How to setup a new wood elves team

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Dangerous Dave
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Wood Elf tactics

Post by Dangerous Dave »

Advice for playing Woodies...

Personally I agree with your set up - War Dancers are a much better choice than catchers in a starting team (IMO).

However, I would start with only 1 WD and 10 Linos. This gives you 180k to spend on Rerolls and FF. That means 2 RR and 8 FF. An apoth is a must have next purchase.

When playing, particularly in the first game, winning is of secondary importance. The main priority is to stay healthy and earn a few SPPs.

So never stand and trade blocks (even if you play against skaven - they are much cheaper than you) - as the team develops, this can change to some degree of course.

Dodge players away so that your opponent only has his blitz

If possible dodge players to assist blocks.

At kick offs when you are receiving throw a quick pass (in a safe area) to pick up 1 SPP (3 2+ rolls - 1 to pick up). Mix these SPPs around your lineman.

Also when attacking, try and score in 2 turns. Although this can be risky (if the opponent gets blitz on the KO table), set up on one side of the field (front only) blitz with the War Dancer and try to get a cage / pocket which your opponent cannot fully cover within movement range of the end zone. Your player with the ball should be towards the back field after turn 1 (so he cannot be blitzed). On turn 2, blitz or block a path for a lineman or WD to be able to score, move the ball carrier up and hand off to a player close to the halfway line. Make a quick or short pass for the TD.

On defence - keep dodging away leaving only a blitz for your opponent. Depending on number of turns to go you could let your opponent score - by making a "mistake" :lol: - this way you have a chance to score again! (and you are less likely to have injured players!)

Use your speed - even the linos can move 7 - this is a big difference over 6 MA.

Develop those lineman - remember if any player with 1 SPP gets the MVP award he has a skill. Get some linos with block and others with dodge. The War Dancers will easily look after themselves. Good skills for War Dancers are Pro (for failed leaps / skulls), Strip Ball, Tackle, Side Step, Sure Feet.... pretty much anything works! I would use the WDs in pairs - they are one of the most effective cage breakers. Move some linos up to stop assists, Leap, then a 1 dice block with Strip Ball will get the ball out at least 2/3rds of the time - use the other one to pick it up and hand off or pass it to one of your other players. After a few games, I would also try and get the Kick skill - kick short and if the opponent fails to pick the ball up or it is light defended - go get it!



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Post by DaImp »

I can't add much to what DD has said. Remember that your best assest is your speed and your weakest point is your AV. Keep away from their nasty players who are looking to soil your lovely, crisp uniforms and bruise your perfect white complexions. Dance downfield, laughing all they way as their pittifully short legs fail to keep up with you and score.. then score again, and again. :P

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Stav
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my 1st post :)

Post by Stav »

ok, we're just starting up a new bbowl league, and I'm starting up a new woodies team...

here's what I'm starting with :)
2 catchers
9 line-elves
2 RR's
9 ff

Woodies take time b4 they are any good, so I don't expect to win my first matches, therefore high FF is a must :)

why 2 catchers rather than a wd?
well... they are cheaper for starters and I couldn't pitch a wd and have 9 ff :)
I intend to use them for running around my side etc while the lineys do the dirty work/get anywhere near the enemy's half to be able to run off in 1 turn, so not using them as scorers atm, although obviously will do so if there is the right opportunity :)

but as I said, I don't intend to win the first matches, mainly want to get some spp's, money, apoth, players etc...

anyway, enough, wanna see if my avatar works :)
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lyannou
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Post by lyannou »

But after your first match are you sure that you will have still your 2 catchers because there are very weak with there force of 2 and you don't have apothicary?

Is the dodge skill enought to prevent them from heat? Or how to prevent them from heat?

It is why I prefer to take a wardancer.

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Post by Acerak »

Dodge players away so that your opponent only has his blitz

If possible dodge players to assist blocks.


Reverse the order on these two and you've got it right. Suppose you have the following setup at some point during your turn:

Code: Select all

OO..O  O = Opponent
EE..E  E = Elf
You want to make sure your opponent can blitz only one of these players next turn. Make a dodge with the right-most Elf first and bring him to help his fellows.

Code: Select all

OO..O
EEE..
Now throw a pair of two-die blocks. Remember, trust your violent instincts first ;)

Good luck!

-Chet

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Post by Stav »

lyannou wrote:But after your first match are you sure that you will have still your 2 catchers because there are very weak with there force of 2 and you don't have apothicary?

Is the dodge skill enought to prevent them from heat? Or how to prevent them from heat?

It is why I prefer to take a wardancer.
Well a wardancer does stand better than catchers to the heat, but I expect most my players to get bullied anyway.

dodge helps a bit, (no new dwarf teams going out and the low TR teams gunna play with each other b4 they take on last season teams)

As I said, I don't intend to use them as scorers, but to keep them out of harms way, helping only where relatively safe. The plan is to get a few lineelves with skills to make them worth something and build up from there, apoth comes after 1st game :)

Also, if I manage to keep them to 1 blitz per turn, would they pick on the catcher that's miles away from anyone and has cover of another catcher or the lineelves that could score the next turn if he doesn't do something? (especially if he can only get one player to the catchers)

Anyway, I'm not saying tis a perfect strategy and I don't exect to win straight away, but tis what I'm starting now, we'll see how it goes oc :)

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Post by lyannou »

I agree with you to dodge eveytime to provide from heat and allow the opponent only to blitz and not to block.

The problem is that a lot of players have a force of 3 and even if the catcher have one support he can be blitzed or blocked with one die so it's diifcult to prevent him from heat no?

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Stav
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Post by Stav »

yeah, maybe so, but on a 1 die block he still goes down harder than a line-elf
and with another catcher around to pick up a scattered ball and leg it up to 11 squares away...

anyway... as I said I'm not intending to win my first matches, but to build up a descent team by teh end of teh season, so starting with some really fast guys, and ff9 kinda allows me to buy teh players I want sooner...

I don't expect the first match to be easy, but I'm hoping to get some money and some spp's in so I can build up from there...

heck, two seasons ago I started with 1 wd and 10 line-elves, and my wd died doing something stupid like his first leap, dodge or block (can't remember), now that hurt (I went into the second game with 7 players iirc)

at least 90k is not as much to replace as 120k, and I have two shots of having something else than just line-elves in teh second match :)

My main aim is to get line-elves some descent skills (a team consists of 11 players on the pitch (usually anyway)

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Post by Marcus »

The main reason to take Wardancers over Catchers is not their ability to survive punishment but their ability to turn the ball over.

If you're not playing and building your Woodelf team to turn the ball over rapidly and repeatedly you're playing the wrong team.

Putting two catchers on the roster will help you score when you're kicked to but will leave you at the opposition's mercy when you kick back to them. Having a wardancer on the team will leave you with a player who can squeeze past the defence and make a strong block to get the ball loose. It's then a relatively simple matter to get the ball to a lineelf and leg it for the touchline.

Put catchers in the same situation. They have dodge and one extra point of movement but lack strength, block and leap. If you move them in close to force a turnover they will get hit and you'll lose them. If you try to turn the ball over with lineelves you lack any skills suited to turning the ball over at all.

With roughly equal team ratings it's more than possible to take a starting WE team with 1 wardancer and 10 lineman to a string of victories without suffering a defeat. You'll find it much harder to do that with a squad that starts with catchers instead.

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Post by Stav »

I do agree that the wd is more useful than the catchers, especially at teh start, but he still has 7 av and does die almost as easilly...
my first purchase will be an apoth, then a wd, just I'd rather start with the catchers and sacrifice a few games but have ff9+2 fast players than a bunch of incompetant line-elves and 1 player that does all the work (who if gets beaten up... well...)

I'm in no way saying that two catchers are better than a wd, but starting a team with one wd tends to compromise other things, and leaping in to block ball carriers with a starting wd is a good way to get him killed, whereas knowing you can't stop him with catchers keeps them alive for a bit, enabling you to buy the wd's sooner and also have the fast players then (plus relying on line-elves gets them spp's) :)

Anyway, I'll let u know how my first game goes when I play (so you can point, laff and say "I told you so") :)

cheers
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Post by lyannou »

I will told you also when i will play my first game too :D :D

Do you know where i can find some match reports with a lot of details or pbem's match to have a idea how to manage wood elves?

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Post by Deathwing »

Stav wrote:a bunch of incompetant line-elves [Fury]Stav
Had to laugh..since when has any AG4 player been incompetent? :wink:

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Post by Stav »

Deathwing wrote:since when has any AG4 player been incompetent? :wink:
heh, since they have no skills and 7 av :)

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