Outside of Tournaments: League Alternative part II
Drew “Darth Weasel” Barton
Raw Deal Staff Writer
darthweasel@hotmail.com

Last article I addressed the back story for how pre-tournament play was for the Starving Crazed Weasels. This week will be the first of perhaps one or two articles, depending on length, that cover what can be used for the basis of a fun little league you can run on the side on weeks or nights there are not tournaments.

This league, federation, association, or whatever you want to call it, assumes a few things. First, it assumes a player base of at least 8 or 10 people who each are willing to play multiple decks and who are willing to play sub-optimal decks. The more players you have the better the league will work and the more fun you will all have.

What I mean by sub-optimal is simply that no deck you build for this league is one that will win a serious, sanctioned tourney. When you are building as many decks as hopefully each player builds for this league it will be a necessity to use cards that you do not see in normal tournaments with any particular frequency. You have to approach it with a mentality to go into a lot of games knowing you have less chance to win than you would have if you were to enter it with your best cards. If this is played properly you will enter most games with little to no ACE protection and, depending on the size of your card collection, often enough without Action reversals in some decks. A Revolution of the Mind will be seldom seen and cards like Punch and Kick start to look like pure gold.

This sort of league is not for everyone. If you do not enjoy playing decks that don’t pack a full complement of the power cards or if you do not enjoy the game when you are losing perhaps 50% of the games then this is not for you. On the other hand, if you enjoy the process of pinning or being pinned, don’t mind losing fairly often, and enjoy games where both players not only get Fortitude on the board but probably had enough to play their Trademark Finishers then this just might be something that can add a whole new level of fun to your Raw Deal experience.

The first step is to determine how many belts you want to play for. You really want a minimum of four people willing to compete for each belt, but more is obviously better. This assures you will always have opponents in each division to qualify you for your next title shot. Hopefully each person will maintain a deck or three in several divisions so there can be a near endless variety of matches with a surprisingly few number of people participating.

The second step is to choose which belts to have as part of your league. The more diversity you have the better your league will be. Have fun with the concept. Use belts that you normally don’t play. A good example might be Diva decks. If nobody in your area normally plays as any of the females then it might be a good idea to introduce one of the belts for the female decks. On the surface this sounds counterintuitive but you will find people discovering new ways to play the game that they had not enjoyed previously. Likewise, if they do not play with a lot of High Risks then the Cruiserweight division might be an excellent choice as it brings the fun (and risk) of playing them into the equation.

Once you have your belts selected, play with the requirements for the Title shots a little bit. You might find those outlined are too regimented…or too loose. Remember, these are guide lines; you have to find what works for you. Perhaps the best way to do this is to appoint a Commissioner who oversees the League including adjusting the guidelines, monitoring feuds, and booking monthly Pay Per Views.

Monthly Pay Per Views can be great fun. If you schedule them to coincide with the WWE Pay Per Views you will find they often essentially book themselves. You know there will be Title Defenses for every belt and additionally you can set up fun matches that, while not so good for every day play, create fun and excitement as one-offs for the “big event”.

Let’s say the WWE is having the Royal Rumble. Someone wiser than I in computer ways can probably point you to the multi-player rules that were reworked a year or so ago and you can create your own Royal Rumble with each person bringing a deck that is not currently a Title Holder to participate. In fact, if there is sufficient interest I could be persuaded to work up somewhat more detailed rules for a Royal Rumble or if you already have a way you play it, feel free to contribute that to our online community as well.

Other obvious matches are the Survivor Series using expanded Tag Rules and occasional specialty matches to cap off feuds such as a Steel Cage Match (rules are pretty simple and not mine…cards that hit the Ringside are removed from game permanently and cannot come back by any means whatsoever…not by card effect, Superstar ability, or act of Commissioner) or a Last man Standing Match. Again, the Starving Crazed Weasels probably still have the rules we developed for several fun gimmick matches laying around and you have only to ask to get a hold of them.

Let’s start with the Cruiserweight Title Belt. To compete for the Cruiserweight Title a wrestler must qualify for or have competed for either the Cruiserweight Title in either WCW or the WWE, the Lightweight Title in the WWE, or a similar Title in any of the other federations. It is fairly easy to look up bios to see who competed or legally could compete and you always get fun stuff like someone referencing the Matt Hardy Title run when he was “sweating his way” into the weight requirement. You might be surprised to find how diverse the field is, including such luminaries as Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and Chris Benoit to go with some of the more obvious Superstars such as Tajiri, Jamie Noble, the Hurricane and Rey Mysterio.

Deck construction has a special requirement. You must include at least 10 High Risk cards in the Arsenal. Every two cards title From the Middle Turnbuckle or From the Top Rope count as one High Risk but you can fill no more than 2 slots with these. 8 High Risk Maneuvers is the minimum number your Arsenal can contain in order to compete for the Cruiserweight Title.

It is suggested that Feuds and Stipulations be severely restricted. We actually only allowed them when the Commissioner Stipulated them. This sounds restrictive…and it is. But is also sets up a very different “feel” for League matches and opened up some extremely fun and creative strategies.

To get a Title shot you must defeat 3 different opponents from the Cruiserweight division in succession. Depending on the size of your play group these can be three different Superstars played by one player, 1 Superstar from each of three different people, or some combination thereof. Obviously if you have a fairly small group you might wish to allow the former whereas if you are blessed with a larger play group you might require the wins to come against different people.

Additionally, the Cruiserweight Title must be defended at least once a month. If no challenger has qualified, if you have a Commissioner he can hand-select an opponent and if you do not, allow the Title holder to hand-select his opponent. Naturally, most people will select an opponent they perceive as far weaker, but in a world where Rocky Balboa can be made….you should be okay with that.

Being the Champ has both advantages and disadvantages. First off, every match you must play the Cruiserweight Title as a Backstage Card. This does mean you will have the +1 Superstar Value…and it is suggested you remove the branding from the Belt for League purposes, although it worked just fine with it since most Cruiserweights liked the Smackdown High Risks anyway. Both players can only play Title Belts they hold in the League, but cards such as The Title is on the Line and other cards referencing Title Belts can use the Cruiserweight Title. Additionally, regardless of Superstar Value, the Champion has first opportunity to play a Venue. After that phase, resolve the remaining phases in normal order. Other than these exceptions, the game plays like a standard game of Raw Deal. Of course, when you realize how big a shift this is you will quickly realize this is a startlingly different format.

This will be the template for each of the Title belts. In the next week or two I will outline ideas for several of the different belts that might help you have a league where no two decks are the same. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.