The 2020-2021 NBA Showdown Set

 Hello everyone, and today is the day we are releasing the full NBA Showdown set, with a little (big) bonus at the very end for everyone to enjoy if they so choose. This was a lot of work as I said in the last post, over me battling my own thoughts before coming to a consistent method to created these cards. I had a ton of fun making the rare cards, adding a color filter on them to make them stand out a little more, and each team received at least one. I can't state this enough that the cards are based on regular season performances and stats so some players that have stepped up in the playoffs, didn't make the cut or their card just isn't that good.

Lets meet the Conference Finalists, starting in the Eastern Conference, The Milwaukee Bucks. Led by Giannis, and his two very talented teammates Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, the Bucks are a very good team in showdown terms. Multi-positional flexibility from their three stars and some decent role players, Losing Divincenzo for the playoffs was a big blow to their defense and outside shooting but the team held strong, and now look to head to the NBA Finals if they can get past the Atlanta Hawks.

Top 10 players of the NBA Showdown 2020-2021 Set

 With the completion of the regular season of the NBA this season, I jumped right in and started working on the card for the season. I played with different ideas all year and finally settled in on what I really liked. So the last couple days of Game 7s got me starting to share some of the completed cards and the best news is the full set is done. I figured the best way to expose it for the beginning is by showing off the top 10 players in points for the game. This will be the initial post before the full set is released very very soon. I'm excited for those that have played the original game to share some thoughts and hopefully can expose some of you MLB followers to a new game, that plays faster and if the game is close, can get really exciting and intense on the last few rolls of a game. One of the things I realized when making the cards is the way the game has changed, tighter defensive rules so scoring is up as is the pace of play, has led to stat sheet stuffers which causes the players to be more expensive when they have more available opportunities to get high level assists and rebounds along with their scoring. 

So lets get in to the top 10 players, starting at number 10 

10. Zion Williamson 1030 Pts- Second year freak athlete Zion Williamson opens up the top 10. Would I consider him a top 10 player in the league? No not yet I wouldn't, but he is a sole superstar on a team and he can put up big numbers as the primary option. That results in him being able to have this great card. I see him becoming a better player, as long as the reports of being unhappy already don't come to fruition and forcing his way out of New Orleans, I can see him being a fan favorite as his explosive game keeps evolving.

MLB Showdown 2021 Set: THE HOT STOVE

 Welcome to the first bunch of cards for the 2021 Set!!! The dream that Matt and I had in the midst of the wait for the 2020 season is finally being realized, as we anticipate releasing the 2021 set in three installments: (1) HOT STOVE; (2) PENNANT RUN; (3) MAIN SET.

Now, this "HOT STOVE" collection of 55 cards functions like the original "Pennant Run" cards of the 00/01 sets -- the hottest players on new teams via free agency/trade, players returning from injury who weren't in the previous set, and expected rookie of year candidates with (optimistic but not completely unrealistic) projected cards. That's right, below you can expect Lindor, Bauer, Tatis, etc etc plus hot prospects like Dylan Carlson and Wander Franco. 

For the Pennant Run, we're going to release some cards shortly after the 2021 trade deadline showing how good the moved players have been, with cards made for their stats at that point in the season. For example, if Kris Bryant gets dealt at the deadline, he'll have his card at that point made with him on the Cubs. This let's fans have one last card with a former player and let's the new team see what the expectations should be, and then that player will have his full season stats in the Main Set at year's end on the team he ended the season with.... overall, I like this because it let's bad teams (usually sellers) add some more good cards to their bunch from the season and it lets Pennant Run live up to its name, featuring players who're actually helping during the stretch run! But that's enough of our scheming and what's to come, let's get to the cards y'all really want to see -- the 2021 HOT STOVE collection!!!

STAR PLAYERS

NCAA TOURNAMENT SPECIAL: NCAA Showdown - B1G TEN EDITION

 Happy March Madness!!! Thanks to Matt and his amazing charting, we're able to present to you some special NCAA Showdown cards just in time for the BIG DANCE!!! The podcast is run by dudes in the heart of Big 10 Country, and my heart belongs to my schools -- Wisconsin and Illinois. So without further ado, enjoy the full nine tournament squads + the best players on the other teams.

Just like the NBA Showdown cards, games are meant to be played with four quarters.... if you really want that NCAA feel, just double the results from a card's chart on each roll to only have two halves (which should be more chaotic too!). If you have any questions/arguments re: a player's Speed/Power or chart, take it up with Matt -- I'm just the "really enjoying the charts I was given and happy to help with the card-making" guy!

Would you guys like more NCAA cards? Let us know what you think!

Who is that masked man??? 

AN ALL-AMERICAN STAR

NBA All Star Weekend

 The NBA All Star game is upon us this weekend, and I have been working hard to get my files ready for the end of the 20-21 season to make my set for NBA Showdown cards. In between then I have also been trying to finish my original NBA Showdown set, only 24 more cards needed, that has been a fun chase trying to find some of the ultimate rares. If anyone is trapped in the house this weekend looking for some fun, I have made the two all star teams that we will be seeing this weekend, so why not print these off and play out the all star game for some fun. 

Team Durant: Sadly KD won't be able to participate in the game, but the good news is that he is here in showdown form to lead his team.

Showdown Bot Review, GREATEST 32 TEAMS OF PAST 28 YEARS: PART 3 (TOP TEN TEAMS)

As I mentioned in the Part 2, the post size was simply too large and slowing everything down on the original post (found here). Therefore, I've split the teams up.... and here's the TOP TEN Showdown squads of the past 28 years via the Showdown bot!

 10. 2011 Rangers: 

Coming in at 6,570 points, the second World Series Rangers team is one of the bigger surprises on this countdown! Suggested by Japes on the Discord, this squad vastly outperforms its Pythagorean ranking (20) in actual showdown form, bringing a well-balanced contender to all you dear readers as it cracks the top ten teams. As I mentioned before, this team is close to my heart from the 2011 set, and I loved bringing them together here -- the rotation is much better than it was in Colby's set and the bullpen is FIRE. I want to shout out trade deadline additions Uehara and Adams for bringing epic cards to the backend. That said, the big surprise for many is a staple in my showdown lineups already -- 2011 Mike Napoli. I'm glad the BOT had almost the exact same card spit out that I've been using for a while, that Ob 10, HR at 17 with good defense catcher for 570 points (his arm is weaker than mine though, so maybe platoon him at C). Also, I went back to the cold blue for these cards and I'm thrilled at how they turned out -- maybe my favorite looking team in the set! Who are your picks for best looking teams?

Showdown Bot Review, GREATEST 32 TEAMS OF PAST 28 YEARS: PART 2

Due to the slow speeds loading the original, all 640+ cards in one post, I'm splitting up the massive Showdown Bot post! So below, here's teams 20 to 11 on the countdown!

You can find the first post, teams 32 to 21 here.

 20. 2013 Tigers: 

The early 2010s Tigers were arguably the strongest collection of talent of the era, and the best version of that squad came in 2013 and comes in at 6,060 points. Although Verlander had a down season in 2013, he's still a stellar Tier 3 and he's supported by a Pedro-like Max Scherzer. Seriously, I think that Scherzer is the best starting pitcher we've seen on this list so far-- what a 770 point BEAST! Anibal Sanchez is actually the second best starter, bringing a great 580 point card to the squad. Not to be outdone by Scherzer is Miguel Cabrera, putting together his best Showdown card at OB 10, HR at 17. That's right, even stronger than his triple crown year of 2012, Miggy's second MVP campaign is the centerpiece for the lineup filled with decent OB hitters with... not a lot of pop or speed. This is many showdown managers nightmares, but worked well enough to get this team a (.610%) in Pythagorean calcs and the number 20 spot on our countdown!