S1nn0hC0nfirm3d
aka Ho3nConfirm3d
new art pending. art by @Tsareentje
ZUPL IV is around the corner and we need to work out the format, timing, comanagers, and any other concerns. Feel free to post on any of these topics if you plan to participate in this year's ZUPL! Thank you Oathkeeper and Lalaya for hosting!
1. Format:
Last year's format was as follows: 4 SS / 1 SM / 1 ORAS / BW / DPP. The previous ZUPL forfeited one SS slot for a second SM slot, largely because SS ZU was in its infancy and SM ZU was the most developed and played generation of the lot. Here are the format options as I've seen them, in no particular order, and in respects to removing or keeping the fourth SS slot:
2. Timing:
ZUPL IV was moved up to be earlier than last year to avoid overlap with other tours at that time. Regardless of when ZUPL is held, there's going to be overlap with something, but really we just want to accommodate players. Currently, managers signups will open on June 20th. If you believe you would be significantly more inclined to manage and / or play by making manager signups start a month later in July, then let us know; we'd rather go back to our old schedule than lose out on a lot of players. If there's not that much concern on timing then we'll stay on schedule.
3. Comangers:
Signing up with comangers has its pros in relieving the stress caused by a single manager going into a draft. It's also fun; if you want to manage a team with a bud then why not? We still need to balance managers + comanagers in regards to: 1.) the pricing of the comanagers, and 2.) allowing only one or both of the pair to play. Last year's pricing wasa fixed 15k changed from a fixed pricing to 10k + 1.5k per win from the previous ZUPL. If comanagers are approved, we likely need to balance them for teams that signup without one, so one way to do this is to make sure only one of the two play in the PL. This was a compromise brought up before and I personally prefer it. Otherwise, other options with pricing could also be explored.
Again, post below on any of these topics if you plan on participating in ZUPL IV. Some topics like retains could be something we bring up but retains have always been excluded from ZUPL so I still don't see a good reason to do so. Also, if necessary, we can resort to a community vote to determine these factors if there isn't an obvious compromise.
1. Format:
Last year's format was as follows: 4 SS / 1 SM / 1 ORAS / BW / DPP. The previous ZUPL forfeited one SS slot for a second SM slot, largely because SS ZU was in its infancy and SM ZU was the most developed and played generation of the lot. Here are the format options as I've seen them, in no particular order, and in respects to removing or keeping the fourth SS slot:
- Keep as is: This format emphasizes the current gen, making having a good current gen playerbase equally as important as oldgens. The effect on drafting could include more current-gen players inside and outside the ZU community; maybe tour players are more likely to play SS ZU than an oldgen ZU slot? The cons here would mostly be burnout, which was apparent last tour. We also are less inclusive to oldgens and oldgen players.
- Bo3: This expands the fourth SS slot to include more coverage for SM and ORAS. The pros here are mostly the same as above, but more emphasis on all-around players, especially ones already experienced with the recent generations of ZU. In turn, Bo3 is known to lead to some hype matchups as well. However, Bo3 exasperates the burnout issue as well as it could be hard to draft for.
- ADV: Absent from prior PLs, ADV has seen a lot of growth since last year. ADV's inclusion would mimic other PLs that naturally go down the line in oldgens + 3 SS. That said, ADV still has a limited playerbase and again could be hard to draft for.
- GSC: See above. GSC follows the same trend as ADV but it awkwardly doesn't follow the same trend as going down the generations, which is a legitimate concern given how antiquated gen 2 can be. However, the same can be said about a lot of oldgens, so I personally would rather just favor the one that gets the most interest.
- Second BW: It's no secret that BW exploded in popularity and meta development recently due to the cash tour. The prospect of a second BW slot could reflect this, that is, if we think there's enough of a playerbase to support it.
2. Timing:
ZUPL IV was moved up to be earlier than last year to avoid overlap with other tours at that time. Regardless of when ZUPL is held, there's going to be overlap with something, but really we just want to accommodate players. Currently, managers signups will open on June 20th. If you believe you would be significantly more inclined to manage and / or play by making manager signups start a month later in July, then let us know; we'd rather go back to our old schedule than lose out on a lot of players. If there's not that much concern on timing then we'll stay on schedule.
3. Comangers:
Signing up with comangers has its pros in relieving the stress caused by a single manager going into a draft. It's also fun; if you want to manage a team with a bud then why not? We still need to balance managers + comanagers in regards to: 1.) the pricing of the comanagers, and 2.) allowing only one or both of the pair to play. Last year's pricing was
Again, post below on any of these topics if you plan on participating in ZUPL IV. Some topics like retains could be something we bring up but retains have always been excluded from ZUPL so I still don't see a good reason to do so. Also, if necessary, we can resort to a community vote to determine these factors if there isn't an obvious compromise.
ADV makes the most sense to me. We alleviate the pressure put on SS burnout and it's the next in-line generation wise. ADV's playerbase is solid enough too. I don't care about the timing. I wrote above comanagers + only one plays makes the makes the most sense to me.
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