Looking for good Nurgle resources/advice

[tool]

I ended up choosing the basic 'bow/arrowhead' defense with the warriors establishing a line (or 'reefs' as smeborg calls them).

I lost the match.

he kepts his passer and a lineman in his backfield while attempting to establish a good play in my backfield. I elected not to attempt to put pressure on those two because I felt I could use the man-advantage in the backfield to...well my advantage. I did manage to get some of his players off but he formed up a good play on his turn 6. I did not have a great answer to it but had an opportunity to put a warrior on his best target. I couldn't follow through though as I needed a 2D block to free him and it failed (no RR's).

I kicked in the second half but his elves started out-muscling me (beast and my only defensive skilled pestigor gone). On turn 12 I was poised to score but wasn't sure if I should take the guaranteed TD or play the stall game (i'm in a league so I'd get points for a Tie). I needed a 2D block to get my runner in his cage. I think my inexperience got the better of me and I decided to just take the TD while I had it.

I set up an improper defense (still used the bow sans beast, I should have used the more traditional columns defense) and he scored in 2 turns. with only turn 15 and 16 left I just don't have the speed to score. I mean I do, but y'all know the rest of the crew can't keep up with the pestigors so of course I can't properly defend my ball carrier (he doesn't have sprint or sure feet either).

So a lesson hard learned I guess. At least those are the ones best remembered.

the replay is available publicly if anyone has an interest and cyanides game. just ask I won't presume.

So now my record is 2-1-3 and i'm hoping I can win next week to at least be average. I'm not sure what proper expecations I should set as I was only just familiar with the game prior to this league, but I want to at least be .500.

good news is that 2 warriors skilled up to block and my ball handling pesti got +1 AG. Its created a small conundrum however as before I was locked in at grabbing KOR, but now i'm wondering if I shouldn't take big hand or two-heads instead.

Team is thus (for the curious)

Warrior - No skills
Warrior (3) - Block
Pestigor (2) - No skills
Pestigor - Wrestle
Pestigor - Sure Hands, +1 AG
Rotters (4) - No Skills
Beast of Nurgle - Break Tackle

[Wanchor]

stuff

I'm not exactly sure what the difference between an arrowhead or crossbow is, and I find that the use of terms like 'midfielder' is confusing more than anything, but I think I can see what you're saying, and of course, defensive skills help. Stand Firm pieces must go to the wings first, because like you said, going after the interior linebackers drives the action towards the inside (and closer to the very scary Beast who ought to be centrally located). A mere push on a warrior to let someone past is not the end of the world, and besides, the line has to be collapsed on one side even to allow a blitz on the linebacker without dodge rolls, or the blitzer will, in most cases, receive unfavourable odds. It was actually due to your recommendation in this very thread that I examined the setup and found it amenable.

[Carnis]

good news is that 2 warriors skilled up to block and my ball handling pesti got +1 AG. Its created a small conundrum however as before I was locked in at grabbing KOR, but now i'm wondering if I shouldn't take big hand or two-heads instead.

Team is thus (for the curious)

Warrior - No skills
Warrior (3) - Block
Pestigor (2) - No skills
Pestigor - Wrestle
Pestigor - Sure Hands, +1 AG
Rotters (4) - No Skills
Beast of Nurgle - Break Tackle

How 'bout good old Block/Tackle/Two-heads for that Surehands/+AG guy?

This way opponents who rely on blodge/SSing ballcarriers will never be safe from blitzes unless inside a tight X-cage, even there you can take 5+ dodge potshots for a 2die on the ball, unless if he has a guard on each corner (unlikely).

Block also protects both your investment (+AG) and your ball when you fail (ballcarrier, surehands).

Big hand/block is not a bad pick at all either, although it may be a bit 'too' special in that you have 3 skills just for picking up the ball (surehands RR, +AG, Big hand).

[mattgslater]

stuff

I'm not exactly sure what the difference between an arrowhead or crossbow is, and I find that the use of terms like 'midfielder' is confusing more than anything, but I think I can see what you're saying, and of course, defensive skills help. Stand Firm pieces must go to the wings first, because like you said, going after the interior linebackers drives the action towards the inside (and closer to the very scary Beast who ought to be centrally located). A mere push on a warrior to let someone past is not the end of the world, and besides, the line has to be collapsed on one side even to allow a blitz on the linebacker without dodge rolls, or the blitzer will, in most cases, receive unfavourable odds. It was actually due to your recommendation in this very thread that I examined the setup and found it amenable

Arrowhead with inverted wings = Crossbow

Midfielder = hittable player in backfield inside hashmarks, labeled "m" below. The "3-tech" midfielders are the ones next to the WZ marker.

Code: Select all

Arrowhead
- - - -|- - x x x - -|- - - -
- - - -|- - - - - - -|- - - -
- - x -|m - - m - - m|- x - -
- x - -|- - - x - - -|- - x -

Code: Select all

Crossbow (SS wingers)
- - - -|- - x x x - -|- - - -
- - - -|- - - - - - -|- - - -
- x - -|m - - m - - m|- - x -
- - x -|- - - x - - -|- x - -

Either way, the key to beating the formation is to get at the midfielders in the three column. If they have Block, Stand Firm and Foul Appearance, this effort will probably fail.

[Ullis]

good news is that 2 warriors skilled up to block and my ball handling pesti got +1 AG. Its created a small conundrum however as before I was locked in at grabbing KOR, but now i'm wondering if I shouldn't take big hand or two-heads instead.

Block next for sure. With +AG and Sure Hands he's already a great asset on offense, but the +AG also makes him powerful on defence due to the ability to dodge more reliably. Block helps on both offence and defence as well as keeping him alive.

[Smeborg]

Tool - I don't do Cyanide, so I can't see your game. However, just reading your general comments about the game, it seems possible that you could put more pressure on the ball carrier and receivers (this is a guess).

Nurgle are a team that rely (mainly) on the opponent failing dice rolls. If he succeeds at long odds, there is not much you can do about it.

Your team is developing nicely.

All the best.

[Smeborg]

tool - I would add that experience has shown me that it is often best to score when you can with Nurgle. They do not hold the ball and stall as well as other teams. On the other hand, they defend better. So your decision to score when you could was not necessarily wrong.

[tool]

I understand the position of taking block for the runners next skill. I do however very much like the vanilla progression that smeborg laid out of SH, KOR, Sure Feet, and Sprint. I think I too am begining to fall into the camp of treating each extra square of movement as very precious for this team.

What intrigues me about two heads and big hand is that they both work with his newfound AG, skewing him towards securing loose balls. That doesn't get me any more movement however, which I desperately desire.

Its true that doesn't protect me from some leaping tart but it does make it easy to pick the ball back up. 9 times out of 10 I wasn't going to move my cage the full 6 squares anyways.

[tool]

[quote="CarnisBig hand/block is not a bad pick at all either, although it may be a bit 'too' special in that you have 3 skills just for picking up the ball (surehands RR, +AG, Big hand).[/quote]

well two-heads works toward that purpose as well as you may have to make a dodge to get an opportunity to pick it up.

[Mr_lemon]

[quote="Carnis]
Big hand/block is not a bad pick at all either, although it may be a bit 'too' special in that you have 3 skills just for picking up the ball (surehands RR, +AG, Big hand).[/quote]

That's almost exactly how my star pestigor is build. He's got AG+, Block, MA+, Big Hands and Sure Hands. He is amazing as a ballcarrier and great to dodge into and pick-up the ball in the square where to ball comes to rest when you have sacked the opponent's ballcarrier no matter how many tacklezones it is in. He totally fulfills his purpose but he hogs a LOT of SPP's

[number6]

....I notice that some other coaches prefer to give Block at the beginning, however, I find Block of relatively little use for ball holding in a world of Wrestle.

I'm in a 45+ coach league, Wrestle is rarely seen. Block is across the board. Take Block, avoid suffering some lineman taking out your ball carrier. Wrestle is specialized, usually only 1 or 2 per team, and thus avoidable for the most part.

[Smeborg]

I'm in a 45+ coach league, Wrestle is rarely seen. Block is across the board. Take Block, avoid suffering some lineman taking out your ball carrier. Wrestle is specialized, usually only 1 or 2 per team, and thus avoidable for the most part.

Very interesting, number6. My own experience playing in different leagues is that Wrestle becomes more popular and better established after a good coach with the right team uses Wrestle to win the league (I am not saying that this is the only way to win leagues, but it is a good and proven way for the right team). I have seen this happen in each of the 2 biggest tabletop leagues here in New Zealand (neither are as big as your league). I would add that racial variety in these leagues tends to be good (domination by bash or AG is rare). While I do not play online, anecdote suggests that Wrestle may be more popular in tabletop leagues and tournaments than online.

Wrestle seems to be popular with most coaches of the following teams here: Slann, Underworld, Gobbos, 'Flings, Ogres, WE. It is popular with many (say half or more) of the coaches of the following teams: Humans, HE, PE, DE, Skaven, Amazon, Vampire, Nurgle. It has been seen on teams such as Orcs, Chaos, Undead, Necro, Norse, CDs, C-Pact. About the only team I have not yet seen it on is Dwarfs.

I agree that Wrestle is not a universal skill, and that you are most likely to encounter it on 2-4 players in a team. But while 1-2 of those players are on the pitch, especially on defense, their influence is strong, especially if they are mobile and/or agile. Their indirect influence on your team development also becomes strong. To give a concrete example from my last season: if your main rival in the league has Gutter Runners with Wrestle, Dauntless, Tackle, you do not care much about Block on your Runner.

I would suggest that success awaits the coach in your league who decides to use Wrestle on the right team.

Hope that helps.

[Carnis]

....I notice that some other coaches prefer to give Block at the beginning, however, I find Block of relatively little use for ball holding in a world of Wrestle.

I'm in a 45+ coach league, Wrestle is rarely seen. Block is across the board. Take Block, avoid suffering some lineman taking out your ball carrier. Wrestle is specialized, usually only 1 or 2 per team, and thus avoidable for the most part.

That is also how Wrestle is played in FUMBBL, gimmick skill on 1-4 players at max in a team. Where every other player has block for the 1/6th str point & positional advantage of staying up on your turn. Most teams do get advantage from staying up, the most notable exception to this rule are vampire thralls along with the fastest agility teams.

***

On an unrelated sidenote, here' s the url for my new Nurgle team in fumbbl. The beta was closed & the beta teams closed, so this is the new one started fresh about a week ago. I started with Smeborg's 1+4+1+Positionals & 2 RRs. I was really unhappy with the 2 RRs for a while, but it seemed to give me very entertaining games vs dwarves to have all the NWs from the start (setting up them all on the LOS vs non-guard dwarves seems to concede me the LOS (NBNNN) - rightmost having +ST, beast having guard). Another thing about the 2 RR start is I really have no option but to put Block on almost all my skilling players just to keep my rate of turnovers sustainable (I average 50-70 blocks per game). Also, the team's current star is the 3-MVP hogging Rotter 'Mostly Harmless' who is due to get FA if he doesnt double in his next game. They finally integrated nurgle's rot too, so I get a very nice horrormovie style sound when I get kills . Already joined are Fabulox (De blitzer - +MA) & a rookie human lineman (Cinnamon) .

http://fumbbl.com/FUMBBL.php?page=team& ... _id=641013 The team will develop organically, I cannot predict matchups so I try to cover all the bases (Dodge+Tackle before Block). Higher AV teams are very common hence the Claw on the rotter.

[Lunchab1es]

Also, the team's current star is the 3-MVP hogging Rotter 'Mostly Harmless' who is due to get FA if he doesnt double in his next game.

I have a 35spp rotter just like this. He LOVES him some MVP awards! He also went block, claw, FA. Combo works pretty well, as he spends most of his time getting punched in the face.

[tool]

I have found 2 RR's to be just fine so far, I doubt i'll ever buy a 4th.

I have decided that big hand does not have enough applications, and have narrowed a generic roll down to two-heads or Kick Off Return.

My guess is that if I'm playing solid, i'm forcing them to use a blitz to even open an avenue to the ball carrier. People that use leap to blitz him more then likely have wrestle anyways.

two-heads provides excellent chances to reestablish good position and to get into tight spots to attempt to pick up a ball. KOR helps me to establish a more solid start to a drive.