We have a Banzuke, which means Fantasy Basho is live! Go to Fantasizr right now to see the game for Natsu. Actual sumo starts on May 9th, so make sure to sign up and pick your team before then.
When you do pick your team, remember that you can pick whatever 4 rikishi you want as long you stay within the $50 budget. Here is how much each rikishi is worth for this basho:
Hakuho will not be participating in the Natsu basho, because he is still recovering from knee surgery. Of course, he's still on the Banzuke, and the budget works so that he gets 30 points of value for being a Yokozuna. Yet don't expect to be able to pick him in the game.
The bigger consideration when looking at this chart is that Terunofuji is now an Ozeki. His promotion was sealed up before his yusho in March. Now, he's standing level with Asanoyama, Takakeisho, and Shodai. The system is made so players can only select one Ozeki. I hope you have a favorite.
Additionally, the joi-jin line, where everyone above it is basically guaranteed a bout with the top rankers, is between Maegashira 4 West Myogiryu and Maegashira 5 East Hoshoryu. Of course, the top 16 has stablemates who can't face each other, and injuries will creep up. So Hoshoryu and Maegashira 5 West Onosho are likely to see some Sanyaku wrestlers.
At the bottom of the banzuke, the Maegashira 17 rank returns for newly promoted Akua. Like the Maegashira 16, Ishiura and Chiyomaru, he is a familiar face that is coming back to Makuuchi. Natsu will have no debutatants in the top division.
The Basho begins in just under two weeks. COVID is still looming, as the first three days will have no spectators due to a state of emergency in Tokyo. Any updates or news will be mentioned in this space.
In the meantime, set up your team and enjoy speculating on who will win.
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