On Thursday, the 10th of February from 5:30PM AEST/UTC+11, right after the Official World of Tanks ANZ Twitch Stream (where you get to watch quality gameplay from some fine WeeGees), we're going to kick Season 4 of ANZPL with the draft - hosted by none other than the amazing JayRated and the "retired" commentator KaRathCS!
The Format
This season we will be shifting to a double round robin format with six teams as opposed to the single round robin format from previous seasons. We hope this will inspire more intense competition between our Premier League teams, as they will now each have two matchups with all competitors in the regular season, giving us a clearer picture about who deserves to be in the playoffs and why come finals time.
This change, in addition to various player movements during ANZPL offseason means we bid farewell to the Auckland Archers and season three champions the Melbourne Matildas. We look forward to sharing more information on how this allows us to further expand our support of the B League when the new ANZBL season is formally announced next week.
Just like last season however, the draft will be split into two rounds, the first being the State Round. Teams are required to pick Draftees from their home State in order to fulfill the required three home state member minimums in the team lineup. The State Round picks will run as follows:
|
Pick |
State and Team |
|
1 |
Christchurch Conquerors |
|
2 |
North Sydney Sentinels |
|
3 |
Perth Panthers |
After these three teams have picked, we move into the Open Draft. This is a free-for-all between teams, where teams will attempt to snap up the best player they can to join their team - so they can fight their way to ANZPL glory. Just like last season, there are multiple rounds within this stage of the draft so that teams can fill their roster of seven. The Open Draft order can be found below:
|
Round One |
|
|
Pick |
State and Team |
|
1 |
Christchurch Conquerors |
|
2 |
Brisbane Bulldogs |
|
3 |
Adelaide Action X |
|
4 |
North Sydney Sentinels |
|
5 |
Perth Panthers |
|
Round Two |
|
|
Pick |
State and Team |
|
1 |
Christchurch Conquerors |
|
2 |
Brisbane Bulldogs |
|
3 |
Adelaide Action X |
|
4 |
North Sydney Sentinels |
NOTE: There will be no picks for the ever-consistent South Sydney Skorpions, as once again none of their team members have retired from the League or declared to redraft.
The Draftees
The people below will be jostling for the attention of the ANZPL teams, looking to duke it out with some of ANZ finest. Please welcome all the players who will be hoping to enter Season 4 of the ANZPL:
| __xXx_Fury_o7o7o7 | Emperor_Marcus_Aurelis | Saxon |
| 13bladez | Flaming_ | scott_hanaray |
| ad10540 | godmode_dead | SnozzleSuksAtTheGame |
| Buck3t | Gregori190 | T_RAK |
| Buff_Hamster | Guns0Tron | Taney_Local |
| CallumAU | haha_yes | The_Mendicant_Bias |
| Captain_Cows | Ironguard_ | TheReturned |
| chegar | MyNameDidntFit | Toasted |
| Chipmunk0007 | Pp_Power | toddy339 |
| Colen | rameka13 | Trax |
| crusadergaming | Rippon | twoplustwo |
| DarthCavalier | Rowendy | Whippet |
| doodletank2 | rupro_ | Zealblade |
For those vying for a position, it may be a good idea to pop into the Asia Discord and make yourself known within the #ANZPL Channel, to talk availability and other poignant information.
Remember, being in the ANZPL Draft Pool will not guarantee you a position into ANZPL itself.
ANZPL Season 4 Prize Pool
The prize pool for ANZPL consists of $25,000 AUD in cash prizes, as well as physical prizes (which will be announced in the lead-up to Round One of ANZPL Season 4). The cash prize pool is broken down as following:
1st Place – AUD 10,000
2nd Place – AUD 5,000
3rd Place – AUD 3,500
4th Place – AUD 2,750
5th Place - AUD 2,000
6th Place - AUD 1,750
Fantasy League, and ANZBL
And of course, what would ANZPL be without a Fantasy League to prove you're an absolute mastermind at knowing who will perform in the upcoming week?
Fantasy League will be returning for ANZPL Season 4, so if you're not familiar or have never played before, there has never been a better time to start. Best of all - it's free! So take a look at some previous seasons and get familiar with the site!
Not to mention, ANZBL (for the Best League of course) registrations will be open after the ANZPL draft. As per our goal from last season - we will be aiming for Promotion/Relegation for this year alongside with a cash prize pool for ANZBL if we receive a sufficient level of interest - so if you want to take your time, hone your skills, and eventually topple the best - Division 2 is calling out your name. Keep your eye out after the draft for the Portal Article on how to register for ANZBL!
And Finally... The Dates
ANZPL Season 4 will start on Friday, March the 18th, 7PM AEDT (UTC +11), straight on our Twitch channel, with the LAN Finals at Fortress Melbourne on Saturday, June the 25th - keep an eye out on the Portal, as well as our WorldofTanksANZ social platforms to keep up to date with the latest happenings over on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for ANZPL. Let's Battle!