Fantasy Tournament Talk: Fantasy Euro Rotoworld League

The Premier League season is a long journey and playing the fantasy game can take its toll on many a manager by the time the calendar turns to May. It is understandable how some might look at the offseason as a chance to exhale and recuperate from emotional highs and lows, whether it may be beating your rival in a head to head league or a bevy of armband choices gone painfully awry. The summer can provide a necessary time to decompress from it all.

Then, there are others, myself included, who simply cannot get enough fantasy action, 365 days a year. We may be somewhat mad. We may be slightly odd. But, the bottom line is, if there is a good game out there, we are compelled to test our abilities. Global football was made for people like us. Nestled in the middle of a three month break this summer is Euro 2016, taking place this year in France. For those not familiar with the European competition, think of it simply as the World Cup, only with European countries involved. For my money, it is the best international competition outside of the World Cup and, in some ways, is even better. Europe only has so many positions it can fill in the World Cup and, every four years, there are always countries who miss the cut for the big tournament that are arguably better than some that do from other areas of the world. Thus, it not only makes for an exciting event to watch, it makes for a very entertaining fantasy game.

The competition begins on June 10 and will conclude on July 10. The official fantasy game is being run by UEFA in partnership with McDonald’s and you can access the game at this website – eurofantasy.uefa.com. There are 24 countries involved in the tournament, divided into six groups. Much like the World Cup, there is first a group stage followed by a knockout stage. Many of these countries are filled with familiar faces that play in the Premier League. The fantasy game itself resembles that of the FPL game in many respects as well, however there are some differences every manager that wishes to play should be aware of. Let us take a look at some of those similarities and differences now…

How fantasy Euro ’16 is similar to the FPL game

The structure of squads and scoring are pretty much exactly the same with the Euro game. You have a total of 15 spaces to fill on your roster – 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders and three forwards, with a budget of 100m. You have the same formation options you are familiar with in order to create the best XI from those 15 players in your squad, whether it be something like a 3-4-3, 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2. The players you do not included in your starting XI serve a role on your bench and can automatically be subbed in should one of your starters not feature in a given round. Like the FPL game, you are not allowed to choose more than three players from any one country, though when then the tournament moves on from the group stage to the knockout stage, the maximum players you are allowed increases as teams begin to be knocked out of the competition and the pool of players starts to dwindle. You are allowed one free transfer per round, with a four point hit taken for any additional transfers, much like the FPL game, but, keep in mind that carrying over a free transfer only makes sense in Rounds 2 and 3, as you are given unlimited transfers to rebuild your team again when the group stage ends and the knockout stage begins. You are also given a wildcard to use during the tournament that can be used for any round, with the exception of Rounds 1 and 4 when you are given unlimited transfers already.

How fantasy Euro ’16 differs from the FPL game

One major difference with this game is how the players’ prices change. In the FPL game, price changes are dictated by ownership of fantasy managers. In the Euro game, prices will change based on player performance. The prices of players will remain frozen throughout the group stage of the tournament and will not begin to fluctuate until once the knockout phase begins. Fantasy managers also are afforded a more hands-on approach to their bench options after a given round has already begun, rather than just setting a bench and relying on automatic substitutions. You are allowed to switch a sub in for a starter once the round has begun, as long as neither player has begun to play their respective match. The same ability is in place for choosing a captain on your team where you are awarded double the points for that player. You can switch the armband from one player to another, again, assuming neither player has begun their match yet. While the scoring system is very close to the FPL game, there are a couple of things unique to the Euro game. First, players that draw a foul that leads to a penalty are awarded two points, regardless if the penalty itself is converted. Secondly, assists that might be granted in the FPL game may not be credited in the Euro game. If it is deemed a goal scorer created his own chance, there will not be an assist given to whichever teammate may have touched the ball previously, it would merely be an unassisted goal. Another factor to consider – once the game enters the knockout phase, managers will have their fantasy budgets increased from 100m to 105m. This, no doubt, helps to compensate for the fact that the stronger teams will likely be the ones left standing at that point and the stronger teams have more expensive players.

A bit of strategy to consider

One decision that will be of major importance is when a manager opts to play their wildcard. Unless you draft a horrific Round 1 team where injuries and red cards leaves you with a mess of a Round 2 side, you would be better served to wait until at least Round 3 to play the wildcard. Round 3 is a very special round in that it is the final round of the group stage and, depending on how certain groups are looking going into that final round, there is a chance of heavy rotation for countries who have already booked their spot in the knockout stage and from countries who have already lost any chance of advancing. Playing your wildcard in Week 3 would allow you to compensate for the various scenarios. If you have three players from Germany and three players from France and both countries are already through after two rounds, you would probably see Round 3 as the best time to play your wildcard. It will give you a chance to really exploit specific matchups as you are given unlimited transfers the following round anyway. If you are able to survive the group stage without playing the wildcard, it may come in handy during the knockout stage. Once the knockout stage is set to begin and you rebuild a new squad, the idea is to load up on players from countries you feel will advance the farthest in the competition. That way, you are not spending massive points on transfers to field a full XI when the next round comes because so many you picked have been eliminated. Surprises do happen though. So, by keeping the wildcard handy, you can correct a very unlucky week and rebuild a side with surviving players without losing points.

So, come play with us!

Much like the FPL game, you can create or join mini-leagues within the Euro ’16 game, so that you can enjoy a bit of extra competition beyond an overall rank. Just head over to “Join a League” and use the following code to play with us here at Rotoworld — 50602D4G.

Good luck fellow managers, and may your arrows be green!

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