Slaan - How do you stop them scoring?

[mattgslater]

Don't set up a sideline defense, instead setting up with a little more depth on the interior and migrating to the sideline after the opponent commits. They'll get through you no matter what you do, unless they blow an easy roll. But they're not fast and they're only slippery when you're not trying to hit them. What you have to do to stop Slann is to protect blitzers at centerfield; they don't have to be official Blitzers, but guys who can drop the hammer. Deny just one or two squares, let them have the sidelines themselves, and in turn form up the middle so all your guys can get into position on Turn 1.

Positioning skills really help, especially if you forgo the gimmicky formations that come with them and focus on the basics. Your real goal is to make them leap-dodge-dodge (at least) even if they blitz open a hole. Damage and (especially) blocking skills also help: numerical advantage is a great way to get rid of a team that has low ST, mediocre AV, and no Block. Dirty Player is another good buy, because if you do your defense right, you'll get good fouls.

Even so, you will occasionally be scored on. Reply with a TD of your own and try to win a shootout. Skaven are a lousy grind team, and caging on Slann doesn't work well even with a good grind team. But they're a good takeaway team. That advice would be different with a lot of teams, and is very rat-specific (okay, elves too).

On offense, use space to his advantage. Your guys aren't any more maneuverable than his are, but they sure are a whole lot faster. A QP from a GR to a GR with a TRR can move the ball 20 squares with only a 2/27 chance of failure and zero chance of injury.

Note also that a rookie Skaven team has a credible 1TTD threat, so in the event of a shootout, you can score on T8/16, and he can't.

[Ullis]

Don't set up a sideline defense, instead setting up with a little more depth on the interior and migrating to the sideline after the opponent commits. They'll get through you no matter what you do, unless they blow an easy roll. But they're not fast and they're only slippery when you're not trying to hit them. What you have to do to stop Slann is to protect blitzers at centerfield; they don't have to be official Blitzers, but guys who can drop the hammer. Deny just one or two squares, let them have the sidelines themselves, and in turn form up the middle so all your guys can get into position on Turn 1.

My own experience with slann doesn't conform to this. They are not a very fast team. They're mobile but not fast. The best way to stop them scoring is to deny them your side of the pitch completely. If a single catcher gets through, you can blitz it. And even if he doesn't fall down, two TZ's on it will make it much harder to score. Or even one TZ to force the other side to pass to it (to take advantage of Diving Tackle's +1 to catch). Without any passing skills that's always a good thing. When the slann get a cage within scoring range, then there's nothing you can do but pray for ones.

[Buggrit]

Chop their legs off, sautee them in butter and garlic and eat them... buggers won't hop about so much after that!!

[Smeborg]

I have played a bit now both with and against Slann. I have so far only found a couple of ways to make life difficult for them:

(a) Grind down their numbers, and

(b) Make life positionally difficult for each and every frog, with an astute net of tackle zones, carefully chosen blocks and follow-ups.

While (a) is just standard BB, valid for many teams, (b) is a learned skill, requiring specific practice against decently coached Slann. It requires patience and precision.

I am not sure there is a (c)!

All the best.

[Wanchor]

I am not sure there is a (c)!

Well, there's Tentacles.

[Olaf the Stout]

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Like this. The problem here is that if they can reliably knock down the three players manning the los in the centre, they can build their cage in the middle, from which it's even harder to stop someone leaping out. But at least that stops the sideline cage from forming as even if they knock one player down, they'd have to leap to get over.

I've played quite a few games with slann but very rarely against them so I'm not really sure which defensive formation works best. I'm going to pay attention to it with my new slann team on Fumbbl.

Yeah, if I had done that then the cage would definitely have been formed in the middle of the pitch instead, which I think is worse than the sidelines as he has a number of directions to go from there and is harder to defend against.

Olaf the Stout

[mattgslater]

That's why I say you should cede the sidelines. You need to keep multiple safeties against Slann, and you can't let them cage in the middle, where they can leap in any direction. Giving up sideline action is okay if it doesn't mean you have guys taken out of play because they're on the wrong side.

Slann can easily build downfield sideline formations. They're not fast, but they're fast enough that if they can open a hole on the wing, they can get some ST3 down there to support the 2+ Leap Catchers, and can leap the Catchers into position to support each other given the gap on the wing. If this happens, and you're defending both wings, then the wingers on the other side are stuck way out in bum**** Egypt. But if you let them cage on the sideline, and you have nobody farther out than the 3-column on the other side, you can beat Leap.

[one_second_of_insanity]

Having played with Slann a lot (and consequently figuring out what works against them) I would say dont play too tightly on them and really try and hammer their catchers as without them you will find they dont score so well. An unskilled catcher is one of the most fragile players in the game (I would almost say more so than snotlings).

A net of tackle zones with a layered defense is the best way to stymie them, you can also set your defense up a little deeper as you are faster and it will hurt them more. You can also mark them with one of your players behind them and then instead of having another player directly in front leave a 1 square gap so it means they have to doge into a tackle zone and then leap rather than just leaping out of the situation.

Finally, just try and make the AG5 catcher die as they really can get wherever they want so just get it off the pitch any way you can.

[Ullis]

Yeah, if I had done that then the cage would definitely have been formed in the middle of the pitch instead, which I think is worse than the sidelines as he has a number of directions to go from there and is harder to defend against.

Well, if you can build a good los with either positioning skills or raw strength/guard, you can make it hard to punch through the middle without at least dodging or leaping. And that's hard for slann to do with their AG3. Against slann you can usually afford to put better players instead of rookies for los duty, especially if it can lead to denying them easy passage to your side.

[Smeborg]

Having played with Slann a lot (and consequently figuring out what works against them) I would say dont play too tightly on them and really try and hammer their catchers as without them you will find they dont score so well. An unskilled catcher is one of the most fragile players in the game (I would almost say more so than snotlings).

A net of tackle zones with a layered defense is the best way to stymie them, you can also set your defense up a little deeper as you are faster and it will hurt them more. You can also mark them with one of your players behind them and then instead of having another player directly in front leave a 1 square gap so it means they have to doge into a tackle zone and then leap rather than just leaping out of the situation.

Finally, just try and make the AG5 catcher die as they really can get wherever they want so just get it off the pitch any way you can.

Agreed. Hammer the Catchers is a widely followed strategy in our league.

[Smeborg]

I am not sure there is a (c)!

Well, there's Tentacles.

Sure, Tentacles helps. But having played Nurgle vs. Slann a few times now, I can assure you that it is not easy for Nurgle. I would say the teams are about an even match. It is hard for Nurgle to shield the ball from Slann, so the games are usually a bit wild.

[Wanchor]

I have an even win-loss ratio against Slann myself. Tentacles and mobbing loose balls were the more effective tactics, the latter being pretty obvious.