Foxes
Franchise Manager – BigMacDan
Season 13 Teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
Debuting in season 3 of MLD (Minor League Doubles, MLE’s former name), the foxes were introduced with team captain MacGyver. MacGyver looked to put his team on the map. While a competitive Wolves team stopped the Foxes from taking the Division, they were still able to make it into the playoffs as a wildcard team.
Championship History
The Foxes have not been the most successful team in MLE, but they have certainly had their moments. Their crowning achievement, of course, was the season 8 PL championship. Under the leadership of GM Apollo, and stellar play of Bacon, the Foxes brought home a championship at the highest level of MLE play at the time. The Foxes have also racked up a total of 6 Divisional titles over their 9 seasons.
Team Atmosphere
Speaking with BigMacDan (formerly Fallen) about the atmosphere within the Foxes team, he said, “The atmosphere is positive right now. We’re all hyped and looking forward to Season 13 with a lot of hope and belief that we can continue where we left off last season and push on for more success.”
As BigMacDan takes over in his second full season as the Foxes FM, he has had time to develop a culture he can be happy with. When asked what type of players they’re looking for, he stated, “We’re looking for players with a lot of potential to grow, both as players on the field and people off the field. We’re also looking at players that want to become a permanent fixture on a franchise, either as a captain or an AGM, as people who can show their skills across all aspects of their person will always be wanted by franchises like ours.”
As the foxes look to build on recent success, the Foxes look to rapidly improve this season, and aim for it all. In his closing statements, BigMacDan added, “We do not have a public discord link as our server is closed to those not already a Fox or a close friend. However, for those that read this: We at the Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail.”
Puffins:
Franchise Manager – CloudFuel
Current Teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
Coming into MLD in season 5, the Puffins did not make much of an impact. Captain CloudFuel’s team failed to reach the playoffs or bring any accolades to the team. The Puffins have been much more successful recently after a lackluster start.
Championship History
Since season 7, the Puffins have sent at least 2 teams to the playoffs every season. Of these playoff appearances, 7 of them came from Divisional wins. The crown jewel of their success, however, has to be the season 11 AL championship. Led by AubreyE and CloudFuel, the Puffins dominated the playoffs, ending the run of a strong underdog Tyrants team. One more title that was imperative to the Puffins has to be the three-peat “Best Team Twitter” from seasons 9 through 11, no team came close to taking the title away.
Team Atmosphere
Speaking with CloudFuel, the Puffins FM, had this to say about the attitude of the Puffins regime: “We’ve all been on a bit of a break during the off-season, but things are starting to pick up as deadlines approach. With 20 retention requests, AubreyE and I have our hands full trying to figure out who we can keep and who we, unfortunately, have to either say goodbye to or try to pick back up through the draft / free agency.” It’s clear that the Puffins are a very tight-knit group. For FMs like CloudFuel who clearly have bonded with their team, it is sad to see some guys have to leave.
CloudFuel has had a long history with the Puffins, where he’s gotten to interact with a lot of players. When asked about the culture of the team and player’s he’s looking for, CloudFuel stated, “The Puffinry definitely emits strong family vibes. We’re all about finding folks who fit in with our group, both from a personality standpoint and a desire to build a strong team through chemistry. Winning is definitely much better than losing, but having a great group of friends that enjoy spending time together on a common goal is where it’s at.”
With the sheer amount of success the Puffins have had over the past few seasons, it’s hard to imagine we will see any less from this group. To close out my interview with CloudFuel, he was generous enough to leave me a link to the team’s discord, if you would like to get to see the puffins in their natural habitat. https://discord.gg/y3pM2JR
Sabres:
Franchise Manager – Mople
Season 13 Teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
The Sabres came into MLE during the most recent expansion of season 8. For the first two seasons as a franchise, K3v took the reins as the team’s GM and looked to make a splash. In their inaugural season, the Sabres sent both their FL and AL teams to the playoffs as wildcards.
Championship History
In their short span as a team, the Sabres have gathered a total of 10 playoff appearances, including 4 Division wins. Unfortunately, however, the Sabres have yet to win a Championship in MLE. Hopefully, under the leadership of Mople, the Sabres can put themselves on the map.
Team Atmosphere
Sitting down with Mople about the vibe of the Sabres, he said, “Current activity in the Sabres ‘cord is a little light as the dust is settling from the FM transition, but we have a core group of guys still hanging with the music bot and playing every night.” Unfortunately, the music bot Mople mentioned has since been disconnected. In his experience, Mople has found music as a great way to chill out with his team and get to know his guys a bit better.
Mople, no stranger to MLE management, has had a few seasons to learn the ropes of community building. When I asked him what type of players he was looking for, Mople stated, “With the draft I plan on signing a group of roughly 30 strangers, and by a couple months’ time having a close group of friends who maintain among the strongest and most active, tight-knit communities in the league. I’m building a franchise that has a sense of unity across all leagues, and quality match results derive from that. With that said; win or lose, we’ll have a good time.”
As Mople said, he values community over everything. If you’d like to be a part of this community, the man has given me a discord link for anyone to join: https://discord.gg/EMGyDz7
Wolves:
Franchise Manager – Shraxl
Season 13 Teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
The Wolves were introduced to the league during the second season of MLD. Unfortunately, we could not find their original franchise leader, however the oldest record we have is HunterDaGinger as team captain during season 3. In their inaugural season, the Wolves were able to make the playoffs as a wildcard team.
Championship History
The Wolves have not been the most successful team in MLE by most measures. While they do have an impressive 13 playoff appearances with 6 Division wins, the franchise has never won a Championship. After the long control of previous FM Wray, perhaps new FM Shraxl will be able to change the franchise’s fortunes.
Team Atmosphere
Getting to speak with Shraxl about the atmosphere in the Wolves camp this season, he said, “After being announced as the new FM the community was very welcoming. The Wolves community that was built before me was built with passion. All of the Wolves franchise staff that are going to FA or FP have offered their help to me. Also all the players that are wanting to return or were a former Wolves member have shown their support for my new vision and want to see success within this pack. This truly shows what I want to carry forward inside the Wolves franchise. Wolves is not just a franchise inside MLE, it’s a pack that cares about one another no matter the situation.”
This experience has shaped Shraxl, who is relatively new to MLE management. When asked what type of players he is looking for in the upcoming draft, Shraxl said, “ I plan to continue this way of thinking by bringing more players from the MLE community to the Wolves and making them feel like they are no longer a lone wolf. As an FM I will always be community first and results based second. My passion in life is to help people and by creating a caring environment I feel will lead to strong results. I also have a strong desire to win any game I get into. I will never expect a team to win a championship. I expect them to have fun and have the desire to win a championship. That desire keeps people wanting more and is a common ground of all those lone wolves out there to find their pack. #RunwiththePACK!”
It is clear to me Shraxl is someone who cares deeply for his community. In his short time with the Wolves, he has already begun to grow a bond with the team. If you would like to get to know Shraxl and the Wolves more personally, he has generously left a link to the team’s discord: https://discord.gg/C7mKHkApBZ
