“A lot of guard, tackle and a ST5 star bull didn't anounce much good. Nevertheless, I was optimistic about my chances to win this game with a solid 14-strong high elf squad (though there would be casualties, for sure). Lost Hooves decided to kick first and as if it was a self fulfilling prophesy materilizng itself the kick-off result was a Blitz! Sure Foot collected his first rip in turn 0, an ag5 blodge catcher. Luckily the apoth was alert and patched him up.

The blitz drastically changed my original plan of trying to work towards a half of elf-stalling. With a ST5,break tackle, block, mighty blow, tackle bull rampaging through my backyard that wouldn't be a good plan. So over to plan b: picking up the ball with my thrower and lobbing it to a rookie blitzer on the line of scrimmage. It took me a reroll, but it worked. The chaos dwarfs had slightly overcommitted themselves on the blitz, and I tried to use this opportunity to my benefit. With a loose screen around the ballcarrier somewhere halfwere the opponent's half things didn't look half as bad as immediately after the blitz. Nevertheless there was still a break tackle minotaur to deal with. He blitzed through the screen to get 2d on the ball and it popped loose. With two hobgoblins and the mino around the ball chances of scoring went to subzero. But a 10-square long blitz managed to push a hobgoblin on the ball (mangling him -ST in the process) and the ball scattered to a somewhat favourable spot. A 2+ dodge, 3+ pickup, a 3+ handoff to a catcher and another 2+ dodge later it was 1-0. I probably should have stalled, but three quarters of my team was exposed to some very mean dorfs, so that didn't seem like a good idea either.

Still six turns left in the first half; it would not be easy to prevent the equalizer. A high kick didn't help either. By setting up a screen straight out of the playbook I tried to slow the cage down and to force my opponent into desperation. Which worked quite well, until a crucial failed dodge in turn 8. Still, it wouldn't be easy to score. A sidestepper got blocked three times (three pushes) and closed the sideway. The chaos dwarfs' frontal assault wasn't over yet and the hobgoblin carrying the ball decided to be bold and went for it with a 1d blitz, a push, enough to push through towards the endzone. 1-1 in turn 8 and the Lost Hooves would be receiving in the second half...

The second half was another effort of the Feathers to slow the cage down, which got quickly formed after a lousy kick in the midfield (not the best game of my kicker). The chaos dwarfs committed their first gang-foul, but to no avail. The next turn I showed them how to put the boot in, badly hurting a dorf. High elf arrogance, they must have thought, and they ripped a blitzer and seriously injured a lineman the next turn. A lucky blitz from the Feather's side knocked out a bull (not the ST5 monster, the other one), so we somehow managed to keep the numbers more or less even.

By turn four I changed tactics, still not sure why, and decided to start manmarking and pressuring the ball. It worked in the sense that it caused my opponent to think a lot, pushing him to make a mistake and eventually I got a 2d blitz on the ball (double push). Meanwhile, the clock was ticking and the Hooves didn't really get closer to the endzone. So they too changed tactics radically and decided to push through with the ST5 bull and two hobgoblins, one of them carrying the ball. This was a major opportunity to steal the ball and even to get it to my catcher and score myself. Four dice on the ball were not enough though, so the Lost Hooves carried victory home. A last turn one-turner proved to be impossible.

Very entertaining game and good luck in the finals! ”