Trend towards worse defensive setup in advanced teams?

[el sid]

Something struck me when I was contemplating about my last game against my brother. We both played advanced Skaven teams and I lost 5-6. What went wrong? How is it possible I got 6 TD's against???

The answer proved simple: My defence sucked! It was non-existent. OK, whenever he got the ball, I ran with some rats towards it, making some futile attempts to retreive it. But the initial deployment of my rats at the kick-off was not good.

Now I know why: Because most of my players advanced some star player rolls, I didn't stick them isolated in the Wide Zones. Just because they become too vulnerable to blitzes this way. But this left my brother the opportnunity to flood the Wide Zones with his offensive force! A tactical mistake, which I didn't notice until after the game.

So my point is: With a rookie team, my defensive setup seems much better than with an advanced team. Just because I'm not afraid to loose some rookie rats. Obviously, this is not the way to go! In my next game, I will risk the necks of each and every Skaven under my command! Just to prevent my opponent from scoring. If I lose some rats this way, my Team Value might decrease to some acceptable level again!

Do any of you notice the same trend when playing advanced teams: setting-up in a worse way because you're afraid of losing valuable players? This is contra-productive, and I'll try to avoid it at all cost in the future!

El Sid

[DoubleSkulls]

Depending on your team and your opponent's sometimes the deep defence can work quite well (i.e. all 8 free players in a rough square or rectangle in the middle of the pitch). You can then move everyone to attack one side of the pitch fairly easily and protect key players from a blitz at the same time.

[TuernRedvenom]

setting-up in a worse way because you're afraid of losing valuable players? This is contra-productive, and I'll try to avoid it at all cost in the future!

Yeah! Next time you play my Khemri set up those Storm Vermin on the LoS!
More seriously, players dying is part of the game, I will give my players skills to make them live longer but I'll still use them with no regard for their personal safety/health when it's necessary. And defence is where the game is won, scoring TD's is easy, stopping your opponent from doing so is where the game is won.

[el sid]

And defence is where the game is won, scoring TD's is easy, stopping your opponent from doing so is where the game is won.

Tuern, this probably is the wisest thing I ever heard you say.

True, very true. And something Skaven teams tend to forget from time to time.

El Sid

[atropabelladonna]

And defence is where the game is won, scoring TD's is easy, stopping your opponent from doing so is where the game is won.

Tuern, this probably is the wisest thing I ever heard you say.

True, very true. And something Skaven teams tend to forget from time to time.

El Sid

I find skaven teams to be one of the best defensive teams. With thier high movement, they can respond to anything you do (i.e. flood one side of the field is impossible against them). And the gutter runners capitilize on any mistake. I play against them a lot

Skaven are also one of the best scoring teams. a 6-5 score doesn't surprise me much in a skaven vs skaven game. Especially if both coaches just concentrate on scoring and not hitting. Are you having problems on defense against a non skaven teams??

On defense, my friend buts 3 line rats in the LOS and then rest of the players 3 squares away in the center, with the gutter runners and rat ogre shielded by the stormvermin and remaining linerats. That way the gutter runners can flood the oposing half if something goes wrong. He doesn't worry to much about the wide zones, he just floods them with rats if you go that way.

[duff]

As others have implied, the mob in the centre setup is a good one for letting you respond to your opponent's deployment. It makes his 1st turn easier than it would be otherwise, but especially with a skaven team, means your whole team can converge on the player with the ball

[Skummy]

I love seeing the mob center defence when playing offence. It makes for a very easy cage in their side of the field, and a quick 2 turn score.

[el sid]

I love seeing the mob center defence when playing offence. It makes for a very easy cage in their side of the field, and a quick 2 turn score.

Exactly.

I don't believe in the mob center defence either. Fast teams just run in enough players in one of your wide zones, screening the ball carrier. Thus making it impossible for you to blitz it. Score in 2 turns.

The only good way to defend against fast teams is to grab them by the throat: Don't wait for them near your end-zone. This will only allow them to position their ball receivers in a more optimal way.

By throwing everything you have against their front line (with some safeties in your backfield, obviously), you might disrupt or even break their fragile little spines.

If you don't do this, you're in for a certain TD against.

El Sid

[stormmaster1]

If you're going for a grind them down 7-8 turns to score and kill the lot of them approach, a mob defence can work, as you either charge forwards ane by luck or judgement end up with the ball, or they score in two, leaving you to score twice in 15 turns of bashing.

[gken1]

the problem with playing skaven vs skaven is the rat ogre. You kinda have to give up the sideline or risk a player being pushed outta bounds.

The ratogre is just a great machine to punch holes in a defense. then all the little gutters shoot through and set up a cage.

best defense for this I think is kick skill and the staggered D. but in the end you have to hope the opponent fails some rolls