Saturday was draft day for the 2026 TAGN Fantasy Critic League, and I only made a few small mistakes along the way.
Fantasy Critic League – Like Fantasy Football, but for Video Games
For whatever reason, I put “Dec 3” rather than “Jan 3” as the draft date in the Discord channel. Fortunately only a few people saw that.
And then, while I previously wrote that we would be drafting FOUR titles, I had set the league to have us draft FIVE. Ooops.
In addition, a final reminder of the rule changes for 2026:
- Number of ‘any unreleased’ droppable games per publisher changed from 4 to Unlimited
- Number of ‘will release’ droppable games per publisher changed from 4 to Unlimited
- ‘Counter Picks Block Drops’ from ‘Yes’ to ‘No’
In addition, I am going to let the league declare the final winner this year. I wasn’t sure how it would handle that… also, there was a last minute change in lineup as Cyanbane fulfilled the prophecy of the league and passed Shintar to end up in third spot. Embarrassing for me!
As planned, I pressed the button to run the draft at 11:00 am Pacific time, with Corr and Pallais joining me on audio for the run through the picks. Most people had setup auto pick, including myself once we got rolling, so the whole thing took just five minutes to resolve all picks. I have added a trimmed version of the audit log to the end of the post.
The only issue was that Archey had not set auto-pick, so I had to do a manual pick for him, at which point I grabbed the highest hype rated game available, which is what the game itself would do if you set auto-pick but then did not have a watchlist set.
This is reflected in the audit log.
I set the draft order on Friday afternoon, choosing the “randomize” option, which gave me this:
- p0tsh0t – S Class Warfare Studios
- Pallais – Hidalgo Trading Company
- Archey – Frabjous Day Enterprises
- Bhagpuss – Pretty Blue Fox Games
- Wilhelm – TAGN HQ
- Arhanta – Rodent Entertainment
- Shintar – Play Forever Mwahahaha
- Corr – Corr’s Creative Collective
- Nimgimli – Green River Gaming
- Shawn – Crash and Burn Games
- Shilgrod – Rusty Shackleford
- Ula – Anthania Interactive
- Cyanbane – Neutical Publishing
The league uses a snake style draft, so the last person picks the order is reversed and then they are first and pick again. So you will see double picks at each end for Potshot and Cyanbane in the audit log.
I had been adjusting my watchlist up until the last minute, adding in a few titles after listing to the Hype Factor podcast, which is dedicated to Fantasy Critic League to hear what their draft opinions were. The top ten items on my watchlist were:
Wilhelm’s initial Watchlist
I was flipping back and forth between Saros and Forza Horizon 6 and just stopped at one point with Forza on top. It is probably the pick I feel strongest about, the word being that the next installment will be set in Japan. As a series it also rarely dips below 90 for reviews. It just doesn’t have a concrete ship date… and the Hype Factor team warned me about picks like that. But I went with my gut. That always works out, right?
We’ll see if I chose wisely or not. But everything on my top ten was grabbed by somebody.
After the draft concluded, the league gave its predictions as to where people would place.
The Standings for Week 1
We’re all tied for first, but Potshot is projected to win in the end. Bhagpuss, who gets the crown next to his name for winning the 2025 league, is down in 11th position. In 2025 he started in last place and ended up in first, because what the league doesn’t know could fill… well.. 52 weeks of blog posts probably.
As for what is coming up… nothing yet. The first title slated to ship after the draft doesn’t land until the 20th.
Coming up for Week 2
Of course, that could change. Everybody still has 4 slots to fill and a counter pick to select.
The cycle of picks… and this is covered in detail in the FAQ linked below… is that any picks for the week need to be submitted by Thursday at 17:00 Pacific time and will be resolved on Saturday at 17:00 Pacific time. During that time you can add your own bid to any pick or counter pick if you want to try and snatch it.
Picks are unlimited… but your budget is only $100. Spend it wisely.
Be wary on the counter pick… or don’t be in a hurry maybe. If you fail to pick one, the empty slot will cost you minus fifteen points. But once you pick one, it is your for the duration of the league. Last year’s experience indicated that the best plan was to pick something that you felt was not going to ship.
Off we go. Next week’s post will likely cover additional picks. I am sure there will be some.
Related:
The Draft Audit Log (trimmed):
- The Draft has Begun! (11:00)
- S Class Warfare Studios (p0tsh0t) Auto Drafted game: ‘Resident Evil Requiem‘
- Hidalgo Trading Company (Pallais) Auto Drafted game: ‘Grand Theft Auto VI‘
- Frabjous Day Enterprises (Archey) has had the game Marvel’s Wolverine manually ADDED by the League Manager.
- Pretty Blue Fox Games (Bhagpuss) Auto Drafted game: ‘Mina the Hollower‘
- TAGN HQ (Wilhelm) Auto Drafted game: ‘Forza Horizon 6‘
- Rodent Entertainment (Arhanta) Auto Drafted game: ‘Tides of Annihilation‘
- Play Forever Mwahahaha (Shintar) Auto Drafted game: ‘Saros‘
- Corr’s Creative Collective (Corr) Drafted game: ‘Pragmata‘
- Green River Gaming (Nimgimli) Auto Drafted game: ‘Neverness to Everness’
- Crash and Burn Games (Shawn) Auto Drafted game: ‘Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave‘
- Rusty Shackleford (Shilgrod) Auto Drafted game: ‘Control Resonant‘
- Anthania Interactive (Ula) Auto Drafted game: ‘007 First Light‘
- Neutical Publishing (Cyanbane) Auto Drafted game: ‘Nioh 3‘
- Neutical Publishing (Cyanbane) Auto Drafted game: ‘LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight‘
- Anthania Interactive (Ula) Auto Drafted game: ‘Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection‘
- Rusty Shackleford (Shilgrod) Auto Drafted game: ‘Yoshi and the Mysterious Book‘
- Crash and Burn Games (Shawn) Auto Drafted game: ‘Phantom Blade Zero‘
- Green River Gaming (Nimgimli) Auto Drafted game: ‘Arknights: Endfield‘
- Corr’s Creative Collective (Corr) Drafted game: ‘Dragon Quest VII Reimagined‘
- Play Forever Mwahahaha (Shintar) Auto Drafted game: ‘The Duskbloods‘
- Rodent Entertainment (Arhanta) Auto Drafted game: ‘Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis‘
- TAGN HQ (Wilhelm) Auto Drafted game: ‘Mewgenics‘
- Pretty Blue Fox Games (Bhagpuss) Auto Drafted game: ‘Always In Mind‘
- Frabjous Day Enterprises (Archey) has had the game Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls manually ADDED by the League Manager.
- Hidalgo Trading Company (Pallais) Auto Drafted game: ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow‘
- S Class Warfare Studios (p0tsh0t) Auto Drafted game: ‘REANIMAL‘
- S Class Warfare Studios (p0tsh0t) Auto Drafted game: ‘Onimusha: Way of the Sword‘
- Hidalgo Trading Company (Pallais) Auto Drafted game: ‘Fable‘
- Frabjous Day Enterprises (Archey) has had the game Persona 4 Revival manually ADDED by the League Manager.
- Pretty Blue Fox Games (Bhagpuss) Auto Drafted game: ‘Orbitals‘
- TAGN HQ (Wilhelm) Auto Drafted game: ‘Halo: Campaign Evolved‘
- Rodent Entertainment (Arhanta) Auto Drafted game: ‘Dave the Diver – In the Jungle‘
- Play Forever Mwahahaha (Shintar) Auto Drafted game: ‘Crimson Desert‘
- Corr’s Creative Collective (Corr) Drafted game: ‘Deltarune Chapter 5‘
- Green River Gaming (Nimgimli) Auto Drafted game: ‘Vampire Crawlers’
- Crash and Burn Games (Shawn) Auto Drafted game: ‘Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter‘
- Rusty Shackleford (Shilgrod) Auto Drafted game: ‘The Blood of Dawnwalker‘
- Anthania Interactive (Ula) Auto Drafted game: ‘Mio: Memories in Orbit‘
- Neutical Publishing (Cyanbane) Auto Drafted game: ‘Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties‘
- Neutical Publishing (Cyanbane) Auto Drafted game: ‘Mouse: P.I. For Hire‘
- Anthania Interactive (Ula) Auto Drafted game: ‘Pokémon Pokopia‘
- Rusty Shackleford (Shilgrod) Auto Drafted game: ‘Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘
- Crash and Burn Games (Shawn) Auto Drafted game: ‘Unannounced Mainline Half-Life Game‘
- Green River Gaming (Nimgimli) Auto Drafted game: ‘Code Vein II‘
- Corr’s Creative Collective (Corr) Drafted game: ‘Out of Words‘
- Play Forever Mwahahaha (Shintar) Auto Drafted game: ‘Cairn‘
- Rodent Entertainment (Arhanta) Auto Drafted game: ‘Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000‘
- TAGN HQ (Wilhelm) Auto Drafted game: ‘Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred‘
- Pretty Blue Fox Games (Bhagpuss) Auto Drafted game: ‘Bradley the Badger‘
- Frabjous Day Enterprises (Archey) has had the game Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve manually ADDED by the League Manager.
- Hidalgo Trading Company (Pallais) Auto Drafted game: ‘World of Warcraft: Midnight‘
- S Class Warfare Studios (p0tsh0t) Auto Drafted game: ‘Replaced‘
- S Class Warfare Studios (p0tsh0t) Auto Drafted game: ‘Gears of War: E-Day‘
- Hidalgo Trading Company (Pallais) Auto Drafted game: ‘Unannounced Mainline 3D Mario Platformer‘
- Frabjous Day Enterprises (Archey) has had the game Super Meat Boy 3D manually ADDED by the League Manager.
- Pretty Blue Fox Games (Bhagpuss) Auto Drafted game: ‘Mixtape‘
- TAGN HQ (Wilhelm) Auto Drafted game: ‘Total War: WARHAMMER III – Lords of the End Times‘
- Rodent Entertainment (Arhanta) Auto Drafted game: ‘Ontos‘
- Play Forever Mwahahaha (Shintar) Auto Drafted game: ‘Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven‘
- Corr’s Creative Collective (Corr) Drafted game: ‘Star Wars Zero Company‘
- Green River Gaming (Nimgimli) Auto Drafted game: ‘Lords of the Fallen II‘
- Crash and Burn Games (Shawn) Auto Drafted game: ‘Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy‘
- Rusty Shackleford (Shilgrod) Auto Drafted game: ‘Mario Tennis Fever‘
- Anthania Interactive (Ula) Auto Drafted game: ‘Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake‘
- Neutical Publishing (Cyanbane) Auto Drafted game: ‘Witchbrook‘
- The Draft has Completed! (11:05)