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Strategy and Tactics - Leap Skill... good for Non-Elven teams???

SuM - Oct 12, 2003 - 04:40 AM
Post subject: Leap Skill... good for Non-Elven teams???

I played a game last week against a WoodElf team, it was an Off League Game, Basically just to play...

His War Dancer did a Sweet Move on my Girlies (Zons)...
diagram 1st to show it...

W = War Dancer
B = My Blitzer
L = My Linewoman
E = Empty Square
N = New square he moved to...

-----------------------------------------------Side Line
EBE
LNL
EEE
EWE

2nd Half:
He said aloud, "This isn't a League Game what the Hell, I'll try it..."
His War Dancer, Leap from his Square to the square between my 2 LineWoman and beside my Blitzer...
My Linewomen had other WEs tieing them up, so it basically was a 1 Die Block... VERY SWEET MOVE!!!
He rolled a Block Pow, and I didn't move, cuz She has Block... and he Has Block.
Again, VERY SWEET MOVE!!!

heheheeeee... 2 turns later, the same War Dancer ended up on the Sideline Boundary, and I pushed him into the crowd...

Zons might not be that strong or have the AG of an Elf, but can still knock players out of the game...
By the end of the 2nd Half, I had almost half his team out of the game... KO'd, Injuries, and plain put them in the reserve box...

I did lose, 2-1, but I sent them WEs home with their tails between their legs...

Now, should I waste a Skill for my Catchers, and get Leap???
Not saying I would do crazy things like that, but If I wanna Leap over the LOS and continue on to the EndZone???

SuM - Oct 12, 2003 - 04:41 AM
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Mods, I messed up, could you move this over to the Skills Forum???

Sorry...

Darkson - Oct 12, 2003 - 07:24 AM
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One of my Norse catchers rolled +1 AG for his first 2 skills Shocked

When his 3rd skill comes around I'm torn between Dodge, Sure Hands and Leap.

Doubleskulls - Oct 12, 2003 - 03:26 PM
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Leap is a risky skill to take unless you are AG4 or have lots of TRR to burn.

Really effective leapers need some combination block/strip ball/tackle/pro to ensure the ball pops loose.

As 'zons tend to have lots of TRR it may be worth taking for a surprise play. In a bashy league where you are having difficulty stopping a cage its probably a good idea. If the league is more flair heavy then other skills (side step, diving tackle, pass block) are probably better choices.

SuM - Oct 15, 2003 - 02:47 AM
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I went with "Side Step", but "Leap" was soooooo Tempting...

Until I roll an 11 on my Level Ups, the "Leap" Skill is gonna have to wait... My AG rolling isn't the best.. I do have 3 TRs, but I could burn them up rather quickly...

Sputnik - Oct 15, 2003 - 03:10 AM
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Quote:

Leap is a risky skill to take unless you are AG4 or have lots of TRR to burn.

Really effective leapers need some combination block/strip ball/tackle/pro to ensure the ball pops loose.

jap. And usually you need a double to get leap, too (assuming the player is not an elf which is when that AG lower than 4 as mentioned above applies). I know lots of better skills than leap for a double, to be honest! Neutral

And against bashy teams it is usually pointless to jump into a cage once they have enough guarders! Laughing

So no real surprise here, you merely force him to get two of his guarders around his ball carrier which isn't that difficult.

The guys usually having access to AG skills are catchers but then they have ST2, which makes it less effective to leap into cages to knock the ball lose. But for them leap might be an alternative in tackle-heavy leagues to get into the endzone. Very Happy

Leaves us with the Norse, he? Hmmm, I will think about it... Idea

Sputnik

Tutenkharnage - Oct 15, 2003 - 06:35 AM
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I've found an interesting phenomenon related to Leap. Coaches of AG 4 teams (read: "Elves") tend to avoid Leap unless they first roll AG +1 for a player, at which point Leap becomes the next skill. Coaches of AG 3 teams tend to avoid Leap unless they first roll AG +1, at which point Leap becomes a viable option.

Now think about that. A Wardancer starts with Leap, and everyone agrees that he's an awesome player. But he's "only" AG 4! Obviously, Leap will work just fine with AG 4, and an Elf coach who avoids Leap on AG 4 players is obviously missing out on a great opportunity.

So might not the same apply to AG 3 coaches? A 4+ roll to get past another player sounds like a valuable trick to have in your back pocket. Consider a wall of players between your player and the end zone. You can't blitz a hole through the line, and you don't have enough MA to get around. Why not take a 4+ shot at getting over the line, after which you can dodge away? Why not run at the player on the end and leap past his tackle zone?

With Amazons, this could work. Your team has re-rolls that generally aren't used for dodging, so you can save them for a play like this. When the player lands, she can dodge away from the opponent with relative ease. The opponent might have Tackle, but the coach can always try to land in the TZ of a player who doesn't have it.

I believe there are better skills for Amazon Catchers - Block, Sure Feet, Side Step, and Pass Block come to mind - but I bet that an Amazon Catcher with Leap would be a very good player. It's a good "back pocket" skill - nothing you'd want to rely on every time, but something that gives you another avenue of attack that was previously closed.

-Chet

neoliminal - Oct 15, 2003 - 10:17 AM
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I once had a Dwarf Runner to whom I gave leap. It was the best skill choice I think I have ever made. Not only did my opponent have to deal with stopping my cage, they the constant threat that I might leap out of the cage and run in for a score hounded them.

Khaine - Oct 15, 2003 - 11:40 AM
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I'm thinking I will be taking leap on one of my skinks for my lizzie team. Leap would be great for those occassions where your saurus are tied up making paste out of the opponents line and you just have to get by someone.
But then again I just like the thought of having a Leapin' Lizzard.

Sputnik - Oct 17, 2003 - 03:41 AM
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just as a related side note:

over on TBB there was a discussion about a double on a Norse blitzer. Dauntless, Dodge, stand firm or sidestep were proposed and discussed.

Now, what about leap then to create a surprise play if the situation and rr allow? Shocked

There seem to be two basic uses for leap: either as a scorer type to handle the ball more efficiently ( leap over opponents players to score, leap out of the cage instead of having to dodge..) or as a blitzer-type to knock the ball lose (wardancer with strip ball or tackle are pretty common here...).

A Norse blitzer with frenzy could thus leap into cages (if needed so desparately) and might even get a chance to get a second block! Confused

Or leap in anempty scare with guard and therwith help getting a desperate one-die block from someone else.

As for the Zons, there are surely better skills to give to a Norse blitzer on a double than leap (and the rr are not as cheap either), but still this could be a nasty surprise if it works from time to time. Laughing

Another "back pocket" skill situation?

I guess I am so far too often a bit conservative with my double rolls by improving a certain strength of my style of play. Thus, I do not have many teams developing a "back pocket" skill just in case... Neutral

Do you guys frequently go said route and do you think it is really worth it?

Sputnik