*Previously on Battlestar Gallatica (DAY 1 Round-up)*

Day 2 started with me dreaming that I overslept and missed my first game! An omen of what was to come? Before Day 2 started I decided that I wanted to finish top 10 which I would have considered impossible at the start of the tournament. Can the Brets do it?

Game 4
Pre-match thoughts - A tough match up against a well coached Amazon side with 4 Blodge Guard Blitzers. Honestly, going into this I thought a draw was my best outcome. I always struggle against Amazons and with Roxy on their side they would be a nightmare for my boys. Very much my bogey team.

First half we received and caught and formed up centre. My plan was to try and hold off but I simply couldn't find a way through, this lead us to the sidelines. Roxy leaped in the fill a gap and my ball carrier was surfed, the ball was sent to the other side of the pitch but we had too few players against an undamaged Zon side who managed to get the ball to Roxy. On my turn 8 Roxy stood with the ball 8 from the endzone on her own. The only player to blitz range? A peasant who has to 5plus 4plus dodge with no reroll. He made it, he GFI'd to block, a BOTH DOWN omgggg. Roxy went down and..... she was fine. She got up, picked up and gfi'd to score at the end of the first.

We were thoroughly humiliated and outclassed.

Second half starts and the usually LOS nonsense unfurls. Amazons push down our near side, we try and block them off, we foul a Wrestle Catcher off the pitch and then swarm the cage. 2 Blocks and a Roxy dodge and they are 2-0 up.

We receive again and a pitch invasion puts a few of their ladies down and so we start pressing and manage to get a break away down the far side. A roxy leap to surf my ball carrier failed allowing us to counter surf a blitzer and then my blitzer was home free essentially. We also started getting a few KO's which massively helped. An Amazon failed dodge in Turn 8 left us open to score a consolation TD.

2-1 LOSS

Overall we were outplayed, the first half was super rough especially because we didn't manage to get some removals which is what I was hoping for. I was super gutted the peasant blitz at the end of the first half didn't work, it had no right to but a AV7 stun there would have lead to a 0-0 half time and wouldn't that have been an awesome play for the tournament? AND FROM A PEASANT!?

Roxy is a frigging nightmare to handle. Ahh well, we thought we would lose this one and it happened. Hopefully we can win the next 2 and stay up in the rankings.

Position after Round 4: 17th out of 56

Game 5
Pre-match thoughts: AMAZONS AGAIN NOOOOOOO. At least they don't have Roxy? But that is one hell of a bench for them... Oh god I should have taken a tackle...

I need to win here or draw if I want my top 10 finish...

Game started, I decided to kick, I thought I could hold them and then grind them back. It started and the Amazons got 2 removals on the LOS. I then just decided to stand off the Amazons, form a 2 deep column and just frustrate them and it did work, they caged up but couldn't advance. From there it got to their turn 8, ball carrier was caged and needed to roll some blocks and get a hand off catch in tackle zone and then a dodge and then some gfi's and it all worked. It was an absolute sickener!
1-0 half-time

Second half we caged up again but we suffered some cas which limited us as a failed gfi reroll gave them a shot on the ball carrier which worked with a pow and the ball came down but they failed the pick up and it bounced favourably. My blitzer managed to dodge out recover and advance. Opponent then swarmed and pressed us against the sideline. I need to 1d blitz push to score and it was a skull, reroll both down so I just got super angry and just dodged him 5plus, 4plus, 3 plus 2 gfis and it worked! We scored but it was only turn 4 and we had 3 players out including a blitzer and yeoman.

We set up and kicked deep and the amazons rushed forward. Our only hope was they failed something, namely the pick up at the back of the pitch. The ball pick up was failed and so my blitzers swarmed forward behind their lines. I was praying for another failed pick up and they did and so I charged in and managed to push him away and pick up the ball and screen them off on my turn 7 ready to walk it in. I could win this. Opponent made some blocks to free up players and then a well placed Guard following by a blitz containing a dodge, POW (seriously annoying POWs on my Blodgers this game) ball pick up and 2 gfis without rerolls (Any failure here, even if it was a push I had a really good shout at scoring. I needed a fail here if I wanted the win and I didn't get it. Jammy git! XD

Opponent had the ball on a Blodger so I blitzed but only got pushes so had to settle for the draw. To say at turn 4 I thought I'd lost to come back and be inches from winning was bad for my poor heart!

1-1 Draw
Position 13th of 56 (A win or maybe a draw in my final game and I secure a top 10 finish!)

A crazy ass game with a wonderfully fun and chatty opponent. Had a blast, the tension in this was just insane! We both had some bullshit plays so overall a draw was fair but I was so close to victory.

Game 6 (FINAL)
Pre-match thoughts - If I wanted top 10. I needed a win here and some other results to go my way, I'm pretty sure another draw won't cut it for me. I'm facing Norse, a team I don't have much experience of but I suspect my Wrestle guys will have to step up to the plate and do some work for me. I'm feeling better about this than the Amazons, I have the mobility in this so maybe I can squeeze something out. Plan is same as last game, frustrate their attack, and then grind a win. Dauntless is so handy now for taking on that yhetee and ulfs. Here we go!

Game kicked off, I was on defence and we performed excellently, we kept the Norse in their half the entire drive, suffered a few KO's but managed to knock down and surf a few enemies but we just didn't get cas or KO's. The half just came into a stalemate and finished 0-0. Luckily my KO's came back for the second 11 v 11.

I set up and there was a Perfect Defence which utterly screwed me. I managed to collect the ball and cage up in the far side but the perfect defence and a round of all both down blocks for me meant we were in contact. And eventually an Ulf dodged out and POW'd my blodger which brought us down. The ball went into the crowd and the throw in just behind their line on the same sideline and they picked up and formed a side cage with an ulf in contact with a blitzer. We then managed to block pieces away and surf the ulf cage corner leaving the ball carrier in contact with 2 blitzers pressed against the sideline and no where to go. I could have surfed the ball carrier but I had no pieces left to respond to were the ball would go and I had a dauntless for the ULF to make it a 2d while the carrier was -2d and so I just wanted to pin him and force my opponent to roll what were big dice.

And then just... urgh.

Opponent threw a random loner block and both down both down and got the reroll off, if not the surf on the ball carrier was simple and we had pieces covering most areas. There was a 1 die block pushing one of my markers on the ball carrier away and then a 3plus dodge out 4 plus pass and 4 plus catch in a tackle zone who then dodged out and ran off down the field. I came running back but he was too far but he didn't score and stood on the sideline so I got a dodge and 2gfi blitz on him, surfed him and the ball flew near my endzone.

I advanced a blitzer as scoring threat and with no rerolls I decided I would attempt a Wrestle 2d block on his only scoring option needing anything put double skulls to bring him down and safeguard the draw. And then I would attempt a handoff and pass play down the field to go for the win. Double skulls came up. He blocked the marker away and ran in with gfi's to score and I nearly threw my laptop at the wall.

1-0 LOSS

This one really really hurt. I performed such a good defence and I was so looking as if i could break away and then the norse pulled off a super play. And then at the death I maybe had a chance of a handoff pass but that double skulls just messed it up for me. My head was in my hands. We didn't deserve a loss on this one at all

Thoughts
A really frustrating Second Day sees us finish 26th of 56 after losing 2 and drawing 1 to give us a 2W, 2D, 2L record. I was so close. A win in that last game, which was totally within our grasp, would have seen us finish 9th, a draw 18th. I feel robbed! I feel like today we didn't have the rub of the green at all in all 3 games and we dropped points on massive opponent plays which got pulled off and I'm gutted we couldn't get that last win which would have made this a brilliant tournament finish for us. All the games have been wildly fun, the only result I don't see as being 'fair' is that last one, I think we deserved something from it but everyone has been super lovely and I've really enjoyed this Brets team.

I have to take solace in the fact that we finished in the top half and we had fun and we saw some great Blood Bowl. And the fact I'm now capable of saying that we were worthy of a top 10 finish is a good sign. Thanks to the organizers and players, my first ever tourney has been a blast!

EDIT: Didnt see games still going on so we actually finished 28th, which is literally half way but still top half! And a Win in teh last would have seen us take that 10th place, what a fairy-tale that would have been!