Orcs vs Next Opponent Tactics

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:53 am

He already often gets put next to people he isn't blocking. Playing BB is a hazardous profession

I will see how it plays out over the next few games but I think it will be handy.

The passing game is sub-optimal for orcs at the best of times and I have a passing build thrower in the mix already. I don't find that I particularly struggle to retain possession of the ball on offence. The thrower starts off the LOS so guard lets him add maximum benefit when he moves in to add an assist. It also frees up my next blitzer to skill to go with juggernaut, strip ball or frenzy rather than guard.

Super long term it is probably sub optimal but I doubt our league will play so many games that these 3 and 4 skill ideal progressions that are discussed here have much chance of occurring for more than a handful of star players. Nothing wrong with an effective stop gap measure IMHO

Don't worry I'm a bit left of centre apparently. I just got shouted down in my league forum when I revealed my 2 vampire starting roster for next seasons team

Jural · Post by **Jural** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:20 pm

Big Daddy wrote:
Don't worry I'm a bit left of centre apparently. I just got shouted down in my league forum when I revealed my 2 vampire starting roster for next seasons team

Aren't you worried about their performance with no thralls on the orc team?

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:51 pm

Boom-tish!

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:29 am

Well all my planning for dwarf teams was a waste of time as unexpected results abounded in the final regular season round!

I played Chaos in the quarter finals and got home 2-1 in overtime. Funny thing was all the scores went to the kicking team in what was an extremely hard fought match.

In the semi's I had to play a pretty mean Dark Elf outfit that had won its last 7 matches in a row. I managed to hold them out in the first half when I kicked but that was more due to luck as he failed to catch the ball in the endzone in turn 8 on 2+. You just have to hope when you make them roll so many d6 that eventually they will fail and it paid off at the right time for me! I even had a chance to score after the ball finished being thrown around by the crowd but a failed pick up put paid to that hope.

The second half kicked off with a riot, burning 2 turns from the clock. I managed to grind my way up the pitch bumping a few elves into the stands along the way. The Dark elf player was defending really well and I just couldn't seem to shake him loose. I managed to break two blitzers into scoring positions in turn 7. He blitzed one down and surrounded the other with 5 elves. In a role reversal of the first half I got some assists in thanks to guard and blitzed and dodged out of the congestion and into the end-zone to receive the pass. Missing my passing skilled thrower thanks to the chaos match it was up to the guard thrower. Long passed on the 5 first roll and the blitzer caught the ball to win the match

In a bizarre match featuring elves the only SPP were the completion and the TD for either player as the elves fumbled the quick pass in turn 8 to cap off the game.

So I'm off to the BRAWLbowl for the second year straight against a mean Dwarf outfit (leads league in casualties and kills) wish me luck

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 6:31 am

Oops! Meant to ask for suggestions for my lineman skill up.

My team is here
http://www.brawl.bloodbowlleague.com/de ... p=ro&t=can

I've managed to roll double 6's for my lino with kick. Should I take the strength or go with another serve of guard? Any other ideas?

The Dwarf outfit I'm facing can be seen here:

http://www.brawl.bloodbowlleague.com/de ... p=ro&t=kha

Cheers

Andromidius · Post by **Andromidius** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:41 pm

I'd take Diving Tackle and use him as a safety in one of the widezones, personally.

~Andromidius

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:42 pm

He has Kick? Keep him out of the wide zone. Always take +ST on an Orc. With ST4, I'd be tempted to use him as an inside LB, soaking up the blitz, or as a safety, able to blitz without an assist so you can cover or rush with more men. If you like your BOBs and Troll, I'd do the latter; if you don't, I'd do the former, dropping out my least fave BOB to play reserve. I didn't read your roster, though, so I don't know if something would jump out at me.

Edit: Just looked. You have no Troll? Then this guy is an inside LB, and you don't need no stinkin' Troll.

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:45 pm

I took the strength. It's a shame that the kicker snagged the roll for +S but I think he'll work well in the position you nominated Matt. I should take a decent strength advantage in this way. 5 x S4 vs 1 x S7 and 1 xS4. We are equal at 4 guarders each.

I don't rate the Troll in general. If really stupid didn't cost the tackle zones I would take one but I don't like that chance on defence. I also can't see the point in taking a 110k TV hit to only use him on the 1 kick I hope to receive in a match.

I've taken the Strength so I'll go in with 410k inducements for the Grand final. Initial thoughts are:
1 x wizard
1 x wandering apo
1 x bribe
1 x bloodweiser babes

Any thoughts on this side?

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:24 am

I like those inducements.

Just go last with Trolls, unless they went stupid last turn, and then go first. I like them on defense more than offense, as a Troll with Guard at nose tackle surrounded by BOBs makes for an absolutely heinous line and you can't go stupid on the first turn of defense. I find my Orcs almost never give up TDs when kicking: my opponents usually only score on me if they get the ball off my Thrower before I cage properly, or if they break my cage. Kicking with a full roster of positionals with the right skill selection almost guarantees you a TD every drive.

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:48 am

Hi Matt,

I assume you meant your opponent never scores when you receive? Otherwise you must win a shed load of games x-0!

I've conceded 7TD in 12 matches this season and never more than 1 in a match. Only in the quarter final did I get scored on when I received as far as I remember. Hanging onto the ball shouldn't be that hard with Orcs however you skill them out.

I love playing defence. Nothing more satisfying than bringing an offence to it's knees

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:37 am

Big Daddy wrote:Hi Matt,

I assume you meant your opponent never scores when you receive?

No. With a good Orc team and about 6 games of development, you can make opposing offensive TDs a thing of the past, so that your opponent never gets to put the ball in your backfield except by kicking it, and the only way to score on you is if you fail to pick up while receiving, or if your cage gets busted. I mean, not never ever, but a good Orc team can shut down 80% of offensive drives. Doing this consistently leads to more TDs and more SPPs, and you'll get elf-like scoring ratios, (more consistency, but none of those 5-6 point games).

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:08 am

I take my hat off to you then

I thought I was going well at around 50% shut-out.

How are you doing this...stand firm?

Biff · Post by **Biff** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:48 am

mattgslater wrote:
Big Daddy wrote:Hi Matt,

I assume you meant your opponent never scores when you receive?
No. With a good Orc team and about 6 games of development, you can make opposing offensive TDs a thing of the past, so that your opponent never gets to put the ball in your backfield except by kicking it, and the only way to score on you is if you fail to pick up while receiving, or if your cage gets busted. I mean, not never ever, but a good Orc team can shut down 80% of offensive drives. Doing this consistently leads to more TDs and more SPPs, and you'll get elf-like scoring ratios, (more consistency, but none of those 5-6 point games).

Yes, I agree. You can shut the door. Tight. Of course, those elves can always dodge past you, but with a cunningly placed saftey with Tackle+Mighty blow he wont come far.

I do have some problems on offence since orcs are slow. But I think ie got the hang of that too, finaly.

And yes, Stand Firm is the way to do it. Or side step. That way your opponent has to go another way (or try and fail). And for some reason they just aim at your troll. And thus, you just took the match to orcland heaven. Kick, punch and foul your way to the ballhandler. Take the ball and score. You really cant go wrong. It did take me some 20-30 games to really get it though, and the lack of speed !censored! it up quite a lot of times.

But, its Blood Bowl. Play a good coach and anything can happen. Roll a quadruple skull or snake eyes, your oppo gets lucky with AV and injury and suddenly your defence looks like swiss cheese. But Id say 7/10 your defence will work as it should.

Stand Firm+guard in the widezone, and stand firm+guard at LOS. Tackle/MB safties and a fouler.

Andromidius · Post by **Andromidius** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:06 pm

Trying to bust a well constructed Orc cage is neigh on impossible for most teams. Best you can really hope for is to either stop the cage moving (again, neigh on impossible for alot of teams) or pray they score reasonably quickly so give you a chance to score quickly in return.

Mind you, I can imagine Orc vs Orc games get bloody and messy very quickly indeed. Was bad enough when mu Chaos team took on Orcs - there was alot of brawling and not alot of picking up the ball (neither of us dared try, what with so many tackle zones on it all the time).

~Andromidius

Big Daddy · Post by **Big Daddy** » Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:23 am

Well the final has been played and the mighty Canzas Town Nobz have vanquished the Dwarfs of Kharak Dron!

I froze them out in the first half and almost scored after knocking the ball free with my wizard. The second half I was looking good to score but an interception by a dwarf in 2 tackle zones ruined that play. I almost coughed up the game on the counterattack but fortunately the intercepting dwarfs luck failed him as he reversed the dice to dodge out on a 2+ (AG4 blodge Dwarf

) and failed thanks to tackle. This killed the clock off after I recovered the ball and failed to catch the TD pass.

Onto overtime and I won the toss to receive. The dwarfs rolled a blitz on the kick off but had kicked very deep. I managed to tie up his players and get a pass away to a blitzer to drive deep into their half. A dwarf managed to blitz and dodge his way to put a TZ on the ball carrier but with only 5 squares to the endzone I managed to grab a 2d block to put him down and stroll in for the golden goal.

What an intense match and a great finish to win what is apparently the largest league in the Southern Hemisphere

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my thread, especially early in the season when I was getting my head around playing the greenskins. I went all the way to the grand final last season with my pro elves but missed out on the choccies so it was fantastic to take the extra step this season and get that monkey off my back!