VHL vs. VHLM - The Big Differences

[Gustav 6,100]

Seeing as this is week 2 of not finishing an ambitious project that should really be a media spot (and probably will be if I run out of claim weeks on my current one), I need a .com article! What better to talk about than what I do for a small bit of job pay on this site--running a team. I've now been a GM in both the VHL and the VHLM, and here's what I've found different.

 

There is so much less of a definite way to do things. We're 13 years into this league, and I consider it an unsung benefit of the weirdness of STHS that there's no real "best" way to build a team in the VHL. Everyone's got a different plan, everyone has to think long-term, and making moves up here is so much more enjoyable than in the minors, where "can I win a cup this season" is the defining factor in the great big "do I tank or go all-in" meta.

 

Locker room activity is just as important up here as it is in the minors. Yes, in general, VHL team locker rooms are less active than their VHLM counterparts. Fresh faces come in, ask questions, and get used to the league and its environment in the minors. That's just how it is. That doesn't mean at all that activity is not a GM's responsibility at the big level. A dead Discord means inactive members--remember, as a VHL GM, you're someone's GM for six months after you draft them, and whether or not you're able to keep that player active and interested for those six months is quite often entirely on you.

 

You aren't "that guy who helped me" to nearly as many people. Seriously, I got so much unwarranted worship (yes, including from myself) as a VHLM GM just by being active and available to answer questions. Sure, you can be super active and helpful at the big level, but you'll never be worshipped by the new guys at the same level as you get to be in the minors. I wouldn't go back down for anything, but this is the one part of running a VHLM team that I really do miss.

[eaglesfan036 4,583]

Discord is the worst thing to happen to the VHL