Steve

Axle Gunner Career Reflection It has been an amazing career so far for Axle Gunner. He had the privilege of being drafted by Moscow and went on to put up solid numbers and eventually win a cup in Moscow. Axle was surrounded by tons of talent and lead by a very determined Spartan at the helm. It was a great time on that team when I look back at the road to the cup. There was always the smell of success on that team, they did not slack, and Gunner thrived there. Also, in that timeline Gunner won a couple of awards that really got him fired up. All around, it was a great time in the first part of Gunner's career. It won't be soon forgotten. Gunner learned several things that were to play a huge role in keeping a high level of play. One lesson Spartan taught me was how to manage my money, something I never had to do before. I decided that he was right, and I am very happy I followed his direction. I was able to fight off the nasty depreciation and still have a good build to move forward. Another thing that I thought I would not ever get used to was the hybrid system. I bitched and moaned about it on more than one occasion. I can honestly say at this point in time, it doesn't bother me at all. It just takes longer for old dogs to learn new tricks. I have never been one that likes change, but I have come to embrace it and go with the flow. After our cup win in Moscow, it was clear the team needed to move a player and Gunner was the one packing his bags. With no regrets and nothing but a positive feeling, Gunner headed over to the Riga Reign, where he will finish his career. In that first season with Riga, we also won the cup, and Gunner was awarded the playoff MVP, it was a great time to be alive. We were able to make it to the playoffs and with some good results but still, at this time, only the one cup. Riga has its own group of very talented and friendly players that want to win as bad as anyone else. I think we fit together well for the most part. No matter what team Gunner plays on, he has always stuck to his defensive center man build. It has worked out incredibly well over the course of his career. I believe he needs just a single playoff point to break the league record for playoff points and he would need an extra good season of 109 points to break the modern-day career points. You never know, it could happen. Going into my last season will be a mixed bag of emotions. We have a new, very active GM with v.2. He has pulled the team out of the ashes and assembled a roster that should compete this season. I am grateful for his knowledge and fortitude to get our team in shape. Gunner has a couple of personal goals this season, but the success of the team is the most important thing. I am not sure I will have another player in the league, but I have been known to change my mind.

Review: This is a very well made graphic. Above average effort went into this and I think the results are very good. I really like the multi layer background as it is very well blended. The render cut looks very clean and I can't find any issues with the overall quality of it. The text, while not my personal favorite font, looks to work well with the effects you used. The logo swap looks fine though a bit flat. I would have to nit pick to find things I would have done differently. The visor could have been touched up and you missed a good opportunity to add the collar logo. Overall and very good looking graphic. 9/10

Review: I really like the overall look of this graphic. I think the color palette you used is spot on and is pleasing to the eye. Interesting background pattern that would normally distract from the main element but this background is still not as dominate as the render, which has a very high level of exposure. While I like this design, it is also an easy way to avoid more technical adjustments like logo swaps or removing any branding. Clever and fast, I can't fault anyone for that. I like the text, it fits well with the rest of this design/color choices. Good job 8/10

Presser for the week ending 3/9 1. We have a new GM, should we buy him a gift? 2. Looks like there won't be any trades and we are making one last run, thoughts? 3. Are there any goals you have set for this upcoming season? 4. Do you think we will make the playoffs? 5. If you could change your position right now, would you? 6. We have an actual locker room. Does that make you want to chat more?

Here we go. Riga finally got a new GM and v.2 is putting the gang back together for one last tour. It will be a swan song for a few of us as we will be retired at the end of the season. So it really is the last run Gunner will have. It is great to know where you are playing for the upcoming season. I was unsure where Gunner would go if traded. Unfortunately, the timing was way off and our new GM didn't have much to work with as most teams were set and the trading was done. I am happy he found a way to fill our roster. We do have several players still on the team that were key to our success last season. So I expect a playoff spot is in order. Being my final player, Gunner wants to go out with a bang. I will be earning all season until I get retired. Even with all the depreciation seasons, Gunner will have a build very close to his cup winning seasons, so I am not worried about him laying an egg. Good luck to all and stay safe. Word count: 195

I upscaled a low res image. That's what I get when I do that, a cross-eyed render. Plus he sniffed too much glue in his life. Thanks for the review.

The league was very active before Covid. What was different back then?

Review: Another colorful graphic that stays true to your high standards. I like the vibe this graphic gives off. I love the color gradient and how it blends into the render. The background itself is fun to look at and I feel it is well balanced with the render and not overpowering. I really like the font with this one, it fits the moment. I would only mention the lack of contrast in the render's face. I think some detail would have made this even better. Overall, job well done. I always enjoy your graphics. 9/10

Review: I really like graphics that are highly saturated and full of colors. The star of this show is the background. I have the Adobe stock version of this skyline, you did a lot of work to get it to this point. Very creative with the texture, I am a huge fan of what you did with this one. The render of course looks well placed and you did a good job with blending him into the background. The render matches the rest of the graphic and when you look at it as a whole, it looks very pleasing. Overall, great job. 9/10

Presser for the week ending 3/2 1. Who do you think will be our new GM? 2. Do you plan on staying or open to a trade? 3. It's was a great playoff run, were you ok with the outcome? 4. Anyone can ask questions for a 2 tpe task, did you know that? 5. Nobody really looks at these pressers but the team should be more active, thought? 6. This might be the last time I do a presser for Riga, did I do a good job?

It has been one hell of a ride this season. Riga settled with a wildcard spot after having a strange season where we really didn't get any long win streaks or really even find our rhythm. It all turned out in the end. Had a tough finals against a very “Meta” team that we just could not best. It was still a fun ride and would love to do it again. Riga is waiting for our new GM due to Lemorse stepping down. I kind of saw that coming during the season but was hard to tell as he is a low key GM. I hope he finds his mojo and returns with some jump in his step. It has been a pleasure being a part of his team. This could be the last Riga article for Gunner if a trade ever happens. Gunner needs to find a playoff bound team and try to end his career on a high note. So I am not sure what will happen since the league needs to pick a new GM before any trades will happen. I will just go with the flow and enjoy my last off season. It will be fun earning throughout the season and tweaking my final build without worrying about banking. Life is good. Word count: 215