Dynamic Draft Order

Dynamic Draft is one of the three draft types available in Draft Manager. When you start a new draft, the first question asks which type you want:

• Standard - Same pick order every round
• Snake - Pick order reverses each round
• Dynamic - Pick order recalculates based on team strength (this guide)

Where to find it: Dynamic Draft is part of Draft Manager, which is only available in the mobile app. Go to your division, tap Draft, then tap the play button in the upper right corner to start the Draft Manager wizard. The first step asks you to choose your draft type.

What Makes Dynamic Draft Different

Instead of using a fixed or reversing order, Dynamic Draft recalculates the pick order after each round based on how strong each team is so far.

The goal: teams that are behind get to pick earlier, keeping all teams competitive throughout the draft.

We've tested this extensively, and Dynamic Draft consistently produces more balanced teams than snake drafts. If competitive balance is your priority, Dynamic Draft is the way to go.

The Core Concept

After each round, the team with the lowest cumulative score picks first in the next round.

That's the key idea. Bravara looks at all the players assigned to each team in rounds that have already happened, calculates their average overall score, and sorts teams from lowest to highest. The team with the lowest average picks first.

How Each Round Works

Round 1

The first round uses an order you set:

• Randomize: Bravara shuffles the teams into a random order
• Manual: You drag teams into a specific order (useful if order was decided by lottery, previous season finish, etc.)

Round 2 and Beyond

After Round 1 completes, Bravara calculates which team has the lowest average score based on Round 1 picks. That team picks first in Round 2.

After Round 2 completes, Bravara calculates which team has the lowest average score based on Rounds 1 AND 2 combined. That team picks first in Round 3.

This continues for every round: the pick order is always based on cumulative scores from ALL previous rounds.

The Most Common Misconception

"If I have four pre-assigned players on my team, I'll pick last every round."

This is NOT true.

Pre-assigned players count toward your team's score, but what matters is the cumulative score, not the number of players. Here's how it actually works:

Example: Four Pre-Assigned Players

Let's say Team A has four pre-assigned players (coach's kids, returning players, etc.) slotted into Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4.

• Rounds 1-4: Team A is skipped because they already have players in those rounds
• Round 5: Now Team A gets to pick

But here's the key: Team A's pick order in Round 5 depends on their cumulative score from Rounds 1-4.

If Team A's four pre-assigned players have a combined average score that's lower than what other teams drafted in those same rounds, Team A picks first in Round 5.

The system doesn't care that Team A was "skipped" for four rounds. It only cares about the total strength of each team's roster.

Another Example

Round 5 pick order: Team A, Team D, Team C, Team B

Even though Team A was "skipped" for four rounds, they pick first in Round 5 because their roster has the lowest total score.

Why This Creates Balance

Think about what Dynamic Draft is really doing:

1. A team drafts a high-scoring player → their average goes up → they pick later next round
2. A team drafts a lower-scoring player → their average stays low → they pick earlier next round

The system constantly adjusts to keep teams balanced. Every completed round factors into the calculation, so teams that fall behind get better picks to catch up.

Pre-Assigned Players in Detail

Pre-assigned players are players placed on teams before the draft starts (coach's kids, returning players, special placements).

How They Affect Dynamic Draft

1. Their scores count once their round happens - A pre-assigned player in Round 2 counts toward the score calculation starting in Round 3
2. Their rounds are skipped - If a player is pre-assigned to Round 2, that team doesn't pick in Round 2
3. Future pre-assigned players don't affect current order - A player pre-assigned to Round 7 has no effect on Round 3's pick order

Example with Mixed Pre-Assignments

Round 2 pick order: Team C (2), Team A (3), Team D (4), Team B (5)

Teams C and A were "skipped" in Round 1 because they had pre-assigned players, but those players' scores still determined the Round 2 order.

Round-by-Round Walkthrough

Here's a complete example showing how Dynamic Draft unfolds:

Setup

• 4 teams
• Team A has a pre-assigned player in Round 1 (score: 2)
• Round 1 order (for teams without pre-assigned): Team B, Team C, Team D

Round 1

Team totals after Round 1: Team A (2), Team D (3), Team C (4), Team B (5)

Round 2

Pick order recalculated: Team A → Team D → Team C → Team B

Team totals after Round 2: Team A (6), Team D (7), Team C (7), Team B (7)

Round 3

Pick order recalculated: Team A → Team D → Team C → Team B (ties broken by previous order)

And so on. Each round, the team with the lowest cumulative score picks first.

When to Use Dynamic Draft

We recommend Dynamic Draft for all leagues. It consistently produces more balanced teams than standard or snake drafts.

We offer Standard and Snake drafts because some leagues are used to those formats, but if competitive balance matters to you, Dynamic is the way to go.

The One Trade-Off

With Dynamic Draft, you can't look ahead multiple rounds to plan your strategy—you only know the next round's order after the current round finishes.

However, the new order is calculated immediately after the last pick, so it doesn't slow down your draft. As soon as a round ends, you'll see the updated pick order for the next round.

Frequently Asked Questions

"Why did my team pick last even though we had a pre-assigned player?"

Your team's cumulative score from completed rounds was the highest. If your pre-assigned player's round already happened and they had a high evaluation score, that raised your team average, moving you later in the pick order.

"We skipped several rounds due to pre-assigned players. Why are we still picking first?"

Because your cumulative average is the lowest. The number of rounds you were "skipped" doesn't matter—only the total strength of your roster matters.

"Can I see what the scores are during the draft?"

Admins can view Team Totals to see running averages for each team. This helps you understand why teams are ordered the way they are.

"What if two teams have the same score?"

When teams are tied, they stay in their default order (typically the order teams were created). In practice, ties are rare since scores are calculated to one decimal place.

"Do pre-assigned players in future rounds affect the current round's order?"

No. Only players already assigned to teams (from completed rounds or pre-assignments in completed rounds) count toward the cumulative score. A player pre-assigned to Round 7 doesn't affect Round 3's pick order.

"What score is used for the calculation?"

It depends on how you configured your rounds in the Draft Wizard:

• If you set category-specific rounds (like Round 1 = Pitching, Round 2 = Catching), the order is based on that round's category score. So if Round 1 is Pitching, then Round 2's pick order is based on each team's pitching scores. If Round 2 is Catching, then Round 3's order is based on catching scores.

• If you use Overall (the default), the order is based on each team's Overall evaluation scores.

Most leagues keep all rounds set to Overall, which works great. Category-specific rounds are useful if you want to prioritize certain positions in certain rounds.

Summary

Dynamic Draft reorders teams after each round based on cumulative roster strength:

• Round 1: Order is randomized or manually set
• Round 2+: Lowest cumulative score picks first
• Pre-assigned players: Their scores count once their round happens, their rounds are skipped
• The goal: Keep all teams competitive by giving weaker rosters better picks

The key thing to remember: it's about cumulative score, not number of players or rounds skipped. A team with four pre-assigned players can still pick first if their roster score is the lowest.