In this short article, I would like to share some tips for Fantasy Champions League success. They are very simple and basic, but they were a vital part of my strategy that helped me to finish:
- 23rd in UCL Fantasy overall ranking in 2018/19,
- 216th in 2019/20 season
- 494th in 2020/21 season
- 86th in 2021/22 season
- 9084th in 2022/23 season
- 2322nd in 2023/24
It helped me ranked 5th in the Hall of Fame of UCL Fantasy top managers, according to Official UCL Fantasy website published in 2021 (Source).
Tips for UCL Fantasy Success
Now, let’s jump to UCL Fantasy Tips.
1. Have two captaincy options for every Matchday
Captaincy is hugely important for success in the Fantasy Champions League. That’s why you have to pick your captain carefully.
Because we are able to change our captaincy during matchday to a player who is yet to play, always have two great captaincy picks in your squad. One for Tuesday and one for Wednesday (if Tuesday’s captain blanks).
But remember, you will lose doubled points from your Tuesday captain when you decide to switch the armband to somebody else. That’s why you should do it only if the first captain does not score a satisfying (I recommend 6) amount of points.
Read more about this in our article: UCL Fantasy Captaincy Thresholds: When to change captain?
2. Plan the captaincy ahead
Plan your captains ahead for upcoming matchdays (preferably for the whole Champions League group stage) and have a plan how to get your captaincy picks in your team with free transfers (I recommend no hits).
Do not be afraid to switch around premium players based on fixture and based on which one is the best captain in the current matchday.
3. Have a balanced squad for Tuesday and Wednesday
Because of substitutions that we can make in our UCL Fantasy squads, it is highly rewarding to have a balanced squad for Tuesday and Wednesday with half of your team playing on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.
Try to avoid situations when you have just a few players for Tuesday and a lot of them for Wednesday. Because if all those Tuesday’s players in your fantasy team score, you will have a substitutions headache.
I recommend 8 players for Tuesday and 7 for Wednesday, but sometimes you can go 9 – 6 depending on how you will handle fixtures next matchday (for example, you plan to play some of your chips). If you have a high imbalance, you will have trouble the next matchday.
4. Use your chips wisely (in group stage?)
One last tip I have for you is about chips. It is up to you when you use our wildcard and limitless wildcard.
In the group stage, we have only two transfers between matchdays. In the elimination round, we get a bunch of transfers every round.
And, our budget increases by 5m before the R16 which makes Limitless Wildcard less effective. So maybe saving your chips for the elimination rounds does not have to be as rewarding as using them in the group stage.
But it is up to you and you should plan when you will be using your chips ahead and make it part of your strategy.
My advice is: to check all the group stage fixtures before the MD1 and prepare your chip strategy depending on fixtures. Preferably, use both chips in the group stage and target easy fixtures with them.
5. Target easy fixtures
UCL Fantasy is all about fixtures. Target teams that have the best fixtures and switch between premium players depending on their fixtures using free transfers and chips.
6. Avoid -4 point hits
There are two ways you can increase the points your team will score during the season:
- Increase the number of scored points
- Eliminate unnecessary losses – in this case, -4 point hits.
Try to avoid -4 point hits at all costs. Plan ahead, see the long-term picture and do not lose points by taking unnecessary transfers. If you can plan ahead, you can almost always avoid taking -4 point hits, which will lead to a higher overall amount of points your team will score.
Conclusion
New campaign of UCL Fantasy starts on short notice. Hopefully, my simple tips for success will help you to have a great season. Good luck to you all!
