Captain Interview - YellowDart

Diamond has a chat with yellowdart as he prepares both of his teams for the playoffs.

Diamond: What do you look for when constructing your rosters?
Yellowdart: First of all, it is more we than me, but the answer is high-quality individuals & consistency. Having done this for a long time, I now have a “circle of trust” that I try to keep together, and as our team’s PR outgrows the limit or people move on to other games or real life. As a group, we identify people that we think would mesh well with our culture. It has not always been 100% but once I find someone that meshes well I try to do whatever I can to keep them. 

Diamond: How would you describe your captain style?
Yellowdart: I would say I end up being a facilitator as much as anything. I am no 550 PR player, but I try to make sure the right discussions are happening and we are leveraging everyone to the squad’s strengths. I’m pretty no-nonsense and impatient on the logistical stuff, so people that can not handle an email a week or submitting classes on their own won’t be around for long. I find the strategic aspect of THL & Hearthstone really rewarding, but I don’t enjoy babysitting so if the balance is ever wrong there I’m not afraid to make a change. 


Diamond: What do you think the ideal team layout of the PR capped series is?
Yellowdart: The ideal layout is the one that gives you the best chance to win the most often, aka Moneyball (it’s a book). It sounds silly but there’s something to it, in that if you look at DadLegend team comps over time they are not always the same. I think I might perceive value in players differently than others so I use that perspective when building out a team. 

Diamond: How is Dadlegend so consistent in both series?
Yellowdart: Well, I think part of it is making sure people are enjoying being part of the team, and when that’s true people generally want to stick around. It helps when those people are also great people with fantastic character. I try to minimize turnover when I can but it is inevitable at some point. Hero Series had massive turnover this season but we retained the culture so that has created some consistency in its own way. 

Diamond: What would be your dream roster (including past/present players)?
Yellowdart: In a lot of ways I have my dream roster on both teams as is - because I think everyone on both teams is fantastic and are giving their best week in and week out and really supporting each other which is so important. We challenge each other when appropriate and offer support when it’s needed. Are there DadLegend legends I’d love to still have around? Sure. Rizen, WowDotBen, TypicalTyrant, Junksterr, and NotoriousGHP all come to mind. However, their focus has shifted to other things so that’s why we have the roster that we do now and I’m extremely happy with everyone on both teams. 

Diamond: What has been your hardest week so far?
Yellowdart: This season I would say Week 5 vs The Cult. Quaz and thelastchamp got wins against our 2 MVP threats and overall they just played great.  The whole week came down to Game 5 between an undefeated The_Bigted and myself. I was fortunate enough to pull it out in the end but we were pushed really hard to keep our streak going. 

Diamond: Who is your biggest competition in legacy and hero respectively?
Yellowdart: I think that changes every season - there aren’t many teams that stick together the way we typically do and so I don’t feel like there’s a true “rival” out there season after season. I do think Hero Series will tighten up when we get to playoffs, anyone that makes it can beat anyone else. In Legacy series, its got to be 4th and Inches, even though we beat them head to head their consistency week to week is almost impossible to match so it feels like to win it all you’re going to have to beat those guys at some point. 

Diamond: Which series do you think Dadlegend is likely to win their first championship in first?
Yellowdart: I think Legacy is harder because there are just more really strong teams. I think we are in the hunt in both series but just in terms of quantity of strong teams in Legacy I think the odds would be in Hero series’ favour this season. 

Diamond: What would your advice for any rookie or newer captains in THL be?
Yellowdart: You have to be yourself and be authentic - figure out the identity of what you want your team to be about and stick to it. Set expectations and hold people accountable to whatever standard you set (and this is more from an engagement level, sportsmanship, representative of your team perspective than win rate). 

Diamond: Who should do this interview next? 
Yellowdart: RidiculousHat - I think he has done a great job over a long period of time with his team (as well as just running the whole THL in general). In an era where so many teams are one-season wonders, Pod People consistently compete for playoffs every time and I think that deserves a lot of respect.