MMFLEX

Hey everyone. First of all, let me start this post by apologizing to everyone that has been affected by my inactivity this past season. I never meant for it to go down this way. VHLM GMs were left with only half of a commissioner team for pretty much a full season. But oh well, what's done is done, and I'm very happy with the replacements the blues have found for @diamond_ace and I. Hit me up if you need anything, @Gustav and @Spartan. I'm sure you'll do a much better job than I did during my tenure.
 
So yeah, there are multiple reasons for me asking the blues to find a new commish to replace last offseason. I've been feeling burnt out with sim leagues for a bit now. Every minute spend on this forum or on our Discord server, answering to constant DMs from GMs and players started to feel more like a chore than it used to. I had simply lost my passion for this league that I grew to love over the couple years. I tried to re-ignite a fire under my ass by stepping down from GMing the London United, thinking it would give me more time to focus on the commissioner gig. But in the end, all it did was give me a chance to breath and see what it was like for me to spend less time here, and more time doing really any other thing, particularly with my loved ones. It quickly sank in that I didn't have it in me to be as active as I used to be, that I needed a lengthy break from it all.
 
On top of that, at the time of stepping down, one full season ago, my girlfriend was about 7 months pregnant with our first child and she needed me more than ever. If you do the math right, well yes, that puts us right past 9 months at this moment, and yes, she delivered a healthy baby on August 20. It wasn't an easy delivery for either of us, well, it was mostly hard for my strong and beautiful girlfriend, I was just there feeling absolutely useless. But let's just say that moving forward, I'm not gonna have as much free time as I used to. I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure the two loves of my life have everything they need.
 
So this two-month sabbatical I've been on is gonna be a little bit lengthier. I'm not promising I'm coming back for sure, and if I do, I'm certainly not applying to become a GM or commissioner ever again, but I'm also not saying I'm never coming back as a player.
 
I don't plan on going on the usual "naming everyone I liked talking to" route that people commonly do when they leave long term. Because my memory is hazy and I'm sure I'll forget some people and they'll be mad at me. So let me just say:
 
Thanks everyone I interacted with over the past four years. It's been a blessing meeting all of you. It's been interesting talking about sim leagues, music, gaming, actual sports. It's been frustrating talking trades or contracts with a bunch of you, but it's been fun regardless, and I wish you all the best moving forward. Keep making the VHL such an inclusive community for everyone that has that sports-meets-DnD itch they didn't even know they had. Take care y'all, and tell people close to you that you love them dearly.
 
Ce n'est qu'un au revoir, les amis.
McWolf signing off.

@MMFLEX

The sun sets on Day 5. A bit early, perhaps.
 
Seemingly catching wind of the MAFIOSO spot being handed to @Doomsday, Salem makes up their collective mind.
 
As does @Squidward, the JAILOR, who has already made up his mind to execute @Lemorse7, an ARSONIST, and a fairly unlucky one, tonight.
 
Come the morning of Day 6, there will be no more threats left against the Town. Though things were closer than one might expect right up until the last night phase, good has beaten evil in less than a week.
 
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS, THE TOWN...AND THE AMNESIAC!
 
 
You're aware of my usual end-of-game spiel, but here it is again: THANK YOU to everyone who played in this game, and I hope you had fun! It might be a couple weeks or so, but I hope I can run another before I move. In the meantime, please find our closing credits below:
 
@Adrest245 - GODFATHER
@Advantage - INVESTIGATOR
@BarzalGoat - CONSIGLIERE
@Berocka - MEDUSA
@Doomsday - JANITOR
@Frozen Block - LOOKOUT
@Goliathus - SERIAL KILLER
@jacobcarson877 - INVESTIGATOR
@jhatty8 - MEDIUM
@Judas Graves - FRAMER
@Lemorse7 - ARSONIST
@MMFLEX - AMNESIAC
@N0HBDY - RETRIBUTIONIST
@NSG - BODYGUARD
@omgitshim - TRANSPORTER
@Ptyrell - POTION MASTER
@Ricer13 - INVESTIGATOR
@rory  - COVEN LEADER
@Squidward - JAILOR

Well shit kittens... I was asleep before day ended and was still sleeping when day began.

Didn't pray hard enough.

F - Duncan Idaho
 
@ROOKIE745
 
 

Fortnite?

-With a slew of Vasteras draft picks in the S84 draft, all the Iron Eagles had to do was not mess it up. GM Zach Arce said after he was VERY pleased with how Vasteras drafted. For this season and for the next. The Iron Eagles held the 7th and 8th overall picks in the first round. The Thunder Iron Eagles selected the highly skilled center Dogwood Maple (@dogwoodmaple) 7th overall, which Arce felt was a steal in that position. Vasteras thought they had no shot at Dogwood, so they were thrilled to pull the trigger almost immediately when he was still on the board. With the 8th overall pick, Vasteras selected defenseman Faith Hope Love (@MMFLEX) which Arce called the best defenseman available, and the most underrated defenseman in the class itself.
-Vasteras was back on the board just two picks later and selected San Diego's Molly the Cat ( @JCarson) who was a playoff MVP candidate in last years VHLM playoffs. The Iron Eagles were very excited to add the hard working London prospect. Vasteras picked again at the end of the second round, with thoughts of next season. They selected one of the top rated VHLM players in Otis Boudreaux ( @Otis Boudreaux) which is no surprise as Otis had played under Arce when he GMed Houston last season.
-In round 3, Vasteras decided to look for their goaltender. They took the best available goaltender in the draft class Basileus Jute ( @Matt thunder) who comes highly rated as a starting caliber goaltender. Arce said Jute will be a successful goaltender in the VHLE, and the VHL. His work ethic and skill combo will get him far in the league.
-Vasteras did not pick again until round 5, which would be their final pick. They decided to take another goaltender, the space guru himself Ilya Bryzgalov! ( @Devise) Arce was confident Jute could be VHL bound next season, so he prepared the team for his potential successor if that is the case. Bryzgalov had a very solid season with Mississauga in the VHLM, and Vasteras feels that success will continue in the VHLE.

Time to give some props to some of the users who I'm grateful for and those who have made my time in VHL really fantastic so far....:
 
I would be remiss if I didn't start with the user who picked me up as a free agent when I was brand new to the league - @Ledge.  I knew absolutely nothing about this sim league, how updates worked, when the sims were, or any of the mechanics at all and ledge answered every single one of my billion questions without hesitation.  I think it's safe to say that my time in the league would've gone much worse if I didn't have such a great experience in Miami as a Marauder.  It was a truly great locker room and I appreciate everything Ledge did for me in South Beach.  I'm honestly not sure what made me pick Miami among my other FA offers, but I am so glad that I did.  Great locker room, great users, great team!
 
Next person I want to give a shoutout to is the user who's had the biggest impact on me so far and the user I'm most grateful for... @Shindigs During the pre-draft process, Shindigs and I spoke at length and I knew it would be a great fit for a new user if I were to end up in Las Vegas.  Lo and behold, I'm an Ace!  And to say that Shindigs has been a fantastic GM is the understatement of the century.  On top of all the stats, sim updates, and leaderboards that are always posted, Shindigs always does a great job of making sure our locker room is interactive, enjoyable, and just a great place to hang out.  And that's not even mentioning the great squad he's put together in Vegas.  It seems like all of us gel really well together and that certainly adds to the camaraderie in the locker room.  Lastly, and definitely most importantly, has been Shindigs' willingness to help out anyone in the locker room who asks for help, whether it be from a build perspective or otherwise.  We spoke at length about potential builds for my player and it never once felt like a chore to pick his brain about attributes, TPE opportunities, or anything at all for that matter.  Just can't say enough!
 
I've had a lot of GMs in my time across the various sim leagues and Shindigs and Ledge are most certainly among the best of the best as GMs and as users.
 
Lastly, I want to throw out some rapid fire shoutouts to @Lemorse7 for our ever increasing joint locker rooms across the sim leagues, @OrbitingDeath for helping out whenever I bug you with a question, @Spartanfor all the advice and question-answering you've done for me, @samxfor the great time we've has in Vegas, @dylanjj37for instilling a hatred of bots, @Xflexzfor laying the boom on our opponents on a regular basis, @MMFLEXfor being an all around baller, @rory and @Doomsdayfor being really welcoming when I joined the server, and last but not least, I officially want to thank whichever mod approves the graphics that I post from time to time. While they might not always end up great, I always spend a lot of time to try and make 'em look at least passable.
 
I know I'm forgetting a ton of people who have helped me along the way.  If we've interacted at all in VHL so far, just know that it's appreciated and all of you have all made my VHL experience fantastic so far.  I never once felt out of place and I cannot express my gratitude enough for how y'all have treated me and welcomed me into the league as a brand new user.
 
Cheers!
 

I have access because I'm a Tickle Monster. Thanks for outting me. Wanna grab poutine and a tickle now?

I need those good drugs too 

Top VHL Draft Prospects | Defensemen
 
   With the off-season finally coming to a close, and a new chapter of the VHL ready to be written, it's important not to overlook the future of our league. The top prospects for the draft should be paid attention to just as much as the VHL's superstars. I've compiled a list from my research on each player; weeding out the good from the great, and I've ended up with what I believe will be the cream of the crop for this season's draft.
 
   Overall, defensemen aren't the most abundant position in the draft. This could of course change, with many prospects currently holding out on the "M" for their various other ventures; presumably other hockey league's playoffs. But, for now, this position holds quality over quantity. With many teams in need of rock-solid defensemen for the future, we could be seeing some of these names called high up on the draft board in a few months.
 
AK92 Wit da Hoodie 
@hedgehog337
 
   In their 26 games last season (15 regular season, 11 playoffs), Hoodie showed incredible promise, racking up 44 blocked shots, 36 hits, and 24 points. This offseason, Hoodie has simply been putting his head down and working. The work paid off as in this pre-season Hoodie looks much more sound on their skates, seemingly gliding across the ice at times. One thing that's impressed me about their play is their ability to quickly work the counter-attack, leaving many teams flat-footed trying to defend. Hoodie can get the puck moving quickly but doesn't have the touch to consistently score yet. On defense, Hoodie has matured. They seem calmer, but can be guilty of relying on their skating ability to put them into positions they already should have. I think Hoodie has the most potential out of all of the defenseman prospects, but they don't have the "hockey skills" to make them legit yet. I could easily see Hoodie going in the first round, and pushing onto a VHLE roster in S84.
 
Malum Maellard 
@frescoelmo
 

  The 8th overall pick in the VHLM draft this year, Malum Maellard, spent the late parts of last season with Houston, where he played 16 regular-season games and 19 post-season games. In that time, he was quiet, mostly thanks to the limited ice-time he got while on the Bulls. He showed potential, though, as a defensive-defenseman, something becoming rarer and rarer in this current era of simulated hockey. That on its own should give Maellard some extra looks when the GMs are scouting, but nothing can beat Maellard's silky smooth puck skills paired with his impressive skating ability. When he has had the puck on his stick this pre-season, Maellard has looked like a veteran. His consistent training regiment proved to be great to help out those two things, but his positioning and poise on defense haven't seemed to improve much. Time will only tell how Maellard's off-season has paid off, and we have only seen a short sample of what he can do. Maellard should be another first-rounder, alongside AK92 Wit da Hoodie, and it will be interesting to see how this dying breed of defensemen can hold in the modern VHL.
 
 
Jimmy MacElroy 
@Xflexz
   
   MacElroy was a pretty late pick in the "M" draft, going 24th, and while it may seem like a stranger pick than the other two, let me explain. MacElroy has seemingly relit the flame for hockey since being drafted to the sin city, putting in many late nights at the Aces facilities, where he has been working on his defensive game. His incredibly short stint at Miami last season showed us how he can impact a team, and I'm convinced he can. He displayed his defensive prowess, stopping 14 shots, and leveling 9 victims in his 6 playoff games for the Marauders. All of this leads to my eyes being attached to his jersey in the pre-season. He's a player that knows his role on the team and executes it to the fullest of his abilities. He's always in the right spot to make the smart play but can't be the X-Factor on the team just yet. When he tries to lead the counter-attack, it's functional yet uninspiring. He needs to work on his puck skills a bit more if he wants to steal a spot in the first round, and he has plenty of time to do that.
 
 
Faith Hope Love 
@MMFLEX
 
   I'm back to the earlier parts of the draft for the final prospect, Faith Hope Love. Love played in 14 games for the Lynx last season, including 4 playoff games where they put together a dreadful stat line. Headlined by 16 hits and 5 points, they needed to train in the offseason. That's exactly what Love did. Over the offseason they exploded (not literally...) into a top defenseman prospect. They quickly knew the work they had been putting in was worthwhile when San Diego came calling with the 7th pick of the draft. I was able to catch a pre-season game of Love's, where I noticed a few great things about them. Their defensive ability, paired with their solid skating, created a monster. They were always in the right spot, and even when there was a mental error, Love was able to quickly react to that and get to where they needed to go with their skating. Their ability to man the counter-attack was all right, the puck skills are not terrible, but they aren't the bright spot of Love. Love is going to be a great 2-way defenseman in the future for any team that picks them, and I hope that they continue their growth throughout the season.
 
 
 
  In all, every player listed here has the talent to make it to the show, it's just a matter of the work they put in. I doubt that all 4 of these prospects end up becoming stars in the VHL, but these are the faces of this draft class for this position. One day MacElroy, Love, Maellard, and Hoodie will all be playing at a VHL level, while the next versions of them grind it out in the VHLM. 

Vote Rory

Lol I was just listing folks that have been in the thread that haven't given too much indication of what they are.

In two nights, two people tried to kill me, two people tried to interrogate me, one tried to jail me, and one tried to disrupt me. Go after other people.

The Riddler is what they say I be.
But Batman is my true identity.

Also I didn't give a clear timeframe for this Act apologies. Act IV's Game Thread Day Phase is going to end Midnight ET with a shorter Night Phase given I'm back at work in the morning. So expect Act V to start around 6:00 am ET. Get those actions in while you can! 

The draft week has started. There's hope, expectation, and (a lot) of mock drafts going around... 
 
The WJC ended last week, so it's already old news. But last night was a magical one for a group of young guys, some of which are sure to be drafted tonight, Thursday, and even Sunday.
 
The Warriors won the Junior Showcase Tournament after beating the Steel in just 4 games.
 
After winning the first game, but dropping the second, the Warriors regrouped. And with a strategy tweak managed to beat the Steel in the two games played yesterday.
 
This is no ordinary feat, but the Warriors aren't your usual team.
 
Built strong, like your neighbor's Ford F-150, it's time for you to get to know some of these players.
 
In goal, the best goaltender (and MVP) of the tournament, Clueless Wallob (@DMaximus ), is set to be drafted into the VHLM. Ranked 2nd by TPE, maintained a .916 save percentage through 28 games in the regular round. During the playoffs, you ask? Even better, with a .936 through 9 games. He led the tournament in those stats - by some margin.
 
To continue the trend of players to be drafted in the upcoming VHLM Draft, all the Warriors defensemen. Callum Murray (@Berocka), Faith Hope Love (@MMFLEX), Malum Maellard (@frescoelmo), and Jimmy MacElroy (@Xflexz).
 
This unit was the pillar of what the Warriors are. A gritty, defensive-minded team. The scouts have to be aware of these guys, just as much as the Warriors were when they took them in the JST draft a couple of weeks ago. You can't overstate their commitment and involvement in the team's success.
 
Lastly, we'll mention the only guy set to be drafted in this season's VHL draft, Jeremy Davidson (@jpdavidson8787). Quiet and never overstepping his ground, Jeremy's a peculiar player. Consistency has to be his middle name. He averaged about the same P/20 (Points per 20 minutes) through the tournament's different rounds.
 
Of course, these six players don't make the team whole, but they'll proudly prevail as victors of the S82 JST winners, Warriors, locker room.
 

 
P.S.: I wish to congratulate @thadthrasher, as well. AGM to this winning team, he managed to repeat his title from S81!

Yeah I'll wrap this up later tonight and give out the perks to Gotham and Deadshot who both won! Well, living Gotham.
 
I've got a bunch of patch notes, balance changes and character fixes to roll out too. I'm going to try to get to updating that asap and then look at setting up a second game relatively quickly too. For those interested, thanks for helping me play test this though folks!

For immediate release from the desk of Nordic GM Dan Montgomery 🇸🇪🇬🇱🇫🇮🇮🇸, the below selections have been made as participants for the Season 82 Nordic World Cup Team. 
 
Forwards:
🇬🇱 - LW - Reylynn Reinhart @Ricer13
🇸🇪 - RW - Dan Dan @MMFLEX
🇫🇮 - C - Saku Kotkakoivu @DollarAndADream
🇬🇱 - LW - Jerome Reinhart @MexicanCow123
🇸🇪 - C - Nils Tallinder
🇸🇪 - RW - Gustislav Nasherov @Vat
🇮🇸 - C - That Dude @Cornholio
 
Defense:
🇸🇪 - D - Battre Sandstrom @Acydburn
🇬🇱 - D - Asher Reinhart @rjfryman
🇬🇱 - D - Zeedayno Chara @Jubis
🇸🇪 - D - Linus Zetterstrom @Ledge
 
Goalies:
🇸🇪 - G - Papa Emeritus @Beketov
🇸🇪 - G - Oskar Lindbergh @Doomsday
 
Staff:
🐶 AGM - Sam@samx
 
This was a tough decision and many players including both GM and AGM were in the conversation to be selected, but we feel with this group we should be able to make a run at the championship, and bring one home to the Nordic region!!!

 
 

Does Zacks not count?

He's in jail too

@Doomsday @Zack vote to jail Molholt. Game over.
 
Vote Molholt

By the blackgait jailor, who jails without attacking