Developing a team built around intercepting

Scipio_Publius · Post by **Scipio_Publius** » Tue Feb 03, 2004 3:55 pm

I think I agree that intercepting is a low-win% strategy because it depends on your your opponent's style. That being said, it is pretty amusing.

Well, granted my team has so far only has 25% of the pass blockers I have planned but so far I am 10 and 1. My players are shaping up rather well and the pass block intercept strategy will just be the iceing on the cake. I have one player with 2 interceptions already after 7 games (no one else though

)

Building a team around intercepting is putting the cart before the horse. What do you hope to achieve through a large number of interceptions othehr than fluff?

Hummm...lets see 2 SPP points per interception, a turn over, preventing my opponent from scoring and probably winning the game. Thats all.

Better still, blunt their run at the same time you get passblockers into the backfield and you've got an almost guaranteed turnover.

I think we are pretty much talking about the same thing because you can't always count on intercepting the ball with a 5+ with Catch skill or better "if AG 5". With large numbers of Pass Blocking and Side Stepping Shadowers. Not only that it gets hard when you force your opponents throwers to get safe throw. Then your going for either a fumble or botched catch attempt.

In the end it is a part of my strategy and a deliberate part but not the only part.

ScottyBoneman · Post by **ScottyBoneman** » Tue Feb 03, 2004 4:22 pm

For WElves, having the STR2 AV7 player deep in the backfield taking away the pass option (Safety) against bashy teams is not necessarily a bad thing.

Keeps them in position to receive the ball if you get a chance to pop the ball free (with a Strip Ball WarDancer) from a scrum and reduces the need for that STR2 player to try and maintain contact with your opponents STR3 player he puts into your zone.

juck101 · Post by **juck101** » Tue Feb 03, 2004 7:29 pm

had some good players for passblock duty. best was a high elf catch-pass block (force for an int) and block-dodge (keeps him upright)

old roster shows only 6 ints with him and played at least 20 games with him. Had about 4 passblockers on squad but remebr two things A) safe throw totally reduces 5 plus int based players to a waste of time. B) as marcus points out a solid defense will need a more rounded selection of skills. The 'theme' team will suffer against many opponents.

passblock is a usefull skill just will be hard to get good at interceptions. Any good coach that is facing ag6 catch-nos-passblock players will go around them, blitz them away or just hand off. If want to go with lots of passblock I suggest dodge-block very good option to give you a chance to be max use.

ScottyBoneman · Post by **ScottyBoneman** » Tue Feb 03, 2004 7:52 pm

juck101 wrote:old roster shows only 6 ints with him and played at least 20 games with him. Had about 4 passblockers on squad but remebr two things A) safe throw totally reduces 5 plus int based players to a waste of time. B) as marcus points out a solid defense will need a more rounded selection of skills. The 'theme' team will suffer against many opponents.

Dead right about overdoing the theme thing (except the Tackle theme) but I would also note that 'only' 6 interceptions in 20 games is nothing to sniff at. The means that 1 player on the pitch slowed or totally reversed scoring drives almost 1in3 games played.

Numbers look even better if that player didn't have Pass Block at the beginnning of the 20 (rookie team?)

plasmoid · Post by **plasmoid** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 11:10 am

IMO, safe throw at 2+ is simply too good at shutting down interceptions.
Why try to base a whole team on interceptions when it can be shut down by one skill on one player.

Still, we had a TBB poll on this, and I know I'm minority on this.
Oh well,
Martin

Marcus · Post by **Marcus** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 11:37 am

One good use for passblockers on an elf team:

I used to use 2 leaping passblockers in outside linebacker positions, close to the LoS on kickoff. I'd use kick skill to kick in the corner very close to the line. This left the opponents throwers/fullbacks out of position, if someone then tried to gather the ball and pass it to the backfield or into the centre of their formation, you'd nail them with the passblocker. If they didn't, they started their drive out of position.

Nagash · Post by **Nagash** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:11 pm

Marcus wrote:One good use for passblockers on an elf team:

I used to use 2 leaping passblockers in outside linebacker positions, close to the LoS on kickoff. I'd use kick skill to kick in the corner very close to the line. This left the opponents throwers/fullbacks out of position, if someone then tried to gather the ball and pass it to the backfield or into the centre of their formation, you'd nail them with the passblocker. If they didn't, they started their drive out of position.

You sneaky git! ... very nice tactic....

juck101 · Post by **juck101** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 7:28 pm

yep like the idea by marcus and have often done similar. Plan is to disrupt the offense, not get carried away with winning games by interceptions. front scrimage kicks can upset many plans and force a quick reaction out of most teams.

And yes 6int's is good - shut down better throw positions and use 'zone' deffense and will expand chance of a open field passblok with a player. Dont forget mostly more effective to block catch or the throw rather than try a 1 in 6 chance for an int

Scipio_Publius · Post by **Scipio_Publius** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 7:43 pm

plasmoid wrote:IMO, safe throw at 2+ is simply too good at shutting down interceptions.
Why try to base a whole team on interceptions when it can be shut down by one skill on one player.

Still, we had a TBB poll on this, and I know I'm minority on this.
Oh well,
Martin

I don't think just one skill counters this strategy because if they get safe throw putting TZ's on them still gives negatives for throwing and more importantly fumbling. I can also opt to pass block the intended recievers to put negatives for catching and if they dodge shadow them or diving tackle them.

Or if their safe thrower is bugging me I'll take a dirty player and get rid of their safe thrower.

@Marcus - Nice, I'll have to try that with the War Dancers.

@juck101 - especially in my scenario were I pretty much kick it deep every turn. My opponents might start setting up deeper and then I do a near side kick...priceless!

Rupert · Post by **Rupert** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 8:10 pm

Marcus wrote:One good use for passblockers on an elf team:

I used to use 2 leaping passblockers in outside linebacker positions, close to the LoS on kickoff. I'd use kick skill to kick in the corner very close to the line. This left the opponents throwers/fullbacks out of position, if someone then tried to gather the ball and pass it to the backfield or into the centre of their formation, you'd nail them with the passblocker. If they didn't, they started their drive out of position.

In another thread some time ago I saw an idea a bit like this: Put pass block on two Longbeards

and against elfy teams place one pass-block-longbeard in each wide-zone and kick deep (one normal VB one square from the los and the PB-LB right behind him). Most agile teams will try and place a catcher-type in the wide zone and pass the ball to him to make a break and go for a two turn TD but if they try that your LB comes rushing and ties him up. Longbeards are especially good at this cause they start with tackle/block (and if you roll a double you could put diving tackle on him).

Scipio_Publius · Post by **Scipio_Publius** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:02 pm

Update:
So far so good. I am at 14 games and 12-2 so far. I can play one more game before the tournament. I should be number one seed but there are two teams that only have one loss so its possible that I will be number 3 seed. The team looks like such.

Thrower - Accurate, Sure Hands (1 Completion from third Skill, thinking Block)
War Dancer - Side Step, Jump Up, Pass Block
War Dancer - Side Step, +1AG, Pass Block (So far she has 3 interceptions)
Catcher - Block, Side Step, Dauntless
Catcher - Block, Side Step, Pass Block
Catcher - Pass Block, NoS
Line elf - Block, Side Step (1 TD away from third skill...thinking Dirty Player)
Line elf - Block, Side Step
Line elf - Block, Kick
Line elf - Block, +1ST

Line elf - Block
Line elf - Block, Dodge, -1AV
Treeman

8 FF (I have rolled a 1 for FF 5 times out of 14 games)
3 RR's
50K Treasury (haven't done so well on money either)
209 TR

I'm thinking I need a Dirty Player because even though I just got all my Pass Blockers within the last 3 games, one coach has figured to get a Safe Thrower on his team. I plan to make him meet Valhalla on our first engagement. So far only 3 interceptions for the team total and all by the same player.

Ya, I rolled double 5's and decided against the MA increase on the Catcher and instead got Dauntless because I forgot about NoS. Some would say thats crazy talk but that was his third advance and I wanted to advance other players (ie...line elves) and I only had like 6 games to go. So far no regrets though.

Am I missing anything?

Scipio_Publius · Post by **Scipio_Publius** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 4:03 pm

See paranoia is setting in

What should be my third skill on the +1 ST Line Elf? I was thinking either Leap, Tackle, Diving Tackle, Shadow or Dodge. I never concidered getting a strength increase.

I am seriously concidering Safe Throw on the thrower...or Dump Off?

I also need to purchase another re-roll and a Line elf...just which one first. Wish I was doing better on money rolls cause I want a wizard for the tournament too. They all hire em against me, so I'm fixen on given em a taste of their own medicine.

ScottyBoneman · Post by **ScottyBoneman** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 4:17 pm

Scipio_Publius wrote:See paranoia is setting in

What should be my third skill on the +1 ST Line Elf? I was thinking either Leap, Tackle, Diving Tackle, Shadow or Dodge. I never concidered getting a strength increase.

I am seriously concidering Safe Throw on the thrower...or Dump Off?

I also need to purchase another re-roll and a Line elf...just which one first. Wish I was doing better on money rolls cause I want a wizard for the tournament too. They all hire em against me, so I'm fixen on given em a taste of their own medicine.

Absolutely Tackle! Dodge is great too, but you have there a player that is could be turned into a nightmare for ballcarriers.

I have a STR4 Wardancer right now - Blodge and Leap (of course), +1 STR, Tackle and Strip Ball. Not a whole lot of places to hide. Getting Kick asap.

Scipio_Publius · Post by **Scipio_Publius** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 5:13 pm

Update: I am in the semi finals as number one seed. After having enough Pass Blockers for the last 5 games I have 5 interceptions.

Conclusions - experienced players are not getting intercepted but it does force them to make more rolls then they would usually have to and decreases the flexibility of plays as to what order they can handoff and throw and to who.

This is probably not the optimal way to set up a wood elf team but its damn scary for opponents who are not prepared for it because it plays different. Its not run out and strip the ball in your face type style. It makes you think about if I go here and throw whats going to happen.

I think Skaven with lots of Foul Appearance is going to be better that this tactic because foul appearance increases the range of the threat conciderably.

Thanks for all the input guys! Its been an interesting tour this season with this team.

Cooper · Post by **Cooper** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 6:09 pm

plasmoid wrote:IMO, safe throw at 2+ is simply too good at shutting down interceptions.
Why try to base a whole team on interceptions when it can be shut down by one skill on one player.

Still, we had a TBB poll on this, and I know I'm minority on this.
Oh well,
Martin

Well, i agree on that, but if you are the only team in your league that builds for intercepting, how many throwers will get safethrow?
W