Most users who play regularly develop an internal model that improves with experience. The desk’s job is to compress the learning curve — here is the framework the desk uses, with the heuristics that survive most evenings.
The captaincy question
The captain is worth 2x, the vice-captain 1.5x. Every other player is 1x. That makes captaincy the single most important decision of the night, and it is the decision most beginners get wrong. The wrong pattern is picking the highest-owned anchor as captain; the right pattern is picking the player you expect to score the most raw points, regardless of ownership.
If you expect a low-owned differential to score 60+ points, captain them. If you expect the highest-owned anchor to score 80+ points, captain them. The ownership rate is irrelevant to the captaincy decision — it matters only for contest selection (which we cover below).
The contest selection question
Contest selection is the second most important decision. Grand leagues reward ceiling; head-to-head contests reward floor. If your XI is high-ceiling (lots of differential picks), enter grand leagues. If your XI is high-floor (mostly anchors), enter head-to-head contests where even-money variance favours the consistent performer.
The salary cap question
The 100-credit salary cap is the third most important decision. Most beginners overspend on the marquee players and starve the supporting cast; the result is a top-heavy XI where two stars score big and the rest contribute little. The right pattern is to spend 9–10 credits on each of your top three picks and 7–8 on the rest. The salary-cap math rewards balance.
The lock-in question
The lock-in question is fourth. Most users lock in too early — they pick an XI 90 minutes before the toss and never touch it. The right pattern is to wait for the toss, then check your XI against the published playing XI. If a player you picked is dropped, or a player you did not pick is in, the XI needs adjustment before the lock.