[Elf] Starting roster and scoring strategy

[Ancre]

Hello everyone ! I am a new coach trying to decide what team will I get to play table top blood bowl. I have a bit of experience with a bunch of different teams on FUMBBL, and so far those I like best are chaos dwarfs and high elves. AV7 is really frightening under LRB4 rules, but not so much under LRB5, due to the new niggling injury and the journeymen rules, it seems. So I want to try to play a pro elf team, because they have everything I want on my high elves (and because they look cool)

For quite a long time I had quite some trouble protecting the ball carrier while I rushed my players into the opponent's half. I couldn't build a real cage, all I could do was putting two of my players on each side of the ball carrier and hope that the following blitz won't put him down. It is with the starting skills of the pro elves that an idea came to my mind : instead of hoping the ball carrier won't get down on the opponent blitz, I intend to give him dump-off and have a catcher (with nerves of steel) nearby - that way, bar a very unfortunate succession of ones (as I can reroll both the pass and the catch), I will keep the ball in my hands in order to score in the following turn. I am probably reinventing hot water, but I'd like to know how effective that is, because it looks like it's very good !

Also, I don't really know what to get in a starting roster. My first idea is : 3 rerolls, 2 throwers (who will get dump-off), 1 catcher, 1 blitzer, 7 linemen, 1 apothecary and 30k left in the piggy bank. Is it any good ? I have everything I need and I can begin to save for another positional right away with that.

Well, that is it. Thank you very much for all the advice you can give me on beginning an elf team ! Ancre.

[Coach]

I'm not a fan of using Dump Off for that reason, that player is going to take a lot of hits and get injured, then what are you going to do when you don't have him in matches?

I'd also start the team with both Blitzers, Block is very useful early on and Side Step is a fantastic skill. One Thrower is fine to start with and I'd probably have to get the Apothecary after the first match. (not got time right now to work out a full starting roster as I'm at work).

For keeping the ball carrier safe while running players into the other half, just keep your thrower really deep so no one on the opposing team can get to him. If they can't get to him they can't hit him. The other option is to not run as many players into the opposing team's half.

For more tips specific to your problem, use the play creator site to create some diagrams of how the pitch looks after your first turn when you receive the ball. We can then suggest perhaps better ways to position your players.

If you haven't tried stuntyleeg.com yet either, it is LRB6 compatible site that works like fumbbl. Welcome to the forum and good luck!

[VoidSeer]

I don't like your starting lineup.

Whatever you choose I think you're starting roster must have the two blitzers, at least two rerolls and no APO. I don't see the point in starting with two throwers either, and I don't like dump-off on throwers with this team.

Here is what I'd used for medium/long leagues

ROSTER 1:
2x blitzers:  220
2x catchers:  200
7x lineelves: 420
3x rerolls:   150

10k in bank

I like to start with 3 rerolls. No apo is fine, the blitzers are tough and the linelves are expandable. You just need to protect your two catchers for one or two games.
I don't feel the need for a thrower early on. A lineelf is perfectly suited for that role, and it will help spread some SPPs on these guys.

ROSTER 2:
2x blitzers:  220
3x catchers:  300
1x thrower:    70
5x lineelves: 300
2x rerolls:   100

10k in bank

I never field tested that second roster, I'd use it for medium/short leagues.
It's main drawback is to have 4 AV7 positional with no apo (3 catchers and a thrower)

[Ancre]

Originally Posted by Coach

For keeping the ball carrier safe while running players into the other half, just keep your thrower really deep so no one on the opposing team can get to him. If they can't get to him they can't hit him. The other option is to not run as many players into the opposing team's half.

But keeping the thrower deep will force you to do a difficult pass (even with elves), and you have to work on making sure your opponent can't intercept you and freeing your receiver. It sounds as much difficult to achieve as my technique is.

(On the other hand, I can see the use of nerve of steel - I always wondered what use it was until now.)

(On another side note, if my technique is not as good as it sounds, what is the use of dump-off ? )

Originally Posted by Coach

For more tips specific to your problem, use the play creator site to create some diagrams of how the pitch looks after your first turn when you receive the ball. We can then suggest perhaps better ways to position your players.

Here is an example I did with play Creator (it wasn't very easy, sorry for the time I took answering ! ).



As you can see, I blitzed an entry (using the blitzer) and I put the ball carrier between two players to limit the amount of dices my opponent will have when he will blitz him. I also tried to put as much players as possible in his way to limit his movements. It doesn't always look exactly like that, but it shows what I try to achieve I hope.

The only problem with this is that my player can go down with a blitz. Block + dodge limit that but not enough to my taste, so my idea was to have a thrower with dump-off as a ball carrier instead of a catcher, and keep the catcher near so he can catch the ball - that way, stopping my offense is much more difficult.



Voidseer, if I need the two blitzers but not the apo, then I can drop the apo and exchange a line-elf for a blitzer. The point of having the two throwers is to use dump-off ; if it's actually a bad idea, then I agree with you, they're not really needed.



Thank you for your help !

[Master Wang]

Can't view the play. Says only the creator can as it's a private play.

The thrower only needs 6 spps to get Accurate. Once he has that, those difficult passes stop being difficult. Sit deep, move six spaces forward, and short pass - that's a lot of space covered.

Depending on who he is and how he's marked, you don't need to free the receiver before he catches. If he's a catcher, he has Nerves of Steel and if the defender is between him and their own end-zone then there's no interception attempt. Then dodge away, run up to the one you're going to score with and hand off.

Of course this is all situational, but I'd advise against the 2 throw Dump Off idea as you will lose the ball and they will die.

(Oh, and I echo Coach - come join stuntyleeg.com)

[VoidSeer]

I usually don't play a running game with elves. Their catchers are just too good not to be used and the low armor of the lineelves advises against it.

So yes, the double dumpoff play is not a good choice. Play with a dark elf team if you like that style.

With rookie elves it is however, I find it easier to combine a handoff and a pass on the same turn than throwing a long pass. This is why I favor starting with 3 rerolls.

[Patchwork]

Originally Posted by VoidSeer

ROSTER 1:
2x blitzers:  220
2x catchers:  200
7x lineelves: 420
3x rerolls:   150

10k in bank

That's the roster I go for. It's got both blitzers, who are excellent players and are one skill away from being a blodging sidesteping pain for your opponents to deal with. You also start with two catchers who are the stars of the Elf roster, Nerve of Steel is absolutely brillent for moving the ball out of tough spots or to marked catchers. They also make great alternative blitzers when they start skilling up.

In a short or medium league I'd consider using that 10k in the bank to change a lineman into a thrower. I find the Elf team can go through a lot of rerolls (I'd never start with less then three) and the thrower is nice and cheap and comes with pass to reduce how many rerolls you might need or save a team reroll for something else on a key play. I wouldn't go for dump off on the throwers though (not as an early skill choice anyway) I'd prefer to go for skills like accurate to increase the easy pass range. When receiving the ball and I feel it's safe to risk a turnover, I'll use a lineman to pick up and quick pass to the thrower, to help the linemen skill up.

[Patchwork]

Originally Posted by VoidSeer

I usually don't play a running game with elves. Their catchers are just too good not to be used and the low armor of the lineelves advises against it.

The catchers can combine for a very fast running game by themselves though. A quick or short pass to a catcher who then hands off to another catcher does cover even more ground though

[Gus Gus]

Originally Posted by Patchwork

The catchers can combine for a very fast running game by themselves though. A quick or short pass to a catcher who then hands off to another catcher does cover even more ground though

I use this tactic with my Gutter Runners if I find myself deep in my own half and the ball comes loose - with the right placing and some lucky rolls you could run the ball in from your own end zone!

It is a great tactic and it's fun to see your opponent's face drop as two players manage to burn up almost the entire length of the pitch with only a couple of dice rolls.

[Patchwork]

Originally Posted by Gus Gus

I use this tactic with my Gutter Runners if I find myself deep in my own half and the ball comes loose - with the right placing and some lucky rolls you could run the ball in from your own end zone!

Yeah, that is always fun and with elves and gutterrunners might only require a few two plus rolls, so it's always worth having keeping a player in position for that when your on defence. I've had opponents moan as I knocked the ball loose near my endzone, knowing what was coming next.