My Winning Strategy for GameDay Squad Classic:
GameDay Squad Classic is hands down one of the best fantasy AFL formats out there. Why? It’s not just the strategy and skill involved—it’s the sheer variety and flexibility in how you can play. Whether you're chasing weekly wins or climbing the overall leaderboard, there’s a method to the madness. Here’s a look at the strategies that helped me come 6th overall in 2023 and 1st in 2024, on the way to more than $5000 in prize money, and how you can use them to your advantage. For more on GDS strategy and the Starter competition I've highlighted that here.
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Salary Cap: The Foundation of Every Classic Team
Let’s start with the basics: your salary cap. A base team of all bronze players will cost you $11 million, leaving you $1.5 million in cap space. Every $100,000 represents an additional 0.1x multiplier to a player’s score, so the challenge is distributing that wisely across your team.
Here’s the trick:
Stack silver, gold, and platinum cards on positions that score consistently high—like rucks, mids, and top-tier defenders.
Use bronze cards for all other lower-scoring positions like forwards and your lower defenders to free up cap space for your heavy hitters.
In 2024, the highest-scoring positions were, as above, rucks, mids, and the best defenders. I stacked these positions with silver, gold or platinum cards wherever possible. on weeks I was less sure about match ups, I spread my risk by using more silver cards instead of betting heavily on just one or two big-ticket players. Forwards, on the other hand, nearly always were bronze cards because they generally dont consistently score as well.
The All-Star Card: Your Secret Weapon
The All-Star card is the ultimate game-changer. Costing $700,000 (the same as a Gold card), it offers a 1.35x score multiplier, outperforming platinum cards. The catch? You can only play one per week.
The key to maximizing an All-Star card is timing. Play the right cards during a week when one of your stars has a favorable matchup, and you’ll squeeze every bit of value out of that 0.15x cap advantage. Trust me, it’s worth the investment. Use this for more ways to get free packs
Two Ways to Play Classic: Weekly Wins vs. Overall Strategy
GameDay Squad Classic is unique because it allows you to play the game in two completely different ways:
The Overall Game
This is all about consistency. Pick the best-scoring meta team every week and aim to stay near the top of the leaderboard. Sure, you might miss out on the weekly prize here and there if your team lacks standout PODs (points of difference), but you’ll always be in the mix for that top-5 finish and a prize card.
The Weekly Game
This is the high-risk, high-reward strategy. Forget the leaderboard—your sole focus is picking a team that can win this week.
Track matchups and weather.
Fade common picks in favor of PODs with high upside.
Target key forwards or other players who are likely to dominate against weak opponents.
In 2025 the forward line in my opinion will be the greatest opportunity to pull this off. if your key forward plays the tigers - play his legend (if you have it).
The beauty of Classic is that you don’t have to stick rigidly to one strategy. If you start climbing the overall leaderboard, you can pivot to a safer, more consistent approach. If you’re further down, take some risks and go all-in on PODs for a chance at weekly glory.
Building Your Team: What Worked in 2024
Let’s get specific. Here’s how I built my team in 2024 to take the overall win:
Rucks: Always gold or better. These players consistently scored the highest.
Mids: A mix of gold and silver cards to spread risk and maximize value.
Defenders: Top-tier defenders got silver cards, as they were still reliable scorers.
Forwards: Primarily bronze cards, unless I had a standout gold or platinum forward in a weekly match up.
The logic is simple: invest your salary cap in the positions that provide the most consistent returns. It’s not flashy, but it works.
Market opportunity: As of writing this in Jan 2025 there is a current opportunity on the GDS market to capitalize on the increased cost of platinum cards due to the challenger competitions tasty prize money. This has left gold cards behind and as a result their value has fallen below fair. These cards would be excellent to target to fill up the classic cap in 2025.
Seasonal Winning Strategy for GameDay Squad Classic : Play the Long Game
While I’ve had my fair share of weekly wins, I’ve found that focusing on the seasonal strategy delivers the best overall results. The key here is matchups.
Each week, I analyzed:
Which teams were vulnerable to specific positions.
Weather conditions that could affect scoring.
Players with favorable roles or form.
However I did not throw significant darts playing mostly proven performers each week.
This approach not only helped me win several weekly prizes but also kept me competitive in the overall rankings. And while I’ve come 4th way too many times, the consistency paid off in the long run. See my 1/1 Prize card Mckercher.
Boom-Bust Strategy: Chasing Weekly Glory
If you’re feeling bold, the boom-bust strategy is where it’s at. The idea is to fade common picks and take a punt on unique players who have the potential to explode.
For example:
Target key forwards playing against struggling defenses. They’re always a chance to kick a bag.
Look for data-driven matchups that suggest one player has a significant edge.
Yes, it’s risky. But when it pays off, it pays off big. If you manage to fade a heavily-selected player during a down week, you’ll rocket up the leaderboard.
What Sets GameDay Squad Apart?
GameDay Squad isn’t just another fantasy format—it’s a whole new way to experience AFL Fantasy:
Year-Round Competitions: Starter, Classic, Challenger, and Open competitions run throughout the season, and finals so there’s always something to play for.
Flexibility in Strategy: You can switch seamlessly between chasing weekly wins and climbing the overall leaderboard.
Prizes Galore: With weekly, seasonal, and finals prizes, you’re never out of contention.
Plus, when your Friday night captain flops with a 10 point first quarter injury in AFL Fantasy Classic, Draft or Supercoach formats, In GameDay Squad you can jusy shift focus to another team. No other fantasy format offers that level of flexibility.
Key Takeaways
Cap Management Is King: Focus your budget on positions that deliver the best returns—rucks, mids, and defenders.
Leverage the All-Star Card: Use it strategically for maximum impact.
Adapt Your Strategy: Play it safe for overall success or take risks for weekly wins.
Use Data to Your Advantage: Analyze matchups, weather, and form to make informed decisions.
Closing Thoughts
GameDay Squad Classic is as much about strategy as it is about execution. Whether you’re building a balanced team for overall consistency or taking risks to chase weekly wins, the key is flexibility. With the right combination of smart salary cap management, use of All-Star cards, and matchup analysis, you can climb the leaderboard and secure those coveted prize cards. i hope you enjoy my winning strategy for GameDay Squad Classic.
Get involved, and use our code "BOBAFL" at sign up for to jump start your team with some free packs. Drop us a comment below who you think will be the top Defender in 2025 and their average. Head here if you want to know more about Gamedays Squad.
Cheers
Goal Practitioner
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