“I rec this replay, man. This was a very entertaining game with three dead position players!

Skeloboy is a solid coach, kept this match entertaining throughout, even though the tempo of the game made his job a tough one. I won the coin toss, kicked. He knocked the snot out of me in that first drive, partly on a couple unlucky blocks on his RO (took a both-down on a 2d when I needed a pow or stumble or AV break, and then got a skull on a half-die the next turn to open up some movement, even after the TRR). Still, the former Dark Elf Puukko Allu got two Cas early on and the Skaven felt pressured and scored.

It was probably the smart move, because I had more than enough time to deal a whacking and march down the pitch for a T7TD. I would have made it T8, but even with limited numbers he was offering some nice pressure (GRs are wicked). No matter, he couldn't pull off the 1TTD and I went into the second half receiving with a numerical advantage (including a new Zombie!) and a tied score.

In the second half, I rolled him flat and slipped downfield. He got pressure with his RO, as I knew he would, but couldn't hit my carrier. I blitzed him off and ran it in on T3. He tried a quick score; I blitzed the ball free and retrieved it, but I screwed up covering his GR, went the wrong way and stunned my Ghoul. He needed some tough dodging, but pulled off a 1d blitz and managed to pow (and Cas!) to free it up and run in a score on his turn 5, leaving me with 3 turns, plenty of time to pull off the winning TD in T8. He didn't have the personnel remaining for a 1TTD.

It was a good, exciting game, worth watching the replay. Skeloboy's technical skills are undeniable; he kept the match alive despite accumulating massive damage. But in the end it came down to the Skaven tempo problem. The GRs are so athletic they can make something out of nothing, but the linos are too clumsy to dodge away and too soft to sustain their blocks. They score easily, but the team has no stamina and it's easy to force them to cede the tempo of the match and beat them in close games. It would have been harder were it not for the Ghouls' mobility. That's one of the big advantages of the Undead. Not only can they win the midfield, they can also break away or cope with breakaways. Chaos are like that too, and Necromantic, but not too many other teams.

That #4 Ghoul spot is the siege perilous of this team. Goodbye Tarna, hello Tenderloin! I got doubles on both my Block Ghouls; if one had doubled, it would be Guard. But two? I gave them both Mighty Blow. Fitting, since they both had kills in this match. Puukko Allu, the Dark Elf Zombie, went on a bashing spree and is about to level.”