How to defend with "new" High Elves against Bash

[Smeborg]

I am inclined to agree with RogueThirteen. I observe that Accurate is a popular first skill choice on HE Throwers in our league. They are hard to defend against.

At higher skill levels, HE Throwers also potentially make the best Dumpsters in the game (with D-Off and NoS).

[juck101]

Yeah 6spps for accurate surley gives huge reach and pretty much gives the long pass a very credible option even from deep. I hate to get my positionals bashed but you can't use dodge or block to offer as much as accurate. Agree with the guys above

[SunDevil]

Thank you.
What is your opinion about the blitzers? 3DB covered them as "too expensive for what they do" and allthough I think I need at least one guy with block will it make much of a difference against developed teams?
I even thought about 3 catchers.

Guilty as charged! And Garion is right - we were wrong! Look for us to right that wrong on a future episode!

I hope MeatLoafX sees this, he is considering High Elves for next season here locally.

[Trollblanc]

The thrower got Accurate.
Today I got a 10 on a lineman - do I take the move boost?

[Smeborg]

Trollblanc - I would be inclined to ignore 6+4 on a Lino. The simple Block is better IMO. I have tried +AV on HE Linos and found it unsatisfactory. It's nice to just have Linos that can take quiet 2-dice blocks safely.

[Warpstone]

Trollblanc - I would be inclined to ignore 6+4 on a Lino. The simple Block is better IMO. I have tried +AV on HE Linos and found it unsatisfactory. It's nice to just have Linos that can take quiet 2-dice blocks safely.

+1. For elves, staying up right in the first place offers more value than surviving a hit.

[Ullis]

Trollblanc - I would be inclined to ignore 6+4 on a Lino. The simple Block is better IMO. I have tried +AV on HE Linos and found it unsatisfactory. It's nice to just have Linos that can take quiet 2-dice blocks safely.

+1. For elves, staying up right in the first place offers more value than surviving a hit.

And you already have players who are faster or as fast if you take the +MA so it doesn't bring too much into the team (blitzers and catchers).

[Trollblanc]

thank you for the inputs

[mattgslater]

Yeah, I'd even go so far as to say you'd only want two HE linemen that aren't built to go to the line, at least as reserves. My team runs seven linemen: a Kicker, a +AG guy, and five guys I'll put on the DLOS without a second thought. (Three at a time, of course!)

[MeatLoafX]

Do you favor block or wrestle on most linemen? I know the HE linemen aren't exceptionally fast, but I like how wrestle helps against slower, bashy teams that are heavy on block.

Thinking of starting a High Elf team next season in the Critical Hit Cup and could always use advice.

[Smeborg]

Do you favor block or wrestle on most linemen? I know the HE linemen aren't exceptionally fast, but I like how wrestle helps against slower, bashy teams that are heavy on block.

Thinking of starting a High Elf team next season in the Critical Hit Cup and could always use advice.

MeatLoafx - I see the issue as bi-polar. Either you give the Catchers Wrestle, and the Linos Block, or the other way around. I prefer to give the Catchers Wrestle, and the Linos Block. Wrestle is more useful and more likely to be used as an offensive (Blitz in your turn) skill than as a defensive (e.g. take Blocks on the LoS) skill. I give the Linos Guard on doubles, it combines better with Block than with Wrestle. Conversely, I do not take doubles on the Catchers. Dodge, Wrestle, Tackle is my preferred skill route for them - long-range ball-hunting Blitzers.

Some Wrestle is good on any of the Elven teams.

Hope that helps.

[MeatLoafX]

It does. I can see having a few catchers go the ball hunter route, but on offense, I can see wanting block on two of them do go a block/dodge/ss route, sending them downfield for the pass. I do see wrestle as defensive, however, in some ways. It's nice to force a dwarven team down to the ground when they try to block you down, leaving you paths through their line and letting you get away easier on your turn.

The part where I'm really struggling is with defense - how to make the High Elves work on defense, especially against a bashy team that will cage up. Part of me wants to make some linemen or catchers into leaping cage breakers, but I worry about forcing them into my favorite team, the Slann. I know the high elves can capitalize on a dropped ball, etc., but I can't rely on that.

[Iranian Spy]

This is a bit of a different approach but I actually like taking Sure Feet as my first skill. Reason being is that I take two throwers - a dumpoffer and a long bomb type thrower. The long bomber I sit right at the back on offensive drives and then surge forward and the dumper is on my defensive drives and needs the speed to maneuver and perhaps even score. I take Sure Feet first because they work well for both types but really I need a double or AG boost on my long bomber for him to be truly amazing whereas Accurate is kinda useless on my dumper. Next skill, if neither have popped any doubles up yet is dodge as this works on my dumper but is also useful to keep my longbomber type alive too. If by the third skill my thrower hasn't found a doubles or ag boost I go with Dump Off then nerves of steel and finally wrestle. I then hope that my second thrower finds a double before his third skill, otherwise I have two (pretty damn amazing) high elf runners to dump off to one another or the catchers as required.