Using Bravara's Team Builder to Create Balanced Teams

Team Builder is an automated way for your league to evenly distribute players onto teams without manually selecting each one. It's especially useful for blind drafts where player identities aren't shown, only their evaluation or data-based scores.

How Team Builder Works

When you run Team Builder, players are automatically assigned to teams based on their evaluations, player data, and any rules you've set up. The system uses optimization algorithms to balance teams as fairly as possible while respecting your constraints.

Bravara provides a step-by-step wizard that walks you through all required setup, so you don't have to guess what needs to be configured.

Common League Flows

Different leagues run drafts differently. Team Builder supports all of the following:

• Leagues with evaluations: Teams are balanced primarily using evaluation scores.

• Leagues without evaluations: Teams are balanced using player registration data only.

• Mixed leagues: Some players have evaluations, others do not.

The wizard automatically adapts to the data you have.

The Team Builder Wizard

Step 1: Team Size

Configure how many players should be on each team.

• Enter the desired number of players per team

• The system shows how teams will be distributed

• If numbers do not divide evenly, some teams may have one extra player

• A warning appears if any players will not be placed

Step 2: Balance

Choose how players are ranked and distributed.

If most players have evaluations

• Create draft rounds based on evaluation categories

• Each round can emphasize a different skill (for example pitching, catching, or overall)

• Players are ranked within each round by the selected category

If your league does not hold evaluations

Use Player Data Balance to create teams using registration data only.

• Any registration field can be used (height, weight, experience, age, t-shirt size, etc.)

• You may assign weights (1 to 5) to each field to control importance

• Each field is normalized onto the league’s rating scale

How normalization works

For each selected field:

• The lowest value in the league maps to the lowest rating (for example 1)

• The highest value maps to the highest rating (for example 5)

• All other players are distributed proportionally between those values

Example:

• Shortest player receives a 1

• Tallest player receives a 5

• Everyone else is scaled evenly in between

This allows raw data like height, weight, or experience to behave like evaluation scores for balancing purposes.

Mixed data

• Players with evaluations use evaluation scores

• Unrated players use player data scores

• If most players are unrated, the wizard automatically defaults to Player Data Balance

Step 3: Relationships

Control which players should be placed together or kept apart.

Siblings

• Bravara automatically detects siblings using shared guardian email addresses

• Siblings are placed on the same team by default

• You may remove sibling connections if you do not want those players grouped together

Custom relationships

• Add relationships manually for carpools, family friends, or other requests

• Relationships can be added or removed directly in Team Builder

Each player is still ranked individually by skill or data. Relationships only affect team placement.

Step 4: Rules

Create advanced constraints for team formation. There are two types of rules:

Player Grouping Rules

• Keep players together or apart

• Use any imported registration field

• Examples:

  • Keep players from the same school together

  • Separate players from the same neighborhood

  • Separate players based on conflict flags

Team Requirements

• Enforce minimums, maximums, or ratios on each team

• Examples:

  • Each team must have at least 1 goalkeeper

  • Each team may have at most 2 elite players

  • At least 30% of each team must have prior experience

For each rule, choose one of the following:

• Must Satisfy: Team Builder fails if the rule cannot be met

• Try to Satisfy: The system prioritizes the rule but may relax it for overall balance

Note: Any field imported during player import can be used in rules.

Step 5: Players

Review players who are already assigned to teams.

Frozen Players

• Coaches’ children

• Returning players

• Special placement requests

Frozen players remain locked to their teams. Team Builder fills the remaining spots around them.

Step 6: Unrated Players (if applicable)

Appears when some players have no evaluations.

• Unrated players are treated as approximately average when no player data is available

• When player data exists, it is used instead of assuming average skill

Key Concepts

Imported Player Data

When importing players, you may include any columns you want.

Examples:

• Height

• Weight

• Years of experience

• School

• Coach request flags

• Friend request groups

These fields can later be used for:

• Balancing teams

• Grouping or separating players

• Team minimums or maximums

Frozen Players

Players assigned to a team before Team Builder runs. These placements are respected and never changed.

Hard vs Soft Rules

• Hard rules must be satisfied or Team Builder fails

• Soft rules are best-effort and may be relaxed for balance

After Team Builder Runs

Making Changes

• Trades and manual adjustments are allowed

• All changes are tracked for transparency

Undoing Team Builder

• Use Undo to reset team assignments

• Running Team Builder again with identical settings produces the same result

• Changing players, rules, or data will change results

Tips for Best Results

1. Evaluate as many players as possible when evaluations are used

2. Assign frozen players before running Team Builder

3. Verify guardian emails for accurate sibling detection

4. Start with soft rules

5. Review the wizard summary before committing

Friend Requests and Coach Requests

Friend requests, coach requests, and similar placement preferences are supported through imported data and Team Builder rules.

A detailed guide for handling friend and coach requests will be added here.

Premium Features

Some Team Builder features require a premium subscription:

• Evaluation-based balancing

• Player Data Balance

• Advanced grouping and team requirement rules

Basic sibling handling and frozen players are always available.