Now everyone has a different mind on what constitutes the "Best Team", especially our captains. They have done the hard work at trying to assemble what they consider to be the best and posted below are their comments (in draft order) of why they picked who they did and why they have the best team.
The vote shall run for 5 days. You only get 1 vote, so make it count. Everyone can vote, even the captains. So with out further a do... Here are the captains "Blurbs"
Captain DaVinci -
"Rather than focussing here on each individual's strengths and merits, of which there are many, I will focus on the team that we have formed.
So, what is this Team CDV? Would you like to know who are these people in my team? Let me tell you: They are a top-of-the-class group consisting of Merchants, Fishermen, Treasure Hunters, Privateers, Nation Kings, Governers and Noblemen, Top Bankers, Goldsmiths and Goldbar Traders, Ship Masters, Salvage Hunters, Port Controllers, Ship Builders, Voodoo Card Tradesmen, Ship Sellers, Credit Salesmen, Voodoo Kings, Plunderers(Pirates), Ship Capturers, Bounty Hunters, Warehousing Kings, Party Organizers, Skirmishers, Influence Holders, Famous Personalities, Infamous Personalities, Notorious Personalities, Deal Makers and Game Changers! If you can see something in this game that is not done or has not been done by one or more of these players, let me know.
This is a team that can fight; whether it be to conduct quick effective raids on its opponents or sustain a long drawn-out war of attrition. It will not easily cave in under pressure, proven time and again by the experiences of its members. A team of players that respect each other, will work with and defend one another and, if necessary, fight for each other.
This team has got what every true-bred Avonmoran wants - Gold! And plenty of it. Not only does our team have the strongest economy it also has a wealth of fame and influence. Incidentally, our team members also own more than half of Avonmora's sea-ports at the moment.
Vote for Team CDV ! If our team wins, I will distribute ALL the prize money($98 million gold) among our team members. In addition, if we win, I will add another 110 million to be shared equally among the team members. This amount is proudly sponsored by the Bank of Da Vinci."
Slindur -
First off, great draft! Thank you to all who made this such a great draft, especially Shadowood and my fellow captains who made some great picks and made me change plans on a few occasions. It was challenging to strategize who to take when and a lot of fun. Looking over the teams, I am very happy with the team of 12 that I was able to draft! My hats off to each of you.
When drafting a team, I was truly looking for a team of players. Ones who can form together to make something more than the individual merits of the players themselves. As Black Sparrow pointed out, there are certain things that all teams need, and the team that I drafted has those essentials, though this team has people who are catalysts for each other to improve the team's ability to succeed. All of the players that I have chosen have shown their ability to work with others in cooperative ventures, many have done so for 1+ years. I have been in a guild with 4 of the players (the first four that I picked) and can personally vouch for their strong ability to work towards the benefit of a team. (One of them can even be a one man nation. If you don't believe me, look at the difference in the flags over ports in the past week.) From what I have been able to observe, the others on the team have been active agents in their guilds and/or nations to benefit the whole group. This is one of the major factors that sets this team of 12 apart from the other teams.
This team was composed with a goal in mind, creating a group of players who could work together to maintain their own prosperity and to be able to take from others when it is time to roll out the cannons. There is enough power in the team in terms of voodoo, mentality, experience, gold, and ships to defend against attacks from any of the other teams and to be able to go on the offensive. I have personally exchanged cannonfire with most of the team and know that they can hold their own in a ship battle, and I have seen what the team has to offer in terms of trading as well. In war and peacetime, this team can maintain their resources as well as build upon their collective empire. Most of the players have undergone transitions between pirate and trader or manage current fleets that can be used either way. Many members of the team (myself included) have substantial experience in war and peacetime to support those with less experience and to successfully navigate the changing tides. Shaydo is perhaps THE trade master, as evidenced by his trade calculator (new players, search the forums for it) and has helped many traders over the years. DTT, Stan, and PK have weathered many storms of attacking ships and voodoo. Most (if not all) of the team has been able to handle dicey political situations as well and come out the better for the diplomacy needed. We are a level-headed group who would not overreact to slight provocation though would respond decisively with more than slight provocation. When diplomacy does not work, we can all switch to warships and go to war knowing how to defeat our enemies when needed. Working in unison, there would be few if any who could withstand our coordinated attacks. There are no loose cannons among us, and all players can hold their own as well as help a teammate in need. All players are CURRENTLY ACTIVE and able to remove voodoo in short order and respond to the change of the wind and tides of Avonmora.
This team would endure for a long time and hold substantial daily income from ports, fleets, and plunder. I would be proud to call these players my teammates and work with them to shape and reshape Avonmora, which we would be able to do. We would be the greatest of friends to our allies and would be terror-inducing to our enemies. For our gifts would be meaningful, and our retribution would be strong and swift.
Slindur
Black Sparrow -
Hello fellow Avonmorans,
I had a very specific type of team when I was making my choices. If I wanted to use one word to describe this team, then I would say Legendary. I firmly believe that each player in the team is either already a legend or has everything needed to become one.
It's a die-hard team. A never surrender team that will keep fighting against any odds to whichever end. Even so, diplomacy is not lacking - not at all.
A dreadful team. Even the last picks are players full with quality which can be enough to turn the tide of any war. This can incite fear to any opponent.
On a person to person review:
Jim Hawkins... I picture him as a moving mountain. I can only assume that a mountain moves slowly. But what can you really do against a mountain? I guess, only run away.
Skyhawk is traditionally making little noise for a man of his deeds. He is however responsible for most of the tactics YOU use today. He is a sensei of Piracy and battles. So, before the mountain (Jim Hawkins) you will lose the battle from Skyhawk.
This is where Henry Avery comes into place. Whether you started running away when you saw the mountain or after you lost the battle, it makes no difference. Henry Avery will chase you down and find you wherever you might hide. You are doomed.
Not yet doomed? You are just hard to die? Then Valar will finish you off. Definitely. No questions asked either. Clean, silent work. They will not even find your body.
Meanwhile, Lodswe will be raising funds, recruits and will clear off attacks that might awake the mountain. We need after all to have some peace of mind in every day work and Lodswe can do this in perfection. With professionalism.
Mohammed can be your best mate in finishing the chore you have in mind. Whichever this is, he is always ready to help. Considerably help in fact. He also can see the chore done, so you can just do anything else. He will not fail. He will find the way.
This is where you need the temperament of Lana. She is perfect to boss everyone around, even the captain. Just what you need when the rum is flowing and the treasures are nearly everywhere; She won't let anyone lose their focus. I mean, what possibly more can I ask from her???... Oh yes.. there are more... she can team up with Lodswe and Mohammed (when we all sleep at the mountain), just the three of them and together demolish anything in their way.
This brings us to the interesting part. When you got everything resolved, you just need the folks from SSGT. They are a closed club in my mind, which kind of explains why they were left available so late in the draft. I must say I expected it. Last time, Kart, who knew them more than any, valued them a lot higher - for good reason as my information tells me. I think they make a standing point for my team as I was able to get all three of them at the last stage of the draft.
I could say these three fellows -they can cooperate well as they know each other well - can be considered as a squad, just like I could say the same for Lodswe-Mohammed and Lana. Both squads can stand on their own feet by raising funds, training new recruits, repel attacks around the mountain or invade nearby towns. Truly, any group would be in real trouble if both squads were after him. But hey, they are not alone!
This brings us to Soh Rakoor. I had a good starting point for the rookie part as I happen to know hundrends of eligible players - I am in a training guild!
Well, Soh, as his leader can testify I am sure, can do a lot of things. We have a similar guy in HELM in fact. I cannot think of a 3rd similar person in PG right now though. Soh can do what my 2 squads above can do, by his own.He has his way. He seems loyal and a person who can follow orders. Above all, he brings me the same feeling that Mohammed and other players of the team bring me, that he will see the job done. That's important. That's crucial. And whatever experience he might lacks, he compensates with high activity.
Finally, I must underline the TOP TRAIT of each member in my team. Their top MENTALITY. A trait, that as captain of the team, rest assured, I would take to our advantage at all cases.
This team is not to play.. this team is made for WAR!
Yours,
~Black Sparrow
Tom Lowe -
None of my team shall be covered in the cobwebs of yesterdays glory. Not even Davy Jones would make it unless he cleaned the barnacles off with some kind of pirate action. Teamwork First. Fearless. Masters of contract work, negotiation, trade, plunder, skirmish, bounties, war, port control, and more. Everyone has a voice.
Team Dread Pirate
Tom Lowe :
Team Captain and Wordsmith : "Today we did what we had to do. They counted on us to be passive. They were wrong."
1. Danik "Mess with the donkey, you get the teeth!"
2. Haron "Having everyone pulling in the same direction, working together, is paramount."
3. Wolfie "I make the finest ships in all of Avonmora."
4. The Love Tiger "When you have to kill a pirate, it costs nothing to be polite."
5. DezNutz " We are fierce but calculated in our decisions. The best team in the ocean isn't the one with the most powerful cannons."
6. Pulpop "When the enemy advances, withdraw; when he stops, harass; when he tires, strike; when he retreats, pursue."
7. Lord McGowen "Battle hardened. Captain Jack certified."
8. Ghost "I am the Master of Shadows. War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
9. Plato "Different styles of play. From day one my focus has been different from others. Variety of styles makes you unpredictable."
10. Deadking "I say I'm going to do it I do it, no exceptions."
11. Twilight Consortium "Rum speaks. People mumble."
Anonymous Quotes from Avonmora
"Captain Davinci's team the most likey to hord things, ships money, voodoo, etc..."
"Slindur's team is the most likely to take themselves out"
"Sparrow's team is most likely to do somethings excessive that changes everything"
"Lowe's team, most likely to keep fighting till they win or are all dead"
"Dungeness team just going to steal all the MoWs"
Captain Dungeness -
Ahoy Captains, I have made it back to Avonmora! A few family matters called me away to shore leave for the last week. Shadowood, thank you for your words about our draft team, I will say a few myself. I thought it most fair to say my piece before I read the other draft captains' statements.
In this draft I have assembled a powerhouse team that has exactly what it takes to succeed in outsmarting, outmaneuvering and outlasting the other teams. I chose a strong core of well-established and well-funded captains with enough experience at both combat and trading that we can outlast pirate attacks while still making enough reliable gold income to fund a long-term engagement. I began by picking captains I knew have the long-term knowledge of the people of Avonmora. Some draft captains seem to value perceived fearsomeness in their draft picks but I chose the core of my team based on their ability to understand the people who they fight against. The highly experienced captains on my team are guild leaders and nation leaders who have spent years interacting, discussing and sometimes manipulating players on a large scale. Most importantly of all, our core team has extensive history of building nations, guilds and wealth; if I had chosen only pirates we would have a team unable to accomplish what it takes to build stable roots.
In addition to the highly-established players I have also chosen a few newer players who have shown great tenacity and passion. A group of old players by themselves will lose interest and innovation so these players are vital to our success and diversity. The particular newer players I chose have the best temperament and enthusiasm I've seen and I am proud to say I got to pick exactly the new players I had in mind at the start of the draft.
Besides the very old and very new, I chose a few loyal officers I have had the pleasure to work with. If I were to choose only pirates or only leaders or only traders then I would be lacking the cohesiveness that is needed to keep the team working smoothly. I value these players' opinions and allegiance to the common goal and the steady wisdom they provide to pick the correct battles without shutting down other people's opinions.
In summary, I have chosen a powerful group consisting of the right balance of experience, passion and loyalty to accomplish any goal we could choose. In my leadership of guilds I have always concentrated on building stability and relationships above hype and war. I have spent time as a pirate and as a lone shark but I always find that choosing to build relationships and teamwork provides lasting stability where pirate fame always fades with time.
A vote for my team is a vote for my leadership as well as the the skills and characteristics of the captains I have chosen to join me.
-If you think picking only pirates would win a long-term war then you could try voting for Tom but you would find they would lack the roots it takes to survive.
-If you think fame is the most important then you could vote for Captain Da Vinci's draft but, as you can see, he has chosen many old players who's influence has already peaked and waned. I have great respect for him as a captain and his first pick, SHM, but I know them well and also know their weaknesses.
-If you think port influence and forum discussions can win a war then feel free to vote for Slindur's draft. I have great respect for each individual player on his team but I don't see the diversity needed to make real progress and teamwork.
-If you think Black Sparrow's band of traders and pirates could muster up a common goal then you could vote for his draft but, again, you would find their diversity is too great to last. Even I don't have the courage to put a famous assassin and several ruthless pirates on the same team with slow and steady massive traders.
-If you value the right mix of diversity and experience then you could vote for Captain Dungeness' draft. The leadership experience is very real, the innovation and passion is present and the cohesiveness to build stability has been proven.
Thank you for your consideration.
Captain Dungeness
