Save the High Elves!

[garion]

Lol. Why eldril is so loved? 3+ for hypnogaze is quite risky. Agree that the NoS, Catch, Pass Block combo against elves is a godsend but... no Block and AV7 wont make him stay for too long in the pitch me reckons, specially against THAT pro elf team, no?

the threat of hypno gaze is often enough to cause teams real problems, and an elf team with a 3+ chance of removing a corner of a cage = win!

He is awesome, especially when you have a wizard to use in tandem as well.

[Viajero]

Lol. Why eldril is so loved? 3+ for hypnogaze is quite risky. Agree that the NoS, Catch, Pass Block combo against elves is a godsend but... no Block and AV7 wont make him stay for too long in the pitch me reckons, specially against THAT pro elf team, no?

the threat of hypno gaze is often enough to cause teams real problems, and an elf team with a 3+ chance of removing a corner of a cage = win!

He is awesome, especially when you have a wizard to use in tandem as well.

Yeh, but the team I am facing wont really need to build a cage at all: Accurate + Strong arm and then NoS catchers = No cage required. The ball will most likely be kept deep back while his catchers simply break thorugh awaiting for the TD pass. Eldril Pass Bock may allow me to intercept at 55% but marking those cacthers will not otherwise interfere with their NoS 2+ catch.

[Nikolai II]

Lol. Why eldril is so loved?

He is awesome,

Eldril Pass Bock may allow me to intercept at 55%

Here - I'll make it more obvious for you. :p

If he gets three catchers free you blitz one to the ground, mark the other two just because, and let Eldril stand in a position to intercept any throw to those two (clearly you blitz down the one furthest away from the other two). Suddenly you have changed his "80% TD" into something more like a "40% TD" - i.e. from a "fairly safe play" to a "idiot play", which in turn should give you a chance to blitz down the ballcarrier as he has to jockey it around.

Or he'll pass someone just out of range of Eldril, then run up and handoff, which means the rest of your team should be screening the catchers against such hi-jinks.

Don't know why you are talking here instead of bbtactics though

[garion]

also.. who says they wont be caging? Elves often cage, just not as often as bash teams, aand hypno is amazing for preventing dreaded two turn touchdowns at the end of a game when your opponent may have a players screened off next to a sideline. Just hypno a gap then get that ball carrier down.

[Viajero]

Don't know why you are talking here instead of bbtactics though

Lol, I was trying for my opponents not to have an easy look at my plans. Guess the secret is out now!

[Nikolai II]

I'm here often enough - never had reason to reply before :p

Also, rereading my post I came on a bit strong. 40% isn't idiot play - but with the 55% chance of an intercept it is pretty close, and definitely desperation play. Just wanted to add that.

[Viajero]

Went for Eldril, Wizard and a babe as advised.

Eldril did not dissapoint. Started kicking and my opponent went for the 2 turn TD as expected. 3 catchers were run through my lines alongside a Blitzer. A shootout probably favoured him after all. On my first turn in defense I blitzed and managed to injure right away his +AG, Dodge catcher with my MB blitzer (-1 MA apoed to -1ST). I double marked the second one and the Blitzer for 3+ dodges and hypnogazed the 3rd catcher. His best chance for a 2 turn TD was the blitzer and away he went 3+ dodging to my TD line. the pass was a 3+ though and went scattered! I managed to scoop the ball and move up, just to fail a catch by my +AG SS Blitzer pass the mid line. My ooponent barely got to the ball with his thrower and tried to pass it away... only to be Pass Block + Interecpted by Eldril! Who went then onto scoring for the High Elves 1-0.

I also managed to get the POMB freak out of the game with a BH early on with a very lucky pow and armour break. Apo having been used on the +ag catcher already in turn 1 (!), the blitzer stayed BH. I was forced to use the wizard on the second half to try and secure the 2-1 but failed in putting down the players I needed. Ball posession went back and forth several times and thanks to Nuffle I managed to survive a very agressive marking game from my opponent that saw him in the end with both blitzers and 3 catchers out of action. 2-1 in the end, no MNG so I am full up for the Quarter Finals!

My Wrestle catcher skilled up, so I am not sure if I should give him Dodge or Strip Ball. I ll probably wait and see who I play next with before deciding.

[RogueThirteen]

My Wrestle catcher skilled up, so I am not sure if I should give him Dodge or Strip Ball. I ll probably wait and see who I play next with before deciding.

I would go with Dodge, for the added protection, or Tackle for ball-hunting and playing safety. I didn't take any Strip Ball with my High Elves because I preferred to just have Wrestle/Tackle ball hunters who thus had a 50% chance of knocking down the ball carrier with each Block Dice (plus that's a 50% of knocking down any player, so it's more universally useful than Strip Ball). I think with players like War Dancers it makes a lot more sense, as they start with Block, so taking Wrestle is really some diminishing returns, and as thus they end up a little less potent against targets with Block. Strip Ball is also really good if you know you'll only have a 1-Die Block against the ball-carrier, which Leaping Wardancers will tend to only have, at best. Since this guy lacks Leap (and currently, even Dodge), odds are you won't have as many situations where you'll only be able to manage a 1-Die or 2-Die, their Choice sort of Block. If you are throwing the 2-Die block, then Tackle is a much better ball-hunting route, in my opinion.


As a note: it seems like a lot of coaches are always discussing options 'based on their next opponent / match-up, once known.' Is this "gaming" of the system a feature of online league play? Unless we've been doing it wrong in my TT league, I thought all level-up decisions, firing and purchases, etc. had to happen in the post game sequence (ie not the pre-match sequence of the next match)? Seems like this prevents a lot of "gaming" of the TV System, etc., assuming players either (A) don't immediately know their next match-up or (B) won't know exactly what TV their scheduled opponent will be, because they won't know exactly what happens in their opponent's post game sequence. Seems to me like this creates a preferable situation, wherein coaches can manage their team development and their TV within some parameters, but can't always max-min their way to exactly getting that Wizard or those 3 Bribes or that Chainsaw or whatever.

[Viajero]

My Wrestle catcher skilled up, so I am not sure if I should give him Dodge or Strip Ball. I ll probably wait and see who I play next with before deciding.

I would go with Dodge, for the added protection, or Tackle for ball-hunting and playing safety. I didn't take any Strip Ball with my High Elves because I preferred to just have Wrestle/Tackle ball hunters who thus had a 50% chance of knocking down the ball carrier with each Block Dice (plus that's a 50% of knocking down any player, so it's more universally useful than Strip Ball). I think with players like War Dancers it makes a lot more sense, as they start with Block, so taking Wrestle is really some diminishing returns, and as thus they end up a little less potent against targets with Block. Strip Ball is also really good if you know you'll only have a 1-Die Block against the ball-carrier, which Leaping Wardancers will tend to only have, at best. Since this guy lacks Leap (and currently, even Dodge), odds are you won't have as many situations where you'll only be able to manage a 1-Die or 2-Die, their Choice sort of Block. If you are throwing the 2-Die block, then Tackle is a much better ball-hunting route, in my opinion.


As a note: it seems like a lot of coaches are always discussing options 'based on their next opponent / match-up, once known.' Is this "gaming" of the system a feature of online league play? Unless we've been doing it wrong in my TT league, I thought all level-up decisions, firing and purchases, etc. had to happen in the post game sequence (ie not the pre-match sequence of the next match)? Seems like this prevents a lot of "gaming" of the TV System, etc., assuming players either (A) don't immediately know their next match-up or (B) won't know exactly what TV their scheduled opponent will be, because they won't know exactly what happens in their opponent's post game sequence. Seems to me like this creates a preferable situation, wherein coaches can manage their team development and their TV within some parameters, but can't always max-min their way to exactly getting that Wizard or those 3 Bribes or that Chainsaw or whatever.

Thanks for the advice. For me the appeal of Stripball is that more often than not I ll only have 1D blocks or worst (due to lack of leap) against my opponent´s ball carrier. Wrestle + Strip ball is awsome in 1D situations and more than acceptable in 2D against (around 70% chance of a lose ball with a RR in hand, if no Sure Hands iirc). Once the ball is lose my +AG blitzers are great at scooping it up and chucking it away. So I would much rather prefer Strip Ball than tackle for this catcher. The main issue I am considering is its value vs the full mobility and protection Dodge offers.

Regarding the post game sequence, this one of the aspects where Cyanide has decided (probably due to lack of dilligence) to diverge from the CRP.

[Smurf]

... My ooponent barely got to the ball with his thrower and tried to pass it away... only to be Pass Block + Interecpted by Eldril! Who went then onto scoring for the High Elves 1-0...

So Pass Block worked? I like it.

Of course Edril can hypnotise and IIRC a hypnoed player cannot catch the ball - is this correct?

[Viajero]

... My ooponent barely got to the ball with his thrower and tried to pass it away... only to be Pass Block + Interecpted by Eldril! Who went then onto scoring for the High Elves 1-0...

So Pass Block worked? I like it.

Of course Edril can hypnotise and IIRC a hypnoed player cannot catch the ball - is this correct?

Pass Block did work indeed and arguably gave me the game. Also the hypnogaze worked reasonably well, primarily to remove unwanted tackle zones where needed. But as I mentioned in the match report above, I used it to cancel catcher receiving options in the first turn (a hypno receiver can not catch) which forced my opponent to move a receiver all the way to the TD line instead as a scoring option, with the consequence of a scattered 3+ pass.

[garion]

see i told you never to doubt eldril he = win for elves.

[Viajero]

My quarter finals match had to be played yesterda almost with no notice due to player availabilities (Im leaving on vacation next week) so I had no time to post a pre-game post here.

The game went into the 32nd turn in overtime (Cyanide overtime rules) before it was over. .. My opponent´s team was a fairly solid Block spammed Chaos team rounded up by a +ST beast and a+AG/Strong Arm one. The mino a Claw/Jugg one. I had played this team in the group phase before and if you remember the game ended in a draw in that ocassion.

The game started with elves in defense and managing to prevent the score, getting then a lead in the seocnd half that saw my opponent, Vusnuf, to equalize in turn 16! Pretty balanced and positional game all the way until the end of the first or second over time periods where I went for the TD that would me the 2-1 victory only to fail a 2+ dodge with no RR. We then both scrambled for the ball for a few turns where a couple failed pickups by Vusnuf were more than compensated by a couple lucky rebounds with automatic pick up included by his ST4 troops. After that it was neigh to impossible for me to get to the ball and he had simply to move it up to score.

It was a fun, long and intense positional match where Vusnuf tried to cover all gaps and I tried to find them. This game is my only and last defeat in this tournament´s edition!

Your advice all along the season has been great so lots of thanks to you all, hope you had fun with my rumblings. It is annoying that the only match I lost is the only one I could not get your input for!

[Smeborg]

Epic match, Viajero, well done, good effort. Not sure all our advice would have helped you to make a 2+ dodge...

[dines]

Sounds like a great game! And it was cool following the progress of your team. Have a nice vacation