World Cup IV - Day 3

Extra skills were added for this day and the roster has been updated below.

Roster

3 Catchers (3xDodge)
Kroxigor (Block)
8 Linemen (3xBlock, Strip Ball+Wrestle, 2xWrestle)
3 Re-rolls
4 Fan factor
Apothecary

Game 7 vs Dark Elves

A loaded dark elf team with all the positionals including an assassin, which on day three was quite scary. All the blitzers had dodge and the witches had either wrestle or block.

The elves started with the ball and moved from side to side. It was an interesting positional game and I made an error when I didn't reroll the 1 for the kroxigor blitz in one turn. I had three dice on the wrestle witch and kind of needed the kroxigor in front of the cage, but as always this was something I realized afterwards. I managed to force my opponent to roll dice for his score in turn 8, but nothing too hard or impossible. Solid play from my opponent.

One sided dark elf offense

The second half saw the frogs with the ball and I yet again made an error, putting a linefrog one field to the side, opening up my cage for a 4+ dodge, which my opponent took. I recovered the ball and passed to a catcher, interception! No, that was not the plan and all that could save me now was snake eyes from my opponent. My opponent declared the dodge and rolled the dice and lifted his dice cup. Snake eyes! That saved me and I could score in turn 16.

My opponent set up for the one turner, but a double pow stopped his attempt and the game ended in a tie. Great game in which I was a bit lucky.

End 1-1 (0-2)

Game 8 vs Amazons

Amazons, another team I rarely face. This team had brought Roxy and eleven regular players. A bit thin on the ground for my taste, but each to his own. My goal was to remove Roxy as soon as possible.

I got the ball to start off the half and a blitz was rolled for the kick off, which meant that I was under pressure from turn 1. My dice went hot and a couple of ladies left the pitch, which made things easier and I even fouled Roxy once, but couldn't do more than stun her. I could move the ball in to his half in turn three and he regrouped, setting up a screen, which included Roxy, in front of my kroxigor. I declared a blitz on Roxy in turn 4, got the pow I needed and she was off the pitch, for good. My catcher with the ball could then move out of reach from the rest of his team and I could score in turn 8.

Second half continued as the first half, with hot dice for me and I could steal the ball for 2-0. In his second offense, a perfect defense was rolled and the ball was caught by a linewoman next to my kroxigor. A bit of a pickel for my opponent, but he managed to get out of the situation and I went for another steal, which failed. My opponent could then score in his following turn, but that left me enough time to score the wining 3-1 touchdown.

End 3-1 (4-0)

Game 9 vs Chaos

Game 9 and it was my first duplicated race as opponent, but this chaos team had brought a mino, The team had won best painted in it's category and it was a joy to play against it to finish off the tournament.

I had played against a chaos team with mino at the Berlin Open before and I found it quite easy to handle the scary mino, ignore it and try to force the game to be played on the other half, away from the mino. This forces the opponent to use his blitz for positioning and that leaves the mino even further behind.

Best Painted in the chaos category

This is exactly what happened in this game as I forced my opponent down the side on which the mino wasn't. I played very well here and force my opponent to a halt. The half ended without a score.

My plan for the second half was to score quickly in order to secure the draw. I moved through and set up a sideline cage. I positioned a lineman to cover one of the corners, to save him from being surfed by the frenzy goat, but in hindsight, I should have put this linefrog in the gap between my corners. As it were, my opponent went in for the 6+ dodge and made it, pushing my catcher off the field and the ball bounced all the way back to my half. A goat managed to pick the ball up and I rushed back to blitz it. Two dice, skull and push. I now had to hope for a failed 3+ dodge, but my opponent scored. I however still had time left to score for the draw.

I made the same play, a sideline cage, but I learned from my misstake and put a player in the gap between the cage corners. My opponent couldn't stop me from scoring and the game ended in a draw.

End 1-1 (1-2)

Conclusion

What a tournament! I had a good time and played against great opponents!

The organizers had some problems on day 1, reducing the number of games to two, but they managed to squeeze in four games on day 2. I tip my hat to the organizers, who did this in their spare time, providing a nine game tournament to 1400+ coaches. Wow!

I'm very happy with my choice of team and I had fun in all my nine games. I didn't feel that I was out of any game, even if the odds were against me. My roster was good and I'm going to use it again at a tournament in Hannover in March, but with some minor tweaks. I'll try to get kick and frenzy on the roster, which the best slann player had on his roster.

I'll use something very different at my next tournament, K K N D - K R U S H - K I L L - N - D E S T R O Y - I I I - 2 0 1 9 - CHRISTMAS EDITION. It's time to get that painted deathroller on the blood bowl pitch. Wish me luck as I get out of my comfort zone.

Deathroller!!!

Thank you for reading!

World Cup IV - Day 2

Extra skills were added for this day and the roster has been updated below.

Roster

3 Catchers (3xDodge)
Kroxigor (Block)
8 Linemen (2xBlock, Strip Ball+Wrestle, Wrestle)
3 Re-rolls
4 Fan factor
Apothecary

Game 4 vs Khemri

I was up against a very well painted khemri team, a race I rarely play against. The roster seemed solid and I was wary of the mighty blow+tackle blitz-ra getting to my catchers. My opponent decided to defend to start of the game.

Kicking Khemri

My goal was to score late in the first half, leaving next to no time for the khemri to score back. I succeeded in doing this, but not in the way I thought I would. My dice went hot and the khemri left the pitch left and right (although, they made their reg.) . I was expecting my frogs to leave the pitch at that rate, but that's blood bowl. It's weird sometimes. I scored in turn 8 and we lined up for the second half.

Defending frogs

I got the ball on the ground early and went in for the pick up and punt play, but couldn't pick it up. If I had, it would probably have been over then and there. As it turned out, this game went down to the wire. I later managed to get the ball on the ground again and my opponent had to dodge away form the kroxigor with his throw-ra to go for the pick up. The dodge was successful after the use of the last re-roll, but then the throw-ra failed the pick up.

Final phase of the game

My opponent had once last try in turn 16, but failed a 4+ hand off (wasn't the only roll that needed to succeed), after I failed the pick up and the ball bounced in to the hands of a khemri player.

End 1-0 (5-4)

Game 5 vs Chaos

Game 5 pitched me against a chaos team without a mino and I was a bit surprised that I hadn't faced chaos before the halfway line of the tournament. I kicked the ball to start it all off and the half went as expected, but I was surprised when my opponent left his claw+mighty blow open to a 3d for my kroxigor in turn 1, but I had to go for it. Yes, you guess it, my kroxigor rolled a 1. The half was a very tactical and positional game and it looked like I could keep the chaos team out of the endzone, but I then made a huge error. I had set up a screen and got greedy. I blocked with my kroxigor and yes, a 1. Darn, that left my screen week in one place and my opponent just needed to blitz on player out of the way to move through. I leaped a linefrog out to cover this error and failed, even with the use of a re-roll. Lesson to be learned here, the order of actions. I should have leaped with the linefrog before blocking, to know if I could cover the error if the kroxigor rolled a 1 or double skulls, but I got carried away. This meant that the chaos team could get through and score in turn 8.

Stupid kroxigor

My opponent put up a good defense and I yet again made an error and had to go for it with the ball carrier. The GFI failed, even after the use of a re-roll. I was in trouble and the game turned in to a scrum for the ball. One of my linefrogs ended up with the ball in his hands and moved up the field, potato style. The chaos team blitzed him down, but I had two chances of getting in to the endzone in turn 15 and 16, both 3+'s. Nuffle said no both times and the game ended in a loss. Fun game though and exactly why I went for slann, even the loses are fun.

End 0-1 (3-2)

Game 6 vs Underworld

An underworld team with Skitter Stab-Stab ended day 2. I was quite happy that there was no sign of a Glart on the roster. I received the ball and the game started with a blitz, which put me under pressure from turn 1, but I think that my opponent overcommitted and put his good players in reach of mine. Skitter left the field in turn 2 and his team mates soon followed. My opponents dice were horrible and I could easily score in turn 8.

The second half could have seen the underworld team scoring and they got very close to doing so, but I managed to steal the ball and score in turn 16.

End 2-0 (3-0)

Day 3

World Cup IV - Day 1

My first world cup and I wanted a team with which I'd have fun for nine games straight. Flings was an option, but another squad member (whom sadly couldn't make it in the end) wanted to play flings, so I had to go for something else. I've played some slann on FUMBBL and can't really remember a game in which I didn't have fun and that's why I went for slann.  You're never out of it with slann and I was originally testing a roster with two blitzers, three catchers and a kroxigor with eleven players. It didn't really work so I switched to the roster below, which I'm very happy with.

Roster

3 Catchers (2xDodge)
Kroxigor (Block)
8 Linemen (2xBlock, Strip Ball, Wrestle)
3 Re-rolls
4 Fan factor
Apothecary

Game 1 vs Humans

I was up against humans, with some different skill choices.
No ogre, which meant that my kroxigor would be more difficult to deal with for the humans, especially considering that they only had one guard blitzer.

The ball is being moved up the pitch

I don't remember all that much of the game, but I won 2-1 and it was the first time that my opponent faced of against slann.

End 2-1 (0-1)

Game 2 vs Necromantic

A necromantic team with one ghoul and no sure hands. Also just one block skill on day 1, which I was happy with. I managed to stop his drive and score for the first half.

The second half started with a pitch invasion and in the end, I didn't manage to score after a zombie caught a bouncing ball.

Pitch invasion to start the second half

End 1-0 (2-2)

(This was the last game of day 1, but the first game on day 2 would be played with the rules for day 1 and that's why I'm including it here)

Game 3 vs Norse

What a game this was, a real nail biter that went down to the wire. My opponent, a Spanish coach playing norse started by receiving the ball and he went down one sideline, removing some frogs on the way. I leapt in and stripped the ball, which landed on the sideline. My opponent managed to pick it up again, but had to use a re-roll. The norse team went forward and lined up to foul my strip ball frog and rolled snake eyes! His player was sent off and I could once again leap in and strip the ball. This time I even managed to pick it up and punt it down the pitch.

A fight for the ball on the sideline

My opponent managed to pass the ball back into my half and I once again put him under pressure. He had to 3+, 2+, 2+, 3+, 3+, 2+, 2+ for the score in turn 8, which he did.

The second half was equally exciting. I was put under pressure in my half after a turnover, but managed to move the ball in to his half with a couple of turns left in the half. My hopes of a draw ended with double skulls, but what a fun game it had been. A draw would have been fair, but that's the way it goes sometime.

End 0-1 (3-3)

Day 2

B7

Roster

I used the following wood elf roster for the tournament, in which you were given one normal skill prior to each game (after having seen the opponents roster).

2 Wardancers

Thrower

3 Catchers

4 Linemen

Treeman

2 Re-rolls

Game 1 vs orcs (strip ball wardancer)

First game against orcs, which I wasn't too sad about. The orcs only got one skill, which meant that my dodge should keep my catchers safe. I received the ball and moved up the field, going from side to side. I was eventually forced to score in turn 5.

Wood elves vs an orc wall

This left my opponent four turns to score, which isn't impossible with orcs, but the kick was deep and I was able to put my opponent under pressure. The ball was still deep in his half in turn 8 and my opponent made a long pass to a black orc followed by a hand off to a blitzer, who had to dodge and GFI for the 1-1. My opponent made it all without a re-roll.

I managed to stop his offense in the second half and steal the ball. All I needed was to pass the ball to a catcher in a tacklezone, dodge twice and GFI for the score. Unfortunately for me, the black orc marking the catcher intercepted the ball and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

End 1-1 (1-1)

(After the game, I realized that the black orc wasn't in a position to intercept the ball at all, but by then it was too late)

Game 2 vs dwarves (leader thrower)

I don't remember much about this game except that my dice were hot. The dwarves were outnumbered in the first half and I turned the ball over and managed to score in his drive. He stopped my offense in the second half as my elves started to leave the pitch, but as I didn't need to push for the win, I didn't have to take any risks.

1-0 (2-3)

Game 3 vs wood elves (tackle wardancer)

As I was up against wood elves, I went for tackle, which I regret. Frenzy would have been a better choice based on the teams I faced later in the tournament and even based on how this game went.

Next time I play wood elves, I'm going to take frenzy instead.

Wood elf mirror

My opponent received the ball in the first half and scored in turn 2, which surprised me. I was now going for the 2-1 grind. This however didn't work as my opponent failed nothing before turn 15, including the leaps in to my cage. He stopped my offense in the first half and I was now playing for a draw.

I again moved up the pitch and was standing with a cage next to the endzone when my opponent leap in again and the ball scattered and landed in the endzone. All I had to do was knock a lineman down with four dice. I didn't work and I failed the pick up. The ball the scattered in to the hands of said lineman. In my opponents next turn, the ball was moved down the field and his wardancer failed to catch the ball in my half (first fail of the game for him), but the ball was out of reach so the wardancer picked the ball up in turn 16 and scored.

I didn't lose this game to dice. They didn't help, but I made some mistakes, which cost me the game.
I focused too much on his diving tackle catcher with my tackle wardancer for one.

End 0-2 (1?-1?)

Game 4 vs Brets (block lineman)

My opponent went down the sideline with his ball carrier, before covering it. He then had to use his re-roll and still make GFI to cover the ball carrier, which then failed. I went in and stole the ball and scored in his turn 8. My opponent was frustrated with his dice, but I don't really agree. He took some suboptimal decision, like not covering his ball carrier before going for risky dice.

The second half saw me scoring in turn 12, hoping to steal the ball again.

However, I made a mistake, not moving some players before going for the blitz and after I failed it, my opponent could move forward. Not the end of the world as I still won the game.

End 2-1

Game 5 vs norse (wrestle lineman)

Last game of the tournament and I was up against norse, which can be tricky for wood elves. I all depends on how the first couple of turns go. It didn't go well for me in this game.

Norse turn 3

By the start of turn 3, my treeman, thrower a catcher and a linemen were all in the casualty box. I also had a catcher in the KO-box. Not great.

I'm still proud of myself as I didn't complain and just focused on the game. With only six players on the field, I managed to get the ball on the ground twice. Sadly, the scatter was perfect for him and he could recover both times. He scored in his turn 8.

I was hoping for the one turn touchdown, but a perfect defense was rolled.

I was outnumbered in the second half and went to one sideline. My opponent responded by moving his complete team to that side, which was what I was hoping for. I went backwards and handed off to a catcher, who ran down the other sideline. I scored in turn 11, hoping to be able to somehow manage a draw.

I wasn't to be and my opponent could easily score in turn 16, but I never gave up, even with only two players on the pitch.

End 1-2 (0-6 +1 foul CAS)

(My opponent commended me on my attitude and I'm proud of myself for not giving up and just playing the game. This is something I'll take away from this tournament and my last game, a complete disaster ended up being the game I'm most proud of. Also, my opponent won most CAS from this game.)

Conclusion

I my record ended up being 2-1-2, which I wasn't happy with. It was still a fun tournament and the location and organization was perfect. My NAF-ranking went below 200 after this tournament and I need to get up again, but I think I'll let the wood elves rest for a while.

Next tournament will be the World Cup IV, in which I'll play slann.