“Lustrian Challenge VII - Qualifier V: Round Two

"Get out."
-Hooded Justice

This was a match for the ages. One of the greatest vampire teams of all times facing off against one of the deadliest chaos teams ever to take the pitch. Nuffle Can Suck It won the toss and opted to kick to Watchmen Philosophy, setting the stage for the defensive battle that would ensue.

Watchmen Philosophy started off the first few turns with several knockouts, sending a fistful of thralls to be attended to by the Bloodweiser babe that had been hired for the match. All was going according to plan, though none of the hits levied against the vampires seemed to be having much effect. Given the superb nature of their stat lines, this was going to prove to be a problem.

By turn three, Ozymandias had retreated out of reach of the vampires, hovering in his own endzone. Prov saw an opportunity and smartly leapt on it - the wizard employed by the vampires rained down lightning from the sky and popped the ball loose from the sure-handed beastman. In the rush to scoop it up, however, Onyx Octavius went crashing to the earth.

Only six players remained on the pitch for Nuffle Can Suck It, while Watchmen Philosophy had a full complement of eleven. Sally Jupiter knocked out Vladimir Putin on a blitz, but burned a precious reroll after starting with double skulls. Ozymandias recovered in fine form, picking up the ball and heaving it towards midfield where Captain Metropolis stood waiting. Though the pass was fumbled, the ball lay in relative safety.

Brenna Bathory did make a good recovery to get close to the ball on the following turn, but Sally Jupiter drove her into the turf as Captain Metropolis redeemed himself by grabbing the ball and scampering for paydirt.

A single skull turn by Onyx Octavius meant that the ball was well in the clear for Watchmen Philosophy and they could focus on causing havoc amongst the vampires. Big Figure, the dirty player for Watchmen Philosophy, had inexplicably been left on the sidelines at a time where he could've proven to be exceptionally useful. A poor coaching decision that would come back to haunt the Watchmen.

Brenna Bathory and Katarina Crimson both survived the harshest blocks the heroes could muster over the next two turns, with no knockdowns to be found among eight total blocks. Heartbreaking for the fans of the chaos team, but it sent the bloodsucking crowd into a frenzy.

On turn six Sally Jupiter finally managed to hit one of the vampires for a casualty - a badly hurt result that quickly brought in the apothecary. Hope began to grow in the hearts of the chaos team.

The following turns Onyx Octavius smartly lay on the ground feigning injury. With no one standing who could be struck, the Watchmen were forced to end each turn deeply unsatisfied, as Big Figure grumbled about his fate in the reserves box.

A handoff to Nite Owl led to an easy touchdown at the end of the first half.

Watchmen Philosophy 1, Nuffle Can Suck It 0

The half looked to be all but over, but the vampires had one last trick up their sleeves. Their fans stormed the pitch and sought out the one player who stood in the path of Brenna Bathory. The Comedian was laid low by a sloppily dressed woman in a gray shawl. This left a clear path to the endzone for Brenna, which she promptly exploited for an easy touchdown.

Watchmen Philosophy 1, Nuffle Can Suck It 1

The second half began and the battle was joined in earnest. Katarina Crimson received deep for the vampires. No damage was done on the line of scrimmage, though Heech was sent off by an eagle-eyed referee on the very first foul of the match.

Hollis Mason put to ruin all hopes of surviving the match for Oly Oly OxenFreed 2 on the first blitz of the half and suddenly the player total was nine to eleven in favor of the Watchmen. Sally Jupiter stood deep as a safety valve as the others began to man mark their opponents.

Vladimir Putin was left exposed on the second turn and Mothman tried to take advantage, but again no love was to be found on the block dice. He deftly sidestepped and took revenge the next turn with a block against Mothman. Katarina swung the ball to the left flank and Onyx came alongside her for support. Onyx's adrenaline was pumping however, and he sunk his teeth into the neck of the Grotty Little Lineman, rending him unfit to continue the match.

With the ball on the left flank and the numbers rapidly dwindling for the vampires, Brenna sprinted up the right flank to provide a receiver option for Nuffle Can Suck It and split the defense of Watchmen Philosophy in two. Though Hollis Mason tried twice to put her down, he was unsuccessful in the attempt. Brenna broke free from the tentacles of The Comedian and ran into the endzone. Katarina followed up with a beautifully timed pass that fell into Brenna's waiting arms, sending the vampire fans in the crowd into a chorus of cheers.

Watchmen Philosophy 1, Nuffle Can Suck It 2

There were still five turns left in the half, but all four of the vampires remained on the pitch and Watchmen Philosophy's coach was beginning to worry. Only one thrall was knocked out on the kickoff, but hope sprung eternal in the hearts of the heroes' fans. Brenna Bathory took a nibble on Emotional Wreckage and sent him packing as well. Nine players left for the vampires and still the chaos kept coming.

Onyx Octavius and Katarina Crimson began a push up the right side, continuing the theme of aggressive defense that has long been the hallmark of Nuffle Can Suck It. Ozymandias retreated to a position that he thought was safe, but his coach had badly miscalculated. He was surfed into the crowd by Onyx and it was only through good fortune that the Watchmen fans threw the ball back in to an area where it was in range of their heroes.

Though the vampires did well to cover the ball, Hooded Justice pulled off the miracle by picking the ball up and heaving it six squares downfield to Captain Metropolis. Captain Metropolis did not disappoint this time, catching the ball neatly and sprinting down the right sideline with only Vladimir Putin left in the backfield.

Katarina Crimson gave a good effort at pursuit but she was held fast by The Comedian. Mothman put in a second good shot on Vladimir Putin, but the regenerative powers of the immortal vampire were in full effect and he recovered nicely for the overtime period that was to come. The Comedian managed to knock Brenna out in the following turn but she too would recover with the aid of the Bloodweiser babe.

Captain Metropolis finished things off by tying it up in the waning moments, sending the whole thing into overtime to decide the fate of both teams.

Watchmen Philosophy 2, Nuffle Can Suck It 2

There were only ten players available for the vampires in overtime, compared to eleven for Watchmen Philosophy. And as luck would have it, the chaos team was receiving! All seemed to be going according to plan and their luck seemed to have changed significantly for the better. Ozymandias was still in the medical tent being attended to, so Rorschach was asked to play the role of ball carrier in the coming drive.

Despite the heroic nature of the Watchmen's line, their coach played much too aggressively at the initial snap. All of the killers were sent forward, leaving no real threat deep to protect Rorschach. Under normal circumstances that wouldn't be a problem, but these vampires were every bit the match for Rorschach - and then some.

Katarina, Brenna, and Onyx all pushed forward as Vladimir held back as protection against some of the dramatic passing plays the Watchmen had shown themselves capable of earlier in the game. Nite Owl began the turn with what seemed to be an inconsequential block against Carlo Strikes Thrice.

Disaster.

An event that occurs only once in every 1296 moments in Bloodbowl. Percentage-wise it happens at a rate of 7/10ths of 1 percent. This event, at this moment, turned the tide of the game. Quadruple skulls.

And with that, the vampires of Nuffle Can Suck It were beside themselves with glee. They leapt towards Rorschach with ferocity and Onyx Octavius struck the mighty chaos warrior square in the chest, knocking him to the turf. Determined to let not another moment pass where the fickle finger of Nuffle might change His mind, Onyx picked up the spiked ball and charged forward into history. He crossed the touch line and lifted the ball above his head in victory as the assembled legion of fans roared in approval.

Final score: Watchmen Philosophy 2, Nuffle Can Suck It 3

-----------------------------------

Thanks for a great match, Prov. This qualifying group was a truly legendary one and I'm glad to at least be able to say that I lost to the eventual winner. Good luck in the main draw - if you can survive this group, that one will seem like a piece of cake.

”