03-31-2024, 06:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2024, 12:12 PM by wetwilleh. Edited 1 time in total.)
Well, even if the season literally just went through its first week, I decided to write a self- scouting article for my player. This is, of course, not at all related with the fact that double media will only last until tomorrow. It totally isn't, trust me. Well, ulterior motives aside, writing an scouting article for myself is something I did for my previous player and this player (for the DSFL). I mainly do this in order to avoid being asked the same questions over and over. While I am someone who enjoys the scouting and draft process very much (both as a draft prospect and as a war room member/ GM), the fun degrades a little when you are asked the same questions over and over again by every scouts that you are contacted by. And there's no way you're avoiding those questions, too. As I know too well as a former war room member and GM in DSFL and ISFL, those recurring questions, such as "what kind of earner you are" or "are you willing to change positions" are just essential for teams to figure out their compatibility with the player- user, and as such no sane GM will allow to forgo them unless they know the user in question very well. So, writing a media piece discussing those frequently asked questions is the happy median I found. I found out that this kind of strategy worked very well both for my former player's ISFL draft and this player's DSFL draft, saving the GMs (mostly) from having to ask the same questions over and over, instead making room for them to ask creative questions that I happen to enjoy. So without further ado, let's get to the main article!
Note for scouts: I wrote the tldr of my answer in bold, so just read those if you are in a hurry!
FAQ no. 1: What kind of an earner you are?
Ah, this one is a classic. This is one of the first questions scouts ask to a prospect, and I have asked this question to numerous DSFL and ISFL prospects. And my answer to that question is that I am most certainly a max earner. At the moment, Robot Sunfish is sitting at 183TPE. Last time I checked that is number 1 in TPE value among S48 players. And while I'm unsure if I'll be able to keep this position as the class' top TPE earner in long term (as I'll need a lot of luck in predictions and fantasy for that), one thing I can promise you is that I will be completing every single point tasks, predictions and other tasks during my career. With my previous two players (barring the inactive patch during the latter half of Simon the Frog's career which occurred due to me being conscripted to the military), I have never missed neither an activity check nor a weekly training, and I seldom missed any PTs or predictions if I missed any (I think I missed a couple predictions here and there, but I'm unsure). Now with military out of the way, I can promise you GMs and scouts that I will be returning to my old earning pace. My projection is that I'll reach 250TPE by this offseason at the latest, and will be around 300TPE when next season starts. And I expect my peak TPE to be around 1400-1500TPE, depending on how well I do on predictions and fantasy. In any case I will be having a long career in the ISFL, braving through a few seasons of regression.
FAQ no. 2: What is the goal you have for this player?
At the moment, I have no defined goals for this player. To be entirely honest, I'm not that interested in stats or records. Sure, stats are great, and I'll take any records that comes my way. But that doesn't mean I will actively chase those. I already have a player in the Hall of Fame in my first player William Lim, and I feel like that's enough achievement in the stats and record department, at least for now. Also, during Lim's career, I learned that in order to pursue a hall of fame career, the team that houses the player has to make a lot of sacrifices. And during that career I saw a lot of people being sacrificed stat wise in order to allow my player to have more. And now that I have a player in the HoF, it is my opinion that it's time for me to help others get into the HoF instead of trying actively to make another HoF player. So in a nutshell, I'm here to help my team out, and win some ultimuses if possible.
FAQ no. 3: Are you willing to switch positions?
This question is probably the one that literally every scouts ask. While they might leave out a question or two here on there depending on their style, I never saw a case in scouting where the position switch question was left out (unless the user professed their preference through other means, of course). This question is just that important. And if you ask me about my position switch preference, you'll hear pretty much the same answer every time. It is that I am willing to switch to every position, bar kicker and offensive line. As much as I enjoy being a linebacker, I'm not super attached to the position at the moment. And as I said in the previous question, my main priority with this player is to help the team out. So if your needs me to switch to one position to another, I'll happily oblige unless it's not offensive line or kicker. Even though I'm not very stat- focused, I'd like to see my player do something in the field, at least. And for kicker, I just don't think it's my cup of tea. And plus, it's a position where max earners seldom create or stay in. Other than those two positions? You ask it, and I'll do it. I'll even pay for it, too, as I have more than enough money on my bank. So don't just see me as a linebacker (I'm perfectly fine staying at this position, though), but as a joker card who can be anything on both sides of the ball bar offensive line and kicker.
FAQ no. 4: How are you planning to earn league money?
I feel like this is a question more reserved for newer users, as I have never been asked the question since my scouting experience with my first player. But nonetheless, I decided to include the answer to this question as a homage to OG scouters who asked me this question back when I was a newbie. The first "answer" that I'll be providing - and the most likely reason that scouts no longer ask me this question - is the fact that I have a large bank account. At this moment I have a balance slightly upwards of $200M, and I believe that this is more than enough to sustain Sunfish through a full ISFL career without me earning a single sim league dollar ever again. However, that will not be the case. I will earn money through writing media, and also through jobs if I manage to be hired. I like writing media pieces (hell, this is what I'm doing right now), and I will most likely pop out an article or two sporadiaclly. And if there happen to be a double media period like right now, I'll most certainly earn some money off it. So all in all, you won't have to worry about me being unable to buy equipment and/ or weekly training at any point.
+ What kind of contract are you looking for?
I included this one as a sort of FAQ no. 4.5, as it is a question that is often asked after the last one, as a sort of follow- up question. And my answer to this question is that I will be taking league minimums througout my career. I might request something like a NTC or some meme clauses, I'won't be asking for anything more than league minimum. I want to see my team succeed, and especially I want my team to give more money to money- needy rookies or vets (if there are any) instead of giving me a big contract.
FAQ no.5: Do you wished to be called up right after your ISFL draft?
This is another question that is almost always ask, as it is very important in forming a team's strategy for the next season. For me, I won't be demanding anything to the team. That means I won't be asking for an instant callup, and I won't request to be sent down, either. In another words, you can do as you please regarding my player's callup timing. As I said a few times before, I'm not really focused on stats, so losing a season or two in the ISFL is not much of a concern for me. Call me up when my player is needed, and don't trying to force anything to accommodate me. Just do what is right for the team.
FAQ no. 6: Do you have a specific team in mind as your draft destination?
This was a question I have been asked a few times with my former player, as my first player was a franchise player for the Yeti. I have stated through media, and told GMs in scouting conversations that I will be happy to play for any team. And this answer remains unchanged to this day. I always thought that requesting to be drafted by a specific team ruins the fun in the draft process for the user, and thus I won't be doing such as draft process is what I enjoy the most in this league. Also, I have friends in all ISFL teams (at least I think so), and I'm pretty sure I'll fit reasonably well in any locker room. So I'm not going to be picky about the teams, and let the draft play out naturally.
FAQ no. 7: Do you plan to test free agency at any time?
While I didn't see this question being asked that much, I decided to include this one as a sort of follow- up question to the last one. And as you can see from the careers of my two previous players, I intend to stay with the team that drafted me. I don't know why, but I just prefer being a franchise player for a team than being a journeyman for some reason. So I'll stick with the team that drafted me for the whole of my career. However, there are a few "deal breakers", which will result in me exploring free agency or request a trade. Those circumstances are;
1. A team drafts me without scouting me
This one is an instant deal breaker. As a former DSFL GM and ISFL/ DSFL war room member, I always believed that all active players in any given draft class should be scouted. And while I understand that there might be circumstances - such as lack of manpower or the GMs having irl issues - that might prevent them from scouting the whole of the class, I still believe that they should scout the ones that they view as potential picks for them. As such, I will be very unhappy if any team drafts me without scouting me, and my most likely course of action will be to request a trade out of the team instantly, unless there was a very good reason why. I don't expect much in scouting. I just want someone from the team - whether it be one of the GMs or a war room member - contact me through any means and have a chat with me. The "chat" doesn't even have to be about my player - I'm writing this article to preemtively answer most of the questions the scouts will ask, anyways - and can be about anything. The important thing for me was that I was contacted by a team. I always want to be scouted by all ISFL teams, and I hope that will be the case in this draft. (props to Baltimore for reaching out super early, by the way)
2. There is a toxic user in the locker room
My definition of a toxic user is someone who starts a fight and/ or makes people uncomfortable by posting NSFW images, racial slurs, etc. in team servers. I will talk about it later in this article, but I value good locker room environment very highly. So the last thing I want is to be in the middle of a drama in team server. So if someone starts being toxic in the team server, I'll most likely ask my GMs to either remove the user from the server, or trade me out of the team.
FAQ no. 8: What do you want in your ISFL team?
This one is another classic, and I'm pretty sure it's asked by every GMs in both leagues in some form or another. When I'm asked this question, I usually give the same answer, which is that I'm primarily looking for an active and non- toxic locker room. The whole point of this league is to have fun, and I believe that a good "locker room culture" in the team discord server is the biggest factor towards having fun. I want a locker room that is active, and where I can fit in and have conversations without being interrupted by any kind of drama. Also, as I'm from a time zone outside of the US (South Korea, UTC +9), I'd love it if there's some international members (or US members with bad sleep schedules) in the team server. While I'm mostly adjusted with being in a sim league which is halfway around the world, it does get a little lonely when all the US people go to the bed and there's no one to chat with. So I'd love it if there's someone whom I can talk with in those hours. That doesn't mean I'll be unhappy in a team with only US members. Like I said before I'll be happy in any team as long as it's non- toxic and drama free, and if there's just US people I'll adjust likewise. I lived my sim league like that for the last 4 years, after all.
Bonus: What you will get if you draft me
First off, you will get a max earning player, who will play any position that you need besides offensive line and kicker, and will take minimum contract for the whole of his career. And on the user side, first you'll get someone who is reasonably discord active. While I might not be a "first in your server mee6 ranking" type of guy, I'm active in the team server especially around game time. And if there are anyone to chat with, I'll be pretty active during US night hours as well.
Also, while I might be completely useless in simming, I'm a decent scout if I may say so myself. So if you want, I'll very gladly help out in the war room as a scout. I enjoy the draft and scouting process very much, and as such I love being in war rooms and doing the drafts behind the scenes. I can provide advices as an older user, and can manage/ make the draft board, too. Also, I'll be more than happy to help rookies out in league- related matters in the locker room, as I'm familiar with a lot of rules and stuff being a former rookie mentor and DSFL HO.
Note for scouts: I wrote the tldr of my answer in bold, so just read those if you are in a hurry!
FAQ no. 1: What kind of an earner you are?
Ah, this one is a classic. This is one of the first questions scouts ask to a prospect, and I have asked this question to numerous DSFL and ISFL prospects. And my answer to that question is that I am most certainly a max earner. At the moment, Robot Sunfish is sitting at 183TPE. Last time I checked that is number 1 in TPE value among S48 players. And while I'm unsure if I'll be able to keep this position as the class' top TPE earner in long term (as I'll need a lot of luck in predictions and fantasy for that), one thing I can promise you is that I will be completing every single point tasks, predictions and other tasks during my career. With my previous two players (barring the inactive patch during the latter half of Simon the Frog's career which occurred due to me being conscripted to the military), I have never missed neither an activity check nor a weekly training, and I seldom missed any PTs or predictions if I missed any (I think I missed a couple predictions here and there, but I'm unsure). Now with military out of the way, I can promise you GMs and scouts that I will be returning to my old earning pace. My projection is that I'll reach 250TPE by this offseason at the latest, and will be around 300TPE when next season starts. And I expect my peak TPE to be around 1400-1500TPE, depending on how well I do on predictions and fantasy. In any case I will be having a long career in the ISFL, braving through a few seasons of regression.
FAQ no. 2: What is the goal you have for this player?
At the moment, I have no defined goals for this player. To be entirely honest, I'm not that interested in stats or records. Sure, stats are great, and I'll take any records that comes my way. But that doesn't mean I will actively chase those. I already have a player in the Hall of Fame in my first player William Lim, and I feel like that's enough achievement in the stats and record department, at least for now. Also, during Lim's career, I learned that in order to pursue a hall of fame career, the team that houses the player has to make a lot of sacrifices. And during that career I saw a lot of people being sacrificed stat wise in order to allow my player to have more. And now that I have a player in the HoF, it is my opinion that it's time for me to help others get into the HoF instead of trying actively to make another HoF player. So in a nutshell, I'm here to help my team out, and win some ultimuses if possible.
FAQ no. 3: Are you willing to switch positions?
This question is probably the one that literally every scouts ask. While they might leave out a question or two here on there depending on their style, I never saw a case in scouting where the position switch question was left out (unless the user professed their preference through other means, of course). This question is just that important. And if you ask me about my position switch preference, you'll hear pretty much the same answer every time. It is that I am willing to switch to every position, bar kicker and offensive line. As much as I enjoy being a linebacker, I'm not super attached to the position at the moment. And as I said in the previous question, my main priority with this player is to help the team out. So if your needs me to switch to one position to another, I'll happily oblige unless it's not offensive line or kicker. Even though I'm not very stat- focused, I'd like to see my player do something in the field, at least. And for kicker, I just don't think it's my cup of tea. And plus, it's a position where max earners seldom create or stay in. Other than those two positions? You ask it, and I'll do it. I'll even pay for it, too, as I have more than enough money on my bank. So don't just see me as a linebacker (I'm perfectly fine staying at this position, though), but as a joker card who can be anything on both sides of the ball bar offensive line and kicker.
FAQ no. 4: How are you planning to earn league money?
I feel like this is a question more reserved for newer users, as I have never been asked the question since my scouting experience with my first player. But nonetheless, I decided to include the answer to this question as a homage to OG scouters who asked me this question back when I was a newbie. The first "answer" that I'll be providing - and the most likely reason that scouts no longer ask me this question - is the fact that I have a large bank account. At this moment I have a balance slightly upwards of $200M, and I believe that this is more than enough to sustain Sunfish through a full ISFL career without me earning a single sim league dollar ever again. However, that will not be the case. I will earn money through writing media, and also through jobs if I manage to be hired. I like writing media pieces (hell, this is what I'm doing right now), and I will most likely pop out an article or two sporadiaclly. And if there happen to be a double media period like right now, I'll most certainly earn some money off it. So all in all, you won't have to worry about me being unable to buy equipment and/ or weekly training at any point.
+ What kind of contract are you looking for?
I included this one as a sort of FAQ no. 4.5, as it is a question that is often asked after the last one, as a sort of follow- up question. And my answer to this question is that I will be taking league minimums througout my career. I might request something like a NTC or some meme clauses, I'won't be asking for anything more than league minimum. I want to see my team succeed, and especially I want my team to give more money to money- needy rookies or vets (if there are any) instead of giving me a big contract.
FAQ no.5: Do you wished to be called up right after your ISFL draft?
This is another question that is almost always ask, as it is very important in forming a team's strategy for the next season. For me, I won't be demanding anything to the team. That means I won't be asking for an instant callup, and I won't request to be sent down, either. In another words, you can do as you please regarding my player's callup timing. As I said a few times before, I'm not really focused on stats, so losing a season or two in the ISFL is not much of a concern for me. Call me up when my player is needed, and don't trying to force anything to accommodate me. Just do what is right for the team.
FAQ no. 6: Do you have a specific team in mind as your draft destination?
This was a question I have been asked a few times with my former player, as my first player was a franchise player for the Yeti. I have stated through media, and told GMs in scouting conversations that I will be happy to play for any team. And this answer remains unchanged to this day. I always thought that requesting to be drafted by a specific team ruins the fun in the draft process for the user, and thus I won't be doing such as draft process is what I enjoy the most in this league. Also, I have friends in all ISFL teams (at least I think so), and I'm pretty sure I'll fit reasonably well in any locker room. So I'm not going to be picky about the teams, and let the draft play out naturally.
FAQ no. 7: Do you plan to test free agency at any time?
While I didn't see this question being asked that much, I decided to include this one as a sort of follow- up question to the last one. And as you can see from the careers of my two previous players, I intend to stay with the team that drafted me. I don't know why, but I just prefer being a franchise player for a team than being a journeyman for some reason. So I'll stick with the team that drafted me for the whole of my career. However, there are a few "deal breakers", which will result in me exploring free agency or request a trade. Those circumstances are;
1. A team drafts me without scouting me
This one is an instant deal breaker. As a former DSFL GM and ISFL/ DSFL war room member, I always believed that all active players in any given draft class should be scouted. And while I understand that there might be circumstances - such as lack of manpower or the GMs having irl issues - that might prevent them from scouting the whole of the class, I still believe that they should scout the ones that they view as potential picks for them. As such, I will be very unhappy if any team drafts me without scouting me, and my most likely course of action will be to request a trade out of the team instantly, unless there was a very good reason why. I don't expect much in scouting. I just want someone from the team - whether it be one of the GMs or a war room member - contact me through any means and have a chat with me. The "chat" doesn't even have to be about my player - I'm writing this article to preemtively answer most of the questions the scouts will ask, anyways - and can be about anything. The important thing for me was that I was contacted by a team. I always want to be scouted by all ISFL teams, and I hope that will be the case in this draft. (props to Baltimore for reaching out super early, by the way)
2. There is a toxic user in the locker room
My definition of a toxic user is someone who starts a fight and/ or makes people uncomfortable by posting NSFW images, racial slurs, etc. in team servers. I will talk about it later in this article, but I value good locker room environment very highly. So the last thing I want is to be in the middle of a drama in team server. So if someone starts being toxic in the team server, I'll most likely ask my GMs to either remove the user from the server, or trade me out of the team.
FAQ no. 8: What do you want in your ISFL team?
This one is another classic, and I'm pretty sure it's asked by every GMs in both leagues in some form or another. When I'm asked this question, I usually give the same answer, which is that I'm primarily looking for an active and non- toxic locker room. The whole point of this league is to have fun, and I believe that a good "locker room culture" in the team discord server is the biggest factor towards having fun. I want a locker room that is active, and where I can fit in and have conversations without being interrupted by any kind of drama. Also, as I'm from a time zone outside of the US (South Korea, UTC +9), I'd love it if there's some international members (or US members with bad sleep schedules) in the team server. While I'm mostly adjusted with being in a sim league which is halfway around the world, it does get a little lonely when all the US people go to the bed and there's no one to chat with. So I'd love it if there's someone whom I can talk with in those hours. That doesn't mean I'll be unhappy in a team with only US members. Like I said before I'll be happy in any team as long as it's non- toxic and drama free, and if there's just US people I'll adjust likewise. I lived my sim league like that for the last 4 years, after all.
Bonus: What you will get if you draft me
First off, you will get a max earning player, who will play any position that you need besides offensive line and kicker, and will take minimum contract for the whole of his career. And on the user side, first you'll get someone who is reasonably discord active. While I might not be a "first in your server mee6 ranking" type of guy, I'm active in the team server especially around game time. And if there are anyone to chat with, I'll be pretty active during US night hours as well.
Also, while I might be completely useless in simming, I'm a decent scout if I may say so myself. So if you want, I'll very gladly help out in the war room as a scout. I enjoy the draft and scouting process very much, and as such I love being in war rooms and doing the drafts behind the scenes. I can provide advices as an older user, and can manage/ make the draft board, too. Also, I'll be more than happy to help rookies out in league- related matters in the locker room, as I'm familiar with a lot of rules and stuff being a former rookie mentor and DSFL HO.