The first of a series of game overviews to give you the ins and outs of the available games in place for this season’s Heineken Champions Cup ahead of the kick-off this wekend. If any new games pop up, please let us know at fantasyrugbygeek@gmail.com or @frugbygeek on Twitter.
First under the microscope is an old favourite and a well trodden ground for all fantasy rugby junkies, it’s good old SuperBru, check it out here.
THE PREMISE
A classic and simple fantasy game, no salary limits, so you can load your team with superstars. Fill your squad with players: one in each field position plus one reserve for each grouping (So your squad is four outside backs, three centres, two fly-halves, two scrum-halves, four loose forwards, three locks, two hookers, three props), unlike some other fantasy rugby games, you do not get any points for the players on your bench, so choose your starting XV wisely. You are limited to three players per team. This limit (will probably) increase when the knockout stage starts. Once the season gets are underway, you can make a limited number of transfers each round (six per each group stage round and again this will probably increase once the game reaches the knockout stage).
SuperBru have been doing fantasy games for years and they know what they are doing. It’s a great little game, popular all over the world and there are plenty of extremely competitive private leagues going on. Some great private leagues include The Fantasy Rugby Yanks, GameTipper and of course, there’s our very own Fantasy Rugby Geek league
THE KEY POINTS
- Squad Size: 23
- Team size: 15
- Double scoring captain?: Yes
- Designated Kicker?: Yes (Can’t be the same player as your captain)
- Transfers: 6 free transfers per round, this usually increases to 8 for the knockout stage
- Max players from one club: 3
THE EDGE
Load up against the outsiders
The Champions Cup is a notoriously competitive tournament with no easy games, however there are still some outsiders that you are worth selecting players who are up against. These include Bath (Outright winner odds – 250-1), Ospreys (250-1), Cardiff (250-1, Connacht (250-1), Glasgow (250-1) and Scarlets (250-1). In such a competitive tournament, you need to find your edge where you can, so get your full complement of three playing against these teams each week, to ensure that you are maximising the probability of high scores. This is also where your captain picks should be.
Plan ahead
Keep an eye on the fixture list when making your transfers to ensure that you get the best bang for your buck.
Double check your XV is starting before the round lock
Unlike some other games, once the gameweek lock has passed, you cannot change your team. Lineups are usually all announced by Friday afternoon, so keep an eye on the lineups and make sure your XV are all starting. The players on your bench will not come in if you have a member of your XV not playing, so this is an essential tactic to maximise points.
Out-of-position players are worth their weight in gold
Keep an eye on players who are classified in one position but end up playing in another position that may well provide greater returns (think a winger classified as a centre, a loose forward classified as a lock, etc).
Players who like to run with the ball have the potential to score big
With 0.5 points on offer for each 5m covered, you will be well rewarded with players who run the ball in from deep and can take on and beat players, so load your team up with fullbacks and wings who like to run with the ball.
Join our public fantasy league on the SuperBru Champions Cup Fantasy Game. Sign up to the game here.
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