First off, a link to the replay:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6653110/Nonstop ... 14%20PM.db
Welcome to the playoff quarterfinals! We had a great (if protracted) final round to lead up until this point where almost every team was still in contention. We saw Basti's lovely ladies take one from the elves in an unlikely scenario, 1-0. That led to them sneaking in to the playoffs despite being behind early in the season. Grotsnik's lizards slid in as well, though it would have taken a miracle for this not to happen. In a predictably wild finish, root's mighty Khemri battered their way into the playoffs by winning and getting a tie from the two remaining teams. 1st season champ OldSkoolKamikaze had a rocky season, as one might expect from a Goblin team, and was knocked out after that final 1-1 tie. Division 4 ended in confusion. Game six saw Mantiis' vamps bloodlust their way into a 0-2 loss, but he managed to sneak in after weeks of waiting for the Casta/Yardie game. Congrats and good luck to all playoff contenders!
Nibblers v. Dusters: which one is better and why?
The Dusters were back at full strength at the start of this game, packing their full 4 Tomb Guardians and complement of Blitz-Ras. The Nibblers came in at a slim 1250 TV and picked up a Wizard instead of the Rat Ogre that they were contemplating. We'll see how this affects the proceedings since they will only have 12 players against a sensationally bashy team. The Dusters will look to control the ball with their powerful cage and grind the rats down with injuries and fouls.
The first kickoff goes to the vermin and it's short. Skaven Thrower Toptoss ends up with the ball. The rats flood four Gutter Runners into the backfield and hang back for a long pass. The few blocks thrown by the Nibblers land with no lasting damage. The skeletons are largely too slow to pressure the thrower, so instead they mark the runners and hope for the best. A stormvermin blitzes in on a marker and lands a casualty, and Toptoss rushes in to pass it to the open receiver. The pass is on the mark and the Skaven charge in! However, there is ample time (six turns) for the Dusters to organize and advance a punishing cage.
The ensuing kickoff sees the skellies line up on the right side of the field, and the rats take advantage with a blitz! A quick second casualty is landed by another stormvermin, and the GRs swarm in to where the short kick will land. Now the Tomb Guardians get to business and knock out a linerat. Since Shahenaaz failed the catch on the kickoff, Skellington is able to easily grab the ball, and he passes it downfield with a Hail Mary! Apokis is downfield and grabs the bouncing ball! He's all alone in the backfield, though. Will he be able to muscle it past the defenders?
Almost! Tzanek initially can't knock him down but uses a reroll to ensure Apokis doesn't escape. The dirty rats then manage to pick up the ball and pass it to an open Runner. He zips down the sideline far out of reach of most of the Dusters. A failed dodge allows the Skaven to inflict some punishment before they walk it in.
A rough start for the Dusters, but they still have a shot. They'll have to control the ball well on this possession and drive it in, and hope to force overtime in the 2nd half. Disaster strikes again, however, as another blitz is executed by the rats! Skwikwik is there to receive the ball, and he even hangs onto it despite a fierce blitz from Khopis. A simple blitz allows Skwikwik the freedom to try a pass to a wide open stormvermin. The ball is caught and the rodents pick up another score!
Finally, a kickoff without a blitz will have the Khemri side organizing to pick up the ball. Skellington picks it up and a three-quarters cage is formed, but no sooner does he get his phalanges on the ball than he tosses it down the field with another Hail Mary. The ball lands on the Skaven side, far from any Dusters. The rats greedily gobble up the ball and take it down the Khemri sideline, eager to put another point on the board. A brave skelly sneaks in and launches a block on the ballcarrier, but he once again holds steady and hangs onto the ball. It is no great feat for the stormvermin to push aside his foe and allow Chocho an unobstructed run at the endzone.
It is turn 7 and the rats are whittled down to 10 players on the field. The kickoff lands in the hands of the skeleton Apokis, and a Tomb Guardian swats down an annoying linerat for the team's second casualty. Immediately following, Khask is taken out with a Badly Hurt. If these injuries had happened sooner, perhaps the outcome would be a little different. As it stands now, Apokis has to gamble with a run downfield to try the turn 8 score. It is not to be, as Targleek rushes in to knock the ball away. A failed pass ends the half for the rodents, with mercifully no more casualties.
Only seven sorry Nibblers take the field for half two, and they will be kicking off. It's deep, and the Dusters will have their work cut out for them. A stormvermin is Badly Hurt to start the drive, and things are finally looking up for the Khemri, facing only 6 rats now. They knock down as many players as they can, and Skellington once again fires off a Hail Mary that this time lands midfield. A Gutter Runner is free to pick up the ball, and heads to the right side after picking it up. Although successful early on, the Hail Mary is now proving to be a detriment to the team, allowing free pickups for the Skaven players. Once again, the wily Gutter Runner stays standing despite a punishing blitz. This time Triad Venom manages two dodges and sneaks past the defenders into the end zone for yet another score!
In a bizarre set of circumstances, the ensuing kickoff sees the game's third blitz. Truly Nuffle shines upon the Nibblers, though for what reasons, none can say. Once more a runner is in position to receive the kickoff, though he fails to haul it in. A tomb guardian muffs a block and the Nibbler coach calls in death from above! A fireball rains down on the field, knocking Playahata flat. Shahenaaz picks up the ball and scuttles free to then get tackled by the waiting skeleton Apokis! We've seen this happen before: Skellington moves in to pick up the ball and Hail Mary's it ineffectively downfield. Yet again, a skaven player will be free to pick up the ball.
Triad Venom grabs it, and tries a pass to Chocho in the endzone. The pass is on target, but dropped! The remaining Khemri fan in the stands cheers as his team is spared another score. Skellington manages a 1 TZ pickup and contemplates a Hail Mary... and down the field it goes! It lands midfield on the right hand side next to two rats and the fearsome Deepblocka.
Getting desperate, the rats try their version of a hail mary, involving two dodges, a 1 TZ pickup and a long pass. What happens next is hazy, but somehow the inaccurate pass and bounce lands right in the waiting arms of Triad Venom, adding an additional score for the rats! Even the crowd is tired of this shitty writeup and they help speed it along by rioting for a turn on the next kickoff. Seriously, is this a novel or something?
Lah de dah, some more rats get beat up, I think a bogus Hail Mary was attempted, and believe it or not, a gutter runner manages to score on turn 16. Oh, and Shahenaaz is almost killed for the second time, fouled into jelly, but was saved by the timely intervention of an apothecary. The End.
Final Score: Silly to Nothing.
On a side note, Skellington managed 100 yards passing. For reference, the league's leading passer for the
entire 6 game season only had 70 yards passing.
).
