ably supported
by the more conservative, but no less dominant Turkish pair of Umut Yesilkaya and
Nilsu Yerlikaya.
In Andrew Hull and Jorgen Helgeland Stenløkk, we have 2 keepers who have played at the top of the international game for nearly 7 years Their ability to spray passes around the pitch with accuracy for our dominant receivers, as well as drive to hoops themselves provides the platform from which our team can excel.
Our chaser line up of Sami Fekkak, Léonard Podetti, Jeniva Chambers and
Alex Macartney, backed up by Franky Kempster, Tiphaine Pasquereau, Lina Hato Busson, James Thanangadan
and Max Martens are some of the most physical and athletic chasers to play the
game. They have shown both at club and international level that
they can be dominant at both ends of the pitch.
Whether that's holding a "quaffle only" defence whilst our
beaters look to utilise/make plays for a control or crashing the opposing hoops,
playing in the wake of our beaters chaos- this team has the physicality and
nuance to create, capitalise on and exploit any opportunity presented to
us. Do not worry though, the crowd and
opposition will know we have the mismatch!
The physical strength and game intelligence of the team
lends itself perfectly to running a 1:1 coverage or a 2-2 zone defence- both of
which are schemes they are used to playing at the highest level and the month
of training will only heighten their synergy.
Our seeker core of Jordan Aymer-Jeffrey and Martens lends
speed and guile to this aspect of the game. With Jordan in particular being
lightning fast both at brooms up and running for the snitch- he once completed
a tournament (6 matches) with a combined snitch catch rate of under 4 minutes total pitch time.
Individually and as a collective we will aim to bury our
opponents, in an unrelenting wave of attacks from all angles of the pitch until
our foes inevitably submit to the inevitable. All I can say to our opponents
is: Good luck, you will need it!
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| Photo Credit- Hanne van Tichelt |
"Vote 4 Glenn"
Captain: Aaron Veale
Coach: Paul Fander
Lovely people of Quidditch Europe,
Here is why you should
vote for my team: Louis Lermytte said he liked my team. That’s it.
If that doesn't convince you, here’s some other arguments. We are going to play a good, collective and high paced brand of quidditch.
You want to see nice passes on the fastbreak? Don’t worry we’ll provide them to
you.
Fast paced beater play? Don’t worry, we got that as well. Ali Deniz Uçar, Paul Fander and Jona Piens will run circles around the
competition whilst juggling three bludgers!
Jan Kohler will floor you, steal your bludger and eat your lunch before you can
even claim immunity.
You want female playmakers? Meike Hinz will throw a pass so high quality even
Gordon Ramsay will lick his fingers once he gets a taste of that! You want dunks? Hanne Hermans and Yaren Uçar will dunk in your face so hard you
might as well just quit quidditch altogether.
You want Norwegian people to cry? Me too, that’s why I picked Ulrik Olsen before
the Norwegian GM’s could. Just kidding, I want someone to drive through a whole
quidditch team like he’s in the Fast and the Furious. Maybe you want longshots? I swear to God, if you try to block Mikkel Poisse, Aaron Veale or
Meike, the sheer power of their shot will rip your arm off.
Don’t worry about seeker game, Reuben Thompson has you covered.
I also got some sexy in my line-up. Did you know Emile Aerts is a salsa
instructor? He will salsa his way down to your hoops and score!
I didn’t even mention other players like Elisabeth Reyniers, Ege Berk, … but I
think by this point my message is clear.
So this is why you should vote for my team.
Because if you vote for my team you endorse good, fast paced, female friendly,
FUN quidditch.
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| Photo Credit- Norges Rumpeldunkforbund (Petter Elstad) |
Stein Elgethun
Captain: Valentin Farese
Coach: Kaan Bolat
This team showcases a lot of outstanding players from the best teams in Europe, drafted with a focus on an aggressive, fast-paced style of quidditch where both players and the balls are moved quickly around the pitch. In offence, the core of quick and smart quaffle players in Fatih Aykurt, Valentin Farese, Johannes Klein-Peters, Sylvain Hochedé, Sıla Yüksel and Stine Evjeberg Hansen will be extremely hard to defend against. All of them have shown multiple times that they are difficult to contain, with quick movements and fakes you will often need multiple people to cover any single one of them.
That is when the strong passing play of each of these players comes in, and if any hoop is ever left open, everyone has proven time and time again that they are comfortable with shooting from a distance. In defence the unmovable object that is Jonathon Cookes will aid the team of already strong tacklers. On the bench for most of the game are players who easily could have been starters on any other team in Shadé Jaiyeola and Blanca Brenes Martínez.
The beaters on this team should simply not have been allowed to be drafted onto a single team. Mette Sundal and Kamil Urgun are two of the fastest, most aggressive and skilled beaters in Europe. They are both used to playing at high pace, using bludgers to open up the game in offence and creating quick turnovers in defence. Etienne Pogu is one of the strongest individual beaters in Europe, having won multiple games against other top teams without getting a single break. The synergy between Etienne and Flora Giaquinto is almost unparalleled, having played together for so long. These already formidable beaters are joined by one of Mette’s past teammates Silver Chacón who, with his aggressiveness, speed and physicality can open up any defence. A double male pair in Kamil and Etienne is also an option, both being used to playing in a double male set, and with a deep female chaser line to back it up.
If another team is somehow able to keep the game in snitch range, the incredible seekers on this team should most likely be able to end the game in a quick fashion. Timo Ramsauer has carried teams on the back of his seeking in Norway, if he is allowed within touching distance of the snitch runner, the game is usually over. Having a dedicated seeker means he will be fully rested and ready to go when needed. His backups in Sylvain and Johannes have also proven their ability many times as some of the best seekers in Europe, catching where others have failed.
The team cohesion will be helped by the coach Kaan Bolat, who has
coached Team Turkey and METU Unicorns to multiple deep runs. Both of which play
a style that fits well with the players drafted. This team would run over most
other teams in the tournament, and for the few that are able to keep up, the
incredible snitch game should ensure the win.
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| Photo Credit- Howard Orridge |
Lucy Quidditch
This team has the best male beater in Europe. It’s not close, and no other European player has ever been as clutch, tactically sound and explosively athletic as Louis Lermytte. His role as coach on this team ensures a well thought-out and consistent style that generates goals at a fast pace, and smothers teams defensively. He has a beater partner in Faust Eeckhout, a break out beater also from Antwerp QC who pioneered an aggressive style that saw him voted onto the EQC 2016 MVP team, and star as Belgium threatened the USA for the first time at IQA World Cup 2016.
This first line adds more Belgian chemistry with Micah Unruh and Suzanne Fischer, giving the quaffle line immense length and strength in defence. Their passing chemistry from years of club play will open up the offence while the addition of Bex Lowe and Tom Stevens to this line means teams will struggle to even pass point before getting blown up by the incredibly active beater pair. Defence wins championships and no-one is scoring on this line without instantly conceding a fast-break goal the other way.
Thankfully, when Louis needs to rotate out, he’ll be replaced by one of the few beaters that can compete with him in Captain Bill Orridge. Bill is a natural leader, European Games 2017 winning captain and powerhouse across all positions. His physicality and passion for the game are never in doubt, and he has a natural foil in Alice Walker who has one of the calmest heads in quidditch, a great tactical nous, and has beaten me in many a clutch situation.
This Team UK beater line can be complimented in many ways. The pre-existing chemistry of Christian Forner & Elisabeth Ingeberg Jørstad, and Luke Twist & Asia Mikołajczak, enable line-ups that have extremely talented female ball handlers backed up by great height and scoring ability from the receivers. All 4 are also excellent shooters of the quaffle, enabling attack to come from any angle. On defence, the length and tackling ability of Twist at chaser forces mismatches and bad passes that Forner and Jørstad have history of gobbling up. As rotation options, both Arif Gülbiter and Alberto García add length to the already gigantic chaser line, and add different offensive looks with Gülbiter’s rapid driving ability and García’s penchant for momentum-swinging shots and posterising dunks. Paul Bonnet rounds out the chasers as a talented glue player who has been an excellent receiver, finisher and defender on multiple club and national teams, and wins just follow him wherever he goes. Finally, Mert Ayduman injects energy, speed, and a different look at beater, where he specialises in 2-male sets for his club team which works perfectly here.
As for snitch on pitch, no one is going to have a better chance of keeping a bubble than a Lermytte-Orridge beater pair. The trio of seekers that is Twist-Stevens-Gülbiter have all broken my heart on
at least one occasion. Picking seekers that have taken medals from me to play seeker seems a good strategy to win one this time.
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| Photo Credit- Giada's Photo |
Captain- Jemma Thripp
Our motto is “defence first”. My quaffle players combine athleticism and tackling, and consistently take on opposing chasers regardless of size. This is also true with a 3-female-chasers lineup (Thripp-Kuhn-Pallaoro, with Vitello coming off the bench) that I’d rather not
have to face. To round it off, some fast and agile players with quick hands would be looking for interceptions opportunities (“Tarzan”, Craig, Massin) to run a fast break. Offensively I would work on a motion offence and add a few quick audible plays in the last two weeks of training. To that end, I drafted chasers with good passing skills who won’t be afraid to drive when they have the chance. My team would look to take a step further than most current pass-first teams, and move the defence around through cuts, picks, and repeated
drive and dish/outlet attempts. My two main playmakers (Ottensmeier &Van Halem) are in theme with this style, coming from the most pass-oriented nation in Europe (Germany), and we have a further option in “Plog” whose passing ability was often overlooked during his time at the top. With Van Halem and Craig we can also revert to a more classic drive and dish offence, revolving around physicality or speed
respectively.
In the bludger game, Satıcı-Bürgers-Van Huygevoort are very athletic and intelligent players, particularly in SOP to create favourable situations for a set of world class seekers. With the addition of Belferroum to anchor any beating pair and utilities Arrieta-Cooper who can put in some solid minutes, we can adapt our play style to any team we are facing. With Satıcı-Bürgers as the main pair, we would look to create empty lanes for receivers, and use their mobility and quidditch IQ to pressure opposing offences and force mistakes
My coach (Cooper) would mostly manage the team from the
sideline, stepping on at any position as he deems necessary. For the captain
role, I’m always happy to make an unconventional pick. My team has many
charismatic players with coaching and captaining experience, I’m confident that
they would use that to keep the team focused whether I’m allowed to choose a
co-captain or not. Instead I wanted someone to lead the team into tackling
everything that moves and leaving everything on the field, and I know very few
people in quidditch who epitomize that more than Thripp.
Last but not least, I wanted to honour a few quoomers -
forgive the terrible portmanteau - who are no longer in the quidditch
spotlight.
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| Photo Credit- Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography |
Andrew Hull
Captain- Jan Mikolajczak
Coach- Albert Bregeault
This team is built around a strong and stable chaser defence partnered with a fantastic and reliable beater core from which the versatility and clinical finishing of the chasing and seeking lines will mean an attack that few teams will be able to manage. In Amund Kulsrud Storruste, Jana Chung, Jan Mikolajczak and Carina Werner I have four brilliant beaters who can match up against anyone in the draft. Jana and Carina both have a lot of experience partnering aggressive beaters and therefore should be the perfect foil to Amund and his fast-aggressive style clearing up the debris left behind. Meanwhile, Jan offers a slightly less aggressive style but is equally brilliant and clinical. At the hoops, Albert Bregeault is beyond a doubt the best keeper Europe has ever seen and Rojcan Azbay is well on his way to being one of the best while the defensive positioning and tackling from the rest of the side is brilliant. In particular Jackie Woodburn, Abbi Harris and Ahmet Can Karakadilar stand out as ferocious defenders whose tackling at the elite level has been rightfully praised for years. In attack, the main strength in the team's chaser line is its versatility. Throughout the line are players who can play almost any role. In Ben Malpass and Ed Brett you have two chasers who could easily take over distribution, allowing Rojcan and Albert to quickly switch into a receiver role where they have both shown they can be destructive. It is also a team full to the brim with players who are fantastic at making quick cuts to hoops who would all feed amazingly off the killer distribution of Albert. Lenny Vincent, Celie Josse-Chevrollier and Emeline Bosc all have experience playing along side him for France; whilst Ed, Jackie, Ahmet, Abbi and Ben’s off ball movement and positioning is fantastic. With Albert’s clinical passing and the rest of the teams speed and precision of movement, this is a team that can strike in an instant with no player that can be left free without the opposition being punished. Every game in this tournament is going be close so a catalyst for any team will be a seeker who can step up in the clutch and be counted when the game is on the line. In Europe, there are not many seekers with a big game record like Callum Lake. He has caught snitches in every semi-final and final he has played for Team UK including against Norway and France at European Games 2017 and in 2019 against France in the semi-final to force overtime as well as against Germany to claim the Bronze Medal for the UK just as the Germans moved ahead on quaffle points. Very few seekers are as prolific as Lake whose versatility is perfect for any opponent. It’s not just me who rates him either. In a 2017 competition, he was voted as the 2nd best seeker in the world. Who was the only person the public thought was better? He’s an Australian champion; he’s a world champion; he’s caught a snitch with his feet and he’s in this team. It’s Neil Kemister. Neil is without a doubt one of the greatest seekers the world has ever seen and was a vital part in Australia toppling the USA powerhouse, it is easy to argue that without Neil, the Australian run is not the famed run we know today. My team has two of the best seekers in the world, let alone Europe. I doubt there are many teams that can come close to competing with that.
Lore Badts
Captain: Andrea Wöger
Coach: Mikkel Jessen
Unfortunately, Lore was unavailable for comment on her team.
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| Photo Credit- Madrid Wolves QT |
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| Photo Credit- Oskar Gårdsrud Paulsrud |
Captain- Seppe DeWit
Coach- Christian Zimpelmann
Q: What do you get when you combine the
best playmakers in Europe with the German national team?
A: The Übermannschaft, the best team in
the Total Quidditch. All-Time Euro draft.
The Übermannschaft is anchored by keepers Seppe De Wit and Seb Waters, the undisputed best ball handlers of Belgium and the UK respectively. Alongside them are 6 (!) key chasers from the successful 2019 iteration of the German national team. Four even originate from the same club (Rheinos Bonn), in Hanna Große, Leander Troll, Giulia Pugnaghi, and Christian Zimpelmann; with the Große-Troll combo being particularly deadly (Ger-UK EG19, Ger-Bel EG19). Tom Roloff and Julia Piazolo round out this unique German core, both being exceptional ball handlers and passers as well as lockdown defenders. Finally the chaser squad is reinforced with the incredible speed and american athleticism of a prime Chris Scholz, and Verle Baumers being a good Belgian fit alongside the playmaking of De Wit.
The staple of the beater core is the
athletic Alex Carpenter with the ability to out-press and outrun any
opposition. Either matched with the physically imposing Borut Bezgovšek or the strong arm of Stein Elgethun makes this beater
squad highly competitive. Rounding off the male-female beater set is Patrycja
Szklarz, with a similar aggressive and dominating style of play as Carpenter,
with the added advantage of having experience together with Elgethun from the
Norwegian 2018/2019 season.
With the addition
of Merlin Zimmermann, longtime teammate of Stein Elgethun, the Übermannschaft
can also run double male beater sets with pre-existing chemistry
(Elgethun-Zimmermann being a key piece in Norway defeating France EG19 or
Bezgovšek-Zimpelmann from Team Germany at World Cup 2018). This is especially
intimidating when considering the skill of the German female chaser duos in
Große/Pugnaghi/Piazolo that can be fielded!
Add in the most successful seeker in
European history in Boris Martin, and the option of running Carpenter/Große as
excellent female seeker options, and you’ve got yourself a damn good team.
Tl;dr: Best keepers, strong German core,
exceptional seeker, unmatched team chemistry.
- Amund Kulsrud
Storruste
Here's a full list of the rosters-
Make sure you vote via the form here- https://forms.gle/drG6bVQ35EopZKGp8
#LiveTheGame
#TQ
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