Standard Draft
Standard Drafts give you complete flexibility to assign participants either manually for precise control or automatically for instant, fair team formation. This is the most versatile draft type, perfect for most scenarios.
Best for: Most use cases, flexible control levels, groups of any size.
Two Assignment Methods
Standard Drafts offer two ways to assign participants to teams:
Manual Assignment
- Complete control - Assign participants one-by-one using the participant menu
- Strategic placement - Perfect for small groups or when you know participant dynamics
- Flexible timing - Take as much time as needed
Auto-Pick
- Instant results - Algorithm handles all assignments in seconds
- Fair distribution - Random, label-based, or AI-powered balancing
- Quick start - Great for large groups or time-sensitive situations
Tip: Many organizers use auto-pick first for speed, then make manual adjustments for optimal team composition.
Setting Up Standard Draft
Basic Configuration
- Create draft with type “Standard Draft”
- Set team size and number of teams
- Configure team names
Label Setup (Recommended)
- Go to Settings > Labels
- Create relevant label groups:
- Skill Level (1-10 numeric)
- Experience (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)
- Position (Forward/Midfield/Defense/Goalie)
- Department (Sales/Marketing/Engineering)
Choose Your Assignment Method
Select manual assignment, auto-pick, or combine both approaches
Manual Assignment Process
Pre-Draft Preparation
- Ensure all participants have joined and applied labels
- Review participant information in the Participants tab
- Have your team assignments planned
Drafting Process
- Go to the Participants tab
- Click the menu (⋯) on any participant
- Select “Draft to Team” and choose a destination
- Repeat for each participant
- Use “Reset Drafting” if you need to start over
Manual Assignment Features
- Individual control - Assign one participant at a time
- Real-time updates - See changes immediately
- Flexible workflow - No time pressure
- Label filtering - Sort participants by labels for easier selection
Auto-Pick Allocation Strategies
Auto-pick offers three main allocation methods:
Random Allocation
Purely random distribution - simple and fair for casual events.
- Best for: Quick team formation, icebreakers, no skill differences
- Settings: None required
- Fairness: Completely random, no bias
Distribution Strategies
In addition to the allocation methods above, you can control how participants are distributed across teams when there are more spaces than participants:
Evenly Spread
Team A: 3 participants
Team B: 3 participants
Team C: 3 participants
Team D: 3 participants- Best for: Equal team sizes, fair distribution
- When to use: Most competitive events
Fill Teams in Order
Team A: 4 participants (full)
Team B: 4 participants (full)
Team C: 2 participants (partial)- Best for: Complete teams first, then distribute remainder
- When to use: When some teams need full strength
Label Based Allocation Deep Dive
Numeric Labels
| Grouping Type | Description | Example Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Similar Together | Group high values with high, low with low | Skill-based teams (experts together) |
| Mixed Teams | Spread values evenly across teams | Balanced competition |
| Low to High | Teams get progressively stronger | Tournament brackets |
| High to Low | Teams get progressively weaker | Reverse tournament setup |
| Alternate Low High | Zig-zag pattern (low-high-low-high) | Balanced but varied teams |
Text Labels
| Grouping Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Group Together | Keep same labels in same teams | All “Forwards” on one team |
| Mixed Teams | Spread labels across teams | One of each position per team |
AI Powered Allocation
How It Works
- Enter natural language descriptions
- AI analyzes all participant data
- Considers multiple factors simultaneously
- Generates optimal team combinations
Example Prompts
Sample Prompts: - “Create balanced teams with mix of skill levels and positions” - “Group by departments but balance experience levels” - “Make competitive teams for a tournament” - “Form diverse teams with different backgrounds”
AI Capabilities
- Multi-factor analysis: Considers all labels together
- Natural language understanding: Interprets complex requirements
- Fairness algorithms: Ensures balanced distributions
- Learning optimization: Improves with usage
Preview and Execute
Preview Feature
- Configure your allocation settings
- Click “Preview” to see proposed teams
- Review balance and fairness
- Adjust settings if needed
- Execute final allocation
Manual Adjustments After Auto-Pick
- After auto-allocation, you can still:
- Move participants between teams
- Swap team members
- Adjust team names
- Add/remove participants
Combining Methods
Pro Tip: The real power of Standard Drafts comes from combining methods. Use auto-pick for initial fairness, then make strategic manual adjustments.
Common Workflows
- Auto-pick + Manual tweaks: Start with algorithmic fairness, then adjust for special cases
- Manual core + Auto-fill: Manually assign key participants, then auto-pick the rest
- Iterative refinement: Auto-pick, review, manual adjust, repeat as needed
Advanced Scenarios
Complex Multi-Label Balancing
Advanced Tip: Use multiple labels for sophisticated balancing. For example: Skill Level (numeric) + Position (text) + Experience (numeric).
Tournament Setup
- Use “Low to High” for bracket creation
- Balance by skill while ensuring competitive matches
- Create progressive difficulty levels
Educational Grouping
- Mix skill levels for peer learning
- Group by learning style or subject interest
- Balance group dynamics for collaboration
Troubleshooting
Manual Assignment Issues
Can’t assign participant
- Check if team is full (use larger teams or create more teams)
- Verify participant is participating (not marked as non-participating)
- Ensure you have editor permissions
Lost track of assignments
- Use the Participants tab to see current team assignments
- Filter by “Drafted” status to see who’s assigned
- Use “Reset Drafting” to start over if needed
Auto-Pick Issues
Uneven Distribution
- Check label values for outliers
- Adjust grouping type
- Use different allocation method
AI Not Understanding Prompt
- Be more specific in your prompt
- Break complex requirements into steps
- Use simpler language
Labels Not Applying Correctly
- Verify label group types (numeric vs text)
- Check participant label assignments
- Ensure labels are marked as required
Performance Considerations
- Large groups may take longer for AI allocation
- Preview before executing for large drafts
- Manual assignment scales well regardless of group size
Best Practices
Pro Tip: Always preview your auto-allocation before executing, especially with complex label combinations.
- Start with auto-pick for large groups to establish fairness quickly
- Use labels strategically - they’re key to intelligent team formation
- Combine methods (auto-pick + manual) for optimal results
- Preview before committing to avoid surprises
Standard Drafts offer the ultimate flexibility, whether you need instant algorithmic fairness or complete manual control. Choose the method that fits your event, or combine both for the best results.