Match Rant: OCC Division 1 Match 4

There are sometimes periods in Blood Bowl where you just have to go with it until your dice get better. This season is one of those times. Earlier this year I was on a very long unbeaten streak – I think I lost once in about 20 games in all competitions. Now I can’t buy a win and everything is going wrong.

So this game. 

The Grey Haven Guard (high elf, me) v OCC New Orcz Giantz (orc, Scaurus2000)

Roughly equal TV. I won the toss and elected to kick - my goal is to force an early score, hit back before half time, go in 1-1 and then slow-play a rushing drive for a late winner. 

Central kick. He picks it up and cages. I crack the cage on turn 2 with two chainpushes and get a 2D hit on his ball carrier but only roll pushes. He can’t get the ball safe and is forced to try a passing play. He scores on turn 3. All going well so far and assuming my offence holds up I am now well set for a 2-1 grind win.

My offence does not hold up.

There’s a short kick. I roll double skulls on my first block and am forced to reroll, meaning that when I roll a 1 on the pickup the ball is not safe. My positioning was good however and I get Vanval clear on the left touchline and go for another pickup but roll a double 1. He now gets his AG4 blitzer to mark Cirdan and picks the ball up with his AG5 lineman. Gil-Galad knocks it loose and Cirdan finally picks up the ball (needing a reroll again iirc) and passes it to Vanval who is in the perfect position to stall for 1 turn and then equalise. I roll another double 1 for the catch however and the ball bounces out. The crowd throw it back deep into my half at the feet of the AG4 orc blitzer who picks it up and scores. 2-0 down after 6 turns.

Ok, need a score before half time. Deep kick this time and I run receivers into his half. Cirdan fails two more pickups in a row, meaning that the ball is still very deep at the start of turn 8 and (since I have no rerolls left) I have to choose between a GFI and a long pass or a long bomb to score. Some rough mental arithmetic tells me that the odds are slightly better with the long bomb and so I do that. I roll a 2 and then a 3 (so the GFI and long pass would have worked but the long bomb fails) and I go in 2 down at the break.

Second half I need a quick score so run receivers into his half again. This time Cirdan picks up the ball (!). He can’t stop me clearing a space around Vanval for the TD pass but I can’t knock over his thrower and there is not a route for the pass which doesn’t give him an interception chance. Still – it needs a 6 and I have safe throw. What could go wrong? He rolls a 6 for the interception and despite me rerolling the 3+ safe throw it sticks (1.8% chance!).

Sigh

He can’t quite get the ball safe though and Vanval dashes back to knock it clear. As if to mock me for his earlier failures Cirdan dodges away from his marker, picks up the ball in 2TZs and then nerves of steels it with a quick pass over the defence to Glorfindel, who sprints clear for a score on turn 12. 2-1.

Four turns left to sneak an equaliser, but it doesn’t happen. I get nothing from the kickoff table again (still no blitz this season for me), he passes his pickup roll (still no failed pickup for an opponent this season) and makes a strong cage – his positioning is good this time and he does not give me an easy way to crack it. I flood it in desperation and now he starts to remove players. Cirdan is killed, apo-d to MNG. I take another BH and a couple of KOs. Telthanthor (my ST4 dodge AG3 lineman) takes a niggle which will end his long career. A final desperation dodge into the cage fails, and the game is over – he scores on turn 16 to make it 3-1.

______________

Yeah. Ok. I get it. Not this season.

No more about the dice – I’ve been whining on the forums already. OK, one more thing.

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO FUCKING UNLUCKY

Got that out of my system now. Phew.

Telthanthor’s loss is sad – he’s one of the few players who’s been with me from the start and he’s a key player in the team. Three originals left – Kevatononel and Alawe on the line, plus Tananmyr the blitzer. Still – it knocks a fair bit off my TV and without block and with his injury he was always a bit of a turnover machine. He got injured because I was trying to get a result in the game – that stops now. No more trying to force the win and from now on it’s all about player development. I won’t be risking important players to try to win games this season.

I’m going to buy a new thrower in the hope of getting a double, and Cirdan will take on more of a melee role.

Otherwise I’ve got to feel positive about how I played – and I think I played really well – and keep at it. You need a bit of luck to win the OCC and hopefully next time I get into tier 1 I will have that.