All-Campus IRL Tournament Study (Featured Matches)
Drafted by Sam Selle, Proofread & Edited by Dana Dixon
TLDR: Read the “In summary” points at the end of each match analysis
Disclaimer:
I would like to start by addressing the fact that I have bias and, specifically in this article, a positive bias towards the southwest. I’ve tried my best to objectively analyze the teams these amazing GMs have put together, but since that’s impossible please take these thoughts with a grain of salt. (Also, consider the fact that I’m personally on Tate’s team in more ways than one 😅 and the nature of this draft is fantasy).
Intro:
From the perspective of a graduating senior who loves thinking about the what-ifs in quidditch, the concept of an All-Campus tournament is very enticing. I wanted to share my thoughts on how this theoretical event would play out if it were to really happen. We already took a look at the individual teams categorized into tiers. Now we will focus on some select matches that are particularly interesting in my mind. If you’re asking yourself, “What draft?” or, “How did it even work again?” skip to the bottom and read the explanation before starting from the top. If your attention span isn’t long enough to read all the way through, read the TLDR above.
Hope y’all enjoy and remember, quidditch is both a sport and a community
Note: All players and teams when listed are alphabetical by first name/word. Then second name/word if necessary. You may also notice the use of “aspiring” in place of “young” and “established” in place of “old”. I did this with the intention of testing out some new terminology as both “young” and “old” have fairly negative connotations in the community. Lastly, when ranking these teams I tried to equally weigh both the proven success of the players and teams drafted as well as the ability of a GM to present a systematic and well thought out team.
Quidditch Strategy Terminology:
For those new to the sport of quidditch, here are some terms used in this study and what they mean.
2-2 Defense/Zone: A style of defense characterized by a chaser guarding one side hoop and the keeper guarding the other two hoops. The other two chasers play closer to the opposing ball carriers while staying between the hoops and their opponent. Beaters in this formation often stay by their hoops and only look to beat if an opponent gets to close.
Man-to-man defense: A style of defense characterized by a keeper guarding the hoops and the three chasers playing close to the opposing chasers, while staying between their opponent and the hoops. Beater positioning is often independent of this defense.
Press: When a defending beater(s) sees an opportunity to beat the opposing ball carrier. This can possibly result in a turnover if the opposing ball carrier is beat and a friendly quaffle player retrieves the ball.
Featured Matches: NOT categorized using cross-country terms because why would I do that?
A Good Match of Quidditch: Kellan’s Team vs Sena's Team
With similar levels of potential, Kellan's and Sena's teams would play each other in range until the snitch is pulled. The biggest difference between these two teams is the proven success of Kellan's team compared to the theoretical possibility of Sena's.
The success of Luke Meissner and Connor McIntyre is well known, but how do they perform without a familiar team around them? Can Antoine Giron and Justin Dewick work well enough with each other to not get blown out by the experienced pair of Baldemar Nunez and Kat Hayworth? Will UTSA and NYU be caught off guard against these inventive lines? When push comes to shove will Sena's premier talent think to share the pressure?
More important than players in the match are the GMs leading them. Can Kellan devise the proper strategies to counter what his opponent has created? Does Sena know how to best train and utilize his unproven lines? Honestly, I don't know, but I would love to find out!
In summary, this is my second most anticipated match.
Strategic Objectiveness: Kobe's Team vs Naresh’s Team
These GMs are the respective pride of their regions. Kobe Kendall is a USNT (US National Team) Developmental Academy member and has proven that the West can compete both strategically and competitively with the rest of the nation. From the Mid-Atlantic, Naresh Edala has established himself as both a solid analyst and an empathic champion of the oppressed. Their area of overlap is strategy.
Kobe and Naresh both acknowledged the strength of the top regions while also drawing on hidden talent from across the country. Who can deny that Ian Scura, Kobe Kendall, Mel Kite and Serena Monterio are the best on their respective teams? Instead, it's a shame that Averie Messenger, Justin Van Ligten, Kylie Mintzer and Thomas Jaworski aren't staple names outside of their regions.
Both these GMs come from underrated teams which allows them to see clearly. You don't have to worry about bais as much when your team is on a different level. By analyzing the problem objectively, they have seen players for who they truly are.
In summary, they drafted the most unbiased teams.
Proving To the World: Serena’s Team vs Zeke’s Team
Both the northeast (NE) and Michigan were robbed of the opportunity to show how good they were on a national stage this season. This match would do that for them.
The first half of normal play is the NE's chance to show how it matches up against Zeke's all-star line. Can Raeann Barnes and Tom Demouth hold against the best the southwest (SW) has to offer in Allie Messenger and Tate Kay? Will prominent Tufts ball carriers Athena Mayor and John Parrish outperform the Maryland pair of Abby Potter and Mac Morgan?
The second half of normal play is this Michigan team's chance at beating the perennial power houses of the Mid-Atlantic. Will Michigan's defense hold against the likes of Maryland and UVA? Can Ellie Grifka, Tyler Thomas, and Zeke Majeske work together to avoid turnovers when Heather Farnan and Zain Bhaila press them?
In summary, I wanted to see the NE and Michigan play at nationals. 😢
Raw Speed vs Precision Passing: Fiona’s Team vs Kobe’s Team
Before I learned that Fiona's team was in fact named "The Carole Baskins," I was using "Speedy Buddies." Conversely, Kobe's team's name (“The Future of College Offense”) was one of the first names I came up with for his team.
Back to quidditch, this match is one that revolves around a difference in styles. Kobe has built a very wise team while Fiona has created a clever one.
Will the raw speed and talent of Fiona's team overcome the experience and intelligence of Kobe's team? Can Bradley Himes and Tess Acosta mentally keep pace with Justin Van Ligten and Serena Monterio? Will Hayden Boyes and Joe Goulet run circles around Hayden Altman and Eric Reyes?
In summary, "The Carole Baskins" is the better name.
Texas's Weak Spot: Naresh's Team vs Tate’s Team
Besides Kellan's team, which I cover later, Naresh's team poses the greatest potential danger to Tate's Texas team. In many ways, Naresh's team is the Rochester to this Texas team. If Naresh is still taking notes (which he probably is), I would tell him to play his 2-2 zone line against the Texas line followed by his THC Heat line against the "Texas of the North" (Maryland).
Texas Quidditch has struggled all year to breakdown the 2-2. How can Jack Wang and Meghan Orsak win beater interactions if Emmanuel Cureton and Kylie Mintzer are under hoops? When Texas is forced to patiently pass around to score, will they remain disciplined enough?
Maryland has easily distracted beaters and slower quaffle players. Have you seen how often Sam Selle and Tessa Mullins ignore quaffle for beater play (the kind that Kobe Kendall and Rachel England love to create)? How can this big Maryland line keep up with Davis Roe? Texas has everything going for it, but there is a chance Naresh's team may still win.
In summary, we may see another upset.
The Future of College Quidditch: Kobe’s Team vs Serena’s Team
As I discussed in the last study, I think that the NE is on the cutting edge of quidditch strategy, so a match between the region’s best (including old school Texas State) is exciting. From both a beater and chaser standpoint, this match is a battle of brains not brawn and that style of play is my favorite to watch!
When you have primary ball carriers like Athena Mayor and Frank Minson, how will they approach the offense? How brightly will Ian Scura shine when his team can fully support him?
My biggest question is how does Kobe’s precise offense match up against Serena’s coordinated defense? Luckily, that’s what this match would explore.
In summary, this match is what I expect the US Cup collegiate finals to look like in 2-3 years.
Pragmatic Favoritism: Kellan's Team vs Zeke’s Team
Contrasting sharply with Naresh's and Kobe's strategies, Kellan and Zeke had no problem drafting their own teams. Kellan defended his team fiercely and Zeke confidently pointed to his team’s results. However, they both recognize that their teams aren't perfect and do sometimes lose to other top teams.
The first lines of both teams are composed of proven talent. They conceded that the players they drafted first are better than their teammates. When you look at the problem objectively, it's hard to argue against reality.
Kellan and Zeke also stand by their teams. When things get hard and you're out of range, you need to be able to stay together. If the team falls apart so will any chance of victory. Both of these GMs have experienced these situations and their teams didn't break.
In summary, they trust their teams to pull through.
Chaos vs Order: Naresh’s Team vs Sena’s Team
This is one of those match ups I think Naresh’s team has a chance of dominating. Thus the matchup is very volatile. Either Naresh is going to be 60 up when snitch comes out or Sena is going to have a comfortable 40 point lead heading into SOP.
Stylistically, Naresh's fast-paced team contrasts sharply with Sena's slower yet methodical team. Will Kobe Kendall and Rachel England blow up Baldemar Nunez and Kat Hayworth or will Baldemar and Kat hold firm and keep the game at their slower pace? Can Christian Cortez and John Sheridan lock down Luke Meissner or will he take shots and pass around them?
In summary, my money is on Naresh, but I’m pretty biased. (I wish I was Naresh’s team). 😁
All-Star Match: Fiona’s Team vs Zeke’s Team
This kind of match is what I had originally expected to see at the end of the draft until I realized all these GMs are geniuses. While Fiona's and Zeke's teams may appear to have slightly less chemistry, I can assure you this match would be fun to watch.
Imagine, we get to find out how Michael "Soup" Chenevy matches up against Tate Kay and whether Allie Messenger can hold her own against Fiona Wisehart! How do Ellie Lisec and Abby Potter challenge each other? We'll finally learn who's faster, Davis Roe or Josh Johnson! Wait that's the wrong match up… (but the correct answer is Cullen Friday).
In summary, this match is the quidditch equivalent of the College All-Star game in basketball.
Crowning the Champion: Kellan’s Team vs Tate’s Team
I have a personal stake in this match so I've spent a lot of time thinking about it. I think this match revolves around Daniel Williams.
Texas Quidditch struggled throughout the season to breakdown UTSA's 2-2 defense, while UTSA's core of aspiring players struggled on offense when they weren't in said 2-2 zone. Maryland and NYU had a similar story at the Atlantic Cup. I think Texas would actually go down a few points against Kellan’s UTSA, but that Tate's Maryland line would stabilize against NYU (sorry Kellan 😅).
In the end, this match is in-range and this is where Daniel comes into play. If he's on the pitch, control is going to be trading hands and both seekers will constantly be getting beat, but as soon as he subs out I'm afraid that Tate's team's SOP beating prowess will take over. However, since I'm incredibly biased in claiming that, I'm going to say that I genuinely don't know who would win, but I really want to find out. If we look at the Twitter Poll by @beaterbuddy, UTSA won the popular vote by a healthy margin. 👀
In summary, this match is a literal coin flip.
Conclusion:
If you made it this far and actually read what I had to share, I want to personally thank you. I genuinely love quidditch and want to help it grow as both a sport and a community. Sharing my thoughts in my own way (like this article) is how I'm trying to do that. Like a lot of things in life I couldn't have done this alone. I was supported by both friends and the community as a whole. Specifically, I’d like to shout out Dana Dixon for proofreading and editing as well as everyone who helped share this article!
Tournament Outline:
This fantasy tournament, the All-Campus Cup, was hosted by The Eighthman. Over the past 2 months the draft has captivated the aspiring community’s attention and has shown that college students know how to think strategically. Logistically, using a serpentine draft style, the 8 college or recent college graduate GMs create teams of 14 players. They must follow the rules of USQ Rulebook 13 in terms of both hypothetical play and gender balance. Also, to be eligible, a player must have played in the 2019-2020 USQ season for a collegiate team. Each week the draft goes through 2 rounds of drafting until all teams have been drafted. The GMs would then have a theoretical month of training time to develop chemistry and strategies on their teams. At the end of the month, the teams would play in a tournament to decide the champions!
In reality, a public vote is held in tandem with an unbiased group of analysts. Each GM has a paragraph to talk up their teams as well as a video where they defend their team on the theoretical pitch!
