One of my favorite teams to play is my Ornbarad Sylvan Seekers. It was when I first started playing this team that Wood Elves finally "clicked" for me. Like many things, it's really quite simple once you figure it out... for me, it was to control my impulse to attempt a leaping 1D hit with a wardancer on every single turn. Once I corrected that strategic flaw in my game, the team prospered. They also earned me a perhaps deserved reputation as a picker, as the fragility of the team saw me playing fewer and fewer bash teams. This is the story of the six Wardancers that Ornbarad have used in their 104 games.

The OG
The first player ended up being the best player. The team started with just a single wardancer, as I figured an early treeman might be helpful. That player was Clutch, who scored the first two touchdowns in team history and doubled up for mighty blow. His second skill was also a double, and things might have been different if I had followed my instincts and taken Piling On. I settled on tackle, and Clutch would captain the team for 65 games. Clutch never got a stat boost, and seclected sure hands at superstar, which actually really worked out well. Since I wasn't using a thrower at that point, he ended up playing point guard as well as keying the defense. Clutch made legend, and lived for another 20 games after getting there.

Clutch and Boomer - 28 Games
Clutch was joined by Boomer after the team's second game. Boomer followed a similar skill path to Clutch, also not rolling a stat increase. He did double up for mighty blow, and the combination of the two killer wardancers with a treeman were tough to handle at low TV. Boomer ended up taking wrestle as his superstar skill, which also worked out pretty well. In the end it shortened his career, as he ended up taking most of the risky plays, and finally ended up with a fractured skull during a otherwise one-sided match with some dwarves. Also forced into retirement that game was Xerces, a really impressive catcher who I hated to see go. it was tough saying goodbye to Boomer, but every cloud has a silver lining...

Clutch and Jax - 38 Games
Fans didn't have to mourn the loss of Boomer long, because the very next game, Jax burst onto the scene with 16spp and a +STR in his first game. These were the glory days of Ornbarad, although the team took criticism for playing increasingly softer competition as the two wardancers approached legend. Sadly, in a two-game period, both wardancers sustained smashed hips, and the two greats were never the same. Shortly thereafter, Clutch took a second serious injury and was forced into retirement. Some said Clutch should have been able to continue his career, but his body was broken down and coach Rat convinced his captain to retire. Clutch left the game as the third greatest wardancer on fumbbl, with more casualties than any save the legendary Vindaloo, and trailing only he and stat-monster GarciRaider in star-player points. Clutch is also the only Wood Elf without a stat boost to reach legend. Not to be forgotten, this was also the era of Styles, a nasty oneturn catcher who tallied 54 touchdowns and retired as the 5th best Wood Elf Catcher on Fumbbl. Styles beat the two wardancers to legend, needing 31 games to do it after having his early touches limited by the more-talented Xerces.

Jax and Helios - 5 games
The shortest-lived pairing, this was a dark time for the Sylvan Seekers. Jax was clearly lost without Clutch, failing to register a single SPP in the 6 games without his partner. Killed by an angry Blitz-Ra, Jax was a sad example of a player who just couldn't leave the game when it was time. Once again, the dark cloud had a silver lining, as Helios scored two touchdowns in that same game and gained +STR. Jax had been replaced.

Helios and Ophidion - 11 games
Unfortunately, Helios was something of a disappointment. This was one injury-prone elf, missing 4 of the 11 games these two should have played together, taking a niggling injury to an orc boot, and being finished off later by a Chaos gang-foul. The potential was there, but Helios is remembered more for what he could have been than what he was. Helios was the team's least successful wardancer, possessing all the talent in the world, but without a clue what to do with it. This period was notable for briefly having two +STR wardancers on the pitch at the same time, and for both players being overshadowed by the team's first thrower. Chuck played 34 games, rewrote the passing records, and revolutionized Ornbarad's offensive playbook. Chuck might have been fumbbl's first thrower legend, but snaked a dodge on turn 16, and the apothocary could not save him.

Ophidion and Rally - 12 Games
Ophidion reminds a lot of fans of Jax. A third +STR wardancer was more than most could hope for, but Ornbarad had managed to do it. Ophidion is still active, though he has a long way to go to reach the heights that Jax and Clutch did. Rally, unfortunately will never do so, having had a short and rather unimpressive career before being forced to retire today with a fractured skull from a turn 0 thrown rock. Thus, it is up to Ophidion and new man Crank to carry the torch for the Sylvan Seekers.

Every Wardancer is a potential legend. Losing them sucks, but they skill so quickly that you rarely have to wait long to see if the next one is better than the last. It's rough being an AV7 pixel-hugger, but I just love to build stars. There's no better canvas to paint a star on than a rookie Wardancer. They may not be my best team, and they will probably never win a tournament... but they are my favorite team on Fumbbl, and I have a blast playing them.