Pyrrhic playstyle?

[sunnyside]

So I'm a relatively new Norse player in a PBEM league (mbbl).

As I bought a Norse team in real life I'm trying to learn to play them in a league setting. Despite my relative newness I'm not having a particular problem with winning games.

Rather my problem is in losing players in the process, by losing a player about every other game on my three teams I'm only making slow progress increasing my TV.

Now part of me figures this situation may get better as my rookie teams skill up. Finally getting dodge on the runners, and maybe a little fend on the line.

However fundamentally the players are AV7 and lack the agility to really dodge away from trouble. So as I gain dodge and fend the teams I face will have more tackle and mighty blow. Except now I'd be out more SPPs when I lose a player.

I'm wondering if people have specific advice on this.

My thoughts are that:

1. I could back off. Especially on defense I have the option to simply avoid the nasty scrums that often wind up with me stealing the ball, but can cost me men. Instead picking on his players until he scores or gives me an opening for a decisive ball capture. On offense I could shift from my current effective but sometimes painful cage based offense to pass or handoff oriented play.

2. I could simply suck it up and accept a slow TV growth and generally not especially skilled players.

3. I could focus on expendable linemen. Buy up to a larger team size (probably 15-16 given that a couple will often be missing any given game and not count toward the TV). Than when I want to attack a cage throw the linemen into the heart of the thing and keep my positionals hitting the edges.

This is somewhat tricky as the frenzy positionals are soo good at wrecking cage formations by shoving into the center of them and either taking the ball carrier down or shoving them out of their pocket for some chain blocking. Though I suppose I oculd get frenzy on some linemen.

This might also be coupled with firing or at least not protecting/apoing linemen with multiple skills that aren't guard as they'd be TV bloat.

4. Attempt to get dodge on a lot of players instead of guard on doubles. Or other defensive skills(fend) instead of things like mighty blow.

Anyway I'd appreciate your thoughts on those options or if you have some better ones.

[Carnis]

I find if you dish it out you take less of it back. All of your options work, except 4. Guard can't really be countered by any skill, whereas dodge can. If you go spending all your doubles on dodge you'll be quickly managing a dodge-poor amazon team, and they dont do any better at higher TV.

I'd suggest a careful/bashful playstyle, blitz with a MB&PO player (or snowtroll vs AV9), foul the player if the piling on doesnt knock him out and never leave anybody in a TZ voluntarily..

If your team rating isnt going high "fast enough", you should be glad. You can get wilhelm chaney (AWESOME value, counters blodge, AV9 at the same time and still catches the ball and has MA8/S4) every time .

Norse are a hard to play team versus many teams in leagues, such as dwarves who can easily have all their players boasting guard&mb. The two teams are not really fairly matched higher up in the ratings. The snowtroll can somewhat even it out, but even then its just one of your blocks/blitzes that you can get vs AV7 the dwarf can get all of his.. To even this out, you get it easier vs some of the elven teams though.

[Joemanji]

My thoughts are that:

1. I could back off. Especially on defense I have the option to simply avoid the nasty scrums that often wind up with me stealing the ball, but can cost me men. Instead picking on his players until he scores or gives me an opening for a decisive ball capture. On offense I could shift from my current effective but sometimes painful cage based offense to pass or handoff oriented play.

2. I could simply suck it up and accept a slow TV growth and generally not especially skilled players.

3. I could focus on expendable linemen. Buy up to a larger team size (probably 15-16 given that a couple will often be missing any given game and not count toward the TV). Than when I want to attack a cage throw the linemen into the heart of the thing and keep my positionals hitting the edges.

If you want to do (1), choose another team. Norse are not suited to it. They have to get stuck in.

(2) seems right. Norse have trouble with keeping players alive, but the flip side to that coin is that they can buy back a lino that already has all the skills he'll ever need for 50K. Lineman skills are generally TV bloat, so as you say don't worry if they die (unless he has Guard as you say). I'd rather have 2 rookie linemen for 100K than one lineman with Tackle+Fend for 90K.

(3) Yes you need to have a large squad size. Preferably 14+ to start each game.

Norse need to focus on numerical advantage to win. That means developing killer Blitzers and concentrating on crowd pushes.

[sunnyside]

Actually, at least before I've reached the high TV values, might it be better to pass on some of the positionals in order to have more linemen for the same TV and cash.

i.e. for an 11 man team with 100k would it be wiser to purchase two linemen than to replace a dead runner?

[GreedySmurf]

Actually, at least before I've reached the high TV values, might it be better to pass on some of the positionals in order to have more linemen for the same TV and cash.

i.e. for an 11 man team with 100k would it be wiser to purchase two linemen than to replace a dead runner?

On point 1, Not in my experience. I think the Norse is a team that needs it's positionals. Keep the postionals, and have a slowly rotating lineman bench from attrition.

On point 2 - depending upon your teams development, go with 2 liney's. For Norse to win it is essentail to have a deep bench. If inducements won't do that for you, hire the two liney's now.