CIL S3 Championship Analysis: I've Had My Share of Sand Kicked In My Face

By now, you're probably aware that Season 3 of the CIL has ended and the Kinglers have finally grasped the title :)

I was surprised with the amount of very positive feedback on Twitter from the teambuilding analysis for other successful league matches and decided that, since the Kinglers are on a budget, this would be our championship parade.

If you missed the replay, it's here: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7customgame-601653044

Before it even begins, I want to remind everyone that neither Blue or I had much time to prep for this game.  My prep began exactly 6 minutes before our match was scheduled to begin (causing us to start a little late but within the 15-minute window the CIL allows) and I'm sure Blue was in a similar situation.  That said, I was very happy with my prep and having played him in week 1, there was a number of things I was able to recall from then that helped me speed things up.

One thing you'll notice from the team build is that every Kingler member currently on my roster that has been with the Kinglers for multiple seasons was on the championship team except for Cletus.  I tried to find ways to fit her in but her bulk was insufficient for the insane amount of power on the Koko Puff roster.  The best set I could think of was a SpDef set, but Beef made so much more sense packing more bulk, more offense, and Thick Fat for Kyurem + Darm.  More on teambuilding first, but if you feel content with the explanation in my video, feel free to skip to the breakdown below it.

Team Analysis
Big Mamapotomus (Hippowdon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Roar

I wanted to run sand because he only had one good response to Excadrill, being Suicune.  His entire team could be OHKO'd or 2HKO'd by any combination of two attacks so it seemed like the optimal bring. Max HP & 160 Def was enough to take two HJKs from 252+ Atk Mega Lop, two Flare Blitzes from 252 Atk Darm, his strongest physical attackers, as well as 252+ SpAtk Vikavolt's Energy Ball and 252+ SpAtk Grass Knot from Nihilego.  I would need the bulk to set up sand twice so Guacamole could sweep.

Guacamole (Excadrill) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 160 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance

Earthquake does 40% min to 252 / 200+ Suicune, meaning if I could hit it with one Thunderbolt (and one other attack if Wacan, which I didn't account for), nothing can stop Excadrill from sweeping.  On the off-chance I needed to muscle through Suicune with Excadrill, I packed SD since I didn't need the other coverage.  If you're wondering why I prepped for that specific Suicune spread, it was the standard in the calc and near max Def which I expected.  I also felt he needed some speed for Chandelure/ M. Scizor/ and Defensive Manaphy, or some SpDef to avoid being set up fodder for offensive Manaphy/ to win a potential CM war.

Poseidon (Manaphy) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Energy Ball
- Ice Beam
- Heart Swap

I had 3.5 defensive pivots in mind for this game, this was the .5 lol.  Poseidon was planned as a sack to Mega Lop or a reliable check to Darm, which is why you see the Rocky Helmet instead of Leftovers.  Lefties would enable it to take two HJKs from 252+ Lop but after realizing I only needed one Rocky Helmet hit to OHKO w/ Excadrill, I opted for the Helmet, which also broke any potential sashes that might halt the late Guacamole sweep.  Heart Swap was just in case Suicune caused problems setting up or Nihilego was getting those juicy beast boosts, PuP/ Agility Lop, etc.

Beef Jones (Snorlax) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 240 HP / 224 Atk / 44 Def
Adamant Nature
- Facade
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Heavy Slam

None of his special attackers can take on Beef and with the Icium Z on his side, Beef was basically a must-bring.  Pursuit was to make sure Sash Nihilego's item was useless if he tried to switch out and save it, Facade was in case I needed to damage Suicune and got burned, Crunch for Dhelmise, and Heavy Slam for Kyurem, Mimikyu, Nihilego, and Shuckle.

Iron Mantis (Scizor) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 168 SpD / 88 Spe
Careful Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost

I regretted not bringing our Mega last time but Suicune was enough deterrent to scare it off.  Not this time.  Iron Mantis was determined to help lead the team to victory even if it meant not setting up.  I needed Defog to ensure Sticky Webs couldn't slow down Guacamole, and U-Turn because it invited in Darm without it.  The spread was designed to creep Suicune with a little speed investment itself and the SpDef lived Fire Blast from standard Garchomp, and HP Fire from 252+ Nihilego after rocks if he successfully predicted a switch-in.  It also was an additional Ice & Dragon resist from Kyurem as well as one of few Bug Buzz switch-ins on the team.

RNGesus (Thundurus) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 88 HP / 228 SpA / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Agility


The sole reason I brought RNGesus was to hit Suicune with one Thunderbolt.  Ideally, also KO it but all I needed was one hit.  This set is actually bad in the given match-up and could have been drastically improved by dropping a set-up move for Knock Off and I'll explain why in the game breakdown.  The speed creeps Nihilego and the SpAtk is to OHKO offensive Garchomp with HP Ice because of Expert Belt.  Although we had Electrium Z, I felt it was detrimental to that important calc so I had to forgo a Z-Crystal.  A Z-Move for Drill would have been ideal actually... but that's not how our system worked this season.


Breakdown

Leading Iron Mantis was kind of risky for me given a potential scarf Darm lead, but I felt comfortable with the ability to either bait out a Flare Blitz to get some nice rocky helmet chip on him with Poseidon, or even better if he went for U-Turn predicting the switch.  Instead he lead Suicune, likely predicting a Big Mama lead and knowing my team's weakness to Water types, but that's exactly why I thought speed on Iron Mantis might be a good idea.  The 17% chip U-Turn damage was important because it revealed a lack of Leftovers but also was important because the Wacan Berry meant even after taking a Tbolt, Suicune could have still checked Guacamole had I not gotten that 17%.  With this extra damage, Suicune was no longer capable of doing so and absolutely nothing was stopping Guacamole from getting at least one KO, and more likely multiple KOs, each time it hit the field, even revenge KOing Suicune immediately even without sand.  Since he got a Scald burn on Thundurus right away, that meant the speed on Iron Mantis effectively guaranteed Guacamole's sweep because a burned U-Turn + the Wacan Tbolt damage would not have put it in range of EQ.

The full para on Suicune then was frustrating for Blue because it meant RNGesus couldn't get KO'd right away and I was able to sack it later vs Darmanitan which made my decision making process a lot easier.  All I really had to do was make safe, conservative plays to chip away at the team and aggressive doubles on his end predicting such play would have forced me to sack but also enabled Guac to get on the field and KO things.  The absolute best play I could have made would have been to Knock Off if I had it and as promised, this is the explanation of that teambuilding mistake.

If he had a clutch berry (he did), obviously I could have removed it and simultaneously negated the Mirror Coat threat completely.  It also would have covered a switch in from Scarf Garchomp who I expected to come in on a Tbolt and try to revenge KO.  The Knock Off would have put it in range of HP Ice the following turn and remove the threat of being outrun by a Scarf set.  AV Dhelmise, his middle ground play would have taken super effective damage and lost its item in the process so if I had the foresight to pack Knock Off in the few minutes of prep,

When he switched in Lopunny on a Heavy Slam from Beef Jones, everything except Garchomp had taken the damage necessary for the game plan and Big Mama could guarantee that damage by being able to take any two hits from Chomp outside of 252+ Banded Outrage, for which I had Scizor to take the second hit and also live a subsequent Fire Blast if he stayed in, only got two turns, and didn't hit himself in confusion.  This mon was such a threat, which was why I was willing to click HP Ice on Suicune (after it took the tbolt).  RNGesus had already done its job and the damage on Chomp would have kind of meant the game was over but he was smart not to risk that.

There was a HJK miss on Poseidon that was also unfortunate, but it was already in range of Guac at that point, as well as Big Mama's EQ.  If he had connected the HJK on Poseidon, after Rocky Helmet, it would have been in range of Iron Mantis's Bullet Punch and he needed two max rolls to 2HKO Poseidon.  I only mention it because, as crazy as it might seem initially, the hax on this turn was inconsequential to the outcome.  It would have changed the rest of the plays, of course, but not the outcome.

Because of the hax, I was never able to get Guacamole in safely, which is in some ways a good thing.  Due to Excadrill's offensive pressure, it did extend the game and potentially open the door for momentum to shift against me if I misplayed, but it also meant that I had a greater degree of control and any hax at that point couldn't prevent me from winning (as we saw when Poseidon was crit by Flare Blitz which kept the Darm alive).

I think Blue played fantastically the entire game except for letting Suicune take the Tbolt.  Initially after being told he went for Mirror Coat, I thought it was a clever tech but the damage meant that literally by the second turn I had almost finished doing what I needed for the Guac sweep.  Suicune needed to stay at least at around half health to check my sand mode or at 56% to ensure it could still check it even after a crit (although if Guac hadn't taken enough LO recoil, he would also need a Scald burn but it would still leave it in a position where it had probably 2 hits left at most).  If I were advising my opponent I would have built differently, perhaps with a hazard stacking offense and Suicune in the back to always check sand.

In this case it came down to having a better team matchup so that I never had to stunt or make any plays; I just had to make safe moves to ensure I could win the game with Guac and leave nothing to chance.  I've been really proud of my teambuilding this season, being able to do that almost every single game whereas in past seasons, my builds have been hasty and my success was predicated heavily on prediction.  While I still enjoy stunting from time to time, I enjoy having a championship in the Kingler office even more :)


MVP
The MVP of the Championship definitely has to go to Big Mama.  Although RNGesus, Poseidon, and Iron Mantis all got KOs, Big Mama led the team with 3 KOs and saved us from the sheer power of the Koko Puffs, so the defensive MVP was also the source of our offense as well :)


Final Thoughts
I know this was a crazy long analysis but I feel that all the information I discussed was pertinent to understanding the outcome as well as why I made the plays I did.  If anyone applies the principles that lead to my decisions, I think it could help others grow into an even higher level of play, which is the entire reason I do posts like this in the first place.

I've said it many times but my hat's off to Blue who played every turn after the second perfectly, and had a phenomenal season outside of that, finishing second in the regular season, getting the first round bye, dominating the semifinal match and playing valiantly in the championship.  He will most certainly be back with a vengeance in season 4 for the RU draft, but for now I'm not even thinking about future seasons, just enjoying the success of the current one :)  Thanks for sticking around and I'll see you on Twitter!

CIL Season 4 Rules: RU Ready for This?!

Thank you for your interest in the CIL as we head into our 4th season!  I'm honestly surprised we had two but as long as there's interest, I'll do my best to keep this train rolling!

The Draft

I. Before a new season, teams will enter a lottery like that which is used in the NBA to determine draft-order for the next season. 

II. Playoff teams are exempt from the lottery and placed in reverse-seeding order at the end of the draft.  Tied playoff seeds (such as quarterfinalists) will have their position in the draft assessed by their differential at the end of the previous season.

III. The lottery will use a weighted system with lower seeds from the previous season having the best odds of being picked early with all ties being settled by differential from the previous season (so if two teams finished 3-7 but one had a -2 differential and the other a -4, the -4 team is more heavily weighted and more likely to be picked sooner).  The website I used last time and will likely use again this time is: http://www.draftpicklottery.com/

IV. New teams entering the CIL will be shuffled into the lottery with minimum weight on them, making them less-likely to have the earliest picks.

Bans 

I.  Only Pokemon in the Smogon RU tier or below will be allowed in the draft with some exceptions listed below.  As this document is coming out much earlier than the season's start, make sure to check back before the draft and view the draft board carefully to ensure you're up-to-date with bans.  If there are any questions as to why certain Pokemon are banned, ask your local Kevmissioner for an explanation.

• Necrozma
• Cresselia
• Hoopa
• Feraligatr
• Cloyster
• Tornadus
• Nidoqueen

II. Mega Stones will be banned. Due to the lack of Megas in the tier, it isn't possible for each team to be balanced with a mega.

III. All moves and mechanics banned from the RU tier will not be permitted in the league, such as Baton Pass, Drizzle, and all Smogon-wide Clauses.  For more information, see www.smogon.com/dex/sm/formats/ru

IV. Banned Moves:

• Aurora Veil: already banned from RU.
• Baton Pass: already banned from RU.
• Omni-boosting Z-Moves: They are often banned from leagues and will continue to be banned from the CIL due to an unfair advantage this very powerful form of set-up can impose.  Often the defensive boosts make it difficult or impossible to revenge KO set up mons and is very restrictive on team building. 
• Belly Drum: This might be controversial to some but I feel that because many BD users can adjust their coverage really well that there would be almost no room for counter play once the user has set up.  For instance, Slurpuff's best counter, Doublade is only available to one person and it can run Thief to reliably 2HKO at +6.  Another example: 252/252+ Chesnaught, one of the best counters to Linoone, is OHKO'd by Gunk Shot as a coverage option.  
• While there is obviously still ways for these Pokemon to be dealt with (such as Kebia berry Chesnaught in the above example), the alternatives for dealing with the opponent's Belly Drum user would be extremely limited and predictable, making it unfairly advantageous for the Belly Drum user in preparing for the match.  
• With screens, Memento, Parting Shot, Z-Belly Drum etc, to support and/or provide multiple opportunities to utilize it, I feel it would be too easy to set up Belly Drums and diminish the competitive value of this format.
• While it may invalidate something like Linoone in the format, who really can't complete many other roles well, I feel the expense of one Pokemon drastically improves balance and counter play.  Additionally, every other viable Belly Drum user in the format is capable of running multiple other sets effectively.

V. UN-Bans: There are some Pokemon I feel exist in higher tiers that could be in an RU draft and not only not disturb the balance, but improve balance within the draft.  The Pokemon from higher tiers that will be allowed in the RU draft are: 

• Forretress
• Forretress is being allowed in because of limited access to both reliable hazard removal and viable Steel types within the draft.  
• It lacks reliable recovery and strong offensive potential making it manageable from both offensive and defensive angles, and has an exploitable 4x weakness.
• Klefki
• Klefki is being allowed in because of limited access to viable steel types within the draft.
• While having a very useful support movepool, good typing, and reasonable bulk, it poses little to no threat offensively.  It also lacks reliable recovery making it susceptible to being worn down.
• Tentacruel
• Tentacruel is being allowed in because of limited access to reliable hazard removal.
• It's good speed, ability to spin, access to hazards, and good bulk make it a strong choice in the draft, but it requires Z-Haze for reliable recovery which would limit teambuilding options or accept being worn down more easily.  Offensively, it's fairly weak and possesses an exploitable low defense stat if not heavily invested in making even resisted hits do respectable damage.
• Pelipper
• Pelipper is being allowed because of limited access to reliable hazard removal.
• Pelipper is only OU on rain teams for its access to Drizzle.  Prior to getting Drizzle, it was PU by usage in Gen VI.
• Drizzle is banned from UU and below so Pelipper is not overpowered for the RU draft meta with only Rain Dish and Keen Eye, and if used as a defogger, it is forced to run Keen Eye.

VI. If banned tech is brought, the match will still be played to completion to assess how to effectively penalize the breach in rules. 

• If the team bringing the banned tech loses, no additional penalty will be administered. 
• Differential will be applied as normal.
• If the team bringing the banned tech wins, this will be reversed and they will be dealt a loss for the game, while the team playing against banned tech will be awarded a win.
• In this scenario where the outcome is reversed, both teams will have the differential altered to 0, win or lose.

Team Rosters

I. Pokemon on each team's roster of 11 Pokemon must be static except under the following conditions:

• Each team is allowed five (5) total roster transactions to alter their team between weeks 2-6.  Week two is the first week transactions may occur and no transactions can be completed once week six has ended.
• Trades: Each team is allowed to use any number of their allotted transactions on trades with any team in the CIL.
• Trades must be submitted to @KevinVGC on Twitter to be approved by the Kevmissioner (simply to check that all these conditions are met).
• Free Agents: Each team is allowed to use any number of their allotted transactions on free-agent acquisitions per season.
• Once a Pokemon has been dropped from a team's roster, any coach may acquire that Pokemon provided he or she has not already used his or her one free-agent acquisition.
• Free agency moves must be submitted to @KevinVGC on Twitter to be approved by the Kevmissioner (simply to check that all these conditions are met).
• A dropped Pokemon will not be considered to be available in free agency until it has been approved (to avoid timing discrepancies).
• An acquired Pokemon will not be considered on a team's roster until it has been approved as well.
• Roster changes do not take effect immediately.  Approved changes will be visible on the draft board spreadsheet and available the subsequent week as described on the spreadsheet.

II. All roster change requests will be processed in the order they are received through the Twitter account, whether the CIL's official account or the Kevmissioner.  No one else may confirm transactions.  The CIL operates under that limitation so that if requests are submitted closely together, it will be easy to discern whose was submitted first.


III. Multi-Form Pokemon

• Pokemon with multiple forms are drafted on the individual form.  For instance, drafting Rotom-Mow gives me access only to Rotom-Mow, not any other Rotom forms.  Other examples where individual forms must be drafted include but are not limited to: Gourgeist, Cosplay Pikachu, Wormadam, Basculin (different colors get different abilities), Oricorio, Lycanroc, etc.
• Coaches will have to designate specifically which form they wish to take in the draft itself.  In the event that they have not been clear, the draft will pause and not progress until a distinction has been confirmed.
• If the different form is purely aesthetic (such as Vivillon), no distinction is required; coaches drafting such Pokemon can use whatever sprite they like.  Examples include but are not limited to: Unown, Sawsbuck, Gastrodon, Florges, Furfrou, etc.
• Pokemon like Silvally, which require a held item to achieve that form will be drafted broadly, meaning drafting Silvally gives you access to every Silvally form because it has to hold the item to be that form.
• In previous seasons, we required coaches to declare which form they would be bringing.  This will not be required this season.
• Pokemon whose forms change in battle (such as Cherrim, Meloetta, Castform, Wishiwashi, Minior, etc) are drafted broadly since they all have their base form and can only change in battle. So drafting Meloetta gives the coach access to both Aria and Pirouette forms.

IV. Z-Crystals:

• After the draft, each coach must declare one Pokemon to be their "Z-Captain". 
• The Z-Captain can hold any Z-Crystal.
• Coaches no longer have to declare Z-Crystals.
• No other Pokemon on a roster besides the designated Z-Captain may hold Z-Crystals.
• The Z-Captain cannot change at any point; once declared, it is that team's Z-Captain for the remainder of the season.
• Z-Captains cannot be traded or swapped in free agency.
• Bans and Restrictions
• All omni-boosting moves like Z-Conversion, Z-Celebrate, etc, are banned, consistent with the GBA.  
• All evasion Z-moves like Z-Magnet Rise, Z-Kinesis, etc are banned consistent with both the GBA and the Evasion Clause of Smogon.  
• Mewnium Z is banned, consistent with the GBA ban as well as the fact that it is banned from UU and all tiers below it.

Battles 

I. Players have two weeks to complete their matches, constituting one CIL "week" unless extenuating circumstances prevent a match from happening.  In this case, an extension will be granted to both teams if the request is submitted to the Kevmissioner or @CIL_Official on Twitter with 24 hours notice prior to the conclusion of that week.  No notice results in a -3 differential loss for each team.

II. All battles will take place on Pokemon Showdown in either RU or Anything Goes at an agreed-upon time by both coaches.  If there are any problems finding time, contact your nearest Kevmissioner for help.

III. Rules will follow standard Smogon rules. To review general rules: 

• http://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/formats/ru/
• To review Smogon-wide clauses: http://www.smogon.com/articles/clauses

IV. The timer should always be turned on except in the event of a disconnection. If a player should accidentally disconnect during a battle, the connected coach should turn off the timer to allow the other coach time to return to the battle.  

• Should the disconnected coach be unable to resume, the connected coach may turn on the timer and temporarily claim victory so that he or she may use the replay to send to the disconnected coach so that they may recreate the battle as it was to that point.  If new hax (such as a Critical Hit or status ailment) that did not take place in the original play transpires in the recreation of the battle, coaches are expected to start over in recreating the battle.
• Variable damage rolls are acceptable in the event that it does not lead to a knockout that it did not obtain in the original battle (i.e. if Gliscor survives with 1% in the original battle and get's KO'd by a higher damage roll in the re-creation, coaches are expected to start over in re-creating the battle).
• The disconnecting coach should also utilize his or her phone to contact their opponent on Twitter immediately to inform them of the disconnect.

V. No forfeits will be permitted.  Having accurate measures of differential is important for determining end-of-season standings.  Forfeiting will result in a 6-0 loss for the forfeiting team.

VI. No shows: if someone does not show up within 15 minutes after a previously agreed-upon match time without providing advanced notice, they will be considered to be no show.  A no show results in a differential of -3 added to that coach's score regardless of the outcome of the match whenever it does take place.  Any disputes on the matter should be resolved with screenshots.

• In the event that one of the coaches commits two no-shows for a single opponent, the offender will take a 6-0 loss and -6 differential with no opportunity to make it up.  The other coach will play their match against the sub to assess the proper differential to be awarded to them.
• Coaches who have to play against the sub after their original opponent no-showed twice will automatically be awarded a win for the week even if they lose against the sub.
• A loss by any margin will result in +0 differential.  Wins will assess differential as normal.
• If any coach commits three no-shows in a season, they will be removed from the CIL. 
• If matches from two previous C-weeks do not take place, each coach will be automatically subbed in for by designated CIL subs (most likely the Kevmissioner and the Chasemissioner).  For instance, if a week 1 match has not taken place yet, the day week 3 begins, the subs will be in control of that game.
• If one of these coaches has been showing a consistent effort to get the match scheduled, only the non-responsive coach will be subbed in.
• This substitution will be treated just as the no-show, with the coach who made the efforts getting an automatic win, but differential determined exactly the same as the no-show method.
• If coaches are non-responsive and do not complete two consecutive matches, they will be removed from the CIL and replaced.
• Replacement coaches will be determined by the Kevmissioner.

VII. Substitutions: any coach may have anyone of their choosing (except for their opponent for that week) substitute a match in the event that they would be unable to complete a battle even with a reasonable time extension.  

• There is no limit to the amount of times a coach can have someone substitute for them, but if that team wins the league, the coach playing the most games will be considered the league champion.
• When determining who is eligible to continue for the next season, the coach who finishes the season will still be considered to have finished the season and automatically have their spot reserved in the subsequent season.
• Coaches leaving the league for the remainder of the season may have the option to select their replacement, to be approved by the Kevmissioner.
• If not, the league will find a suitable replacement at its discretion, to be determined by the Kevmissioner.
• If the substituting coach already has a team active in the CIL and they need to play against themselves, the Kevmissioner will determine who will substitute in for that match.

The Season and Post-Season 

I. The regular season takes place over eight (8) CIL-weeks (or 16 real weeks)

II. Playoffs - At the conclusion of the regular season, standings will be evaluated to determine playoff seeding.

• The top two teams from each conference will receive a playoff seed and first round bye.  The second place teams from each conference will also be awarded a playoff spot in which they will play against wildcard seeds determined by ranking.  Two wildcard seeds will be selected regardless of division and based on record making a total of six (6) playoff teams.
• In the event of a tie in records, differential will be used to determine which team gets a playoff seed.
• In the event of a tie in differential and record, we will hold a playoff match between the two teams and the winner will receive the remaining playoff seed for his or her conference.
• The number one seed in each conference automatically advances to the semi-finals while the two and three seeds play a quarterfinal match.

IV. Championship - Players going undefeated in their conference playoff-rounds will have the opportunity to play for the CIL Championship.  If I had a belt, I would totally give it to the winner, but I don't.  Sorry yall.  I would also really like to hold this on stream and pretend it's a televised event (maybe have the Pro Bowl as an opening event?) because I think that would be fun.  It will depend on schedules.  We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

The Off-Season and Pre-Season

I. After the conclusion of the Post-Season we will begin the off-season.  Mostly nothing happens here except occasional chatter in the coach's chat.  When we "officially" enter the pre-season, it will then be determined what coaches will begin the next season of the CIL.

II. Any coach who completed their season will have a spot guaranteed in the next season if they decide to continue.  This spot may not be given to anyone directly and if a coach choses not to enter, that spot will be gone, not replaced except in the event of article III below:

III. If there is an odd or insufficient number of coaches entering the next season of the CIL, the existing coaches will determine how many spots to add and recruit accordingly.

• Coaches may vote or voice their opinion in who is selected, but as always, final say comes down to your good ol' Kevmissioner.  
• Unless it's someone who has previously dropped the league one or more times, I likely won't say no, but even that's not a deal-breaker.  Some coaches have maintained a high-level of activity within the CIL even after dropping and special consideration will be given for their dedication.

IV. Once the teams have been decided, the Kevmissioner will open the door for voting on any prospective rule-changes or practices via everyone's favorite way to exercise their democratic freedom: straw polls.

V. After everything has been confirmed and teams have been decided, the draft, and therefore the season, will begin.

I think that's it.  Let me know if I missed anything.