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+--- Thread: *DSFL Draft Review - Round 1 as a Pokémon Team (/showthread.php?tid=50426)
*DSFL Draft Review - Round 1 as a Pokémon Team - ACynicalGamer - 03-23-2024
First off, shout out @omg for the inspiration - Pokémon as a media tool is freaking genius
Thursday night saw the upcoming DSFL season really kick things up a notch as the draft saw a bunch of new, excited rookies populate the league’s 8 teams. A combination of discord yappers, march-madness gabbers and propane-grilled meat snackers, I really don’t think the league is prepared for what this group of rookies are about to unleash.
Rather than doing a standard draft review, because I figured there would be quite a few of those, I’ve gone in a slightly different direction with this one and have tried to imagine the first round as a Pokémon team. Each player will have a Pokémon comp, based on some combination of their skills, personality and the team that drafted them, and then I’ll review the team as a whole at the end.
And away we go:
1.1 - Willeh Strong (LB) - Portland Pythons
And so the mock drafts came to pass, Rookie Linebacker Willie Strong goes number 1 overall to the Portland Pythons. A well deserving prospect, Willeh has shown immense dedication throughout the pre-draft process, and his numbers on discord leave nothing but concern for the guy’s physical well-being. My rival in this class, and an early contender for DSFL MDM, Willeh more than earnt this pick and will now go down in history as a first overall pick in the DSFL draft.
Willeh has become stuff of legend over the last couple of weeks, a freakishly strong linebacker prospect with the yapping powers of a god. If not personally witnessed, will tales of his doings every truly do justice to the reality? Does folklore ever truly grasp the grandeur of its subjects?
With this all in mind, the obvious choice for Willeh Strong’s Pokémon comparison is none other than the legendary dragon/snake Rayquaza.
A thing of pure legend, one of the strongest creatures In the game, and rather serpentine in form; Rayquaza just made sense as a comp for Willeh. According to Pokémon legend, Rayquaza has existed for millions of years, soaring high above in the ozone layer. Is it not poetry, that Willeh Strong should soar above us forever more as the number 1 pick of the draft?
1.2 - Sam Coverdale (CB) - Tijuana Luchadores
Fellow yapper Sam Coverdale showed enough through 3 days of strong prospect bowl performances to encourage Tijuana to trade up to 2 for him, and I’m sure his yapping in the discords didn’t hurt either. A prodigy in the secondary, Coverdale definitely has the big personality to play CB in the league, with the arrogance needed to bounce back should any wide receiver get the better of him, no matter how occasionally that may be.
The Pokémon comp for Coverdale was probably the easiest one on the board for me. What’s better for a high flying, speed demon, newly baptised Luchadore than Hawlucha.
Hawlucha is a hawk based Pokémon inspired by the Luchadores of old themselves. Characterised by lightning speed, a small stature but a big attitude, he just seemed like the perfect fit for the YapDog himself.
There is one entry about Hawlucha that I think perfectly surmises the decision to use him as Coverdale’s comp: It always strikes a pose before going for its finishing move. Sometimes opponents take advantage of that time to counterattack.
Both style and substance, though sometimes a disproportionate amount of the former, Sam Coverdale and Hawlucha are a match made in heaven.
1.3 - Seer Ial (WR) - Bondi Beach Buccaneers
If there’s one thing new Australian-speaker Seer Ial is all about it’s speed, and I’m not sure there’s much more he is about. Ial zoomed up draft boards towards the end of the draft process, boasting impressive TPE for a true rookie despite being comparatively absent on the discords when held alongside out first 2 picks.
Ial will rely on his speed to be productive at the next level, and will utilise his lightning quick reflexes to shoot his arms out and pluck footballs out of the sky, much like a frog does with flies.
With that I give you Seer Ial’s Pokémon comp; Greninja!
Boasting impressive speed, a wide and varied movepool, impressive offensive stats and a link to the water, Greninja seemed like the perfect comp for new beach-frequenter Seer Ial, the only thing lacking was a piratical twist.
Greninja is described in Alpha Sapphire as a creature who ‘appears and vanishes with a ninja’s grace. It toys with its enemies using swift movements, while slicing them…’
I mean come on, how is that not a description of Seer Ial?
1.4 - Big Tractor (OL) - Kansas City Coyotes
Motoring in to our number 4 spot in the DSFL Draft, new coyote Big Tractor made an enormous splash on draft night. An absolute mauler on the field, Big Tractir was an early favourite to go high in the draft, however despite his steady media production his limited activity in the discords saw his stock falling every so slightly as we entered the draft. Fortunately, he had clearly done enough to impress early in the process as KC had no hesitations about bringing him in to anchor the line.
Big Tractor was a hard comp, and I feel like I’m gonna get some pushback on it if I don’t explain it first, so let me explain my thought process.
I would summarise the criteria for Big Tractor’s comp as such: Stoic and aggressive aesthetic, relatively timid nature, canine influence.
Let me introduce you to Granbull. Granbull is described as: timid in spite of its looks, if attacked it flails about to fend off its attacker. Now I know ‘flail’ isn’t necessarily a word with positive connotations, but to me that pretty aptly describes the enigmatic mauler that is Big Tractor. The idea was reinforced and cemented when I saw that Granbull’s available abilities include ‘intimidate’ and ‘quick feet’ because what top OL prospect doesn’t have both of those qualities?
While maybe not an obvious choice, Granbull fits the farmyard machinery pretty spot on.
1.5 - Mac Mannheim (LB) - Norfolk Seawolves
And with the fifth pick of the first round of the DSFL draft, my own legend begins. (HOW BOUT DEM BOATS)
From humble begins to the big time, I think it’s fair to say a couple of teams will regret their decision to pass on such a prospect, and I’m sure Norfolk are currently setting up a new church to worship the miracle that was trading back to 5 and still getting the player you would have taken at 2.
Mac Mannheim is a regal prospect, a king amongst kings, the new crowned prince of Norfolk. As strong a prospect as any in this class, Mannheim flys around the field with an air of grace and control rarely seen on a football field, and with the fluidity he moves with it’s fitting he went to a water-themed team.
Mac Mannheim is represented in this monstrous team by none other than the water-type, legendary dog Suicune. As first noted in Sapphire, Suicune embodies the compassion of a pure spring of water. It runs across the land with gracefulness.
A well rounded competitor across the board, with an ability that means it thrives under pressure, Suicune is often a chance encounter in Pokémon games and if you miss out first time of asking you don’t usually get a second chance to add him to your team. Need I say more?
1.6 - Jet Larsen (CB) - Minnesota Grey Ducks
Is it a car? Is it a plane? Somehow yes, it’s both, and also newest Minnesota Grey Duck Jet Larsen! At number 6 overall the Grey Ducks brought in do it all cornerback Larsen as the first pick of a rather Columbus draft class headed up to Minnesota. The locker room will be hoping Jet can add some bite so a room that’s been all honk in recent years.
Larsen is a versatile back, just as capable as coming downhill and playing the run as he is flipping his hips and going stride for stride with a flying receiver. Leaning into this, and the duck theme, Larsen representation on the team is the mysterious and little known Porygon-Z!
While yes, Porygon-Z looks like a duck, the key facet in this comp is the Pokémon’s ability. Porygon-Z’s ability is ‘adaptability’ with a hidden ability of ‘analytic’.
With reasonable stats across the board, especially solid speed, and a knack for adapting under pressure and analysing opponents in order to gain an advantage, Porygon-Z felt like a good fit for me here at number 6. Plus, an added bonus, they’re both kinda funny looking.
1.7 - Zigzag Zipstep (RB) - London Royals
Breaking from tradition and going against the grain, the London Royals were brave with their first pick, drafting recreate running back Zigzag Zipstep. Despite a good-great TPE earner so far in his young career, a recreate in the first round is just not how things are done. Booooooooo Royals.
The prospect himself, I can’t fault. Zigzag is an awesome back, a solid TPE earner, nicely active in both discords and clearly isn’t afraid to break the mold rolling with a receiving archetype into his first DSFL season.
I toyed with this one for a while, as there was another option that had similar speed with a stronger lion connection, however the one I’ve gone for was just too good to pass up.
Zigzag Zipstep, meet Zigzagoon.
Yes, the name is too good to ignore, but Zigzagoon also boasts impressive speed for his size. Noted to move in zigzags and wreak havoc on its surroundings, and adaptable to any scenario with an impressive array of HMs at its disposal, this just seemed like too good an opportunity to give a relatively unloved Pokémon a bit of praise.
1.8 - Jag McQueen (RB) - Dallas Birddogs
What a turn up for the books for Jag McQueen, and I’ll tell you what, it doesn’t hurt my stock as an analyst either. Despite an underwhelming performance through all 3 days of the prospect bowl, I defended McQueen and maintained that all he needed was more opportunities. Well it looks like he’s going to get those opportunities in Dallas, as the newest Birddog gears up for what could be a monster rookie year as they look to get back to the big game.
As a ball carrier, Jag is electric, regularly teleporting a gap to the right in a split second before escaping up field in a flash. This is why my Pokémon comp for McQueen is Manectric.
Manectric is wickedly fast and ferocious on offense. It’s main ability ‘static’ gives a chance to temporarily paralyse an opponent, much like McQueen through a juke, while it’s hidden ability ‘minus’ hints at what Jag can do to free rushers as a pass blocker.
With the added bonus of matching the colours, Manectric seemed like a good addition to the team as a representation of everything good about Jag’s game. Especially when there isn’t a ‘bird-dog Pokémon’.
Summary
Ok, this was more work than I was expecting it to be, some of these did not jump out at me initially and had me scrolling through page after page of bulbapedia trying to find a decent comp.
Overall I’m pretty happy with how the comps turned out, granted a couple of people may be disappointed with theirs but hopefully everyone can see my reasoning behind the picks even if they’re not a fan of the actual choice.
I debated actually analysing the resultant team from a competitive perspective but with 8 Pokémon, 2 legendaries and an abundance of normal types I don’t think much analysis is needed to realise that this team would struggle in any kind of competitive setting. I’ve also spent long enough on this stupid idea and can’t face pouring any more time into it.
Hope you guys enjoyed the read
RE: DSFL Draft Review - Round 1 as a Pokémon Team - JoeSteel - 03-23-2024
Boo Royals
RE: DSFL Draft Review - Round 1 as a Pokémon Team - omg - 03-23-2024
Being compared to Greninja is an honor.
RE: DSFL Draft Review - Round 1 as a Pokémon Team - OrbitingDeath - 03-23-2024
Pick me pick me
RE: DSFL Draft Review - Round 1 as a Pokémon Team - wetwilleh - 03-23-2024
I'll gladly take Rayquaza