Suggestions for Lizards vs. Chaos Dwarves?

[tonythep]

After Week 7 of my current league, my Lizards are in second at 6-1. Here's the breakdown:

Krox: Block
Saurus: Block
Saurus: SKILL
4x Saurus
2x Skink: Side Step
Skink: Catch, AG +1
Skink: Catch
2x Skink
Apothecary, $120K, 4 RR, FF 9, TR 165

I just had back-to-back forfeits, so I'm flush with cash but have few skills. Our league has a couple of quirks: we have a custom handicap table with overly good and overly bad results replaced, and successful handoffs count as completions for SPPs (hence all the Catch). Right now most teams have TRs in the 160-180 range.

My next game is against the league-leading 7-0 Chaos Dwarves. He's got a Troll, is full on Dwarves, and has Guard everywhere; one centaur is a ball handler (Blodge & Sure Hands) and the other is a Frenzy-ing free safety. His TR is 185, and he's so rich that he's going to be buying a wizard a game from here on out just to have something to do with all the money.

After him I get:
A full team of Blodging Amazons, currently in third
A full team of Guarding but winless Dwarves
Mid-table Wood Elves
Mid-table Undead
Mid-table High Elves

So here are the questions:
What skill do I take on the Saurus? Right now I'm torn between Block and Piling On, with Mighty Blow, Strip Ball, and Break Tackle sorta close behind. And:
Do I spend the $120K on a fifth reroll, dropping my TR below the magic two-handicap mark? Or should I save the cash in case of disaster?

All suggestions welcome. Thanks.

[SBG]

HI there!

Playing CD's myself, here's what I would do:

Take Block: almost everybody on the pitch will have it on your opponent's side and you never have too much of them;

Don't buy another RR: with 4 and all those Catch, you should have enough. Don't go and spend a re-roll on double arrows or Skull/POW if you don't fall.

As soon as one of his BC/Troll is down, Foul him!

Keep clear of his guarding blockers: with MA 4, if he wants to run, let him run.

Finally, try to take out his Hobboes: although he has a Blodge Sure Hands BC, he needs the AG3 guys.

Don't tell anybody from my league what I've just told you!

Fred

[duff]

Block - It's one of lifes little essentials!

[DoubleSkulls]

Take Break Tackle on the Saurus. Otherwise all your hitting power will probably get man-marked by tough dwarves and the only mobile thing you'll have will be skinks.

[McDeth]

Break tackle is essential against all those teams, otherwise your saurus's will get tied up too easily , leaving your Skinks to deal with the rest.

You need at least two break tacklers to operate in the top half and bottom half of the pitch respectively

[tonythep]

Well, I know you've all been on pins and needles waiting for the results, so...

I took Break Tackle, which came in handy as a surprise during overtime. I was able to get sprung from the dwarf marking me and assault his ball-carrying Blodge centaur -- but it didn't work. Loss, 2-1.

I did take your advice, SBG, and had a great first drive: my handicap roll was Overconfident, which parked his BCs in the dugout. Then I knocked over the troll on the first turn and immediately fouled him into the KO box. Since the centaurs were coming back after the first drive ended, I took my sweet time dealing with the remaining dwarfs and hobboes, and scored on turn 8.

I stayed in it the whole game, but even with good dice on my side and crappy ones on his, experience told. But I didn't embarrass myself, nobody got permanently hurt, and I had three postgame Star Player rolls. I got a second +AG skink; also, a pair of saures get to choose skills before next week's game with Albion Blodging Amazons.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

[Skummy]

Wow. Two skinks with a 4 AG? That makes for a pretty powerful scoring punch. Does anyone on your team have tackle coming into that game against the Amazons?