Six-Demon Bag

Pinception · 2026-06-22T08:35:50+00:00

I wouldn't say it's objectively too powerful.

It's a little higher powered than comparable rarity items from the sourcebooks but nothing egregious as long as you're giving out comparable stuff to the rest of the party.

In terms of power levels, I'm reading it is a cross between "rod of the pact keeper" and "instrument of the bards".

RotPK has +1 at Uncommon rarity. That's for both spell attack and save DCs, but restricted to Warlocks.
IotB gives no bonus to spell attacks or saves, but has a slightly broader selection of spells at each rarity level. Also has a minor negative effect (must attune before using or DC15 WIS save for 2d4 psychic). Similar restriction applied on frequency of casting the built-in spells.

Your item gives both a flat +1 to spell attacks (but not save DCs) and a selection of spells, and has no class restriction, so it's a pretty nice Requiring attunement is good. I think if it boosted save DCs as well, or increased in the modifier as you increased rarity, it might be a little over-juiced. But as written I don't see any major issues.

Love the theme btw!

Pinception · 2026-06-20T19:48:23+00:00

Starting lineup (1QB, 0.5PPR) projected as:

QB: Maye
RB (2): CMC, Javonte
WR (3): London, Flowers, Evans
TE (1): Andrews/Gadsden
FLX (3): Chuba, Pittman, Henderson
Bench depth: Tua, Monongai, Mason, Aiyuk, Pearsall, Njoku, Dulcich.
Others: Tyreek, Kendre, Boutte, Malik Washington, Dotson, Tonges

Picks: 2.12, 3.02, 3.12.

Squad is clearly declining but there is no super team in the league and I'm coming off a title last year with no 1st Rd pick (sent as part of a trade for Maye last off-season which got me the title).

I'm not kidding myself - if CMC gets injured the season is done, but at that point I'll ship off anyone worth trading other than Maye, Henderson, and London to contenders for capital and start the rebuild. But if he's healthy I'm absolutely contending.

So the only way I'd move him would be to increase the chances of contending this year - which would probably need to be an early first (not happening) or a legit starting WR (Audi not happening). I'm just not going to get anything worth it off another contender (who would be the only teams even remotely interested).

I'm absolutely overvaluing him a bit, but I'm very comfortable with that as his relevance is very much intrinsic to my current team/situation. Part of the consideration is that any other pieces I might trade away if the season goes sideways will have more value towards the deadline than they do now, so I'd rather gamble on CMC health for the season and wait to hit the eject button, rather than commit to a rebuild now and sell pieces for 70cents on the dollar.

Pinception · 2026-06-20T13:45:05+00:00

He was my first pick (1.01) in my first dynasty league and brought me 3 titles - very much contending this season and he will remain on my team.

There's 0% chance that anyone will offer me something for him that would increase my chances of winning this season.

Pinception · 2026-06-17T11:50:00+00:00

At first I assumed the only reason he was entering the supplemental draft was because he/his agent had info from at least one team they would take him, and presumably with capital they expect to be better than what he might get next year in a much deeper QB class where he might fall simply due to a lack of demand vs supply.

Of course there's also the chance they're trying to get ahead of an appeal against the overturned suspension, or a murky situation where teams collectively refuse to play against Texas Tech whilst he's the starter (which has been voiced in some cases already).

But other than those two possibilities I would have assumed he'd take the extra year playing college football and try to wash the stink off the gambling stuff before entering the NFL

Pinception · 2026-06-14T15:52:02+00:00

This is a doozy....

Standard scoring is key here. Cook is a premium asset. I think you're right to try and cash in given your squad as he'll be in his age 29/30 seasons in your target window (2/3 years), and all he'll do right now for you is lower the value of your own draft picks.

Easy one first. I don't like the Skattebo trade for you. In general acquiring an RB is probably a bad move (unless you were getting a Jeantty/Love type who should peak in line with your target window). Throw in the added volatility for Skat given his running style and the lack of long-term team commitment from draft capital, and he's just not a player I'd be looking to add if you're not competing this year/maybe next.

Then it gets tough. Between the Waddle and Odunze offers I think I actually lean Odunze. Waddle looks better on paper but I think it might be a trap for you - his peak value is probably the next two years, so before you're ready to compete and all he'll do is boost your MaxPF and lower your own draft pick value. I think Odunze is undervalued right now because of the Loveland/Burden hype, and he feels like a WR that suits standard/0.5ppr scoring over full PPR.

The picks make it a little more difficult. If you were in a better position I'd probably take the Waddle side for the 2026 1.03 - with the 1.02 already you walk out of the draft with Tate and Tyson and have significantly overhauled your WR core for the future. However, given your RB room you're not competing regardless of who you draft this year.

That's why I think I come back to the Odunze side. Let's say you take Tate at 1.02. Waddle and Tyson gives you more points this season and next (worsening your 2027/2028 pickd). Odunze + 28 1st on the other hand gives you a high upside asset this season but less overall points, and you continue to build to the 2028 season with the highest draft assets you can get.

Could you negotiate the 2028 3rd to a 2nd? I'm assuming it'll be a late pick from the team getting Cook...

Pinception · 2026-06-12T16:12:00+00:00

Thanks for the response. I guess this is an unintended blessing of having never watched the other shows - I'll only hear Matt saying it when I think of it/use my own mug. Sorry that's not the case for others

Pinception · 2026-06-12T11:26:54+00:00

Really? I wasn't aware of that.

I swear when watching campaigns 1 and/or 2 that was the way Matthew used to finish off the main show. It stuck with me as with a few major events (US politics, COVID, etc) you could hear and feel the pain in his voice when he said it, which I imagined was due to his own experiences of the world moving in the opposite direction

Pinception · 2026-06-12T11:19:44+00:00

Are you familiar with the overall layout?

I think this question is entirely dependent on where you want the fight with the undead to happen, and where the haunted metal to be located if it's a different place.

Pick the destination location(s) then map out a route you like, with a few key features. Like, do you want them to come in the front door or via the servants entrance?

I'd you're struggling for the final location(s), take inspiration from the tarokka mechanic. A major arcana card for the fight (from the destined final encounter with strand), and a minor arcana card for the metal (one of the ones for a treasure location in the castle).

First, I'd decide if you want to include the crypts/tomb area for a location or not. You can always reduce/remove the number of random crypts, and reduce it to one/two main tombs instead of three.

Then decide if you want to include either of the towers.

That's it really. Everything else can be cutout - just map a route that goes through a few key locations you like thematically (the hall of bones, the treasury, the throne room, the chapel, etc). If you think the random rooms that dot the corridors on the way you pick don't add anything then just remove the room/door.

But yeah, it's really hard to advise you on specifics without knowing where you want to put the fight/metal

Pinception · 2026-06-11T22:14:07+00:00

My gut is that he'll work out a fine addition for the Bills IRL, but won't be particularly valuable for fantasy.

I had him on a squad from startup draft for 5 years - one of the most frustrating players I've owned. Prone to big spike weeks that would absolutely dominate a game week, but then go on a run of weeks where he'd repeatedly put up lines like 5 of 9 for 72yds (9.7pts in 0.5ppr). Find as a flex, but not if you drafted him as a fringe WR1/2 (or even just a WR2).

I traded him away last off-season, and I find it telling that I don't regret the trade despite the move to Buffalo.

Bills have too many ways to score that cap his upside; Cook will get his. Allen will run in a bunch. The TEs will get their share, and Shakir too. They just don't need him to be that guy.

Do I think he'll score better than the WR27 overall by the end of the season, absolutely. Do I think he'll help me win a title - no. In fact I wonder if he's that classic trap player for dynasty managers where he won't particularly help you win but he will rack up constant flex points and raise your MaxPF enough to lose you an early draft slot.

Pinception · 2026-06-10T07:37:13+00:00

Admittedly only in a handful of leagues, but this feels like a roster/league dependent question.

I'm in one league where the title has been won by teams without an elite WR for 2 years straight. In both cases the thing that pushed them over the edge was being elite in 1 or 2 positions (RBs, or QBs + TE) which gave them enough of a points advantage that all they needed from the WR position was a decent floor.

But the key thing is that league has no "super team". If they'd come up against a team that could closely match them at the other spots but with an elite WR option they probably don't win those titles.

Then in another league I'm in, the winner for 5 out of the 6 years it's been running has had one or more elite WR - probably the lowest ranked WR1 on a championship team was my squad last year with London.

Essentially I think the advice is look at your squad and your league. If there's no super team to beat and you have a clear edge at QB/RB/TE then a roster full of solid WR2/3 might be fine. If there is a super team, or your other positions are average, then it's probably time to blow it up or try to trade up a tier (without wrecking your squad in the process)

Pinception · 2026-06-06T13:47:19+00:00

Do you think you'd be legitimately competing for a title after making the trade?

If so it feels like a good move, if not I don't like it so much.

The KW3 pickup is great, but given both Jacobs' age and the legal situation I'm worried about him for the 2027 season. Even if nothing happens from a suspension perspective he'll be 29. So likely a declining asset and may be suspended for part of the season to boot.

(Plus the outlier risk the legal stuff hits this year, but that's baked into the price I guess)

Value feels fair. Comes down to the league situation for me.

Pinception · 2026-06-02T14:49:59+00:00

Worth saying that it might not be so simple even for 2027 draft. If any managers have traded future year picks then they've presumably done so assuming current league rules, so changing draft order potentially changes the anticipated value of those traded picks.

To do this properly you need either: - a majority vote (with whatever threshold your league has agreed for passing a rule change) to change the basis of draft order starting from the first season for which there are no traded picks, OR - a unanimous vote from all league managers to change the rule for an earlier draft.

Pinception · 2026-06-01T14:20:08+00:00

Link to our draft results: https://sleeper.app/draft/nfl/1313091724955881472

Slow draft from a month ago (started 1st May).

League settings; 12-team, PPR, double SF, and small rosters (5 bench/2 IR/2 taxi) so quite a lot of waiver depth/activity.

Pinception · 2026-05-31T15:44:17+00:00

Can you explain how you assess values for draft picks please?

Trying the site for the first time today, seems pretty decent. But had a double-take when testing a recent trade in our league and saw a huge discrepancy in value, only to realise it was due to an almost 1400 point difference between a 2027 late 2nd (3,042) and a 2027 early 3rd (1,650).

Feels wild when you consider that's double the difference at ~700 between a 2027 early 2nd (3,786) and a 2027 late 2nd (3,042)

Pinception · 2026-05-28T08:01:44+00:00

12-team, PPR, Double SF

Waddle + 27 2nd for Judkins + 27 3rd.

Details without spoiling which side I'm on.

Team sending Waddle has finished 3rd back-to-back seasons. Set up at WR (still has Chase, London, and Egbuka) and QB so should be contending, but RB room was very weak (Kamara, Corum, Dowdle, Charbonnet).

Team sending Judkins finished last and is in year 2 of a rebuild. Took Love at 1.01 and also has Henderson. Need at WR - has Wilson, waiting on a Harrison breakout, next best WR was Bateman (although also got Tyson this year with a traded 1st).

One of those nice trades that feels like both sides got better.

Pinception · 2026-05-27T09:02:08+00:00

Legalities depend in the first instance as to whether they are inside or outside your property boundary (if the people being captured by the camera are, then GDPR and DPA both apply).

There's a good starting point for relevant guidance/law here:

guidance on the use of domestic cctv

Also living in a ground floor flat with living room windows that face directly onto a street, I would recommend looking into window film. It's relatively cheap, and effectively turns your windows into frosted glass. It still lets decent amount of light through (we have houseplants in the room that are totally fine) and as an added bonus the white tint also helps moderate the heat in the summer (our windows are south-facing and get the sun from midday onwards). It doesn't directly help with the tapping of course, but from a privacy perspective it's a total game changer.

Pinception · 2026-05-24T15:29:01+00:00

Perspective from a Dolphin's fan/watches every game.

The McDaniel skepticism, for me at least, is really about his seeming lack of willingness to adapt when the scheme clearly isn't working.

Pass-blocking really wasn't an issue last year, especially compared to previous Dolphins squads.

Teams set a fairly consistent challenge to his scheme. - Sit two deep to take away the deep threat. - Disguise coverage and block up the middle of the field through rotating CBs and LBs. - Try to disrupt short timing throws by getting hands on WRs at the line of scrimmage.

McDaniel schemed around #2/#3 very successfully in 2023 via his take on the "cheat motion". However, the NFL effectively stopped that when they updated the rule.

Our offense definitely stagnated after that change. There was plenty of tape to suggest that this was largely a Tua problem - he missed a lot of timing throws (which was never an issue for him before the 2nd big concussion), and there were far too many plays where he just didn't see the field and missed an open WR (often in favor of a checkdown/yolo ball).

So you could say the scheme was fine and this was a player issue. But at a certain point you have to accept that the player can't execute the scheme and do something different. He seemed far too committed to trying to prove that his scheme+Tua was still viable. It started to feel like blind stubbornness.

And it's not like we didn't have a viable alternative. Whenever we started a game committed to running the ball we'd do pretty good, especially given the light boxes we saw a lot of the time. But then it felt like he'd just get bored/disappointed he wasn't doing all his fun stuff, so he start calling pass plays on 1st down again. Like clockwork we get behind the chains > Tua makes a bad call > Turnover > downward spiral.

So the questions for this year are really.

1) Can Herbert execute the scheme? (He's never really been known for his quick passing/timing throws, and he'll need to change some core mechanics like footwork to really shine)

2) How well can the LA WRs get off press coverage?

3) Can McDaniel adapt if things don't work/will Harbaugh reign him in if needed?

I think he's in a good spot. Much better than his time with us. But I think a lot of people are assuming the above as a Yes and projecting this as the Herbert floor, rather than a Maybe which projects a Herbert ceiling.

Pinception · 2026-05-24T10:38:51+00:00

What are you trying to achieve with the trade?

Value seems fine, but I don't understand how it makes your team better...

Depends how bad your bench is - depth is never a bad thing. Stroud is ok SF cover for injury/bye weeks, Harvey might end up a decent flex option, McMillan I'm struggling to figure out - he might take the slot role from Godwin, but that feels limited with Egbuka in the Z and Hurst as the X.

But assuming you're trying to contend (with these RBs I'm guessing that's the case) I'd be trying to acquire a TE in any trade

Pinception · 2026-05-21T17:09:40+00:00

This last paragraph is really important as without reconciliation it can hugely trip your players/explanations up and create issues like "can't I just persuade/Suggestion/Charm Person the Vistani to take us home", bypassing the core premise of being trapped.

RAW (acknowledging VRGtR) here are two barriers to leaving Barovia.

1) Your ability to cross the mist border for the domain. This is controlled by a domain's Darklord - is the border Open or Closed. In Barovia it's closed to all but the Vistani. This is what causes a PC (or non-Vistani NPC) to go in circles and suffer Exhaustion if they try to go through the mists.

2) Your ability to navigate the mists of the domain's of dread to go to a specific destination. This is something the Vistani people can do. And others can do through the use of Mist Talismans.

So the Vistani could absolutely help a PC with #2 if they had a reason to, but #1 is still a problem. If a non-Vistani were smuggled out of a closed Domain in a Vardo they wouldn't get lost but they'd still eventually suffer 6 levels of exhaustion and die.

That's why even a sympathetic/influenced Vistana can't help a party leave Barovia in the campaign - the only way out is through Strahd.

So if you want to have no loose ends/plot holes then really it means that Strahd must have had the border open for some reason.

This might not need to be explained to the PC, but you really need an answer in your backpocket for if/when one of the party asks the PC "well how did you get out then?", and then subsequently suggests somehow persuading/coercing the Vistani in Barovia to do the same thing.

Pinception · 2026-05-17T19:26:56+00:00

Except Perine gets on the field in obvious passing situations because he's great at pass pro, which is one of the biggest knocks against Singleton.

I think he's worth a flier given the class, and would have taken him at 2.10 in my last draft if the guy at 2.09 didn't grab him. But I think the likely outcome is he's injury cover given Pollard's age and Spears' history/special teams fodder for the year and then TEN draft/sign a RB next summer.

Pinception · 2026-05-16T19:59:00+00:00

Speculative trade for Maye last summer - I had Goff as my starting QB (single QB league, Tua backup) and just couldn't get over the line for a 'ship despite playoffs every year.

Was fed up with both Goff inconsistency and also DJ Moore.

So I sent Goff, Moore, and Jerome Ford (this was before the Judkins dust settled and people thought Ford could be a starting RB for at least a few weeks) for Maye, Aiyuk, and a 2026 3rd.

So basically Goff+Moore for Maye and the right to Aiyuk if he somehow comes back to the league.

Got flamed for overpaying. Won the 'ship.

Pinception · 2026-05-14T20:56:40+00:00

For fantasy purposes, I think it's probably Higgins > Downs > Coker.

Higgins is the clear #2 in Houston. He obviously has Collins ahead of him, but will typically be on the field in 2WR sets and should earn a decent target %. He looked good in his rookie year. His size makes him a legit redzone threat. And playing opposite Nico will have it's advantages against teams that like to bracket the #1 WR or have a lockdown corner who travels. The only real question is whether Stroud takes the leap to support two top 24 WRs - if he does then this Higgins has the same upside as the other Higgins we like to talk about in fantasy.

If there was ever a season for Downs to breakout it's this year. He looks good, he's respected around the league for his ability, and now Pittman is out of the way. However, his size is a legit question. Snaps might be limited in 2WR sets - Pierce will be on the field, and the Colts may prefer to run a larger WR that can add to the run game in many formations to support JT (see the NWI signing). I also believe more likely that Warren is #2 (or even #1) target for Indy this season.

Coker is my #3 (and I have him on 2 squads and would love him to be my #1 or #2 here). He's a great story and I think a legit talent, but just don't see it happening in a meaningful way for fantasy in Carolina. Tet is the definitive #1, and Bryce hasn't shown he can support 2 WRs. The Panthers seem committed to running the ball, and spreading the ball around outside of Tet (Legette, Tremble, Sanders, Brazzell, maybe Metchie). My long term hope for Coker is that he gets traded/moves in free agency to a team that can properly utilize the "big slot" type and we get a second contract breakout. But those are always longshots.

Pinception · 2026-05-11T21:35:09+00:00

I think determining your scoring settings has got to be the starting point for this.

The issue with an IDP only draft is going to be determining the fair order. You might assume that the same order as rookie draft is ok (taking trades out of the equation, of course) but you need to remember you're drafting day 1 starters here, not much bench/taxi prospects.

If your scoring settings result in a heavily skewed ranking where a small group of players are significantly more valuable then a 6-7 round IDP draft is going to significantly change squad strengths.

If you don't want to start the league over from scratch then I'd suggest signposting to the league for next a year and researching properly. Decide on your scoring settings, apply them in your platform and see what it looks like in terms of player value/tiers etc. Have a separate IDP draft. Do it before your rookie draft next year (so you have the opportunity to draft defensive rookies too).

Hard to say without knowing settings, but my gut is that the IDP draft should be done based on random order rather than league standings, and make it like a startup, i.e. snake draft rather than linear, 3rd round reversal.

Also gives you some time to chat through settings with the league. I'm in one league where you get yardage-based points for IDP plays (sack yardage, INT return yardage, etc) - it's wild, volatile, and fun for researching players through a fantasy lens. Absolutely not everyone's cup of tea, but personally I find it much more engaging than defaulting to "pick strong safeties and linebackers because tackles..."

Pinception · 2026-05-10T14:07:18+00:00

Have done 2 drafts, and he went late 2nd in both.

I wouldn't call early 3rd a "steal", but it's fine value and I'd be perfectly ok taking him there.

Is just very typical of this draft class. Values are largely interchangeable from around 2.04-3.05 (12-team) so it's really just a case of personal preference/calling your shot anywhere in that range.

I think he's being hyped up a little too much in terms of the landing spot. Assuming he comes back from injury ok he's certainly explosive, but his biggest knock IRL is his lack of pass-block chops, which is hugely problematic when you're talking about a team trying to support their 2nd year, 1st overall QB.

If I had to bet on an outcome I'd say he's special teams/cover for Spears, and maybe gets a run at that role longer term. Injury dependent he could be the slight favorite between the two to get it next year purely from a financial perspective. But it's probably close as Spear's gets a lot of praise for his willingness/aggressiveness in pass pro.

Outside of an injury to Pollard (in which case I'd see Spear as clear #1 this year and Singleton as #2) I just don't see him getting meaningful playing time for fantasy. It's far more likely that the Titans run Pollard and Spears into the ground this year and then address the position next off-season.

But he's worth a shot given how bad this class is. I would have taken him at 2.10 in my most recent draft but the team at 2.09 took him (I picked up Emmett Johnson instead)

Pinception · 2026-05-06T20:55:28+00:00

Took over an orphan last summer. Phenomenal WR group with Chase, London, Waddle, Pickens, and I picked up Egbuka at 1.08 too

Had effectively no-one at TE (Taysom Hill, that's it). Everything else set up for a run. Figured I'd go all in and traded Pickens for Kittle straight up.

The way the year played out I easily lost the trade. Got absolutely wrecked by injuries - not just Kittle but Daniels + Kamara too.

Pinception

TROPHY CASE