Who's Got The Power?

United Vietussia

Allegedly Did Some Stuff
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Who's Got The Power?
A Study of Perceived Power Through the Power Players Draft
The Power Players Draft has been a mainstay of Europeian politics for several years now. First started in January of 2018, HEM, Sopo, and Calvin Coolidge endeavored to predict who would "be the most influential people in the region". This first attempt has now spawned 14 drafts over the span of nearly 7 years (the most recent of which occurred in November 2024), including the addition of a fourth panel member: Seva. Because of the variable timespan of each draft, analysis of the winners would take a significant amount of effort, including formally defining the timeframes of each draft's results. What can be gleaned from these drafts, however, is a temperature check on the perceived holders of power in Europeia at any given point. I have compiled the teams of all 14 drafts to perhaps shine a light on our perception of influence in the region over time.

Who Loves Who?

Which team captains have their go-to players? While 79 unique players have heard their name called on draft day, every captain had a few players that they went to more often than others.

HEM:
Leading the way for Team HEM was Peeps, selected 5 times by Team HEM in the midst of a 7 draft streak of Peeps being selected (the longest streak of any player). After this, HEM picked 3 players thrice: monkey, Rand, and Kazaman.

Peeps - 5
monkey - 3
Rand - 3
Kazaman - 3
Pichto - 2
Istillian - 2
Sincluda - 2
Prim -2
SkyGreen - 2
Dax - 2
Kuramia - 2
Punchwood/Lime - 2
GraVandius - 2
CSP - 2
McEntire - 2
Sanjurika - 2
Malashaan - 2
Xecrio/Nate - 2
Cordova - 2
Verteger - 2
Writinglegend - 1
Lloenflys - 1
GK - 1
Rach - 1
PhDre - 1
Aexnidaral - 1
Olde Delaware - 1
Andy - 1
Forilian - 1
Deepest House - 1
JayDee - 1
Le Libertie - 1
Darcness - 1
John Laurens - 1
Klatonia - 1
Festavo - 1
Vlaska - 1
Rotasu - 1
Pierce - 1
Onderkelkia - 1

Sopo:
Sopo's favorite player was shared between 3 players: monkey, Prim, and McEntire, each picked 4 times. Sopo also picked 5 other players 3 times: UPC, SkyGreen, Maowi, Lime, and Darkslayer.

monkey - 4
Prim - 4
McEntire - 4
UPC - 3
SkyGreen - 3
Maowi - 3
Punchwood/Lime - 3
Darkslayer - 3
Istillian - 2
Lloenflys - 2
Kazaman - 2
Sarah - 2
Sanjurika - 2
Aexnidaral - 2
Olde Delaware - 2
Seva - 2
Pichto - 1
Peeps - 1
Sincluda - 1
Dax - 1
Kuramia - 1
GK - 1
Rand - 1
GraVandius - 1
CSP - 1
Pland Adanna - 1
PhDre - 1
Bowzin - 1
Andy - 1
Forilian - 1
Deepest House - 1
UV - 1
Caldrasa - 1
Moronist Decisions - 1
Gem - 1
Icarus - 1
Ervald - 1
John Laurens - 1
Airbus - 1
Cyborg - 1
Drexlore - 1
Astrellan - 1
Airmadecat - 1
Murden - 1

Calvin:
Calvin has perhaps been the most equitable in his pick distribution of any captain, though he still has two favorites: Pichto and Maowi. A whopping 6 other players have also been picked 3 times by Calvin: Writinglegend, Istillian, Lloenflys, UPC, Kuramia, and GraVandius.

Pichto - 4
Maowi - 4
Writinglegend - 3
Istillian - 3
Lloenflys - 3
UPC - 3
Kuramia - 3
GraVandius - 3
Punchwood/Lime - 2
Darkslayer - 2
Seva - 2
Greater Cesnica - 2
UV - 2
JayDee - 2
cuddles - 2
Peeps - 1
Sincluda - 1
Rand - 1
CSP - 1
Sanjurika - 1
Rach - 1
Aexnidaral - 1
Olde Delaware - 1
Malashaan - 1
Drecq - 1
Andy - 1
Xecrio/Nate - 1
Forilian - 1
Deepest House - 1
Le Libertie - 1
Caldrasa - 1
Darcness - 1
Klatonia - 1
Lethen - 1
Hezekon - 1
Eldorin - 1
Comfed - 1
PaleLand - 1
Nick Powell - 1
SEC - 1
Kharn - 1
ICH - 1
Cove - 1
Vac - 1
carathetopia - 1
Shin/RZM - 1

Seva:
Even as the newcomer of the bunch, one player has been a mainstay of every team so far: Pland Adanna. Seva has also used multiple picks on PhDre, Vor, and Ellenburg.

Pland Adanna - 3
PhDre - 2
Vor - 2
Ellenburg - 2
monkey - 1
Prim - 1
SkyGreen - 1
Maowi - 1
Kuramia - 1
Sarah - 1
Filet minion - 1
Prov - 1

Who Keeps Showing Up?

Which players are always on the draft boards for our captains? Put another way: across these snapshots of power, who is providing longevity as a mainstay of the drafts?

Only two players have appeared in a majority of drafts to date: monkey and Maowi, who have each appeared in 8 of the 14 drafts. 6 other players have been drafted in half of the drafts thus far: Pichto, Istillian, Peeps, Prim, Kuramia, and Lime. The majority of selected players (45/79, or 57%) have only been selected in 1 or 2 drafts all time, making this group of 8 players all the more remarkable for their longevity over a sustained period of time.

Who Are the Heavyweights?

Who is garnering the coveted first-round picks of these drafts consistently? 25 of the 79 selected players have been selected in the first round at some point. One player stands above them all in this respect: Pichto has been drafted in the first round 5 times, a remarkable feat. Only 4 other players have garnered at least 3 first round picks: Writinglegend and monkey, who have each received 4, and UPC and Sincluda, who have each received 3.

Beyond sheer total, I also analyzed how often these players were topping the draft board when they were available. Amazingly, Writinglegend boasts a perfect 4-for-4 in terms of being selected in the first round. Captains quite obviously perceive him as a juggernaut of the region whenever he is around and pick accordingly, even in his limited appearances. Here's how some other players stack up in terms of their first round pick percentage (min. 3 drafts, ties broken by more selections):

1. Sincluda (3/4, 75%)
2. Pichto (5/7, 71.4%)
T-3. Dax (2/3, 66.7%)
T-3. Sarah (2/3, 66.7%)
5. Monkey (4/8, 50%)
6. UPC (3/6, 50%)
7. Pland Adanna (2/4, 50%)


Who Are The Top Prospects?

In combining both the number of times drafted as well as the average draft round, I have attempted to deduce who the top prospects on the board are whenever they are available. Rather than strictly awarding good draft position, I wanted to include the number of times drafted to give some credit to longevity rather than peak performance in a few drafts; accordingly, I divided average draft round by the number of times drafted to create a simple "GOAT Prospect Score", where a lower score indicated sustained success. The top 10 were:

1. Pichto
(7 appearances, 1.43 average draft round, 0.204 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team Calvin

A previous mainstay of Europeian politics, Pichto checks in as the most favored prospect of the drafts so far. He boasted 5 straight 1st round selections from drafts 2-7 (going unselected in draft 4) and shares the mark for the second-most selections all-time.

2. Writinglegend
(4 appearances, 1 average draft round, 0.25 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team Calvin

The longest serving head of government in history, Writinglegend has never been selected outside of the first round. However, his appearances in these drafts is somewhat limited, which highlights the lasting influence of WL as a player and begs the question of what this mark would be at had the Power Player Drafts started during his political peak.

3. monkey
(8 appearances, 2.38 average draft round, 0.297 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team Sopo

monkey is one of only two players to be selected in a majority of drafts and may be poised to take sole control of the record with a recent return to the region. In spite of this longevity, monkey has managed to hold this spot without ever serving as the head of government (and perhaps contributes to a somewhat high average draft round).

4. Istillian
(7 appearances, 2.14 average draft round, 0.306 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team Calvin

Even after a recent scale back in activity, Istillian shares the second highest all-time mark for draft selections. All 7 of Istillian's selections came between drafts 4 and 11, including 2 first round picks by Sopo in that timeframe.

5. Lloenflys
(6 appearances, 2 average draft round, 0.333 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team Calvin

Lloenflys profiles almost identically to Istillian, dominating the middle drafts and scooping up a couple of first round picks from HEM and Calvin. While more reserved in terms of political activity now, Lloenflys boasts one of the most extensive legislative resumes in the history of the region.

6. UPC
(6 appearances, 2.17 average draft round, 0.361 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team Sopo and Team Calvin

The outgoing President and current WA Delegate, UPC figures to be in the best position to both improve as a draft prospect and deliver for their captain of anybody in this top 10. UPC is likely to remain a bulwark of Europeian politics in the near future, having been selected in 4 of the 5 most recent drafts (including 2 first round selections in that timeframe).

7. Peeps
(7 appearances, 2.57 average draft round, 0.367 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team HEM

Peeps still holds the mark for the most consecutive selections, being selected 7 straight times from drafts 3-9. While Peeps' involvement is largely limited to the judiciary now, his domination of these middle drafts earns him a spot in this top 10. Those 7 straight selections were also enough to give Peeps a share of the second most all-time selections.

8. Sincluda
(4 appearances, 1.5 average draft round, 0.375 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team HEM

The newly elected VP, Sincluda joins monkey as the only other person in the top 10 to have not yet served as the head of government (though the VP position could certainly be a stepping stone to entering Goldenblock). Sincluda is also in position to move up as an all-time draft prospect with a relatively low number of selections and a bright political future.

9. Prim
(7 appearances, 2.86 average draft round, 0.408 GOAT score)

Most frequent team: Team Sopo

The current Chief Justice made quite the splash in the early iterations of the Power Players Draft, consistently clocking in as a mid-round pick and being selected in 5 of the first 7 drafts. He also joins the handful of players with the second most all-time selections at 7.

10. SkyGreen
(6 appearances, 2.5 average draft round, 0.417 GOAT score)
Most frequent team: Team Sopo

Is a comeback in order? Sky had 5 straight selections from drafts 6 through 10 before going silent for a bit. However, a recent 2nd round pick from Seva and a new position as Minister of Gameside while holding the Vice Chancellorship may improve Sky's stock as a prospect for any drafts in the near future,

How About Some All-Time Teams?

Using their most frequent teams, we can also construct some all-time starting 5s for each captain, using their GOAT score to try and deduce who consistently drafts the best (even if those picks don't always pan out). Players are assigned in order of GOAT score ascending first, with the following priority list to ensure that the players captains gravitate towards most often end up on their roster (and to avoid outsized influence of late-round picks):

1. Number of first round picks used by captain
2. Number of times selected by captain
3. Average draft position when selected by captain

When a captain reaches 5 players during allocation, that captain is excluded from future allocation. Players must have appeared in at least 3 drafts in order to qualify (though GK is a budding Team HEM or Team Sopo prospect!).

Team Calvin

Pichto (0.204 GOAT score)
Writinglegend (0.25 GOAT score)
Lloenflys (0.333 GOAT score)
Maowi (0.438 GOAT score)
Kuramia (0.49 GOAT score)

AVERAGE TEAM STRENGTH:
0.343


Team Sopo
Istillian (0.306 GOAT score)
UPC (0.361 GOAT score)
Prim (0.408 GOAT score)
SkyGreen (0.417 GOAT score)
Kazaman (0.52 GOAT score)

AVERAGE TEAM STRENGTH:
0.402

Team HEM
monkey (0.297 GOAT score)
Peeps (0.367 GOAT score)
Sincluda (0.375 GOAT score)
Dax (0.444 GOAT score)
Rand (0.52 GOAT score)

AVERAGE TEAM STRENGTH:
0.401

Team Seva

Pland Adanna (0.625 GOAT score)
Sarah (0.667 GOAT score)
PhDre (0.75 GOAT score)
Vor (1.25 GOAT score)
Ellenburg (1.25 GOAT score)

AVERAGE TEAM STRENGTH:
0.908

Calvin has a clear advantage in terms of draft outcome to date, though with much of his all-time team in various states of political retirement, Teams Sopo and HEM are more than in position to improve their position (particularly Team Sopo with the presence of UPC and SkyGreen). Team Seva as the newcomer to the bunch still has more work to do to prove his long-term drafting prowess, but in being the least entrenched in his prospects, he has the most flexibility to shape his all-time roster into the future.


While the perceived power of these players (and their lasting influence on the region) is clear, what is perhaps less clear is how these selections actually panned out after the fact. Does perceived influence always translate into actual influence? Are there any power players that go consistently underrepresented in the draft? Who do the captains consistently reach for in spite of a lack of performance after the fact? Perhaps a follow-up piece could better explore these questions and more. What this data does highlight, however, is a snapshot of the perception of power and influence in Europeia over the now 7-year history of the Power Players Draft, which figures to continue providing insights into Europeian politics for many more years to come.

You can explore the full data here.
 
this is such a cool analysis, thanks UV!
 
Fascinating info, maybe I have to become active again so HEM can pick me again :P
 
Very nice write up, UV! I like being able to see this history.

Surprised my name came up that often. Thanks, Calvin!
 
Great analysis — I feel like after this UV is owed a first-round pick in the next power player draft 👀
 
Very cool analysis. I didn't realize I was such a Peeps stan!!!
 
I knew joining Sopo's NS family would pay off someday. 😆

I never realized how much I was in Sopo's picks more than others'. Thanks for this write up!
 
I think the number of drafts variable should be weighted by how much time the person spent in the region when the draft has been a thing (or better yet, the share of drafts they have been eligible for)!

Great article though! Very fun to see who has drafted whom
 
This is really fun and interesting analysis! Amazing work!

I'm really surprised to see my name mentioned that often, thanks all! :D
 
This is so cool!!! The Arnhelm Review for eurochoice 2025 newspaper of the year
 
😭 The fact I was only ever picked once. I get it, but it stings.
 
This is so cool!! Now the question is how the existence of these stats will influence the drafters' choices in the future...
 
A wonderful analysis, thank you for your work UV.
 
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