Good afternoon,
I am Mark Walker with the Yellowknife Wraiths. This is my fourth ISFL season in the league. I was one of the much talked about season 25 reddit classers. Soon to be the best draft class in the league(this is clearly my perception of how things went/are). Anyways, this article is meant to go over how I view the teams in terms of year to year performance since I have been in the league. So, obviously this is based on recency bias. I am not for or against any of the teams on this list(Not entirely true, I am pro Wraiths), I am also not in any way trying to put any of the teams down. I am only looking at performance on the field and in the draft, and I guess in the trade market as well.
To start off, the top tier of teams, the ones who always seem to be in the hunt for the championship in any given season.
Tier 1 : You know who they are :
Yellowknife Wraiths
San Jose Sabercats
Sarasota Sailfish
Tier 2 : Always good, just not good enough :
Colorado Yeti(I know they didn't win, but two appearances in the Iltimus?)
New Orleans(see above)
Arizona Outlaws
Chicago Butchers
Tier 3 : Not far off :
Orange County Otters
Honolulu Hahalua
Tier 4 : The jury isn't in yet :
New York Silverbacks(Both of these teams just haven't had enough seasons to truly judge where they are)
Berlin Fire Salamanders(see above)
Tier 5 : Looking good right now :
Austin Copperheads
Tier 6 : Hasn't quite put it together :
Philadelphia Liberty
Tier 7 : Full on Rebuild :
Baltimore Hawks
Hard to really rank some of the franchises, as this is more about how they have been since I joined, which does include this season, but I can't put too much weight on the right now.
So tier 1 is about the winners during my time here. I know when I first joined the banner at the top was the Wraiths, so while I didn't actually really know about them, they were the first champion I saw. Then of course the Sabercats won two in a row, hard to argue with them deserving a spot on the top tier. And then I added Sarasota because they have won one recently, and they always seem to be in the playoff hunt at least. And yes I am giving a lot of weight to the teams who actually won during this time as I feel there can only be one winner per season, even if it is a one off type of win, it still holds weight in a short time period.
Tier two is the teams that have made it to the Ultimus, but just couldn't quite do enough to win it. New Orleans made it twice in a row and lost both games by a decent margin, but that doesn't take away the fact that they beat other good teams to get there. So, regardless of the losses, they still deserve to be in this tier. Same thing goes for the Colorado Yeti, two appearances in the Ultimus, also came away with two losses, but again, technically the second place team out of 14(or 12 depending on the year). I have added the Arizona Outlaws and the Chicago Butchers on this list as well. They just seem to always be in the playoffs vying for a spot in the big game. They came up short multiple years, but they are always a threat, or just that one game away from making it. A good lot of teams, that luck just didn't favor.
Tier three is that group of teams that have some really good seasons but then have some really bad ones as well. Hard to have them in the Tier two group because of the not so good seasons, but also, with the good seasons, hard to drop them down to tier 4. I have the Honolulu Hahalua and the Orange County Otters. Both teams were in the hunt for multiple seasons, but then also, weren't quite enough to make the big game. Both of them have had seasons where they were near the bottom, but both have made the playoffs. I know I am trying not to take this season into account too much, but both of them currently have losing seasons. Granted, all it would take is a couple of solid seasons to be able to maybe move up to the next tier.
Tier Four is for the two newest expansion teams. They have done really well so far, considering they are really new teams still. With these two teams, I am going to take this season into consideration, as both teams have a good winning record so far, and one team leads their conference, while the other is tied for second place currently. Both look to make the playoffs. I think, within the next three seasons, we will have enough information to give them a real ranking and this tier will go away. Last season, both of these teams had losing records, but still finished in the bottom middle portion of their respective conference. Season 26, the new york fire lizards actually made the playoffs with the number one seed in their division, only to lose in the divisional championship game. Even after this season, I think we have an idea of who each team really is.
Tier Five is for one team that looks pretty good right now. They have had a few rough seasons though leading up to this point. Last season was not a good one for them. But they are currently tied for second in their division with an 8-3 record. They seem to have gotten their stuff figured out. They have had quite a few 7-9 seasons with a 9-7 and last seasons 3-13 effort. With Tier four going away after this season, this team could easily see itself moved up a tier by finishing well. If they even make the ultimus this season they would automatically get catapulted up the list.
Tier Six has one team in it. The Philadelphia Liberty are the only team in this tier because while they haven't really had any good seasons, I do believe they have better seasons ahead. But I can't rank them higher with a currently losing record and nothing but losing records. Does this team have some talent? Absolutely. But the issue is that a lot of their talent is on their way up, which is great for the future, but it definitely doesn't help for a ranking systems based on the most recent seasons. I think in the three or so seasons, this team could be something to watch out for.
Tier Seven has one team as well, and the reason I couldn't combine this with the above is, well this tier is full on rebuild. The Baltimore Hawks are in full tilt rebuild from the bottom up. They have had mostly losing seasons. They have an 0-16 season last year. Their one season they didn't have a losing record was an 8-8 finish. Now, as to why this was happening, I don't really know or care. I just know from looking at the numbers, they have been bad for a bit. But, their roster is full of young talent. They are also primed to be a monster team in three to four seasons, if they can keep the gang together while picking up a few more pieces.
There you have a ranking of the teams based on my short time in this league. This ranking is not meant to make anyone mad, I am just looking at the seasons I have been around and how the teams have performed since.
I am Mark Walker with the Yellowknife Wraiths. This is my fourth ISFL season in the league. I was one of the much talked about season 25 reddit classers. Soon to be the best draft class in the league(this is clearly my perception of how things went/are). Anyways, this article is meant to go over how I view the teams in terms of year to year performance since I have been in the league. So, obviously this is based on recency bias. I am not for or against any of the teams on this list(Not entirely true, I am pro Wraiths), I am also not in any way trying to put any of the teams down. I am only looking at performance on the field and in the draft, and I guess in the trade market as well.
To start off, the top tier of teams, the ones who always seem to be in the hunt for the championship in any given season.
Tier 1 : You know who they are :
Yellowknife Wraiths
San Jose Sabercats
Sarasota Sailfish
Tier 2 : Always good, just not good enough :
Colorado Yeti(I know they didn't win, but two appearances in the Iltimus?)
New Orleans(see above)
Arizona Outlaws
Chicago Butchers
Tier 3 : Not far off :
Orange County Otters
Honolulu Hahalua
Tier 4 : The jury isn't in yet :
New York Silverbacks(Both of these teams just haven't had enough seasons to truly judge where they are)
Berlin Fire Salamanders(see above)
Tier 5 : Looking good right now :
Austin Copperheads
Tier 6 : Hasn't quite put it together :
Philadelphia Liberty
Tier 7 : Full on Rebuild :
Baltimore Hawks
Hard to really rank some of the franchises, as this is more about how they have been since I joined, which does include this season, but I can't put too much weight on the right now.
So tier 1 is about the winners during my time here. I know when I first joined the banner at the top was the Wraiths, so while I didn't actually really know about them, they were the first champion I saw. Then of course the Sabercats won two in a row, hard to argue with them deserving a spot on the top tier. And then I added Sarasota because they have won one recently, and they always seem to be in the playoff hunt at least. And yes I am giving a lot of weight to the teams who actually won during this time as I feel there can only be one winner per season, even if it is a one off type of win, it still holds weight in a short time period.
Tier two is the teams that have made it to the Ultimus, but just couldn't quite do enough to win it. New Orleans made it twice in a row and lost both games by a decent margin, but that doesn't take away the fact that they beat other good teams to get there. So, regardless of the losses, they still deserve to be in this tier. Same thing goes for the Colorado Yeti, two appearances in the Ultimus, also came away with two losses, but again, technically the second place team out of 14(or 12 depending on the year). I have added the Arizona Outlaws and the Chicago Butchers on this list as well. They just seem to always be in the playoffs vying for a spot in the big game. They came up short multiple years, but they are always a threat, or just that one game away from making it. A good lot of teams, that luck just didn't favor.
Tier three is that group of teams that have some really good seasons but then have some really bad ones as well. Hard to have them in the Tier two group because of the not so good seasons, but also, with the good seasons, hard to drop them down to tier 4. I have the Honolulu Hahalua and the Orange County Otters. Both teams were in the hunt for multiple seasons, but then also, weren't quite enough to make the big game. Both of them have had seasons where they were near the bottom, but both have made the playoffs. I know I am trying not to take this season into account too much, but both of them currently have losing seasons. Granted, all it would take is a couple of solid seasons to be able to maybe move up to the next tier.
Tier Four is for the two newest expansion teams. They have done really well so far, considering they are really new teams still. With these two teams, I am going to take this season into consideration, as both teams have a good winning record so far, and one team leads their conference, while the other is tied for second place currently. Both look to make the playoffs. I think, within the next three seasons, we will have enough information to give them a real ranking and this tier will go away. Last season, both of these teams had losing records, but still finished in the bottom middle portion of their respective conference. Season 26, the new york fire lizards actually made the playoffs with the number one seed in their division, only to lose in the divisional championship game. Even after this season, I think we have an idea of who each team really is.
Tier Five is for one team that looks pretty good right now. They have had a few rough seasons though leading up to this point. Last season was not a good one for them. But they are currently tied for second in their division with an 8-3 record. They seem to have gotten their stuff figured out. They have had quite a few 7-9 seasons with a 9-7 and last seasons 3-13 effort. With Tier four going away after this season, this team could easily see itself moved up a tier by finishing well. If they even make the ultimus this season they would automatically get catapulted up the list.
Tier Six has one team in it. The Philadelphia Liberty are the only team in this tier because while they haven't really had any good seasons, I do believe they have better seasons ahead. But I can't rank them higher with a currently losing record and nothing but losing records. Does this team have some talent? Absolutely. But the issue is that a lot of their talent is on their way up, which is great for the future, but it definitely doesn't help for a ranking systems based on the most recent seasons. I think in the three or so seasons, this team could be something to watch out for.
Tier Seven has one team as well, and the reason I couldn't combine this with the above is, well this tier is full on rebuild. The Baltimore Hawks are in full tilt rebuild from the bottom up. They have had mostly losing seasons. They have an 0-16 season last year. Their one season they didn't have a losing record was an 8-8 finish. Now, as to why this was happening, I don't really know or care. I just know from looking at the numbers, they have been bad for a bit. But, their roster is full of young talent. They are also primed to be a monster team in three to four seasons, if they can keep the gang together while picking up a few more pieces.
There you have a ranking of the teams based on my short time in this league. This ranking is not meant to make anyone mad, I am just looking at the seasons I have been around and how the teams have performed since.