As the first season with eight teams is upon us, we're seeing a relatively great deal of new captains on the board, and also a number of first-timer players in here, both old and new alike. Let's take a moment to introduce this season's captains and their history in the WDL and beyond, to the community at large! Special thanks to HumanBones and Ralphis for revising the blurbs and throwing me suggestions.
Alt_Stab
Minnesota, USA
6th captaining season
Championship Classic I Champion (Sub)
Championship Classic III Runner-up
Fall 2016 Playoff Team, defeated the #1 team during its regular season
Defeated the #1 and #2 teams during the Summer 2016 regular season
When he started out his WDL career by winning the first season as a sub player, Alt_Stab's beginnings were very much like many other fortunate rookies who will promptly gloat about their championship victories while only having a single game attendance, but make no mistake: despite being the sub for the Summer 2014's Adderall Drunk Drivers, his abilities and commitment to the game put him up to the same level as the best 3rd players of that season. Having quickly taken up the the role of a captain for the second season onwards, he's exhibited considerable variety in his draft picks, Jwarrier being the only player he's ever participated in more than one season with as a captain. This experimentation has likewise resulted in fluctuating results, as Stab fell just short of the playoffs in three seasons, but reached as far as the championship game in Summer 2015 after a number of close games against the season's strongest. For the first season with eight teams and a larger player pool to work with, expect to see Stab play to his strengths.
Caution
New Jersey, USA
1st captaining season
Winter 2016 Playoff Team
A relative newcomer in the WDL scene, but by no means a new face in Doom competition as a whole, Caution has showed time and time again that he can be a major threat even to seasoned champions regardless of which position he plays, as demonstrated by his stellar results during the IDL days. His strong performance in the Regulators' solid showing during Winter 2016 stood him out as an upper echelon pick for the seasons to come, but the veteran is still trying to find his footing in the WDL, however, after a disappointing Summer 2016 season in the Super Chargers and another season cut short in Fall 2016 despite commendable efforts. Becoming a captain this season, on the other hand, might just provide him with the necessary tools to assemble the team that will upset any doubters.
DemonSphere
Oklahoma, USA
7th captaining season
Championship Classic VI Runner-up
Summer 2015 Playoff Team, defeated the runner-up team during its regular season
Summer 2014 Playoff Team
Winter 2016 Playoff Team
Summer 2016 Playoff Team
One of this current era's duel gods and most seasoned captains, DemonSphere sets the example of consistency in the league. His draft picks are usually a treat to witness, as he will often pick up underrated veterans and aspiring newcomers, making up for very novel combinations. He makes his seasons work out in his favor by maximizing the efficiency in all strategies employed through his sheer brute force that is nothing short of scary. After being a playoff regular for so long and finally making his first championship appearance last season as he found a most surprising pick-up in mid-season free agent Heks to come out among the top, he's just that close to taking that last step towards the 1st place this time around.
DevastatioN
Nova Scotia, Canada
1st captaining season
Championship Classic VI Runner-up
Winter 2015 Playoff Team
Arguably a "Doom senior" at this point, but still a force to be reckoned with combined with a personality to cheer for, DevastatioN has shown varying results together with varying captains throughout the seasons. After seeing great success alongside DemonSphere and Heks just last season, he is now following in on DS's footsteps and has become a captain himself for the first time, where he may perhaps bring his already outstanding versatility and teamwork abilities to never-before-seen levels. This is also the first we're seeing a Canadian WDL captain since Water -- will he live up to Water's legendary WDL record?
HumanBones
New Hampshire, USA
4th captaining season
Championship Classic IV Champion
Championship Classic VI Champion
Winter 2015 Playoff Team, defeated the #1 team during its regular season
Summer 2015 Playoff Team, defeated the runner-up team during its regular season
Summer 2016 Playoff Team
Often mocked at for barely coming up short of winning titles during the IDL days, HumanBones has proven that with enough commitment and constant improvement through each season, there is no curse that can't be broken. After spending two mildly successful seasons as a member of Ralphis's Super Chargers, he's brought back his trademark Sexual Panthers, having boasted some of the most impressive teams the league has ever seen, and mounting an amazing comeback story to clutch the Fall 2016 season victory, following an 0-2 record through the first couple of weeks. He's got the skills, he's got the strats, and he's got the achievements to back it all up. One thing's for certain: keeping him away from having the triple crown this season will be, at the very least, frustrating.
Jwarrier
Arizona, USA
3rd captaining season
Championship Classic III Champion
Championship Classic V Champion
Fall 2016 Playoff Team, defeated the #1 team during its regular season
Winter 2016 Playoff Team
Jwarrier returns to his seat as a captain, after being a regular player for two seasons, concretizing a breathtaking victory in Summer 2016 alongside Water and KBlair against stacked opposition, and a strong season with his CAD brethren Alt_Stab and Wazzup. His past couple of captaining jobs were jobs well done also, having worked things out just right with Canadian legends Water and Torvald to win the Summer 2015 season, and putting up more respectable results the season afterwards, with Caution and Legion. His drafts often make for very consistent teams with a spark of brilliance, so Jwarrier's teams making it to the playoffs is an almost certain prediction.
KBlair
Pennsylvania, USA
1st captaining season
Championship Classic V Champion
Championship Classic IV Runner-up
Fall 2016 Playoff Team, defeated the #1 team during its regular season
Similarly to Caution, KBlair is a relative newcomer to the league, who possesses more experience than most participating players. After many years, including the countless IDL seasons he took part in, he has finally achieved a well-deserved championship in the Summer 2016 season. His other seasons are also nothing to scoff at: as Ralphis's right-hand man, he reached the grand finals in a solid Winter 2016 season and made it to the playoffs in SUC's all-UD team in Fall 2016 with a notable #3 seed. His upcoming plans as a captain remain shrouded in mystery, but if he plays his cards right, expect another fierce team in the fray.
Ralphis
Florida, USA
7th captaining season
Championship Classic I Runner-up
Championship Classic IV Runner-up
Winter 2015 Playoff Team, defeated the #1 team during its regular season
Fall 2016 Playoff Team, defeated the #1 team during its regular season
Summer 2015 Playoff Team, defeated the runner-up team during its regular season
Ralphis's crusades through every season are almost predictable by now, but that doesn't make his teams any less of a treat to watch and cheer for. His sworn allegiance to his UD clanmates has led him to draft players such as RottKing, HumanBones, KBlair, Heks and especially Climhazzard (a whooping four times!) and has always played what can only be described as textbook excellence through and through. The Super Chargers' predictability comes in where they often prove their worth in being able to beat the top-ranked teams every season, yetthey sadly run out of gas during the playoffs. At the end of the day, having been the runner-up in two seasons, and having a history of upsetting top-seeded teams and being usually considered one of the MVPs of every season, Ralphis is not one to change up his game plan as he knows he's on the right path to victory with the teams he assembles, regardless of how stacked the opposing teams may be.
