Go to any dorm room or office building around the country and chances are you’ll eventually wind up in a conversation about fantasy football — whether you want to or not.
According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, there are currently 56.8 million people creating teams, perfecting lineups and watching the NFL every Sunday with white-knuckled anxiety — as they witness the triumph and tragedy of fantasy football unfold.
It’s only natural that EA would replicate the business of fantasy football in the iconic Madden video game series. However, drafting a fantasy team with your friends or an online league is a lot different than doing it by yourself in a video game. The appeal of a draft can get lost in the jump to consoles — but the team behind the series seems to have found the perfect solution.
The Madden series is meant to appeal to all types of football fans – ranging from those who consider being buried in a vintage Bart Starr jersey the ultimate honor to those who casually watch football on Sunday because it’s a good excuse to knock back a few cold ones – so that’s why the Draft Champions Mode exists; it strikes a balance between team-building precision and casual gaming.
To nail this appeal for all gamers, EA is looking beyond sports games and toward something like Blizzard's Hearthstone for the basis of Draft Champions, as Madden 16 creative director Rick Dickson told me during EA's Summer Showcase in Manhattan. Basically, your team will be built using your knowledge of the NFL depth chart, your skills at card strategy games or your ability to point blindly at the screen.
You’re first tasked with picking your head coaching style. I went with Marvin Lewis’ man defense style and Jeff Fisher’s dynamic, long pass offensive style. I was then put through 15 rounds of a mock draft. For periphery fans, that might sound about as exciting as being audited, but EA has managed to inject much-needed life into this mode by streamlining it for everyone.
So you’re given a generic team of average players, with the goal that you will bring your roster's overall value up through 15 additional draft picks. Each round consists of only three players to choose from — some will be specially marked if they fit the offensive/defensive systems you chose. You can also see their position and overall ranking, making it easy for less knowledgable fans to avoid doing something ill-advised, like drafting a 75-rated cornerback first overall.
The cards are completely random, so sometimes you’ll get a QB in the 1st round, 5th round or the 15th round, or you can stick with the generic QB you’re given before the draft. My generic QB was Mark Sanchez — needless to say, I grabbed the first QB who fell to me: Matthew Stafford.
Presentation also helps this mode, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter will comment on whether or not your move was a wise one. Schefter also points out any areas of need or redundancies in your choices. In one instance, Schefty thankfully helped me avoid drafting two halfbacks.
The key is drafting players who fit the system of the coaches you chose — so for Marvin Lewis’ man defense, I picked players who complimented that style. You will also be put in positions in which there's an available player who fits your style in the same round as a much higher overall player who doesn't quite mesh. It's moments like these that are make-or-break for your team, and though the mode is aimed at being inclusive, an NFL aficionado could come out on top here. But in the end – just like the actual NFL Draft – a lot of this is a lucky gamble.
You also get to choose NFL legends in the final round — I wasn’t privy to seeing all of the legends available, but hardcore NFL fans can hopefully look for some Hall of Famers to sprinkle into their roster.
The best part about Draft Champions Mode is undoubtedly the length. My draft took around 10 minutes, and, as a knowledgable NFL fan, I was left fairly satisfied with my team. Instead of meticulously creating your team for hours and trudging through 16 games plus playoffs, this mode is only four games long — making it perfect for a night at home. This makes every game feel important and doesn’t lock you into a poor draft class for too long.
Constructing the perfect team to complement your coaching style is only part of the battle, though. Next up? Game day.
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