Well the Summer moon is upon us and Mars is in the wane. A fine time for some sports!
As regular readers are aware, this is the inaugural season of the Occult & Witchcraft Lunomancy (O.W.L.) League so a number of previously amateur clubs have been elevated to the heights of professionalism and united into a single, grand league!
Thanks to a few generous sponsors, a cluster of passionate Ministry of Magic bureaucrats, and the heroic persistence of The Daily Telegraph in its noble efforts to uplift the sport in edition after edition, the day of your grandfather’s local OWL club hawking joke wands and goblin gold in order to afford the Portkey to Delft is has gone the way of the dinosaur!
Divided into playoff groups (Angel, Beast, Celestial, Demon, Elf, and Fey) – below are summaries of the lucky few O.W.L. clubs that have been chosen.
Angel Group
Blackpool Bruxa (LORE)
The stars align for Bruxa according to the Daily Telegraph’s in-house diviners. Of course, the Daily Telegraph’s resident astrologers say the diviners have it all wrong and Bruxa is destined for bottom. Both the diviners and the astrologers agree that whatever comes, it’s going to be tumultuous. Do you divining or astrological experience? The Daily Telegraph may have one or multiple job openings at the end of this season!
Roxas City Magic (MCRM)
Roxas City’s defense-first strategies and the magicians’ intensive training regime make the Magic a formidable force led on the field by the charismatic Head Sage Vincenzo. After years of dominance, it appears the meta might be shifting under R-C’s feet. Roxas City will have to prove their dynamism once again to compete toe-to-toe with the traditionally offensive-heavy tactics of DATE and FOCL federations.
Worcester Ravens (DATE)
Recent, highly successful strategies prioritizing speed and team coordination made the Ravens possibly the most entertaining team to watch in recent years. The tactics pioneered by Worchester will counterbalance the prevailing defense-focused meta of many of the federations. If they can keep up the innovation or simply continue to outrace the opponents, they’ll a shoo-in for the post-season.
Beast Group
Alexandria Sirens (LORE)
Possibly the club most responsible for ensuring a formal pan-federation O.W.L. League be created, one can’t help but sense a remarkable self confidence from the upper management of the Sirens. It appears that after successfully mobilizing the other LORE clubs and extensively lobbying the MoM, there’s a certain sense that they’re destined for the championship. Only time will tell if the self-confidence stems from bling optimism or divine destiny!
Busan Metropolitan Magicians (MRCM)
Busan is a powerhouse in an already famed federation (MRCM). After the highly publicized trade for the prized Sorcerer, Nicola Thrace, from Mexico City Moonlight (for a record-breaking amount of cash), Busan dominated their federation last year in a series of lopsided and aggressive matches. The trade for Thrace heralded the growing professionalization of the sport and also signals the mindset of Busan, who appear to have been thinking “big league” for years.
Salem Liches (LORE)
Salem has had persistent financial issues which many thought would make it unqualified for the O.W.L. inaugural season. It appears that a surprise and “substantial” sponsorship from Zora River Bounties LLC. The move appears to be shaking the corporate ladder up and down and the rumor mill even theorize the launch of the Zora River Codfishers as a farm team. As Zora River Bounties LLC is a frequent purchaser of advertisements in The Daily Horoscope, we’ll finish by wishing the Liches the best of games and the best of salted fish products!
Celestial Group
Cardiff Dragons (UFOD)
The underdogs of Celestial group, Cardiff face an uphill climb due to a difficult schedule and the lackluster performance of the Dragons last year – especially after the high-profile mishap with a their star Wild Sorcerer, Gregory Sheng, who reportedly is now happily retired as a man with two normal-sized feet again. We’ll certainly miss Greg the Friendly Giant and we’ll never forget the time he prevented an entire mine from collapsing before accidentally being cursed by his own team!
Le Havre Arcana Club (UFOD)
The least surprising pick for the inaugural season, Le Havre AC are a strong team with a strong fanbase which harbor a true love of sporting excellence. The city’s strong O.W.L. traditions have led to a number of Le Havre locals securing spots on O.W.L. clubs throughout the world. League A-listers, #23 Rusty Ribay and #144 Anton Werth, notably went to the same Le Havre night school. Thankfully for the League, they both found a more entertaining calling! We look forward to the witnessing what the ‘spirit of sport’ embodied by Le Havre AC brings to the inaugural season.
Queens 35ers (DATE)
From underdog to federation favorite, the 35ers were a relatively controversial pick to pioneer the first season. Many superfans doubted the 35ers would ever rise from the depths of obscurity. All that changed when ownership of the club passed to Lady Elina, who breathed fresh life into the club. However, there remains doubts that the club has the infrastructure to make their success sustainable. The 35ers themselves certainly don’t believe they’re a flash in the pan and are “ready to prove it!” according to one superfan.
Demon Group
Delft Wandsmiths (MCRM)
With mechanical efficiency and business acumen, Wandsmiths have for some time been ranked one of the top teams in the MCRM and now in the inaugural O.W.L. League. Led by League power-couple and current patrons of the de Ligt business and sport dynasty. The Co-Lieges of Delft have pushed hard to keep the Wandsmiths at the top. No stranger to financial risks, its rumored the Lieges financed the refurbishment of the O.W.L. League Parliament building. Clearly, unlike several of the Daily Horoscope’s Resident Diviners, they and the rest of the club see profit and prosperity ahead.
LC Verona (DATE)
LC Verona’s admission into the inaugural season lends the initiative an aura of legitimacy, but it seems getting the world’s oldest, continually operating O.W.L. club to join the inaugural season took some backroom dealing. It furthers appears the prestigious club knew their value heading into the negotiation. With a disarming but elegant sprezzatura attitude, the LC Verona liaisons successfully lobbied a number of concessions around sport rules around maximum path area, the presence of both night and daytime matches, and assurances of high club autonomy.
Paris Lumière (FOCL)
Allez les Lume! as they say across the City of Light! The Lumière’s optimism is never ceasing, even after falling to qualify for their own federation’s exhibition matches last year. The iconic underdog team has tracked an international following which includes many North Americans, especially after the financial collapse of the ill-fated Western Explorers and Sordid Travelers (WEST) Federation of North America. A new dawn brings a new day, and eventually a new night, when the city and the O.W.L. matches take on a whole new level of beauty.
Elf Group
Caylus Spellcasters (MRCM)
When, after years as an independent un-federated club, the Spellcasters finally joined the MCRM federation, it appeared to have been a devil’s bargain. The famed spellcasters put up a tough fight in what was acknowledged as the most competitive federation in the sport, but championship victories proved few while fans questioned the financial and administrative benefits of joining the club to a single organization. The League opens up a new chapter for Caylus, and one which the leadership of the club is reportedly quite excited about. Nobody knows what plans Caylus has in the works but the Daily Horoscope will be the first ones to let you know!
Hollywood Starlight (FOCL)
Former powerhouse of the ill-fated Western Explorers and Sordid Travelers (WEST) Federation, which financially collapsed in the 1990s, the Hollywood Starlight have themselves proved resilient. Under all the style is enough substance to be competitive season after season. Now in that the “Big Leagues” have finally arrived, the Starlight finally have the platform to let the world know of their prowess. The Starlight are the Daily Telegraph’s pick for most likely to win the Elf group.
Quebec City Nine Stars (LORE)
The Nine Stars School of Ludomancy is legendary and Quebec’s spot in the inaugural season was a forgone conclusion. In recent years, the Nine Stars have suffered from a rash of injuries and curses with multiple star magicians being turned into human-animal hybrids which knocked them out for several important matches while they were re-transmorgrafied back into full humans. The Nine Stars are a good team that could be great if they can avoid misfortune, which according to the Daily Horoscope’s in-house astrologers, they should look out for.
Fey Group
Guangzhou Dueling Dragons (UFOD)
The Dueling Dragons are the reigning champs of the UFOD federation and are committed to winning at all costs. They’re strategies are cutthroat and their magicians hungry for glory. Sometimes it feels like the Dueling Dragons are trying to top themselves as much as defeat the opposition. If they can keep their magicians disciplined on the field (and off the field) and harness the hunger of their magicians, GDD stands more than ready to move on to the post-season.
Kyoto Foxes LC (FOCL)
The youngest team in the League, the Foxes, have scrapped together an impressive group of magicians led by a new generation of leadership who revel in the sport both on and off the paths. The new logo “gradient logo” designed by a hip local graphic designer has caused a bit of controversy in the fan community and is emblematic of the broader changes underway at Kyoto. We’ll see if the crew of hip magicians led by League A-Lister Denna the Powerful seal the deal and prove their process along the way!
Mexico City Moonlight (FOCL)
The Moonlight were in a rut until the arrival of the new Head Sage. Capable and innovative, the Sage rebuilt the team and fostered a franchise poised for greater things. Just as the upswing had arrived, the FOCL folded into the global O.W.L. League. Let’s see if the Moonlight can keep up the momentum in face of new challenges and foes!
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