Location of potential catchers on offence

[martynq]

...or "Why does Martyn suck on offense?"

My usual strategy on offense is to create a hole through which I run as near to four potential catchers as I can manage. The problem is that usual my opponent manages to put two tackle zones on each one and I have to do something creative to score (and often I fail).

Can anyone make better suggestions?

Cheers,
Martyn

[Khrys_Antos]

I do the same thing with my Wood elf team and my opponents usually go for two TZ's on each player.

I simply run the player into the endzone, my thrower hands-off to another player goes down and I pass wherever their is the least possibility of an interception.

What kind of catchers do you have and what team do you use? What skills do your catchers have? What skills do your "guys who open the way" have?

[Skummy]

Wait - he's putting 2 tackle zones on your 4 potential catchers downfield? That's 8 players off of the line of scrimmage! You should have 7 elves left vs. 3 of his players. Even Elves should be able to knock them off and make a cage within scoring range. Don't limit yourself to only passing. If he overcommits to the throw, run it up the gut.

[martynq]

I'm afraid not. I don't seem to have enough movement on my team to be able to spread out enough, so he can get away with fewer players to put the 2 TZs on each catcher (and of course, one he knocks over so doesn't need the TZs).

I guess what I'm asking is can you suggest formations which prevent my opponent putting TZs on all my players?

Oh yeah, I usually try to play dark elves or high elves. (I just don't fancy the AV7 of woodies - it's hard enough keeping AV8 players on the pitch.)

Cheers,
Martyn

[Skummy]

Without seeing a typical defense you face, the best thing I can tell you is to set all your potential catchers up at least 2 squares from each other to keep them from getting pinned. I imagine you find this problem crops up more with the Dark Elves than the High Elves, since HE's have more movement. Dark Elves are more of a running team in my mind, so you might want to think about using Dodge Elves to form a moblile cage for you to go downfield with. Take Guard on a doubles roll, and use your downfield catchers primarily as threats to distract the opposition.

[Marcus]

Try charging a mini-cage downfield. Don't just run recievers through - support them with blitzers. You want players who can block and blitz to free up your recievers for the catch.

You're really only looking at 2 eligible recievers, the rest are 3rd string and down and are really only there for support. Use players to screen off your best recievers, make him work to get to them. Don't just spread them all out and hope for the best.

[Mojoshenpo]

... but my friend does reasonably well with HElfs by moving the blitzers, clearing a path, and reforming the cage with his thrower in the middle.... At the right time he either blitzes a hole and hands off to the speedy lion warrior, or wings it to a LW on a pass pattern. You have agility four for the dodges, use it....

Even with my slow Amazons I tend to run the cage from side-to-side, moving a little back if I have to.... Kinda like a pro tennis match where the ball is volleyed back and forth till someone makes a mistake or fails a roll.... Then I'll get that one player just far enough away and out of TZ to make him pay (well, in theory)....

[martynq]

Try charging a mini-cage downfield. Don't just run recievers through - support them with blitzers. You want players who can block and blitz to free up your recievers for the catch.

This sounds exactly what I'm looking for. Can you explain (with a diagram?) what this formation looks like?

I'm not sure which players to send through as support. My blitzers on my dark elf team are my receivers - I'm trying to convert the witch elves into blitzers and some of the blitzers into catchers.

Cheers,
Martyn

[Marcus]

I can't really diagram it because it's one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions. How you set up is very much a product of where the hole in the line is, how many players you can get through, how fast your opponent is and where they're set up.

In general, you're looking at something like this: Assuming a 3-7-1 Defence

Code: Select all

....|.......|....
....|.......|....
..R.|.R.....|....
.R.B|.......|....
....|...X...|....
...P|.......|....
.XX.|...X..X|.XX.
....|O......|....
...P|O..OX.X|....
----|-------|----
...O|...O..O|....
....|.......|....
....|.......|....
....|.......|....
....|.......|....
....|...O...|....

R=Reciever
B=Blitzing player
O=Standing friendly
X=Opponent
P=Prone Opponent

Don't take that as gospel, it's just off the top of my head, but it shows what you can do with some MV7 players in terms of creating areas of mutual support. Your opponent will likely need to blitz in to cover that area, in which case your backfield won't be getting hit. You should have enough strength to open up the corridor and free up a reciever next turn.

[McDeth]

This is how i'd play it.

Firstly i'd never send so many potential catchers through, this leaves you too short on man power covering the thrower, i'm happy to get two through knowing that only 1 can be blitzed and the other will attract two tackle zones, once this happens then manpower is hopefully to my advantage, as the opposition has already sidetracked more defenders than the two players i've sent through, particularly as if one is only prone, he can still potentially be a TD receiver next turn , so this should attract another defender also. This means if no-one is yet available for the TD receiving pass, then i can form a small cage around a third receiver still in my half, give him the ball and advance the cage into a position where that player can burst out to score without even bothering the two deep receivers. this may take more than the two turns sometimes you play for when playing with fast teams, but it does work, the biggest problem is when you come up against a gang of ST4 defenders, but with right skill combo's IE Dauntless, Block, then it only needs a small gap for the scorer to dodge through.

Martyn: I'll show you what i mean when i get the ball in the second half of our Lustrian league game.

oh damn , now you know my tactics

[slackman]

am i correct in assuming you're stacking one side of the pitch? i mean, placing a large number of recievers on one wide zone and ignoring the other? i usually only use this when im lacking players. perhaps you may want to try a more balanced approach. this may or may not work, depending on how the defense sets up, since you only get to blitz once. but this certainly insures that your receivers are going to be much more spread out. i find that making a sort of quasi-cage around the thrower gives me enough time/protection to get at least one guy open downfield. just remember that you're all ag4 (except my darkies, 1 ag5 line elf, 1 ag5 blitzer, and 1 ag5 thrower w/ NOS ) so anyone can catch the ball and run it in. sometimes its necessary to run a receiver into the endzone, then toss a long bomb to him. dont be afraid to do this, it works more often than it probably should.

slackman 42

[grimfang]

maybe i over-simplify things a bit... try putting the catcher in the endzone! works for me.. sometimes.

[VampyrSoul]

maybe i over-simplify things a bit... try putting the catcher in the endzone! works for me.. sometimes.

Ummm yeah... That would be a good place for them since that's what they do is CATCH Touchdown passes. The Endzone would be the perfect place for them.

[longfang]

Heh Marcus.........Shhhhhh, tell them after the BB

[Gorblitz!!]

Dont foget to leave an elf or two near or just over the LOS for the pass/handoff/TD move. Push your obvious catchers into his deep and leave a blitzer/lineman or two just a square or two over his LOS when he gangrapes your catchers you bust a move up the middle!!