Need Advice on long-term strategy for a Wood Elf Team

Khrys_Antos · Post by **Khrys_Antos** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 3:46 pm

I haven't posted in a while on these forums, so bear with me.

I've played over 20 games now in my league and we're starting the major tournaments. I've won about 60-70% of al my games, but my team is now beginning to fall apart at the seams.

Roster:
1 Wardancer; ST4, Block,Dodge,Leap,Tackle,Strip Ball, Jump Up

1 Thrower; Pass, Sure Hands, Accurate, Strong Arm and once Nig'd.

2 Catchers;
A. Catch, Dodge, Diving Catch, Side Step, Block, Leap
B. Catch, Dodge, Block, Sprint, Sure Feet, Pass Block, Side Step and once Nig'd.

9 Linemen;
2 with block.
One has 8MV ST4 and dodge.
One has 3 AG and two Nig'd.
Another one has 5AG and is Nig'd.
And yet another linemen is simply nig'd with no skills.

I have one FF (I started with wayy more, but managed to roll 1's for about five straight games now).
2 RR
1 APO
40,000 in my stash

The style I most use on offense is the 4 receiver rush into the defensive zone and a long pass for the score.
On Defense, I use my Wardancer to break through a cage and mow down the ball carrier, then quickly take it with my ST4 linemen or a catcher and run down for a TD.
I average 3TD's a game, I get about 4 casualities against me from which one is always serious. One of my guys dies every two games.

The teams I play against;
-Amazons; A Block-Dodge Fest.
-Dark Elves; A dirty, vile fouling bunch.
-Skaven; Has a one turn scoring machine with an RO who has PO and RZC. Not a great player, but I usually end up with only 3-5 guys at the 2nd half.
-High Elves; The easiest out of the bunch, specialized players, some for running and other for passing. No great blocking ability.

So that's where I am now. Looking for any advie on skills, cash allocation, retirements and maybe an overall change in strategy.

Anything really which will stop me from having a roster full of crippled senior citizens and coupons for free burials.

Zombie · Post by **Zombie** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 3:56 pm

This is by far the best strategy guide ever written for any race, and it was made for wood elves, so you're in luck! Use it well.

http://mama.indstate.edu/users/python/bbowl/welves/

For a reason unknown to me, the images are inaccessible now, but you can still garner a lot from the text. The author of that guide is here on this forum, so maybe if we ask him nicely, he'll take a look at it?

wesleytj · Post by **wesleytj** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 9:36 pm

Zombie wrote:This is by far the best strategy guide ever written for any race, and it was made for wood elves, so you're in luck! Use it well.

http://mama.indstate.edu/users/python/bbowl/welves/

For a reason unknown to me, the images are inaccessible now, but you can still garner a lot from the text. The author of that guide is here on this forum, so maybe if we ask him nicely, he'll take a look at it?

the reason the pix aren't working at the moment is that i'm totally overhauling my entire site at the moment (bb and the rest)

thanks for the vote of confidence tho.

as for the original post, the thing that sticks out the most to me is that your linemen are way underdeveloped. they don't have nearly enough skills for a team that size. only 2 with block? eek!

other than that, i'm not really sure there's anything I can tell you that's not in the line zombie gave. if there were i'd add it!

wesleytj · Post by **wesleytj** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 9:40 pm

oh there is one thing i should say about it...all the stuff on my page i say about diving tackle doesn't really apply anymore, unless you're one of the lucky ones who still uses it the old way.

I have plenty of disclaimers to that effect ON the actual page itself, but it should still be mentioned.

Khrys_Antos · Post by **Khrys_Antos** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 10:27 pm

Thank you very much for that link; I really needed some help and I think this could give it to me.

As for my linemen being underdevelopped, well the one's that did have skills are...uhhh...dead. Each and every single one that got a second skill died. Its like the kiss of death or something.

Unfortunetaly we use the latest ruleset so diving tackle is useful rarely.

Darkson · Post by **Darkson** » Fri Mar 07, 2003 10:37 pm

Best advice I was ever given:-

"Don't get hit"

Not great on tactics, this coach.

Tapek · Post by **Tapek** » Sat Mar 08, 2003 5:36 pm

Start scoring with your lineelves, to get them skills. I prefer dodge first, it lets you work the selective blocks and get through some really tight situations, but block has its own merits. Depends on what types of opponents you play.

Fronko · Post by **Fronko** » Mon Mar 10, 2003 12:22 pm

Hoi!

The one bad thing I see in your team is low FF. And unfortunately there is not much you can do about it. Low FF means low money and low money means, you can't replace killed or injured players. So, concentrate on NOT losing players. I know, it sounds stupid, but you can do it. After you have done the critical stuff, dodge every single player out of enemy tackle zones. Start standing up some players with block/dodge WITHOUT dodging away. They are the ones that probably can take a hit. Then dodge away standing players with dodge. Then stand up/dodge away players without skills. Hope that you don't roll 1s.

DO NOT TRY TO INFLICT CASUALTIES YOURSELF, ONLY BLOCK/BLITZ TO GET THE BALL FREE!!!

Don't retire players yet. Use the AG3 guy and that niggler without skills on the LOS everytime. Those on the LOS will get hurt most often, so keep the unworthy players there. Save the skilled ones for the backfield.

Usually I'd say get the missing positional players as fast as possible, but with your money situation it will be hard. Probably your wardancer will be top priority, then catchers. But you also need to get rerolls. So, much money to spend that you don have.

What surprises me is the fact, that you do not even play classic strength teams and still get so many casualties. I don't know your (or their) playing style, but it seems to me, you are doing something wrong that causes your casualties. Hmm.

Do the other teams have many killer skills like MBlow, PO and the like? Maybe you should also try and get that kind of skills, instead of the classic elven skills?

One other piece of advice might be, to quit that elven team and start a rookie orc team. Make it a bunch of maniac killers and you'll rip through their low AV.

But that probably is not the kind of advice, you'd like, would you?

Khrys_Antos · Post by **Khrys_Antos** » Mon Mar 10, 2003 2:29 pm

Yup my FF sucks, but I can't control that anymore. I used to have a high of 6 when I started, and managed to roll 1's for most of my post game rolls.

I'll probably stop putting my guys with Block in the front. The LOS will be exclusively for the cripple like the double Nig'd/1-AG Linemen. We're in a major tournament, but if I want to have a team for the long-term I guess that's what I have to do.

I started out with 5 positional players, a catcher died and then my second wardancer (both fan inflicted injuries). So all my money is being used to simply replace players.

I was surprised also that I didn't have less injuries, but somehow I've managed to beat the odds. The other players in the league rarely take stuff like MB or PO; the preference is for skills agility skills, making for a fast pace game. I've suffered the most injuries on the LOS itself where I get destroyed by people who cage my players.

I'm not going to retire my team, I've thought of it, but hell; I've got a ST4 wardancer and I still have fun.

Zombie · Post by **Zombie** » Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:12 pm

Khrys_Antos wrote:I started out with 5 positional players

That was the biggest mistake you made. When playing elves, it's best to maximize on FF and RR at start up. Especially with wood elves, as that team is so damn expensive. The starting roster that's most often suggested for wood elves is 10 line-elves, 1 wardancer, 2 RRs and 8 FF.

ZanzerTem · Post by **ZanzerTem** » Mon Mar 10, 2003 3:53 pm

Plus, if you use Zombie's roster, your lineelves will have much needed SPP's/skills before the passers/catchers show up to hog them all.

wesleytj · Post by **wesleytj** » Mon Mar 10, 2003 4:15 pm

Bloodbasher Masher wrote:Plus, if you use Zombie's roster, your lineelves will have much needed SPP's/skills before the passers/catchers show up to hog them all.

exactly...the idea is that since everyone on your team is ag4 and ma7, they can all pass, they can all catch, they can all score. give your line elves at least 1 spp each as fast as you can, that way when they get 1mvp you get a skill.

a wood elf lineman is pretty close to the same ability as a rookie human thrower. about as good a catcher or dodger as a rookie human catcher. think about that. you've got a team full of throwers and catchers with just line elves...which is why they cost so damn much.

Khrys_Antos · Post by **Khrys_Antos** » Mon Mar 10, 2003 6:40 pm

Yeah it was a big mistake to take so many positional players, though it did win me my first six games.

So to fix my team, I'm going to make small quick passes every turn that I have the ball (with linemen), stay off the LOS, and avoid player deaths by doing alot less blocks. It'll cost me some games, but at least players will stop dying.

And I'll use the cash to stock up on RR which will help those linemen get the SPP's they need and replace my dead.

Thanks for the help.

nkelsch · Post by **nkelsch** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:54 pm

Where the FUDGE is your treeman?!?!?!?

Get your treeman in the thick of things and something nasty like multible block or pile on.

Treeman is an 'INSURANCE POLICY' against BRUISER teams... If they start getting nasty or fouling, you can 'multiple block and pile on and seriously wreck some of his players.

And in my experience, even a 2 die block on a treeman won't take it out, especially if you can get it block.

My leauge has a treeman that has the highest casulty count and 5 MVPs. It has block, dodge and multiple block...

Having a treeman on the pitch changes the dynamic of the elf team simply because NO ONE wants to get within 3 squares of that thing. It cuts the field in half and ties up the LOS.

TREE MAN! TREEEEEEEEEEEEEE MAAAAAAAAAN!

Skummy · Post by **Skummy** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:57 pm

Giving a treeman Piling On is not such a good idea...