We’re always sniffing around for new Fantasy games and some new potential partners, particularly if they offer something different to visitors of this site and, like Messrs Messi and Tevez, do some thinking “outside of the box”. Picklive Football is our latest find – designed to turn that miserable “Setanta” live game at a rainy DW Stadium into a thrill fest. No really.
Right now however, they’re sparing us the Wigan vs Stoke encounter. Picklive has its sights set on South Africa and offers a unique quick-fire World Cup Fantasy Football fix in the space of a few minutes. They’ve even promised not to change the rules halfway through.
The premise is simple. Picklive nominate a live match and throughout that match they will host a series of seven-and-a-half minute games. Participating “Pickers” simply select three players on show in the match and score points according to the actions those players complete during those seven odd minutes – passes, shots, tackles all count; I’ll give you some pointers on the full scoring system in a bit…
The score you register is ranked in a league table with up to nine other managers and if you register an account for the “betting” game, then you stand the chance to win free tenners if you notch a top three score for the match. So yes, there’s money to be won. You can play Picklive for free but as mentioned you can also register an account and play games for a £1 stake with the eventual pot split amongst the highest ranked “Pickers”.
If you sign up and make a deposit then Picklive will give you another £10 to play and there’s a “refer a friend” scheme that can also earn you a fiver. There’s a big prize in sight too – Picklive are offering a grand to the Picker who can amass a magic 66 points in a single game.
So how do you master an eight minutes Fantasy Football game? Well I grant you it’s a different experience. Player selection is obviously key (it can take Matt Upson eight minutes to turn around), as is a handle on the scoring system. Goals, assists and efforts on goal are the big points scorers but those single points for completed passes can soon add up. Xavi’s passing game saw him top the match rankings in the recent win over Portugal but Brazil’s Juan and Paraguay’s Da Silva have also highlighted how interceptions and tackles, coupled with a handy goal, can also see defenders top the bill.
With three substitutions over the course of a seven-and-a-half minute game, you have to quick to spot trends in the match and oust those players who look to be going through a dodgy period. A few misplaced passes, or the odd agricultural challenge can quickly hurt you tally and leave you floundering. This is a different breed of game which rewards speed of thought and real-time balls of steel. As always, lady luck is always a handy friend to have around.
You can try Picklive for this afternoon’s Holland vs Brazil “classic in the making” encounter. I’ll be in the office at the time so playing Picklive whilst smuggling the live BBC feed might be pushing it somewhat. Even so, I’ll join you for Uruguay vs Ghana later on when I’ll be backing my big McFIFA selections.
Give it a go and pass on your feedback to the Picklive guys. All being well this game will be around for that Wigan vs Stoke game and cheer us all up when Jason Scotland leathers one into an empty row Z.