“Gratz on forcing me into trick plays to get a tie. I thought for sure that 5 Saurus Blockers wouldn't be enough, but the skinks kinda saved the day. Don't fret about the lack of Shadowing checks, I had to work hard to avoid them.

That said, you should endeavor to get your sixth Saurus, your Apothecary, and a reroll ASAP. For future reference, start with 6 Sauri, 5 Skinks, and 6 Dedicated Fans plus two RR counters, then hire an Apothecary, replacement Sauri, a Kroxigor, and a reroll. Then you can buy Chameleon Skinks. If you must start with a Chameleon Skink, take 1, 4 normal Skinks, and 5 Dedicated Fans. This team is fine, you have the money to buy a Saurus, which you should do now.

You consistently put up what I call a "202" defensive line, with one player in the "0" column, in the middle of the LOS, and players flanking him from two squares off, on either side, in the "2" column. This is the weakest of the common defensive line setups: it allows 2 assists on every block, giving up 2d on Sauri and 3d on Skinks. You should have used a 101 line with 3 Sauri all bunched up in the middle.

When you are receiving, against a 101 line like I deployed, you should have lined Sauri up on my line in the 0 and 1 columns, then Skinks in the 2s and Sauri in the 4s. Open with your 0 against the back-side 1, pushing laterally or powing diagonally, not following. On a push, hit him with the back-side 1, powing diagonally or pushing laterally, following on pushes to set up 2d with the Skink. Then block diagonally against the center, don't follow, and now you can 2d the play-side 1 with your Skink before blitzing with the remaining Saurus. Maximum damage potential.

I don't know what you could have done to stop all those chains. I was in a chainy mood.

All told, you played well. I think your setups need a little TLC, but you forced me into heroics to preserve the tie, so you must be doing something right.

Oh, and I updated my yearbook with descriptions of how I use all the skills and skill-combos on my team, if that's of any interest to you.”