(S32) Ultimus Week

[Cincyfan96]

11. Write about your team’s biggest rivalry and what makes it so fierce. Is the competition founded in statistics and the team’s recent performance, or is it a rivalry that developed over time during the team’s history that would exist regardless of statistics?

I have to write about this one first because of what is happening tonight. It is not often that a team's biggest rival be a team from the opposite conference, but that is absolutely the case for the Berlin Fire Salamanders. When Berlin entered the league in season 25, they were accompanied by another team, the New York Silverbacks. In their first few years, I know that I was rooting for the Silverbacks as we were both teams starting from scratch and at a big disadvantage as we began our campaigns. However, as we began to build our teams and become more relevant in the greater scheme of things in ISFL competition, it became clear that New York was a measuring stick for our success. They rose to success more quickly than Berlin did, making the playoffs before we did, yet Berlin then rattled off multiple seasons as the number 1 seed in our conference while New York remained on the fringe as a 3 seed more often than not. The rivalry did not amount to more than a game a year on the field and then watching the standings until Berlin and New York simultaneously reached the Ultimus for the very first time in Season 29. Berlin came into that game off of a franchise best 13-3 season, having just squeaked by their conference rivals of Sarasota and riding a high of confidence and excitement into their matchup with New York, who had just knocked off Arizona, the team that Berlin had seemed destined to meet that year in the Ultimus. What happened, however, was that New York absolutely crushed us. They had a tremendous game and our offense and defense collectively laid an egg. This has hurt ever since, but this year Berlin has rebounded behind second year quarterback Zaylren and a ridiculous 1-2 punch in the backfield of Goat Tank and Jay Cue Jr. We have made it back to the Ultimus, and it is only fitting that the team standing in our way is none other than the one that denied us 3 seasons ago - the New York Silverbacks. This is the last chance for much of the core that began Berlin to win an Ultimus and it's going to be a heck of a match between these two rivaling teams. I can't wait to see what happens.

21. Now thats five seasons on the new sim. What are your thoughts? Do you think that it is better than DDSPF16?

On the whole, I definitely like this sim better as a spectator. It is cleaner to watch and much easier to follow and the statistics are much more readily available to see as the game progresses. I did want to share one thing that bothers me about this sim, however, and that is penalties. The way that penalties are enforced in this sim is pretty awful. Not the calls, but the enforcement of the calls. It seems that most penalties that happen during the play result in a loss of down when I believe the only time that should happen is intentional grounding. I have seen several times just in Berlin's games this season where a penalty happens against the offense on 3rd down and rather than getting a 3rd and long, it is 4th down and a punt results. This may not change the result of many games, but I do believe it could change the result of some and if this happened in a big game, it would be EXTREMELY frustrating. I'd like to see this changed if it is at all possible.

32. What is your team doing this holiday season to help out the community?

Schell was born and raised in Kentucky, and recently a large tornado came through Western KY and caused a large amount of damage over roughly 200 miles of land. A couple of cities hit particularly hard were Mayfield and Bowling Green. The team is currently planning a trip post-Ultimus to the area to help with relief efforts and cleanup in these cities. They have already gathered supplies to send for immediate relief and are gathering some diapers to send to the area as that has been one of the biggest needs expressed by Red Cross in the area. While the Ultimus is a big deal and the players are all in on the game tonight, as soon as it is over they will shift into assisting with this project and helping those who have gone through hard times due to this storm. It is great to see professional athletes coming through for those in need in times like this and setting an example for us all to pay attention to.

[MattBake12]

PBE CW

[Skindog44]

Ultimus week podcast with Ioe's pod

Anchor

Spotify

[Minnesotafine]

18. The ultimate teammate on the Kansas City Coyotes is Beeg Beeg Yoshi. Yosh as a user is the co GM of Newfoundland in the SHL, and they’ve been an incredible presence in every locker room they’ve been a part of. I was thrilled we were drafted to Kansas City together and he’s continued to be a great presence, constantly starting conversation in the locker room and being the bright ray of sunshine that he always has been. On the field, he struggled a bit his rookie season, but has really come into his own in his second season, finishing 4th overall in pancakes among DSFL lineman while allowing 2 sacks. While Kansas City had our struggles this season, he kept the vibe positive, to the point that most of us weren’t disappointed that we missed the playoffs due to the atmosphere he helped build. Since I’ll be getting called up, I won’t be on the same team as him next season, but Yosh is the perfect teammate.

21. I wasn’t here for the old sim, but I am absolutely a fan of the ISFL sim engine. As someone who came over from the SHL, it seems that the engine allows for more random outcomes than the SHL. Maybe that’s due to the way the league is set up too, but while the SHL has become completely predictable, the ISFL has a lot more difference on which teams are successful, for the most part. The sims themselves are good to watch, although I do think the engine itself is more boring to watch than FHM, but I also inherently think football is a more boring sport than hockey. Since I don’t own the FHM engine I do not know the intricacies of stuff like playbooks, but I haven’t heard as many complaints about this engine as I have FHM so it must be doing something right. Overall, I think the current engine is one of the big advantages the ISFL has.

27. My opinions have not changed much when it comes to team branding. I still think the best branding in the league is Yellowknife. I love the Wraith logo and absolutely love the color scheme. Other strong brandings throughout the ISFL and DSFL include the Kansas City Coyotes (love the logo and the purple), Orange County Otters (Otters are always a great choice and the orange is a natural fit), and the San Jose Sabercats (The black looks great and I love the design of the logo. Looks very professional). In terms of logos I am not a fan of, Baltimore always stands out as I think its boring and I don’t really like the yellow. Bondi Beach also has a bad logo in my opinion as it’s too messy and the green just doesn’t work for me. On a lesser scale, I don’t really like Chicago’s. I get what they’re going for but it’s another boring logo and the color scheme is boring to match.

28. I absolutely think my player should win the DSFL Offensive Lineman of the Year. My player led the league in pancakes with 68, while only two other player, A Kicker on Tijuana and Clifford Wilson on Norfolk each had 61 and 60 respectively. I also had one pancake allowed, which isn’t bad at all considering Kansas City wasn’t a good team this season. Kicker had 0 playing for a very good Luchadores team, and Wilson had one playing for league leading Norfolk. I think relative to our teams I outperformed both of them and should be taking home the award. What is refreshing is there are also a lot of competitive non-bots for the award this season, such as my teammate Beeg Beeg Yoshi with 58 pancakes, Tiny Tim (Who may be a bot I’m not sure) on Portland with 54, D'Nickashaw Mangoldson on Tijuana with 52, and my favorite name Theo AwardsSystemIsBad on Bondi Beach with 51. But at the end of the day I think I was the best DSFL offensive lineman.

[Eldorian]

Full PBE CW Tasks

[Vulfzilla]

22- Half-time entertainment: (2.5) If I had the opportunity to direct the half-time show, the only real option for who to get would be Red Panda.  If you don't know who Red Panda is, first of all I feel sorry for you.. She is a performer that often plays half time shows for various sports around the country.  She usually comes out on a giant unicycle which is impressive enough, but then she brings out all these bowls.  She usually starts by stacking the bowls on her feet, (remember she's riding a unicycle) and somehow flipping them up onto her head. She simultaneously rides the unicycle one footed, balances the remaining bowls on her other foot, and balances the other bowls on her head. Its the greatest performance in the history of the earth. I guess we'll need some music too so I'd reach out to the Quad City DJ's and see if they'd be down for a reunion show.  Can you imagine seeing 1000s of hype ISFL fans dancing to "The Train" or that one song from Space Jam? wc: 176

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32. What is your team doing this holiday season to help out the community? (2.5)
This year, the Grey Ducks are excited to announce that we'll be heading out into the greater Twin Cities to do some fun holiday themed community service.  We've set up Franklin Turtle, our very large Defensive Tackle, at the Mall of America with a Santa suit on to take pictures with the kids. Myself and Dax Dangerfield will be running a little soup kitchen handout under an overpass on I-35. (Hopefully this one won't collapse like this bridge did in Minneapolis.)  Worthington III, Frost, and Michael Scarn are going to go out caroling around town and give out presents to any kids they come across.  Really hoping the presents don't get picked off by somebody on the street, but it has been a tough season for the young QB so you never know...    The GMs, Icebear and Painted are planning on heading to the local children's hospital to hand out gifts for the kids there and mostly just spend time with them. Unfortunately, the kids are going to be a little disappointed they don't get to meet any players and likewise the GMs will be disappointed that no one has any idea who they are.

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8. With awards season upon us, make up an award for your player win for something not on the football field? (5)
This year I was very pleased to receive the award for winning the inaugural Great ISFL Bakeoff championship. In the finale I had to bake 3 different things, all of which were extremely difficult but I was able to pull it off.  In the signature bake I was tasked with recreating my take on a Tarte Tatin and it could either be sweet or savory.  I went with an apple and vanilla concoction and which I think was a really good mix of the traditional caramelized apples with something new and inventive.  I was told by the judges that despite the crust being just a tad soggy and underdone, the flavors really shined through.The second round was the technical challenge and I had to make 20 perfectly identical Drake's coffee cakes.  I stumbled pretty hard out of the gate as I got all my batter's and molds ready to go but didn't realize til I was about to pop it in that I had forgotten to turn on the oven!! I wasted a good 10 minutes waiting for the oven to heat up, which pushed me back on my plating time at the end of the challenege.  Luckily though, they turned out delicious, and I even got a Paul Hollywood handshake! For the final element I had to create a 3 tiered cake that looked like something I cherish.  Obviously, after these last two seasons in the DSFL, I had to create a giant grey duck.  The top tier was the duck itself with grey and ice blue eyes, the 2nd tier was circle divided into 7 equal segments all decorated to represent the seven other lame teams in the DSFL obviously showing the power of the grey duck to rise above the rest of the league.  The bottom tier was a full football field complete with buttercream piped yardlines (that took for-ev-er) and the full Minnesota color rush field design. I'll be honest, it didn't look that great.. too much blue... but both of the other contestants dropped their cakes on the floor on the way to the table. VICTORY!!!
WC: 351

[unconfident]

PBE Affiliate CW +10

[CementHands]

16. This task is exclusive to recreate/non-recreate rookies of the S33 class and later. The season is over and the draft is coming up. What do you bring to a team, and why should a team choose to take a chance on you next season?


I bring the ability to complete most PTs through the magic which is cross site claims! Joking aside I feel that I have shown myself to be a solid user who while not the most active can stick around and happily preform in a role that might be a little over looked. I don't bring drama with me. I enjoy long walks on the beach. Just checking if you are actually reading, I don't like those, sand gets everywhere.
Now, if a tams is successful in what should be the greatest bid of all time in acquiring the McTurtles from this draft, you can expect high earning, locker room shenanigans, and a couple of idiots just out to have fun, and create an absolutely fearsome defensive line! I know the ask is a lot, and it very well may be an unachievable goal with this draft, but anything is possible, and you won't get anything if you don't ask for it!

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17. Your team has announced that they will be laying ground on a new stadium next season. What additions would you like to see included in it. No graphics option available here.

Tijuana (as well as a few prospective ISFL teams) have announced pretty major renovations. Due to the recent influx of animal based characters a lot of teams are becoming more animal friendly. Some teams are making tweaks to their locker rooms, some are adding in specific player housing apartments that can be configured to meet the players requirements to be comfortable and accommodating. Tijuana has gone all out on a specific type of animal it seems and has announced plans to build a fully functional sewer system which should benefit the city substantially, as well as be an attractive landing spot for a certain breed of Ninja Turtle. Inside the sewage system they announced there will be certain additional amenities such as a full gym, a 20 foot long race track, one of those airport moving conveyor belts they can use as a treadmill and a pizza shop - early signs indicate that it may not be free all you can eat, so we will need to come back to have a look when it's finished.

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18. Written option - which teammate of yours is the ultimate team player and why? How does this person exhibit selflessness and put the team first? Are they a great locker room presence who encourages others? Do they play an important but unappreciated role on the team which doesn't receive much recognition for awards? Graphic Option: Create a graphic of your player with your teammate who exhibits a team-friendly attitude.

Well there is only one such player deserving of these honours and that is no other than my turtle brother Leonardo McTurtle. He is absolutely the cheer leader of whatever team he is on. Brings with him a lot of truculence and intangibles. Whether it's reminding the team that it is in face Funky Monkey Friday, or getting the team ready to chant before games, this turtle gives his absolute all each and every day and he's an absolute gem to have around. I know he's definitely helped myself get re acquainted with the DSFL, and he's a welcoming force for and of the new faces that grace our locker room.

Let's talk about important and under appreciated roles for a second. D Line is notorious for being out shone by other defensive positions. Not stat hogs at all, but they are a key piece to the Defence preforming well. The team with the most sacks and objectively best defence in the league has this Turtle to thank for helping get there.

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25. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why?

Two positions come to mind.. well 3 perhaps. If you want to get technical and tell me DT is not available then a really close proximity move is DE. That would satisfy the want to create on the line with KaleSalad, and looks to be extremely close, although I'd have to spend a few days in the sauna to shred the extra poundage. Assuming this is not allowed as it seems to be essentially the same position, my preference would be Line Backer. Racking up those stats this seems to be a position that could preform most of the same ways as D Line, except more stats! What isn't to love about that? Now, I do feel that they require a little more earning to cap out and that was one of the reasons to drop down to DT. Also I feel like they are more saturated because of the higher stats, meaning I get to be a unique little unicorn.

The other position I'd be interested if we were to go offence would be a Tight End again. After just finishing a career in this position there are a few things I'd want to try and do differently and the position is in alright demand as well. Every team can have 2, most only have 1 or none. Tons of space to be excellent there.

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[AW13]

WSBL CW - 3 Tasks + PBE CW - 1 Task

[JuOSu]

WSCL CW - 3 tasks

PBE PT - 1 task