Chaos Pact - Trollblanc asks for advice

[Ulthuan_Express]

My plan is a bit boring block, dodge, sidestep

Ditto, as I've found the AG4 so useful that my Dark Elf hangs around behind my front line, waiting for someone to knock the ball free so he can then grab it and start a fresh drive. Someone else makes the turnover, and he picks up the pieces. As such, he gets the all-round skills that are useful as much as possible, with Sure Hands in there somewhere too, for him to grab the ball when receiving.

Trollblanc, if he's being stupid so often (assuming it's the 2+ you're failing, otherwise get players next to him!), try and resist the drive to actually activate/use him on some turns, just so he doesn't lose that all-important TZ. Plus, why is he not standing on the line, hitting things?

[Trollblanc]

He gets instructed of course (I roll many 1s and don't reroll them due to loner if not absolutely necessary) and atm he is on the line of course.
The question was if there is a way to make him viable with tentacles for NOT having to activate him as you suggested.
(I fail to see the point in not activating the troll on the line if he could hit things - without block he is already very prone to beeing blocked down - especially against those pesky block guys)

[Ulthuan_Express]

I don't think the non-activation thing is really for the beginning of a drive when you need to clear out that LOS, but actually for later on when the cage begins to develop and he wanders over clubbing and tentacling (is that a verb?) things left right and centre.

Tentacles helps fall on the 'should I shouldn't I?' decision to activate him, because if he goes stupid, you've lost the tentacles as well as the TZ, meaning there's a big hole in your plans. Doubly so with Guard, too.

From another perspective: the Ogre immediately gets Block on a Double, why simply duplicate it on the Troll to make things easy for the opposition to think about? Go for something different and mix up the play somewhat. Plus it's fluffy. Sorta.

[Trollblanc]

I played against necro today and got pretty destroyed.
Had the chance to go to 2:2 on turn 16 but busted it because I oversaw a dodge (tackling zone).

My Ogre got a miss next game - reroll apo - dead (very funny fortuna...), my troll got a -1 mov which he could fortunately regenerate.
Werwolves with claw are frightening...

On my side I managed to get 2 kills with my minotaur, the Necro coach regenerated both of them *grumble*
I really like the minotaur, allthough I misplaced him on drive 1 and he wild animaled out for 3 turns - but not loosing his tackling zones is still better than the troll and ogre in my opinion.

Now I got a skaven leveled again (single roll of course - my opponent skilled his werewolf with +ag and his wight with +mov - very funny again fortuna) who already has Block - and I'm not sure which route to go with him.
I'll build a dodge/wrestle/strip ball dark elf and also have the minotaur to blitz, so do I really want another blitzer?
What I'd like to get is Block/Claw/Mighty Blow, but then again I'm pretty sure I'll not roll doubles on the next skill.

I'm tempted to go Block/Horns/Tackle - but that is really only because I don't have any other ideas.
I'm grateful for any suggestions.

PS ranting: I start to hate my apo - in 3 games where I needed him I never got a 1-3.

[Wanchor]

The idea with Tentacles is not to put the Tentacles player on the line, but just to wait until the time is right to step in and park.

[Smeborg]

The idea with Tentacles is not to put the Tentacles player on the line, but just to wait until the time is right to step in and park.

Correct.

[Wanchor]

The idea with Tentacles is not to put the Tentacles player on the line, but just to wait until the time is right to step in and park.

Correct.

Hahaha, my comment is as an advocate of the Smeborg School of Nurgle, of course.

But while I have your attention, would you develop the troll or the minotaur as a stand-in Beast on a Pact team, if one had the inclination of developing a control-heavy, pseudo-stymie squad?

[Smeborg]

The idea with Tentacles is not to put the Tentacles player on the line, but just to wait until the time is right to step in and park.

Correct.

Hahaha, my comment is as an advocate of the Smeborg School of Nurgle, of course.

But while I have your attention, would you develop the troll or the minotaur as a stand-in Beast on a Pact team, if one had the inclination of developing a control-heavy, pseudo-stymie squad?

I have not yet played Chaos Pact. However, it occurs to me that Tentacles as a late skill on the Mino would be good (because as a WA he does not lose his tackle zone). However, I suspect I would take Block as first double on all 3 Big Guys on this team, so we are talking second doubles only. Perhaps Tentacles as second double on all 3 of them.

All the best.

[JaM]

Or claws ?

I'd go block too for the first double.
Normal skills: guard, standfirm, perhaps juggernaut if you want to blitz every turn with a wild animal.
I found him better as blocker, or roadblock(er). Sometimes he's good for just being there.

Moving on a 4+ isnt that bad, if he doesnt move he still has zones but you want all the biggies close (enough) to each other. Moving the Ogre is also quite easy (2+), but I found the troll sometimes a bit lacking. You need to babysit it, and IF you move he only goes for 4. At my last tournament I had difficulty to keep him up with the rest.

But so far I love the team. I've always liked the idea and first few incarnations of them, but I think this team has it all. Speed (some), agility (some), bashynesh (some), ... And attitude in spades.
I only played them semi-serious at the Dutch Open, but I can really see this team, being well-developed, as a winner. Perhaps this is the real "jack-of-all-trades" team, espescially if you get a skill or 2-3.

[Lunchab1es]

The idea with Tentacles is not to put the Tentacles player on the line, but just to wait until the time is right to step in and park.

Correct.

Hahaha, my comment is as an advocate of the Smeborg School of Nurgle, of course.

But while I have your attention, would you develop the troll or the minotaur as a stand-in Beast on a Pact team, if one had the inclination of developing a control-heavy, pseudo-stymie squad?

If you really wanted to try to build a stymie mino, I suppose you could plan on taking tentacles on doubles if/when you roll it, and take break tackle/juggernaut until then so that you could blitz him wherever you want the tentacles, and stand firm so he stays there.

[mattgslater]

That's my problem with Tentacles. It takes so much support. Stand Firm on the Tents guy, some mechanism to get him into position or drive opponents into him, and even then all you've done is clog one key route (with authority).

[Bert]

If it make you feel any better Troll, ive had 3 deaths in 4 games. Just played 4th game and lost a block marauder with a death/failed apo. That goes with my darkelf and other marauder. 4 games in and im at 108 TV, damn gobs gettin all my spp's. The little bastich has block and I might give him horns next to use for TTM blitzs. Nice part being if he fails the landing then I can still blitz with someone else.

[Smeborg]

Or claws ?

I'd go block too for the first double.
Normal skills: guard, standfirm, perhaps juggernaut if you want to blitz every turn with a wild animal.
I found him better as blocker, or roadblock(er). Sometimes he's good for just being there.

I think "roadblocker" may be a good description of the role of all 3 Big Guys on this team. They seem to work well when used quietly and thoughtfully, for position. The Marauders and Renegades do the flashy stuff.

[mattgslater]

Claw is only flashy because it's terrifying. The Ogre or Troll's job is to hold down a TZ and smack some poor guy around, which wouldn't be "sexy" if he weren't ST5+MB. If he hurts that guy, he gets to go smack some other poor guy around. Claw increases his odds of doing that, but it's still yeoman's work. It also messes with opposing strategy, and if you can predict that you can play off it.

In fact, if you use Claw against AV8, it adds the knockdown chance x 1/6 to the odds of inflicting an injury. That means that if you get a knockdown vs. an AV8 player, Claw is worth as much as the next turn's Bonehead, before accounting for player value, odds of not acting, relative action value and 43/648 (6.6%) Cas and 151/1296 (11.7%) KO yielded off the Claw modifier.

[Trollblanc]

Bert: unfortunately it doesn't make me feel better - but now I am sad for your losses

Now I got a skaven leveled again (single roll of course - my opponent skilled his werewolf with +ag and his wight with +mov - very funny again fortuna) who already has Block - and I'm not sure which route to go with him.
I'll build a dodge/wrestle/strip ball dark elf and also have the minotaur to blitz, so do I really want another blitzer?
What I'd like to get is Block/Claw/Mighty Blow, but then again I'm pretty sure I'll not roll doubles on the next skill.

I'm tempted to go Block/Horns/Tackle - but that is really only because I don't have any other ideas.
I'm grateful for any suggestions.

Thank you for all the Troll inputs for Trollblanc (fitting - because I sometimes feel "really stupid" when moving through that one tackle zone I didn't see which prevents my touchdown), does anyone have ideas for my skaven question by chance?