Offensive Alignments for 2 TTD teams..

[Firest0rm]

The tactics side of team development isnt discussed so much. I figure I'd get a thread going about offensive alignments and potential ways to attack defenses. Diagrams would be outstanding.

[mattgslater]

Offensive alignment is heavily dependent on team races (both teams) and defensive alignment, much more so than for defense. So it's hard to give specific advice on offense to general questions.

If you're AG3, put 3 guys behind the LOS to get/protect the ball; otherwise, put in two. If the d-line is spread out, or if your team is heavier, you can probably put the line on the ground by stacking the offensive line: do so! This puts your intended receivers a square forward and increases your tactical options.

When you take down the line, make sure to block diagonally, so you can push down the line in case you fail to knockdown. Against a tightly packed d-line, your center (the guy opposite the nose of the line) should make the first block against an end. Whether you block weak-side to strong-side or vice versa depends on what kind of drive you're going to run. If you're going to play a chain-push game (useful for MA6- teams to create hurry-up scores), then you'll mostly want to be moving the action to the strong side (this requires careful positioning). If you have a natural 2TTD game, like an elf or human team, then your goal is to bust open a hole so you can flood the backfield, and you should probably make your pushes to the weakside.

In any case, protect the ball by keeping it deep upfield on turn 1 if you have any passing game (maybe hedging out faster defenders with a man or two), and lob it to a receiver on turn 2. If you don't have a passing game, you have to build a downfield cage and keep it, which is a lot harder. Generally, it means putting together a sound sideline cage, which against a shallow defense usually means chainpushes to engineer multiple hits. This is very hard against some teams and not so much against others: a team full of Side Step or Stand Firm can make it near impossible, but a team full of schmoes or with movement problems can have trouble defending against a 2TTD from a cage. If you can protect the ball for a turn downfield and maintain 3 players as scoring threats, then a 2TTD is often a 2d block and maybe a 3+ roll away.

[Digger Goreman]

I smell another "coach's corner" article in the making....

[Carnis]

Generally just play conservative, ie: T1: Block down the LOS, diagonally. Then mark the KD'd players.

Pick up the ball with a thrower (who has AG4, AG5 or plenty of +Throw skills), and run out of blitzrange. Then start smacking the easiest to kill target+ move downfield.

When the opponent has either moved out of position, so that a throw will mean you can control his side of the pitch, or has threatened your ballcarrier sufficiently, that you cant reliably keep stalling the ball on the thrower, make a cage and throw the ball in it. Usually just blocking the freeblocks for a while will give you positional and player advantage (if you planned your blocking and covering positions and players correctly, anyway). Allowing you to play out the clock. Score on T8, unless you wanna be a sportsman and fight for a 2-0 half (in which case, score on T4-5, meaning you have time to defensively score, but he doesnt have too much time to score).

[Warpstone]

Firest0rm, the above advice is pretty solid and should guide most of your overall strategy. I would just add that your alignment is also heavily dependent on the pace of your offensive game. If you need to bash and establish numerical superiority, you're going to setup wider and closer to the LOS. If you're a quick team that can't afford to spend much time in heavy contact (i.e. you have lots of AV7), then you might consider stacking more playmakers towards one side of the pitch and attacking hard there to create quick opening for the TD.

Either way, the important part of your offensive setup is to give yourself the option to react to possible obstacles (i.e. your opponent pulls off a daring blitz or a kick-off result takes out a player) rather than over-commit to just one route for a TD.

[mattgslater]

Remember, he's asking about 2TTD offensive games.

So we're talking mostly about Turn 6-7 drives, and Turn 1 (2nd half) drives and 4TTD responses from teams down men. So the pace is always hurry-up. Maybe that will make alignment easier. This is why I put up the d-line poll, which seems to confirm my suspicions that most people put up symmetrical three-man lines.

[Digger Goreman]

Here's one I set up with Necros... can go down either side, while forming a cage at mid-field:



If the line is unfavorably stacked, I may set up in the back gray boxes....

In case of crazed emergencies, one could set both Wolves on one side....

[mattgslater]

See, I think putting 3 guys on the o-line is a horrible mistake. I'd move the WW from one WZ back where the FGs and Zombie are behind the line, and move the Wight and FGs up to the line. There's no rule that says that anyone who goes to the line must block: I'd run a route with the Wight and pull with at least one of the FGs, but this way you get your assists without movement, and get multiple bites at the apple if the initial block is a push.

[Digger Goreman]

Agreed, but being in contact = static choices... and the fleeting chance that you'll accept a double-down/attacker down, even on 2d blocks.... Given the flight patterns, above, you should end up with a cage, mid-field, AND finish with a set of 2d blocks from your linemen.... If they fall down, so be it... if they knock some down, all the better... the cage has been formed with two Stand Firms to protect....

And I WILL pass the ball if that's necessary....

[mattgslater]

Even if you're trying to score in two and need to cage downfield? That's what this thread is about, right?

Except against a very fast opponent, your job is to own the strong side, using Flesh Golems to keep opponents off of the Ghoul and generally to lengthen their routes.

Is there a reason you run four Zombies and only one Ghoul? I think Ghouls make great receivers.

[Digger Goreman]

Ghouls are like pickled okra: slippery, slimy, and unable to survive long without being trashed....

Sometimes I run two... but one is usually in the MNG Hospice....

[mattgslater]

Here's my Orcish 2TTD against a clustered line.

Z1 is a Blitzer with Frenzy, and B2 Guard and/or Block, T1 has Kickoff Return and/or Accurate; "a" and "b" are just placeholders: it doesn't really matter what skills they have. Note that there are 2 of these. B1 is a BOB with Grab. Otherwise Z = Blitzer, B = BOB, and TR = Troll.

Code: Select all

-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- T1 -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- Ta|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|Zc Bb -- -- Z1 -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- TR|Za Zb -- B2 B1 Ba --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- XX XX XX -- --|-- -- -- --
-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --

B2 blocks to the left (his right, but your left), pushing laterally, knockdown or no. Then B1 pushes down into the hole next to Zb, kicking off a series of chainblocks from Frenzy-boy, followed by 3d hits from Bb and the Troll. Both Za and Zb should be ahead of the LOS, and a 2TTD is a matter of just a little luck. Heck, it's not very unlikely that all 5 of the guys in that left-hand clump will have their turns intact. What's best is that if the ball scatters just wrong, you can use B1 to pull the right end to the right, opening up an opportunity to go the other way. You can also use a Goblin in place of Za or Zb, in case you want a TTM option.

[Warpstone]

Remember, he's asking about 2TTD offensive games.

So we're talking mostly about Turn 6-7 drives, and Turn 1 (2nd half) drives and 4TTD responses from teams down men. So the pace is always hurry-up. Maybe that will make alignment easier. This is why I put up the d-line poll, which seems to confirm my suspicions that most people put up symmetrical three-man lines.

Thanks Matt, I completely missed the meaning of that acronym

In that case, run a full house sweep:
- stack playmakers and linemen towards one flank, keep one lineman on the other flank
- on turn 7, use your fodder to get the assist on the opponent closest to the sideline and hit him with your blitzer. Run a catcher/runner next to the sideline and then put two players in "half-cage" positions the side of the catcher.
- run your thrower deep enough into your end that you have atleast a 1 square buffer from any blitzer
- now do your risky dodges to get any remaining players within TD range for turn 8. They're really just for stretching the field and forcing the other coach to mark other receivers.
- turn 8, get rid of TZ around sideline catcher and good luck with the passing roll.

[Digger Goreman]

A full house sweep is what I'm trying to accomplish, but doing it without having to tip off either side and be able to go to either side....

On second thought, I hope they bunch, and I'll do the same... moving critical positionals first (and, yeah, I think the Ghoul is much better here)....

Setting up for the Wolf-blitz! Trailing Golem makes a single GFI if you feel it is absolutely necessary.... Forward Ghoul slips into place and the opposing blitzer is outta there!!!!

Ghoul secures the ball and moves forward.... The Werewolf will be somewhere downfield, as needed....

If you don't GFI the Golem (as shown in the last image), your position is a little better imho, enabling the trailing Golem to blitz out the last irritant (Thrower in this example) next turn....

No plan survives battle, intact, but that's up to Nuffle....

[Firest0rm]

Thanks guys!

Digger, very nice work on the diagrams! That is spot on what I was talking about! Envisioning and opening up the minds of more experience players to see a sequential play formations. Normally, I like to play with Elf teams. However, I did enjoy the few games I played with Necros and have a team on FUMBBL with them.