Shadow:
Franchise Manager – Euronate
Season 13 teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
The Shadow joined the league as part of the last team expansion in season 8. In their short five season tenure in the league, they have been led by one GM in Euronate. This make this franchise special because the consistency of leadership has formed a solid team atmosphere.
Championship History
The Shadow are one of 10 teams that have yet to win a Championship. In their first season they won an Academy League and Champions League Division title. After that, the team had a playoff drought for three seasons. In Season 12, the franchise excelled in FL and AL, with their Foundation League 3s team winning a Conference Final. In season 13, the team is looking to further shape their history and take home their first league title.
Team Atmosphere
Franchise Manager Euronate had this to say about his team, “We’re all about having fun & improving together as a team. We tend to goof off doing in-house scrims & playing other games together. We do our best to make it a community regardless of skill level. As a team, we’re all committed to helping each other improve throughout the season.”
When asked what types of players he is looking for, he said, “MLE is a very competitive league with an incredible amount of talent (on & off the pitch). I make it very clear to my players that they’re going to play in many MLE series that just don’t go their way. A lot of what we look for in a player is how they handle taking tough losses. We’re looking for the players that are able to reflect on why things went the way they did. A lot of players don’t realize how important your mentality is during a 5-game series. If you can keep your head cool, you can very easily steal a few wins away from a team that has been outperforming you.”
Euronate finished by saying, “Of course we’re looking for talented players, but to us, character takes priority over raw skill. There are absolutely players that exhibit both of those traits, but they won’t last long in the draft once they’ve been discovered.”
Shadow Discord: https://discord.gg/7V8ST6
Sharks:
Franchise Manager – Adi
Season 13 teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
The Sharks are the only team in the Tropic Division that are members of the original 6 MLD teams. But they didn’t start out as the Sharks. The franchise now known as the Sharks began as the Flames. They played under that name before renaming themselves to the Sharks. The team is also known for its consistent leadership throughout the season. Through 12 seasons, the Sharks have been led by only three managers. Adi has now taken up the post for his third season, leading a franchise with a lot of MLE History.
Championship History
Despite being among the original six teams, the Sharks remain one of the few teams to not have a championship title. They started their history with a long title drought not winning a Division until season eight. Since then, the Sharks have gained some traction, winning a total of eight division titles. The Sharks are still searching for that last win of the season and have been circling the waters of the playoffs in recent seasons. Only time will tell when they finally take a bite out of the Championship.
Team Atmosphere
When asked about the team, Franchise Manager Adi responded by sending me a video that he believes encapsulates what it means to be a shark: https://twitter.com/SharksMLE/status/1401280060892516353?s=20
I then asked what Adi is looking for in a player this season. He said, “The Sharks pride themselves on an atmosphere centered around good times. We want you if you’re someone who’s here to find some friends and play some games sometimes. All Fish are Friends, not Food.”
Sharks Discord: https://discord.gg/VUzDZUj
Pandas:
Franchise Manager – Riz
Season 13 Teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
The Pandas were one of the early adopters to the league in season three. They joined as part of a four team expansion to take the league to 12 teams. The team was led by three captains before Riz took over in season eight and has remained the Franchise Manager for five seasons.
Championship History
The Pandas are another team that continue to look for their first Championship title. In their first three seasons, they won two Division titles but couldn’t clinch the final game of the season. They wouldn’t return to the playoffs in season nine. In season 10 the Pandas achieved their best season finish with a Conference title in Champions League 2s. The Pandas did not take a team to the playoffs in season 12, which means that this team will be looking to prove themselves in season 13.
Team Atmosphere
The Pandas are a team built on balancing fun and work. When asked about their atmosphere, Riz told us they’re aiming for a team that is, “Chill in all non-RL areas, pretty intense while scrimming.”
We also asked Riz what the Pandas are looking for in a player this season. He responded simply with, “We want players who want to have fun improving their game.”
Pandas Discord: https://discord.gg/hsR5wGt
Flames:
Franchise Manager – FLAMEZ
Season 13 teams – FL, AL, CL, ML
Origins
The Flames joined the league in season 5 as part of the second to last expansion to bring the league to 24 teams. Their first season was that last that MLE(then MLD) contained only one league. Longtime MLE Member Wray captained the team in season 5 before handing the franchise over to Fittz and Reverse Fridge to captain the following 2 seasons. Fittz would go on to manage the franchise until season 11. In season 12, FlaMEz would become the new and Current Franchise manager.
Championship History
The Flames came out strong in their inaugural season, winning the Orange Conference and making a statement to the rest of the league. Four seasons later, the Flames took their first Championship title in the Academy League. The Flames continue to be a strong presence in the post-season in their short history. Last season they took six teams to the playoffs across three leagues, and won their Conference in Academy league 2s and 3s as well as Foundation League 2s. Their winning record, especially in the Academy League, is quickly building them a reputation as a team to look out for each season.
Team Atmosphere
When we asked Franchsie Manager FlaMEz about his team, he had this to say: “The Flames franchise focuses on creating a supportive and positive environment while maintaining our competitiveness. Having 6 teams in the playoffs and 3 in the Grand Finals, while building lasting relationships between players of all skill levels on all of our teams, shows that we’re committed to this goal and are excited to achieve it again this season!”
FlaMEz had this to say about what type of players they are scouting this season: “We’re looking for players who are excited to grow alongside positive teammates, continue to build our incredibly supportive community, and most importantly – get rowdy during our weekly match watch parties. We love to have fun with our community and can’t wait to get started in season 13!”
Flames Discord: https://discord.gg/zKWKs48wRE
