Best way to crack a standard cage with a wizard

[Aliboon]

Hello, do people usually fireball the whole lot and hope that a corner or two get taken out and hopefully the ball carrier too? Or do you just bolt the ballcarrier, hope the ball isn't caught, blitz off a TZ on the ball (assuming it isn't caught, blitz the BC if it is) and then use an agile player to get the ball away?

The fireball can be better, but is more unreliable, so is maybe more of a gambler's choice?

[swilhelm73]

I usually FB the cage.

Presuming you've got players in front of the cage, you've got a 75% chance that at least one corner facing you goes down, and then a 50/50 chance that the ball carrier goes down too.

[Glowworm]

Only ever used lightening once....Yep, 150k in inducements gone on the roll of a 1!!

(I was reliably informed you cannot use a team RR on a wizard )

[plasmoid]

Well good, because you can't use RR on a wiz.

Kind of depends on your routes of access to the cage, and what you have for blitzing.
Statistically, if your happy if any one of 3 or one of 4 corners goes down, then FB is best - assuming that'll give you a good blitz on the BC.

Cheers
Martin

[Smeborg]

Assuming it is a tight, 4-cornered cage, I will use a Fireball, since the chances of bringing down at least 1 player out of 5 are (very) high. I have, however, failed to bring down anyone sometimes (1 in 32 chance, I think). Against a FB incoming, I have likewise suffered 5 knockdowns sometimes (also 1 in 32 chance). These are, of course, freak occurrences.

You only need to bring down 1 corner to expose the ball. In comparison, a LB is poor odds.

Hope that helps.

[RogueThirteen]

I'd also Fireball the Cage, not least of all because a lot of cages will typically involve some of the most valuable players on the opponent's team (their spiffy go-to ball carrier and their Guarders / resilient blitzer corners). Of course, against the prospect of a Fireball, they might restructure their cage quite a bit.

Odds are, of course, that every time you fireball a 5-Man cage you'll knockdown 2.5 players. Of course, all you really need to knock down to have a shot at the ball-carrier is one of the corners, but unless you have some flexibly in range STR4 players or Strip Ballers, this might not create a great opportunity. Still, better than lightning bolting the cage center.

The only time I would Lightning Bolt is to hit a lone ball-carrier (rare) or a lone-defender who has a decent chance of preventing my score or my current Plan A (ie Shdadowing, Tackler, Diving Tackler annoyance). Another viable use might be if you need to take out a dangerous and low AV ball-carrier who is in a good spot to score even if you're fireball successfully knocks down all four corners. A very fast, Blodgey AG5 Gutter Runner, AG4 Skink, or the like might be a good target here, because even if you get some corners down and hit the ball carrier you might not be very confident in your ability to actually knock him down or prevent him from scoring.

[Aliboon]

I don't think I've ever used the lightning bolt to do it and although the fireball gives better odds of exposing the BC, if the BC is blodge, ST4, sure hands etc, then it may be better to get them down on the 2+ whatever?

I suppose that should be taken into account before using the wizard and who've you got lined up to do the blitz, but I hadn't even thought of using the lightning bolt to bust a cage before.

[Hitonagashi]

Just as a point, a lot more common formation is the loose X cage against a wizard:

- - - x - x - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - b - - -
- - - x - x - - -


Elves can capitalise on that if the ball carrier isn't a freak, but bashers find it a lot harder...and your odds of success are a lot lower against it.

When I'm facing a wizard, I usually screen instead of cage.

[nazgob]

Same here, particularly when playing with Elves. It's also often best to try and draw out the wizard when it suits you, but that's a whole other topic.

For me, always fireball.

Unless you need to hit that one Witch Elf, so your 'flings can gang up on the one butterfingered Dark Elf marking the ball, right Glowworm?

[Smeborg]

Just as a point, a lot more common formation is the loose X cage against a wizard:

- - - x - x - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - b - - -
- - - x - x - - -


Elves can capitalise on that if the ball carrier isn't a freak, but bashers find it a lot harder...and your odds of success are a lot lower against it.

When I'm facing a wizard, I usually screen instead of cage.

But against that cage, even an AG3 player can get a 5+ dodge to attack the ball carrier directly, and there is only one possible Guard assist for the defender. What's more, you need 4 Guards on the corners, or the attacker can choose an unguarded angle of attack.

For these reasons, I don't think loose cages work particularly well, unless you are playing against Khemri.

All the best.

[Hitonagashi]

Aye, true, if those 4 players were the only players on the pitch.

It obviously doesn't work when you are shortmanned, but I don't mind my opponent trying a 5+ dodge, especially if he's got no way to retrieve the ball.

Usually, when I use this formation, it's on a flank, and the majority of his team is engaged with mine, or cut off.

I prefer to let him try a 5+ than to let him fireball 5 players.

[sann0638]

With my khemri v a wizard, I formed the tight cage to encourage the oppo to fireball asap, to give me long enough to retrieve the ball and still score. If he lightning bolted the ball carrier late in a drive, I would have been stuffed. Was stuffed anyway, but the theory was OK

[RogueThirteen]

With my khemri v a wizard, I formed the tight cage to encourage the oppo to fireball asap, to give me long enough to retrieve the ball and still score. If he lightning bolted the ball carrier late in a drive, I would have been stuffed. Was stuffed anyway, but the theory was OK

Yea, though most opponents will probably wait until an opportune time to fireball the cage, rather than doing it early enough to let you recover the ball, reform the cage, and still have enough time to advance to the end zone.

But, good point, bolting the lone throw-ra on a Khemri team could be disastrous for their offense the entire rest of the game.

[mattgslater]

With my khemri v a wizard, I formed the tight cage to encourage the oppo to fireball asap, to give me long enough to retrieve the ball and still score. If he lightning bolted the ball carrier late in a drive, I would have been stuffed. Was stuffed anyway, but the theory was OK

Yea, though most opponents will probably wait until an opportune time to fireball the cage, rather than doing it early enough to let you recover the ball, reform the cage, and still have enough time to advance to the end zone.

But, good point, bolting the lone throw-ra on a Khemri team could be disastrous for their offense the entire rest of the game.

That's why they're 0-2.