1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
In the alternate reality where we made the move to FHM in a reasonable amount of time rather than dilly dallying with band aid rules and trying to force another Ham Championship on the entire league, the league is actually turned on its head when the Buffalo Stampede post a perfect 50-0 regular season record followed by a sweep of sweeps to win the first Challenge Cup in the new more realistic era. Viktor Marius posts a record breaking 55 points in the playoffs in only 12 games, while Bobby Sharp gets a +4 and records 2 assists total after recording an exceptional 3 goals and 2 and a half assists for the regular season. The league in this universe is currently frantically trying to figure out a new rule to screw Buffalo over after their overwhelming domination, with the current plan being to revert back to STHS where balance is all made up and the TPE doesn't matter.

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Casino odds this time around are going to be much further spread apart in my opinion. The differences between the best teams and the worst teams is going to be further spread apart with the move away from STHS to FHM. FHM appears to very much reward depth, so much so that test sims already suggest the teams that are running 3 lines full of 1k+ TPE players are absolutely dominating over the teams that only have a couple of stars. You are going to see much lower win counts for the bottom of the barrel teams and higher win counts for the top teams, otherwise savvy betters will take the casino for all it's worth. A team like New England that has notoriously been mistreated by STHS recently should see higher win counts, while over achieving teams like the recent Toronto North Stars will be lucky to see a double digit win count.

3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
My player is a playmaker first, and while that of course requires a very high level of passing, there are two other stats in particular that I will be focusing on as much as passing or more. Being a playermaker requires the mechanical skill of passing for sure, but the other thing it needs is an excellent vision of the game. Both the defensive read and more important offensive read stats are where this can be worked on. I envision myself as possessing one of, if not the best offensive read in the SHL at the peak of my career. Buffalo has its fair share of snipers and I don't forsee any issue with giving them a steady stream of tape to tape passes for the coming seasons.

Code:
14. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
1. Have to go with Manhattan's front office here, it's not really a question. Luke alone brings a level of analysis and insight to the table that I have only seen matched by a handful of people in the league, and as a group the Rage's front office has put together a deep, powerful team with both seasoned vets and a solid core from the mid S40s that'll take them places for seasons to come.

2. I don't know which one is technically better but Manhattan should win on this based on that depth alone. Teams with 0 depth and 2 lines shouldn't even make it this far. The league is going to be much more realisitc when a team rolling 3 lines full of big strong men slaughters these one hit wonder teams that somehow find themselves winning games they shouldn't.

3. Rage logo is much better than the Pride logo in my opinion, for the very simple reason that it is very simplistic in nature. The Red and Black combine to make a fierce and intimidating logo especially when paired with the intimidating empty eyes. I feel like the Pride logo has way too much going on around the head of the lion that, especially at small sizes, it becomes a bit unreadable.

4. Nathan Explosion has to be it with Rainbow Dash coming in a close second. Nathan Explosion is more than just a name, it's an entire state of being. I do think both the Rage and the Pride are missing excellent marketing opportunities with their perfect players being on the other team. The Rage could do such a better job at selling Nathan and his Explosive play, while the Pride and Rainbow Dash would be a perfect match for the power of love.

5. Private Gritty meet-and-greet for me and Luke. I can't even imagine how wonderous a night on the town with Gritty would be. Between dumping bags of popcorn on the heads of Manhattan fans or beating up Philly shit bags, Gritty would be entertaining and fun for the whole family. Not to mention having him wisk us away to his secret dwelling.


17. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer - SEND ANSWER IN PM TO "PT DIRECTOR" (tagged below)
PMd