What if you combined fantasy football and card collecting? That’s the goal of the SCN Challenge. We have 10 collectors and content creators together in a league to see who is able to make the most money at the end of the season combining their football knowledge, card knowledge, and using skills from fantasy football.
The goal is simple: everyone talks about how they can build a portfolio better than everyone else, and now we are putting that to the test. Let’s first start with how it works.
Step 1: The Contestents
It wouldn’t be SCN if Mike Gioseffi and Jesse Gibson weren’t part of the 10-man crew. We also have Alex Llanso, aka Clever Cuban Cards, and Trent Litjes from The Hobby Handbook in the game. Plus, Doug Plagens from Nonsense on Ice and Gordy Bonker from The Gordy Bonker Show, from the main podcasts here at SCN.
Rounding out the list, we have Gary LeMaster and Jason Otero from The BallCard Show, Dalen McMillon from Junk Wax Vintage, and your humble narrator, myself, Brendan Darr.
Step 2: The Draft
Ten creators each build a $1,000 portfolio of five graded cards. One card may carry up to half the budget. The remaining cards cost between $25 and $300, and no two creators may hold the same card.
So that means no two managers can have a Josh Allen Base Optic PSA 10, but one can have a PSA 10 and one could have a PSA 9. We use distinctions between grades to differnetiate the cards.
Step 3: The Scoring
Standings are ranked on percentage gain from each card’s locked value, not on dollars. A $25 flier that doubles moves a creator further than a $500 card that adds ten percent.
Step 4: The Waiver Wire
It wouldn’t be fantasy football without the waiver wire.
Five moves in the regular season and five more in the playoffs. A swap has to be value-neutral within ten percent, and claims are processed every Tuesday in reverse standings order.
You also get five moves in the playoffs as well to keep this going through the Super Bowl, but five moves in the regular season make things interesting for the managers. Do you save them for injuries? Do you flip something quick if it skyrockets?
Step 5: The Title
Rosters lock on February 1. The final valuation runs a week after the Super Bowl, so the market has time to react, and the champion is crowned on February 24.
Without further ado, let’s look at the teams!
Alex Llanso (Clever Cuban Cards, The Hobby Handbook)
Brendan Darr (SCN Media, Collectibles on SI)
Dalen McMillon (Junk Wax Vintage)
Doug Plagens (Nonsense on Ice)
Gary LeMaster (The BallCard Show, Collectibles on SI)
Gordy Bonker (The Gordy Bonker Show)
Jason Otero (The BallCard Show)
Jesse Gibson (Sports Cards Nonsense, Hobby Nonsense)
Mike Gioseffi (Sports Cards Nonsense, Pardon the Nonsense)
Trent Litjes (The Hobby Handbook)
A few takeaways from the early games so far this week: Drake Maye struggled, hurting Gio’s roster. Plus, Sam Darnold and AJ Brown injuries hurt Doug and Jason’s rosters. The most unique roster was obviously Jesse’s, going with Malik Willis and a backup Mac Jones.
For more on my strategy, check out the latest Collectible Life Newsletter. Stay up to date with everything at the SCN Challenge.
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BRENDAN DARR
Brendan has worked for various platforms, including The Washington Post, SB Nation, NBC Sports Washington, and more, covering everything from college basketball to fantasy football and betting. An avid collector as a kid, he got back into collecting in 2021 and is a dedicated soccer, football, and basketball collector.
