Classic Mode

Our Classic Mode is available across certain competitions for Private Leagues. This isn’t just any fantasy league; it’s as close as you’ll get to managing a real football team. Just like in Kings League, each player in your league exists only once. If you’ve snagged Marc Pelaz for your squad, no other manager can touch him. As a result, the leagues are capped at 12 managers maximum. 

The biggest changes from Standard Mode to highlight are:

• Players exist only once per league. 
• Maximum of 12 Managers per league
• Transfer Market is replaced with Auctions
• Contracts and Steals are useable
• League Starts with a Draft
• Currently no Prestige / collectibles mode

If you have not read the help section for Standard mode or the Game Mechanics we would advise this is read first. As the below, highlights the additional aspects which Classic Mode brings. 

Creating a League

Leagues are created the same way as other Private Leagues, from within the competition select menu at the top, and then selecting Private Leagues and Create League. Please note that not all competitions will have the option to use Classic Mode. Whilst creating you may add up to 12 managers to invite to your league. 

The Draft

Leagues can be set up in advance of the Draft starting allowing friends to join one another in a league to be ready for the draft commencing. The draft itself will give each manager a starting squad of 7 players plus a President. The top ranked players for each position available will be exempt from the draft. The Starting Salary of each drafted player is removed from the Starting Budget of each Manager. This allows for a balanced start to the game, with managers who drafted lower priced players having additional budget available from the off, and overall more balanced teams with managers not getting the best players possible. 

Formations & Substitutes Bench

Unlike Standard Mode, the substitutes bench will not consist of the 4 specific positions, and instead have 4 open slots available for any player and position to fill, so it could be filled with 4 strikers, or a mix from each. This allows a little more flexibility when acquiring new players who enter the market auctions to be acquired, but managers will need to keep an eye on their positions as it may make some formations become invalid if the players or space required is not available. 

Market Board

Post draft you have the option of building your team with the remaining slots available. This is done via the Market Board, where all the action happens showing you the current Daily Auctions and Player Listings available for bids. All listings use a blind bid format, meaning you won’t know what other managers are offering, and everyone has a chance to make their move. 

Let’s break down the two main areas within the Market Board:

Daily Auctions

Daily Auctions give you the opportunity to bid on players from the Market Pool, which consists of all the players who weren’t picked during the draft. Here’s how it works:

• Auction Schedule: Two market listings appear three times per day with schedules suited to the competitions time zone. Each Market Listing lasts 24 hours before it is closed and a winner decided if applicable. 
• Draft Day Boost: On the day of the Fantasy Draft, the number of market listings increases, giving you more chances to tweak your team before the first match.
• Bidding Process: To place a bid, you may enter up 50% under the market value meaning you could grab a great bargain, but remember – you’ll likely need to go higher to beat out the competition. When you place a bid, that amount is temporarily withdrawn from your budget. If you don’t win the auction, your budget is refunded.
• Editing Bids: You can adjust your bid before the auction ends, either to raise your offer or withdraw completely and get your budget back.
• Tie-Breakers: If two or more managers place the same bid, the manager who bid first wins.
• Transfer Lock: Any players you win through the Daily Auctions will enter a Transfer Lock, meaning they’re safe from being stolen until after the next stage. (See Transfer Lock for more details.)

Manager Listings

As a manager, you also have the power to list your players on the market to gain more budget for your team. Here’s how it works:

• Listing a Player: You can list any player from your active squad or substitution bench. .
• Auction Duration: Player-listed auctions last a maximum of 48 hours, but they’ll end early if they overlap with the next squad lock. 
• Bidding Process: Just like Daily Auctions, Player Listings use a blind bid format where other managers place bids without knowing each other’s offers. However, as the listing manager, you can see the bids and even accept one to close the auction early if you want.
• No Bids?: If no bids are placed, the market will purchase the player from you at their current salary. That player will then enter the Market Pool and could appear in a future Daily Auction.

Quick Sell

Sometimes an auction will simply take too long and you need to free up a slot or spare a little cash to move your team around. This is where Quick Sells come in handy, allowing you to immediately dispose of your player back into the market pool. This comes with a -50% of their current Salary as the only reimbursement however,  so use this feature carefully to not diminish your budget. 

Trades & Offers

Ready to shake things up? Trading is a key part of building your Fantasy team, and the Trades & Offers system makes it easy to wheel and deal with your rivals.

• Viewing Opposing Teams: To start, you can view other managers’ teams by selecting them from the leaderboard. Once you’re on their team page, click the trade icon to send them an offer.
• Making an Offer: You can only propose a trade for one card from the other manager’s team at a time. However, you can sweeten the deal by offering up to 3 of your own cards and/or adding some of your budget to the offer. Whether you want to do a straight swap, trade 3-for-1, or throw in some budget, the choice is yours.
• Decisions, Decisions: Once the offer is sent, it’s up to the other manager to accept or decline it. If you change your mind, you can edit or withdraw the offer anytime before it’s accepted.
• Time Limits: All trade offers will be automatically declined and closed when the game day Squad Lock hits. If your trade doesn’t go through, you’ll need to resend it once the rosters reopen. Other than the roster lock, there’s no time limit on offers—they’ll stay open all week.
• Budget Management: Any budget you include in a trade offer will be temporarily removed from your available funds until the trade is concluded.

Secret Cards

All the standard mode Secret Cards may be applied to your team just as they are in the Public Leagues, and of course the Classic Mode only cards come into play here too.

Contract

Contracts are used to defend players from the steal card. Contracts last for a single stage and may be reapplied after squad lock. A player may only be contracted a maximum of 2 times by the same manager over the course of a competition. 

Steal

Steals a player from another manager. Only 2 steals may be attempted per stage. If it is used on a player who is contracted or transfer locked the Steal fails. If the card is successful in stealing a player, the manager using the card must pay the player's current price plus an additional 50% as a release clause. Steals may not be used within 1 hour prior to squad lock, or within 1 hour of squads reopening. 

Transfer Locks

A Transfer Lock is automatically applied to any player you acquire through Daily Auctions or a successful Secret Card Steal. When a player is under Transfer Lock, they’re off-limits: they can’t be stolen, listed, or traded, and you must keep them on your squad for at least one stage.

Transfer Locks don’t apply if you acquire a player through trades or Player Listings. In those cases, the player is immediately available for trades, sales, or even a steal.

After the squads unlock following the next stage, the Transfer Lock is lifted, and the player returns to a regular state, where they’re open to steals, trades, and sales. While a player is transfer locked, they don’t require a contract card, as they’re already protected from steals. Once the lock expires, you can apply up to 2 contracts to keep them safe for an additional 2 game days, giving you a total of up to 3 days of protection.