The 2021 Movie Trivia Schmoedown season is nearly upon us, and with Free Agency now complete, we have a better look at how the factions will stack up in Season 8. The 2021 Draft is this Friday, January 29th, and the faction rosters will be filled. Nine rounds will take place, seven on Friday and two more optional rounds on Saturday. Managers can have no more than twelve players on their rosters by the end of the draft.
Where the managers will go with their first picks is something interesting to consider and so we have taken a look at each team and what we perceive to be their biggest need following free agency. Then we have assessed a few players that fit that need who may be available at the manager’s first pick. These are not predictions but rather some potential options that managers may consider drafting.
The Dungeon
SIGNED PLAYERS
– Robert Parker
– Dan Murrell
– Ben Bateman
John Kaiser pulled off arguably the two biggest moves in Free Agency, signing both Dan Murrell and Ben Bateman. Bateman and Murrell are both former singles champions, playing each other twice for the belt in Season 7, and in signing both of them, Kaiser has solved one of his biggest weaknesses from last year. With two incredibly skilled singles players who are also accomplished teams players, Kaiser can turn his attention to other areas. Retaining Robert Parker was a necessity given that Kevin Smets is not playing this season due to his battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer, so Kaiser also has an Innergeekdom competitor that has a lot of knowledge and potential. This leaves him in need of a Star Wars player, and with the first overall pick in the draft, Kaiser has his pick of the entire draft field.
Surprisingly to some, Andrew Dimalanta did not re-sign with the Finstock Exchange, and he may be the first player off the board because his title shot and the chance of immediately getting his faction seven points. Still, Kaiser showed some rather odd draft techniques in the 2020 Schmoedown Draft, so he might consider drafting another Innergeekdom player or singles player to compliment Parker, Bateman, and Murrell. Top unsigned players include 2020 Dungeon members VIDEODREW and Eric Zipper as well as Innergeekdom contenders Mara Knopic and Brandon Hanna. Still, a top Star Wars player is a priority and it would be an interesting move should Kaiser pass over seasoned Star Wars players like Dimalanta, Laura Kelly, or Mollie Damon, the latter two playing each other in a number one contender’s match during the February 19th PPV.
The Usual Suspects
SIGNED PLAYERS
– Liz Shannon Miller
– Ethan Erwin
– Drew McWeeny
Samm Levine made some interesting signings in Free Agency, bringing Liz Shannon Miller over from SWAG and there was the surprise return of Drew McWeeny as well. Retaining Ethan Erwin seems vital to Levine’s prospects for the season, with the former singles champion also skilled as a teams competitor. Will that team be with McWeeny or Miller, or someone else that Levine drafts? It remains to be seen.
With his Free Agency signings covering singles and perhaps teams, Levine can turn his attention to using this pick to get a top Star Wars or Innergeekdom player. Mara Knopic could be available here, and with her match against Innergeekdom champion Chandru Dhandapani coming up, she would present Levine with the opportunity at an immediate seven points. The three top Star Wars players could also be available here, with Andrew Dimalanta also having the opportunity to give Levine seven points. Laura Kelly or Mollie Damon would also present a chance at immediate points for the Suspects, but what might Shannon Barney offer Levine for Laura Kelly should Levine draft her in this spot? That obviously would remain to be seen. Another Innergeekdom player that may be available here would be Brandon Hanna, but does he fit well with the Suspects? Jeannine the Machine could possibly return to the Suspects with this pick as well.
The Den
SIGNED PLAYERS
– Paul Preston
– Ben Goddard
Kate Mulligan came out of Free Agency with Marisol McKee signed, but immediately made a decision that has proven to be one of the most discussed and highly divisive moves made this preseason. She traded McKee back to KOrruption for Shannon Barney’s first and second round draft picks. This gives Mulligan five draft picks before Barney makes her first, as well as high odds to be able to comb through the field of draftees and stack her team before the other teams are able to. Currently, with Paul Preston and Ben Goddard signed, The Den now needs at least one viable Star Wars division player as well as a few more heavy hitters to round out their 12 spots. Possible options include a returning Sean Sullivan, but there are names like Andres Cabrera, Mollie Damon, and Laura Kelly (as well as the new DragonCon competitors like Thomas Harper) floating around. There are also many options for returning players (Saul, Rachel Silvestrini, James White, Brett Sheridan) and lots of new blood for Mulligan to pick up to round out her team.
The Quirky Mercs
SIGNED PLAYERS
– Brendan Meyer
– William Bibbiani
– Kevin Smith
In a move that surprised no one, Coy Jandreau was able to resign William Bibbiani and Brendan Meyer, keeping former teams champions Shazam together. Both are also accomplished singles players, and therefore Jandreau has two key areas filled. His third signing of Kevin Smith was also not a surprise, and Smith could turn out to be an interesting signing if he plays more than one or two matches this season. He has a 2-0 record in singles and who his next opponent will be could present for a very entertaining match.
But with those three signings, Jandreau finds himself in need of both a Star Wars player and an Innergeekdom player, and he’ll probably be looking to use the fourth overall pick to fill one of those needs. Jandreau stated previously that he looks at more than just trivia knowledge when picking his team, and so he’ll be looking to draft a player that fits with the vibe of the Mercs. It’s possible that players like Laura Kelly, Saul, or Brandon Hanna could be available at this spot, but would they have the vibe that Jandreau will be looking for? Other potential options could include Star Wars competitors Andrew Dimalanta or Mollie Damon, and perhaps Mara Knopic, who was a member of the Mercs in Season 7, falls to Jandreau and he chooses her again. This could also be a pick where a highly touted rookie from the Star Wars division goes, with Thomas Harper, Marie Wilson, and Zack Burkett potentially all available to draft at this spot. There are other possible Innergeekdom players who could still be waiting to be picked as well, such as Jeannine the Machine (who would also fill another singles spot), Saul, or rookie Amaru Moses.
The Finstock Exchange
SIGNED PLAYERS
– John Rocha
– The Barbarian
– JTE
After the events of December’s Schmoedown Spectacular, huge question marks were left in place about what was going to happen at the Free Agency Special for The Finstock Exchange. In a shocking (or was it?) turn of events, both Ben Bateman and Dan Murrell declared their intent to be done with the faction and Tom Dagnino. Dagnino ended up signing John Rocha, The Barbarian, and JTE. Now with the Draft looming, Dagnino will benefit to round out his roster on all levels. Given the familiarity, the first pick for Dagnino may be Mark Reilly. Dagnino could also flip the script and pull an Innergeekdom competitor like Eric Zipper, or a Star Wars competitor like Joseph Scrimshaw or even DragonCon rookie Thomas Harper. Whatever the case, Finstock has a lot of work to do to build the roster and get back to high performance level.
The Stars
SIGNED PLAYERS
– Marc Andreyko
– Jeff Sneider
– Alex Damon
Roxy Striar’s first two picks during the Free Agency special surprised no one after a season of #OddForever: retaining the Odd Couple was key since they hold the Teams Championship. Speculation of who her third pick would be centered around Damon or Jericho, and Striar made her choice by going with the reigning Star Wars champion. This also makes The Stars the only faction to have a dedicated Star Wars division player after the Free Agency special. With Chris Jericho unprotected in the draft, the question is whether someone else will pick Le Champion before Striar can snag him. In terms of filling the faction roster, adding at least one other Innergeekdom player will benefit The Stars while Alex Damon continues to stretch his IG sea legs. Potential Innergeekdom players Striar could benefit from would be Jeannine the Machine, Brandon Hanna, or even Fan League Four rookie Amaru Moses. This would fill the roster out and potentially leave space for one more Star Wars pick.
SWAG
SIGNED PLAYERS
– Paul Oyama
– Chandru Dhandapani
– Lon Harris
In retaining three members of last season’s faction, Winston Marshall has the reigning Innergeekdom champion in Chandru Dhandapni and the team of Final Exam in Paul Oyama and Lon Harris, who have a number one contender’s match coming up. Oyama is a former singles champion and Harris is a strong singles competitor, so Marshall also have two singles positions covered. What he is missing is a Star Wars competitor, and his Star Wars tournament winner from last season, Andres Cabrera, could be available for him to redraft at this spot. Other Star Wars players that could be available include Joseph Scrimshaw, Adam Witt, and incoming rookies Thomas Harper, Zack Burkett, and Marie Wilson. Another singles player could be a possibility as well, with Alonso Duralde, Mark Reilly, and VIDEODREW all potentially still available here.
KOrruption
SIGNED PLAYERS
– Mike Kalinowski
– Chance Ellison
– Adam Collins
ACQUIRED PLAYERS
– Marisol McKee
Shannon Barney knows what she’s doing and proved this during her first managerial season. If her meteoric journey from last to first place during Season 7 is any indication of what to watch for, we should be in for more surprises. With four strong players already signed, Barney has two power teams with KOrruption and Deception, the Singles champion, and two of the most prolific Innergeekdom competitors. The final piece of the puzzle for KOrruption would be adding a Star Wars player to complete the core of the faction. As all the factions except for The Stars are in need of Star Wars players, players like Andrew Dimalanta and Laura Kelly may be prime picks in the early rounds. Barney’s first pick is #25 overall, the final pick in the third round. This may not affect KOrruption given the strategic moves made already, but this remains to be seen.
One question is what length Barney will go to pad her roster with currently unsigned members of KOrruption on the draft list (like Marc Edward Heuck, Claudia Dolph, Klee Wiggins, and Eliot Dewberry), or if she will shake the draft up with some new faces. More importantly, will Barney attempt to make another trade when, as anticipated, Laura Kelly goes to another faction in an early round, and what kind of move would she be willing to make?
Those are our thoughts on what managers might be thinking when it comes to the first pick they have in the draft. To find out what they’re actually thinking, tune into the 2021 Schmoedown Draft on Friday over on the Schmoedown Entertainment Network.
