Creating Teams

Once you have participants in your draft, the next step is to create the team structure. Draftastic offers two approaches to team creation: individual team creation for precise control, and batch setup for efficiency.

When to Create Teams

You can create teams at any time after inviting participants, but it’s typically done:

• Before starting the draft: Set up your team structure in advance
• During draft setup: Create teams as part of your preparation process
• After participants join: Wait for your expected number of participants before finalizing teams

Individual Team Creation

For maximum control over team names and structure, create teams one at a time.

How to Create a Single Team

1. Navigate to the Teams tab in your draft
2. Click the + (plus) icon button to create a team
3. Enter a custom team name, or use the auto-generated suggestion
4. For ordered naming categories (numerical/alphabetical), you can refresh or reset to default names
5. Click “Create Team” to add it to your draft

Team Naming Options

Teams can be named using different categories:

• Numerical: Team 1, Team 2, Team 3…
• Alphabetical: Team A, Team B, Team C…
• Colors: Red, Blue, Green…
• Animals: Lion, Tiger, Bear…
• Food: Pizza, Burger, Sushi…
• Countries: USA, Canada, UK…
• Custom: Any name you choose

Name Prefixes (Ordered Categories Only)

For numerical and alphabetical naming categories, you can add a name prefix to customize how teams are named:

• Without prefix: “Team 1”, “Team 2”, “Team 3”…
• With “Squad” prefix: “Squad 1”, “Squad 2”, “Squad 3”…
• With “Platoon” prefix: “Platoon 1”, “Platoon 2”, “Platoon 3”…
• With “Group” prefix: “Group A”, “Group B”, “Group C”…

Note: Name prefixes only work with ordered categories (numerical and alphabetical). Random categories like colors and animals don’t use prefixes.

Batch Team Setup

For efficiency when you have many participants, use the “Setup Teams” feature to create multiple teams at once.

How to Set Up Multiple Teams

1. In the Teams tab, click “Setup Teams” (⚙️ gear icon)
2. Configure your team settings:
   • Number of Teams: How many teams to create (use the slider or input field)
   • Team Size: Maximum participants per team (use the slider or input field)
   • Team Naming: Choose naming category and optional prefix (for ordered categories)
3. Optional: Click “Auto Setup” (✨ magic wand button) to automatically calculate the optimal number of teams based on your current participants and team size
4. Click “Preview” to see the proposed team structure
5. Review and optionally rename individual teams in the preview
6. Click “Save Teams” to create all teams at once

Understanding Team Calculations

The setup dialog automatically calculates:

• Total Spaces: Number of teams × team size
• Draftable Participants: How many participants can fit in your teams
• Empty Spaces: Remaining spots if you have fewer participants than spaces
• Undraftable Participants: Participants who won’t fit if you reduce team sizes

Auto Setup Feature

The “Auto Setup” button (magic wand icon) intelligently calculates the optimal number of teams for your draft:

• Formula: Math.ceil(participants ÷ team size)
• Example: With 13 participants and team size 4, it creates 4 teams (3 teams × 4 = 12, +1 extra team for the remaining participant)
• Smart Rounding: Always rounds up to ensure everyone fits
• One-Click Setup: Instantly sets the perfect team count for your group

This feature saves time and ensures mathematical precision when setting up balanced team structures.

Team Management

Editing Teams

• Click the menu (⋯) on any team card
• Select “Update Team” to change the name
• For ordered naming, use “Refresh Team Name” for a new random name
• Use “Reset Team Name” to return to the default ordered name

Deleting Teams

• From the team menu, select “Delete Team”
• All participants in the deleted team will be undrafted
• This action cannot be undone

Team Capacity

Each team shows its current capacity (e.g., “3/5 participants”). Teams cannot exceed their maximum size during manual drafts, but captain’s pick allows temporary overflows that get resolved during the draft process.

Best Practices

• Ensure all expected participants have joined before final setup
• Double-check team sizes match your activity requirements
• Consider using placeholder participants if some people haven’t joined yet
• Test your team setup with the draft type you’ll be using

Troubleshooting

Can’t Create Teams

• Verify you have permission to create teams (owners and editors only)
• You may have reached the maximum teams limit (100)
• Check your draft settings if you need to increase the limit
• Check that team names aren’t empty or too long (max 30 characters)
• Consider using larger team sizes instead of more teams

Participants Getting Undrafted

• This happens when you reduce team sizes in the setup dialog
• The preview will show which participants are affected
• Consider increasing team sizes or creating additional teams