Hi Matt. My most successful combo to-date has been to take Wrestle/Fend/Tackle on 3 Pestigors Blitzers (in practice 1 or 2 will have the full combo, 1 or 2 will be part-way there). This active/passive combo has multiple uses:mattgslater wrote:I figured the Wrestle/Fend Rotters were so you couldn't PO the D-line. But Smeborg means to put it on Pests, and there I scratch my head.
I still don't get the idea of Fend on multiple Pests, or Wrestle/Fend as a combo on a Pest. I could see Pestigors with either; Fend is a good #4 on a carrier and Wrestle is a good #1 on a hunter, but I'd only take one of each. Smeborg, how do you use that combo, especially en masse?
- Ball hunting (main use).
- Freeing the Pests to move when blocked or blitzed (not always, of course).
- Protecting the Pests from both Frenzy and Piling-On (provided no Juggernaut, of course).
- Denying space and blocks to the opponent by denying follow-ups.
- Interfering with opponents' blitz actions (the blitzer's range after blocking is reduced by one square, a both down result cannot be chosen if the blitzer wants to carry on moving - both particularly handy when the opponent's ball-carrier has taken the blitz).
- Causing the opponent to choose pushback results in lieu of both down, leaving a nice free-ranging Pest.
- Helping to control the wide zones if the opponent lacks Frenzy+Juggernaut.
On the first turn of offense, I may use the Pest Blitzers to create holes in the defense. This is particularly important on the first turn of offense when Nurgle need to score in 2 or 3 turns and you are facing (say) players with Blodge/Sidestep or Block/Stand Firm. The Pest Blitzers will be used as cage corners if there are not enough Warriors and Rotters available for the purpose (this is especially the case when moving the cage quickly, when the Warriors cannot keep up). In some situations a Pest cage-corner can give a useful hand-off option (say when the ball-carrier cannot easily move, especially when you need to score that turn). Otherwise a free-ranging Pest in the opponent's backfield is a potential scorer even when downed, provided he is within 5 squares of the end zone.
On defense I will commonly position 2 Pest Blitzers in the wide zones 2 squares back from the LoS, to give them maximum penetration range in the event of a blitz result on the kick-off table, or in the event of an early turnover by the opponent. Thereafter I will often bring one back into a "sweeper" role in defense (I think you call that a safety), while the other ranges into the opponent's half (so that you can put actual or implied pressure on the ball, wherever it is). This is not cast in stone; it depends what the opponent does.
A typical use of a Pest Blitzer on both offense and defense is to bring down a dangerous opposing player, who can then be marked (stood next to) by the Beast (I use the Beast in a mobile role - this is a good example).
Other coaches seem to worry about these Pests a great deal, regarding them as the main threat. This can be quite a distraction for opponents, hence an advantage for me. Wrestle/Fend on the Pests invites the opponent to block them (provided armour is not broken, the Pest will be better off after the block). This stands in direct contrast to Block/Stand Firm on the Warriors (which invites a no-result block).
As the most active players, I prefer Wrestle on the Pests rather than on the more passive Rotters. It combines rather excellently with Horns.
Using the blitz action to put pressure on the ball (whether or not a Pest takes the blitz) is a way of turning the screw with the Nurgle stymie style. In comparison to habitually viewing the blitz action as an attempt to harm opposing players, I can only say that it is a different style of play altogether. Slayer blitzers typically lack Wrestle, hence are weak at bringing down receivers and ball-carriers with block or blodge (remember, you may only be getting a 1-die block, or even an uphill block, you may have no re-roll available). In such situations, slayer blitzers may be more of a hindrance than a help.
My experience of Nurgle is that opponents like to target the Pests (regardless of which style you are playing in). Having several Pest blitzers built in the above style weakens such a strategy.
In an earlier post on this thread, I described the Warriors and Beast as "reefs", and the Pestigors as "sharks".
Lastly, you may have noticed that all players in my stymie team (Runner excepted) take Stand Firm or Fend as second normal skill. That's a lot of stymie about town. The cumulative effect is great.
Hope that helps a bit. All the best.
I was sort of trying to agree with you.