Jubis

Credit: @kirbithan
 
Welcome to VSN’s preview of the S86 World Junior Championship! Last season’s gold medalists, Team Europe, are looking to defend their title and the team they beat, Team USA, has come back stronger than ever trying move past their silver medals from the last two tournaments and with their first gold since S81. Teams Canada, World, and Asia all have intriguing rosters but also certain weaknesses. One area that is a strength for every team is in net. In fact, the goaltending is so elite and even across the board that it hasn't even been factored into the rankings. One goaltender will help their team to the gold medal but each team has two goalies that are capable of the feat.
 
The rankings were based on each team's top forward line and defense pairing and their depth overall.
 
Here are the teams in alphabetical order:
 
Team Asia
GM: @Tetricide
Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 5th, 5th, 2nd, 2nd, 5th
 
Forwards (Rank: 5th):
With only one forward who played in the VHLE in S86 (Jeffrey Bezos @jsdeac), Asia will be icing the youngest and least experienced forward group in the tournament. They are not without talent, but they will rely heavily on the VHLM’s 2nd and 3rd-leading scorers: Mac Atlas @v.2 and Jimi Jaks @kelvi.
 
Defense (Rank: 3rd):
Having returning defenders Isamu Knievel @TMGSosa (see below) and Reese McFleury @Spaz will help form a decent backend. Their overall depth gives them a slight edge over Canada. 
 
Goaltending:
Ilya Bryzgalov @Devise is back for his third WJC after not making the cut last year. His experience will be needed but he may get pushed by newcomer Alexander Minion @UnknownMinion who is fresh off of leading the Oslo Storm to the Renaissance Cup after being named the VHLM’s Top Goaltender in S85.
 
Key Player:
D Isamu Knievel is the only player returning to Team Asia that played for Asia in the last tournament (the other two returnees played for USA). He spent the year with Davos where he led all rookies in penalty minutes. He is one of the best defenders in this tournament and Asia will need him to be tough yet disciplined to keep the crease clear of opponents.
 
X-Factor:
Goaltending.
With one of the strongest tandems in the tournament, Bryzgalov and Minion need to be at their best to give Asia a chance at a medal. Goals will be hard to come by so saves will be of utmost importance.
 
 
Team Canada
GM: @Dom
Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 3rd, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 4th
 
Forwards (Rank: 3rd):
Only ranked 3rd due to a little less depth than USA and Europe, Canada’s top four forwards have the chance to dominate as much as any in the tournament. A potential top line of the VHLE’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-highest scorers (Larry Abass Jr @RileyL, Babay Shrimp @Blazzer, and Sadie St-Louis @sadie) has the ability to score goals by the bunch. That trio were also 3rd, 4th, and 1st respectively in goals and St-Louis and Abass Jr co-led the league with three hat tricks each and were tied for 2nd in power play goals. Add into the mix VHLE playoff scoring leader Randy Bobandy @AJW and offense should not be a problem for this group.
 
Defense (Rank: 4th):
Canada’s backend will be led by returning defenseman Rex Wolffe Gregor @oilmandan a solid all-around player and Sigma Freud @CODENAMEJIMMY who is coming off a monster 96-pont season in the M. The second pairing are younger but provide a little bit of everything. 
 
Goaltending:
This could be Canada’s greatest strength or a bit of an Achilles’ heel. Both Joel Castle @animal74 and Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro are elite goalie prospects who can play lights out for stretches but who also have a tendency to have a bad game at inopportune times. They may each play half the games before a starter is chosen for the medal round.
 
Key Player:
C Randy Bobandy is a big two-way center who will start on the top line and can match up against other team’s top players. He has Junior Showcase Tournament gold and a Renaissance Cup and can put up goals in bunches.
 
X-Factor:
Confidence.
Canada’s players have won more championships and tournaments collectively than any other team in this year’s WJC. For example, the third line are all from the Founder’s Cup-winning Marlins. They will need to draw on that knowledge and winning attitude to give them an edge.
 

Team Europe
GM: @qripll
Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 1st, 3rd, 1st, 4th, 2nd
 
Forwards (Rank: 2nd):
With four returning forwards from last year’s gold medal winning roster, Europe has the slightest edge over Canada with its group up front. S86 Renaissance Cup-winning teammates Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide and Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 will be counted on as will Rome’s leading scorer, Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ. Germany’s Alexander Stroheim @Stroheim, the VHLM’s leading scorer should also add some offensive pop.
 
Defense (Rank: 5th):
On paper, Europe’s defense is not quite on par with the rest of the teams but they may also be the most underrated. Both Jens Lekman @Bobcat and Elias Lampi @Pifferfish, the M’s top scoring defenseman, are very good and have excelled in other tournaments and can add huge doses of offense at times.
 
Goaltending:
Karl Pedersen @JeffD may have led Europe to gold last year but his development has not progressed as many have hoped. Rising up the ranks is Fuukka Rask @Jubis, widely considered to be the best goalie not playing in the VHL. He may get the chance to lead Europe in the crease.
 
Key Player:
D Jens Lekman is poised to use this tournament as his springboard into becoming one of the most talked about prospects. He will need to be at his best for Europe to repeat.
 
X-Factor:
Goaltending.
If Rask gets the opportunity to start and plays like he can, Europe will be difficult to beat. Pedersen can play well if called upon or share his gold medal knowledge with his protegee.
 

USA's Jeremy Swayman makes a save as teammate John Poremba Jr ties up Canada's Larry Abass Jr.
 
Team USA
GM: Oatex
Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 3rd, 1st
 
Forwards (Rank: 1st):
The Americans have by far the deepest group of forwards in the tournament. All of their forwards played in the VHLE aside from one, William Futch @Futch, who played in the VHL and all of them played in the tournament last year. While only one forward cracked the Top-10 in VHLE scoring (Lorenzo Cobberson @Hendrix Cobberson) they can roll three solid lines that may overwhelm the competition. 
 
Defense (Rank: 1st):
USA’s defense corp is also the deepest in the tournament. They are all excellent in their own zone and should be able to provide a lot of offense as well as John Poremba Jr @CrlineDijohn14 is the highest scoring returning defenseman from last year, Skor McFleury @Alex was one of the top offensive dmen in the E and Kronchy Kardashian @Garsh was almost a point-per-game player in the M.
 
Goaltending:
Jeremy Swayman @Agito has something to prove as he was pulled in the 2nd period of last year’s gold medal game against Europe. He’s been runner-up a lot so far in his young career. Can he win it all with this team in front of him? If he falters, Justin Lion @Emperor_Fun is the least experienced goalie in the tournament but he did just lead San Diego to the Founder’s Cup.
 
Key Player:
LW Jon Webber Jr @Webberj led last season's tournament in goals, assists, and points. If he comes even close to that production this time, USA will be almost impossible to stop.
 
X-Factor:
Experience.
With almost the entire roster returning from last year’s tournament, the Americans have their eyes set on avenging two straight silver medal finishes.
 
 
Team World
GM: @Emperor_Fun
Last Five Finishes (S85-S81): 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 3rd
 
Forwards (Rank: 4th):
While Team World has a solid group of forwards, they lack the amount of elite talent that USA, Europe and Canada have and their depth is not quite as robust. But with over half of them returning from last year and the entire group being solid players, they have the ability to compete and surprise the critics. They may have the most underrated third line as their three VHLM players were all point-per-game players with time on special teams. Dirk Diggler @Tbeez99 was second in the M with 10 game-winning goals.   
 
Defense (Rank: 2nd):
While not the flashiest group, Team World’s four defensemen are big, mobile, physical and very good defensively. Every entry into their zone will be contested and those that dare enter will be punished. How they fare against some of the tournament’s high-octane offenses will be interesting to see.
 
Goaltending:
If opponents get through the defense then they’ll have to deal with either Geoffrey Bezos @Quik or Lachlan Summers @kirbithan in net. Both netminders are excellent puck stoppers that are capable of taking over a game. Bezos led all VHLE starters in save percentage.
 
Key Player:
LW Fred Hampton @TownBizness led the VHLE in scoring with 106 points and 9 game-winning goals. He will be relied on to drive the offense.
 
X-Factor:
Physicality.
This group is not afraid to get dirty. Defenseman Womp Womp Womp Womp Womp Jr @AdamEss led last year’s tournament in hits and was second in the E with 314 and forward Johnny Kalamazoo @KzooJohn was 8th with 212. Everyone on this roster will finish their checks. They may beat teams into submission before out-scoring them. 
 
Enjoy the S86 World Junior Championship as the VHL’s next generation of international stars battle for gold. May the best team win!
 
@animal74
VSN Writer 

2-1-0  leta go 🇪🇺 

Glad to be part of this 🙌 
 
 
 
 

sorry not sorry to inform you're not the only one 

DAVID!!

And with that Papa’s time ends as it always has, with disappointment and a lack of cup, usually caused by a hot goalie that isn’t him. Only the 4th goalie in league history to hit 50 playoff wins but no cup to show for it, oh well. End of an era I suppose, onto the next one.

Can’t I still make a PT and claim the double?

When you claim welfare before this annoucement bruh

Let's hope so

Unofficial VHL S86 Playoff Predictions
 

 
**DISCLAIMER: I haven't really paid attention religiously to every single VHL team this season, and I am lacking on my knowledge about a lot of the NA teams. I just did this for fun so I hope everyone can enjoy!**
 
Wildcard Round:
 
 (4) Vancouver Wolves vs. (5) Seattle Bears
 
In the NA conference, we'll be seeing the Vancouver Wolves taking on the Seattle Bears in the wildcard round of the playoffs. The Vancouver Wolves come in at 43-27-2, which is good for 88 points and barely missing out on the third seed at the end of the season, by losing one of their final games and unfortunately sliding to the wild card. Regardless, Vancouver has found their way into the post-season led by defenseman Biggie Cheese, who has 85 points, 20 goals, and 65 assists to lead the team. Scoring is fount everywhere on this roster, as they have seven players over the twenty goal mark, so scoring really isn't a problem for the Wolves. Their goaltending is not too shabby in Brandt Fuhr, who held a 35-27-2 record, with a .918 sv% and a 2.59 GAA. The star player in this series for the Vancouver Wolves is certainly going to be Biggie Cheese and what he can bring to the team in the playoffs, coming off a hot regular season finish for him. On the other side, their opponents the Seattle Bears made it into the playoffs at the last second, scraping in because of goal differential. Seattle has had ups and downs during their season, but they are led by the dynamic duo of Tavish DeGroot and Hulk Hogan 2, who seem to be carrying the workload for the team. Their goaltending too is what got them here, as Dusty Wilson has a 30-29-3 record, with an impressive .934 sv% and a 2.22 GAA. The Bears will be relying on their duo to carry them in the wildcard round, as they don't really have the scoring depth that the Vancouver Wolves have in their arsenal. All in all, this should be an easy series for the Vancouver Wolves unless Dusty Wilson can steal Seattle a game.
 
Prediction:  3-1
 
 (4) London United vs. (5) HC Davos Dynamo
 
On the other side of the bracket, we have the London United taking on HC Davos Dynamo in the other wildcard round of the playoffs. London United had a better season than some anticipated, as they found themselves at 43-25-4, good for fourth in the already tough European Conference. This team is led by none other than Molly the Cat, as I'm pretty sure Dil literally has a shrine of Molly the Cat that he prays to every single night. This team has some pretty solid scoring depth too, as they've got five players with twenty goals or more, something you're going to have to have for a deep playoff run. On top of that, this team has had very good goaltending in the regular season, whether it be from David Davis or Jesse Teno, both have very good numbers. This team overall has a pretty solid lineup and I'd expect London to do some damage to Davos in this series. On the other side, we have the HC Davos Dynamo who were expected to be towards the top of the conference this season, but weren't able to get there. Davos has had a lots of ups and downs during this season, but they weren't able to stay consistent at the end of the day. Davos is led by Forward James Teekirque, who put up 50 goals on the season and also had 44 assists, impressive to say the least. They also have the one-two punch of Jake Thunder and Siyan Yasilievich who are going to provide a challenge for London, however they don't have the scoring depth as much as London does. On top of that, Xavier Booberry had an off-season, going 35-22-7 between the pipes with a 0.926 sv% and a 2.52 GAA. This series in my eyes will be much closer than the other wildcard series, and I could honestly see either team taking at the end of the day. However, with how much Davos has a curse on them and they consistently choking, I'll be giving it over to London to move on.
 
Prediction:  3-2
 
NA Conference Semifinals:
 
 (1) Calgary Wranglers vs. (4) Vancouver Wolves
 
Now we finally move onto the real playoffs! The Calgary Wranglers will be taking on the Vancouver Wolves in the NA Conference Semifinals and I think this'll be a pretty entertaining series. Looking at Calgary, they've had an unbelievable season, especially Daniel Janser who had 54 goals, 66 assists and a 120 points. When I say this team is absolutely stacked, they are extremely stacked, with having three players above ninety points, and having four point-per-game players. Ben Dahl in net has also provided some stable goaltending, he isn't a superstar goalie, but he gets the job done and that's what Calgary realistically needs. This team has great players across the board and they're going to be tough to beat at the end of the day. I've already covered Vancouver a bit, but they'll need their forwards to step up big time if they want to be able to take down and upset Calgary. With the likes of Daniel Janser and Landon Wolanin leading the way, I think this'll be a series win for the Wranglers.
 
Prediction:  4-1
 
 (2) Chicago Phoenix vs. (3) D.C. Dragons
 
Heading to the other side, we've got the Chicago Phoenix taking on the D.C. Dragons in the NA Conference Semifinals! Now, I am pretty excited for this series because I think it's going to be an absolute banger and here's why, starting with Chicago. Chicago coming into this is absolutely star-studded with offense, with their three superstars being Baby Bob, Bo Johansson, and Scotty Sundin. This trio does a ton of the heavy lifting for Chicago, but it's not to say that other players on the team don't do their job also. The Board Game Clue on Skates also has to be talked about, as they put up 42 goals, 37 assists, good for 79 points on the season. I think the most impressive player on this team though in my opinion is Bo Johansson, who has put up 94 assists in the regular season, an impressive feat to say nevertheless. They've also got star goaltending Cole Pearce in net, who went 43-18-3, with a .933 sv% and a 2.05 GAA. I really like what Chicago has going for them and I think they have the potential to go far, but let's talk about the D.C. Dragons next. D.C. comes in as the 3rd seed, and with good reason. They're led by Ronan Lavelle, who put up 51 goals on the season and 43 assists, good for 94 points on the year. This team seems to have some great forwards, as they have four forwards who are above that 84 point mark, but after that it seems to fall off hard in the point production. On top of that, they have Bubbles Utonium in net, who went 35-21-8 with a 0.923 sv% and a 2.54 GAA in net, a goaltending duel is for sure going to take place! At the end of the day though, I think Chicago's offense is going to be too much for D.C. to handle and they'll unfortunately bite the dust in the first round.
 
Prediction:  4-2
 
EU Conference Semifinals:
 
(1) Moscow Menace vs. (4) London United
 
Now we're heading over to the EU, where the Moscow Menace will be taking the London United on in the first round of the playoffs. Moscow coming in has shown that they consistently can stay at the top of the EU conference and it's a masterclass by Spartan. This team has scoring depth across the board, not really relying on a superstar to do most of the heavy loading. You could basically pick out any player on the roster and say that they're an important part of Moscow, because that's just how their team is built. However, their team leading in points was Tomas Sogaard putting up 32 goals, 48 assists, good for 80 points on the season. In net, they have the one and only Papa Emeritus, who in his last season went 43-17-4 with a 0.929 sv% and a 2.46 GAA, very solid between the pipes. London will have some games under their belt heading into this series, but I don't really think they can stand up to the titans that are the Moscow Menace in the playoffs. This team has shown time and time again that they're going to go to the finals, one way or another and sadly London is in their path. Moscow should be able to take down London pretty easily in my eyes and should be eyeing at minimum heading to the EU conference finals.
 
Prediction:  4-1
 
 (2) Warsaw Predators vs. (3) Prague Phantoms
 
The final series for the EU Conference Semifinals is the Warsaw Predators taking on the Prague Phantoms. I personally think out of every single series in this round, this one will be the closest, but lets start with talking about the Warsaw Predators. The Warsaw Predators have found themselves in the playoffs as the 2nd seed, under N0HBDY with his first regular season under the belt. Warsaw is all about offense, and scoring goals, attempting to outscore their opponent in high scoring games. This team almost has four players above 100 points, which is extremely impressive and not many teams can match that. This team has two 50 goal scorers in Girts Galvins and Vasile Lamb, so goalscoring is not a problem for this team. On the defensive front, they've really only got Brian Payne as the other two defenseman are not the strongest and they also have a bot defenseman. They also have Wumbo in net who went 42-18-4 with a 0.929 sv% and a 2.55 GAA, very solid between the pipes. On the other side we have the Prague Phantoms who shocked some people and were able to actually finish 3rd in the European Conference. I will say Warsaw has a slight edge on Prague mainly on offense, but defending is where I believe Prague has a fairly big advantage. Not only does Prague have four defenseman, but they have a disgusting one-two punch of Erlantz Jokinen and Mikhail Kovalchuk who will prove scary for the Warsaw Predators to handle. They also have Clueless Wallob in net, who went 34-22-8 with a 0.926 sv% and a 2.55 GAA, almost identical stats to Wumbo. This series is going to be an absolute banger, but I'm going to have to go with an upset in this one and give the win to Prague, due to the fact of that extra defenseman being very key for them.
 
Prediction:  4-3
 
NA Conference Finals:
 
 (1) Calgary Wranglers vs. (2) Chicago Phoenix
 
For the NA Conference Finals, we have the Calgary Wranglers taking on the Chicago Phoenix, in which is in my opinion, the better of the two Conference Finals series. Both of these teams are evenly matched and throughout the regular season, all of their games were decided by two goals or less, with only one of them being a two goal game and the rest being a single goal. I seriously think this is going to go to seven games and all these games will be decided by two goals or less. You can literally pick any matchup and it's going to a banger player matchup, but I'm going to have to go with the duo of Daniel Janser and Landon Wolanin vs Baby Bob and Scotty Sundin. Both of these duo teams are extremely talented and the fact that we can possibly see them faceoff is going to be a treat to watch. This is not to discredit anyone else on the roster, because both of these teams are deep with depth on their roster and maybe all they need is for someone further down on the point sheet to have a great series to push one team over the other. I hope this matchup ends up happening as it'll be one of the best series in the playoffs, but at the end of the day I'm going to have to give Calgary the win, just barely.
 
Prediction:  4-3
 
EU Conference Finals:
 
(1) Moscow Menace vs. (3) Prague Phantoms
 
On the other side of the playoffs, in the EU Conference Finals we have the Moscow Menace taking on the Prague Phantoms. I wish this series would be as hype as the other series, but this series itself will be determined by defending overall. I think that both these teams do have the offense capabilities to put up goals, but they're not like Calgary and Chicago where they'll be in an offensive shootout on who will win the game. The season series between these two teams were actually all one goal games, so this series in my eyes will be fairly close. However, all these games were played at the beginning of the season and the rosters have changed a bit, but it should still be a good series. The matchup I'll be looking forward to most is AK92 Wit da Hoodie vs Erlantz Jokinen, two defenseman who I feel like will play very big roles for their team in this series. As I said, I think defense will be the name of the game for this series, and that's why I've highlighted these two players, as they lead their team defensively. While this series might not have the fireworks and high-octane offense like the other series, it'll still be a close one at the end of the day, where I think Moscow will edge out Prague.
 
Prediction:  4-2
 
S86 Finals:
 
(1) Calgary Wranglers vs. (1) Moscow Menace
 
We've finally made it, all the way to the finals where the Calgary Wranglers, the NA champions, take on the Moscow Menace, the EU champions. Now I know it's not very original, picking the two first seeds to make it all the way to the finals, but I truly believe that these two teams have the best chance to make it all the way to the finals, I mean they were first for a reason. These teams played each other four times during the regular season, where the series was split 2-2, so it really could go either way for these teams. Both of these teams are in the finals for one reason over the other teams and one reason only, scoring depth. Both of these teams have proven that they don't just need a couple players to carry there team, they have deep rosters with offensive and defensive capabilities across the entire lineup. I'm going to have to pick one of these two teams to win it all, and it's going to be tough, because in my eyes they're really close in skill. However, I'm going to have to give it over to Calgary for one reason and one reason only, Moscow always finds a way to fumble in the finals. It seems like this curse has been going on forever now and Moscow cannot find a way to win the finals, they can always get there, but they can't finish it off at the finish line. If I were to pick one player in this finals who is going to have an impact that isn't really one of the main players for the team, I'm going to go with Leandro Gonclaves. He has had a really solid season so far and seems to always show up when playoffs come around, being a PPG in both of the playoff runs that Calgary had previously. Maybe he's the secret to Calgary winning the cup, maybe not, who knows?! At the end of the day though, I'm going to give the cup to Calgary!
 
Prediction:  4-3
 
Winner: Calgary Wranglers
Playoff MVP: Daniel Janser
 
Alright, that'll be all! I hope you enjoyed reading this article, I didn't really put too much time into it analytically and I haven't really followed a ton of storylines so I'd like to apologize for that. This is just my thoughts of what'll happen in the playoffs and I'm sure I'm going to be completely wrong. I tried to mention players who had great season and even some who maybe were hiding behind superstars. At the end of the day, there's a reason why it's a "prediction", because it might not even happen. I might write an M one, maybe not, but I've paid attention more to the M so they'll be a bit more accurate. Regardless, I hope you liked the article and enjoy!
 
2000+ words, more stuff to claim yay!
 
Players Mentioned:
 

Rooting for you all to win the other cup 🙌  as well 👏 fingers 🤞 

If you weren’t aware, both @FrostBeard and @Arce decided that S86 would be their last as GMs of their respective teams. @Enorama and I thank them both for their efforts in running their teams and wish them luck for the future! It’s been an absolute pleasure.
 
This means that we have two GM spots opening up. If you are interested in being a GM, please comment below. We will gather responses and send out interviews later this week. We would like to get new GMs situated by the time of the draft, preferably well before then.
 
Pay for this job is 2 Capped TPE per week.

BRATISLAVA and losing do not go in the same sentence lately🥳

BRATISLAVA and losing do not go in the same sentence lately🥳

I challenged myself to do a NHL goal graphic in under 3 minutes to test myself and my photoshop knowledge, my goal is to try and do this every month to get better at learning the application after spending a lot of time away from it the rules of the challenge are simple:
 
1. The graphic must be finished in under 5 minutes 
2. No pre planning I.e. pre saving images or using assets from other projects
3. No googling anything no references
4. Have fun
 
I’d like to see some other of the guys try this out and share what you can do

Godspeed tandem partner

God I wish
 
Early rumors have the money going straight into next year's blues' trip to Aruba though. Inflation really does a number on those travel expenses.

Real reason is that the M Commissioners have demanded a full-time salary and the funding had to come from somewhere. Thank you for my beer allowance buddy.

Elites and their fancy suits
 
We all know that fighting against depreciation is tough work. You had to pour blood, sweat, and tears at the forums to fight against the depreciation. The elites enjoyed the blood, sweat, and tears part, but when they realized that some are fighting against depreciation with a smile on their face, the elites got together and decided to act; "Johnson, we take their TPE away, but they are smiling, we can not have that". The elites have now decided to take roughly 2 to 5 % more TPE from the good people of VHL in every depreciation hit.
 
If we analyze the announcement post: we see why.

"For a bit now it has become clear that depreciation is not hitting as hard as intended since hybrid attributes rolled out." = You are too good for too long, you are also having fun doing it.
"Our initial estimations on how players would depreciate simply didn’t pan out which means that TPA numbers in later seasons are higher than intended." = You are not donating enough money, we need more money.
"For that reason we will be adjusting the depreciation numbers and fighters to the following:" = From now on if you want to be good for too long, you need to pay for it with real money.
 
By saying the depreciation is not hitting as hard as it should, the elites are saying some players are too good as they get old. On the surface that is a reasonable statement as you want to see some "realism" in terms of players getting older and it also shows in the way, the players play the game of hockey. After all, athletes tend not to be at their best when it's time to call it quits. However, highlighting the TPA numbers and stating that TPA numbers are too high in later seasons reveals the real motives of the elites. On the surface, some players having a nice number of TPA means very little, there is always those with more TPA than others. It only makes sense that someone who does the max earning or earns a lot, season after season, will, in the end, have a high TPA number.
 
 
Big part of the elites day goes to counting money in new ways; coins? What the f are those?
 
Why are the elites so worried about the TPA number all of a sudden? Money. Users are donating less to VHL as a significant portion of the active users can build a nice player without ever donating anything. That is the real reason why depreciation is now going to be harder to fight against. Depreciation will be harder for those who are active, but do not donate. Depreciation will be more or less the same for those who are active and also donate. Sure, depreciation % increases, but so does the TPA as donating will be seen as more value for money now. The elites want to see more users donate to VHL. The elites want you to donate money to VHL.
 
Why now? Why is the league trying to earn more money? It has been speculated that VHL has invested a hefty sum in various cryptocurrencies over the years. When FTX went under, VHL lost everything. The league has been surviving by selling graphics made by users as NFTs. Rumors suggest that selling NFTs is harder and harder due to the influx of AI-generated graphics. The elites running VHL have now turned their attention toward the users of VHL for money. It was not enough that they get the content for free that they can then later sell; the elites want you to pay for the upkeeping of VHL as well. Not directly, but almost.
 
This is a cold world.