How to use the balanced team generator
- List your players, one per line as name, rating. Rate everyone on the same scale, such as 1 to 10. The example shows ten players.
- Enter the number of teams. Team sizes differ by at most one player.
- Open the options to change the seed. The same seed always gives the same teams, and a different seed can break a tie differently.
- Read the teams with their players, totals and averages, and the gap between the strongest and weakest team average.
Formula
team average = sum of ratings on the team / players on the team
gap = highest team average - lowest team average
goal: the smallest gap, then the smallest spread among the averages
snake draft: deal players from strongest to weakest across the teams and back again
For groups small enough, the tool checks every way of dealing the players into teams of the right sizes, so the gap is the smallest possible. For larger groups it improves a snake draft by swapping pairs of players, from 40 seeded random starts, and keeps the best.
Ten players, two teams
The ratings are 10, 9, 9, 9, 9, 8, 7, 6, 6 and 3, which add to 76. A plain snake draft (strongest to team 1, next two to team 2, and so on) leaves the team averages 0.8 apart. Checking all 252 ways to choose five players finds teams with an average of 7.6 each, a gap of 0.
With 11 players and 3 teams the sizes are 4, 4 and 3, so the tool compares averages instead of totals, because a team of 4 would otherwise always outscore a team of 3. For 24 players in 4 teams the seeded search is used, and rerunning with the same seed repeats the answer.
Why not just draft in order
A snake draft is a good start and is easy to explain, but it only balances well when the ratings fall evenly. When a few players are much stronger than the rest, other combinations balance better. Searching over combinations finds them, and the page shows the gap for the snake draft too, so you can see what the search gained.
What balance does not cover
The result is only as fair as the ratings. Positions, friendships, availability and playing styles are not considered, and several different splits can tie for the best gap. If you want a plain random split instead, use the List Randomizer or the Random Name Picker. To keep track of results, see the League Table Generator.
More tools for scores and odds
For other games, ratings and odds, try the Race Pace Chart Generator, Dice Probability Calculator and Elo Rating Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- Each player has one rating, and all ratings are on the same scale.
- There can be up to 200 players and 50 teams, and every team gets at least one player.
- Balance means the closest team averages, not the closest team totals.
- Example players are shown until you replace them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I split players into fair teams?
Give each player a skill rating and aim for the closest team averages. The tool tries every split for small groups and a seeded search for large ones, then shows the gap between teams.
What is a snake draft?
It deals players from strongest to weakest across the teams, then back in the opposite order, so the team that picks last in one round picks first in the next.
Why do teams of different sizes use averages?
A team with more players has a larger total even if its players are weaker. Averages remove that effect, so the sizes can differ by one without favoring a team.
What does the seed do?
It starts the random part of the search. The same seed and the same players always give the same teams, so you can repeat or share a result.