Treeman for WE: Essential?

[Mirascael]

Treemen are awesome if around, but I don't think you need to rely on them. Just dodge your front line out, you don't need to fight at all.

How do you "just dodge your front line out" when you kick-off?

[Khail]

That's easy, just roll a Blitz! Works for me...

[wesleytj]

Hehe yeah a blitz works, if you're not that lucky you just want to make sure those 3 guys (or 2 if you have a tree up there) are either the most worthless dudes on your team (niggler and downgrade line elves) or guys with blk/dge/sstep to make sure they only get 1 hit on ya.

Theoretically, that's the only time every game your opponent gets to hit that many elves at once...THEORETICALLY

[Rogerg1979]

It often doesn't work like that though does it... How many times does the first dodging elf fall over, hurt himslef, and leave the other two to the tender mercies of the opposition.

Secondly, dodging away (I find) gives the opponent 3 more players to annoy passers/receivers, while yours aren't really helping... Having 3 sacrificial linemen/Tree on the LOS to tie up some players can free up more pitch for you to play with.

Lastly, the intimidation/distraction that the tree is... When your opponent realises how much damage the tree can inflict (Scares strength teams esp), he WILL try take it down, giving you better field position...

Just my 2 pence.

Gk

EDIT: spelling

[StillGas]

It would depend heavily on your opposition. Most teams set up their slow, hard hitting chaps on the front line who can't move fast enough to trouble your recievers that much. By all means, I try to tie up any potential threat, but generally dodging away BUT keeping the elves close to restrict the movement of my opposition's hard hitters works best.

[Rogerg1979]

The only way you can keep anyone close enough to restrict movement is if they're TZed, which is the situation you want...

What I'm talking about is the two/three receivers you've just broken through the line with, and into the backfield.

You've just freed up 3 more players to help cover them. Admittedly this isn't such a bother with Undead (the mummies will just follow/blitz you) but teams like Dwarves and Orcs will just TZ up the receivers.

Leaving 3 sacrificial linemen to get beaten up a bit (You're talking a couple of stuns, mayb a KO... occasionally a CAS) your freeing up more space in which to play with, less TZs (So less dodging and dice rolling), and so more scoring.

You should only be dodging away if your in dire trouble, i.e. every elf is TZed and getting knocked over constantly...

Gk

[StillGas]

......You've just freed up 3 more players to help cover them. Admittedly this isn't such a bother with Undead (the mummies will just follow/blitz you) but teams like Dwarves and Orcs will just TZ up the receivers.

Leaving 3 sacrificial linemen to get beaten up a bit (You're talking a couple of stuns, mayb a KO... occasionally a CAS) your freeing up more space in which to play with, less TZs (So less dodging and dice rolling), and so more scoring.

You should only be dodging away if your in dire trouble, i.e. every elf is TZed and getting knocked over constantly...

Gk

The 3 linemen who dodge away can often get round the side and in between the guys on the los and your recievers, offering adaquate protection. Not always viable admittedly, but it can be very useful depending on the opponents defence. I usually form a pocket in the backfield with th reciever protected.The st 4 line elf (block) sholders the hole creating responsiblity.

[Rogerg1979]

Thats really defense specific, if you start boxing up your receivers like that, you'll just find MANY opposition players swarming down on them, and more TZ's to doge through, and by emptying your LOS round the other side, isn't your thrower a bit exposed? It could be a shock, if the opposition puts a quick player on the line and then shoots forward when you give him the space...

Also, if your just reforming the LOS on the other side of the halfway line, why move in the first place, those elves are going to end up being tumped anyway, and now, they're in the midst of a bunch of players, you want elves in space, not bunching up in the midst of other players!

By leaving them on the LOS you free up more space, tie up some blockers (if they put their strong blocky types there), and protect your backfield more...

Gk.

[Wilhelm von Klaiserkopf]

Even a lineman has a 1/4 chance of knocking over a treeman, and they're too slow to be any real use. Whenever I play a treeman, I can pretty much ignore him, or TZ him with a lineman. He just doesn't move fast enough to threaten anything that's not on the LOS, and WE coaches think twice about going for it because he's a big guy.

[bio]

I think that a Block/Guard Tree is a very useful player.He give to your lineelves a ST of 4,and he's not easy to pushback in order to negate those assists!