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Puffin802



Joined: Nov 11, 2020

Post   Posted: Jan 21, 2021 - 17:36 Reply with quote Back to top

Many thanks for the replies, its appreciated.

I've joined the 145 and have played a couple of games. Not much progression made, but I'm getting helpful feedback from my opponents describing what I've done wrong and how to potentially avoid doing it again.

I guess this will be a slow process learning online, I find its so much easier on TT to talk through How's and Why's etc mid game. Hopefully when I can play TT again I may be able to learn faster...I'm very much a visual learner rather than plough through manuals etc
neilwat



Joined: Aug 01, 2009

Post   Posted: Jan 21, 2021 - 18:05
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Watch AndyDavo on Twitch with BB2, he explains his plays during the game.

Take an element or type of team to focus on for a while. It will take time. I see players on here over a year or two and they become really solid. It does take about that amount of time for many people IMO. Take your time and enjoy the process. At a point you will have some WOW style moments where the game flows well for you or you do stuff without thinking.
MrCushtie



Joined: Aug 10, 2018

Post   Posted: Jan 21, 2021 - 18:24 Reply with quote Back to top

Take my advice with a pinch of salt because I've lost more games than you've played and your win % exceeds mine, but think about these things from a mindset perspective:

Ruthlessness of team management: Sack niggled players: looking at your Dark Elves you have all the right things to win games - a bit of Wrestle, Kick, Guard - but you also have two niggled players. When they come back for your next match they'll be obvious targets for your opponent to remove. In 2020 rules this will be less of a concern, but right now every niggle makes them more fragile.

It's hard to do because it can feel like you can't sack players unless you have the cash to immediately replace them (I've carried players with niggles for longer than I should have done) but a lean team is better than a bloaty one, so it makes it easier to win matches and get more gold to buy new players. If you had a player with 176 SPP, 2 niggles and -AV, maybe you should keep him, but a single skill-up and -MA or niggle? Straight to the bin and hope the next one is luckier.

Be aggressive on defence, pessimistic on offence: what MenonaLoco told me, and I really took to heart, was that when you don't have the ball, it's worth playing as though you won't fail any of your rolls. Whereas when you do have the ball, plan for every roll to be a failure. That means expecting every GFI will be a 1 when you're moving the ball, and every GFI / uphill block / dodge will be in your favour when you're trying to get the ball.

This will bite you from time to time, because the dice the team on defence have aren't magically blessed by Nuffle, but it can help unblock you sometimes. This one gives me hope: veering to utter disaster by turn 5, but then a 4+ dodge, 3+ dodge, 3+ pick up and 2 GFIs got me to a point where I could fight for a draw. (Without the reroll, that had a 15% chance of success, so getting to have to do this isn't an example of good coaching, so much as knowing that sometimes when you need good dice, you'll get them). Basically, it's good to play to extremes, if you're doing so consciously. If you're taking big risks and not being aware you're doing so, you're more likely to just blame the dice when they don't go your way.

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Joost



Joined: Mar 17, 2014

Post   Posted: Jan 21, 2021 - 21:12 Reply with quote Back to top

My 2 cents: MrCushtie is right. Any niggled player should be fired as they are a liability. you could make exceptions for very well developed ball carriers, since they might be hard to replace and you want to keep them from getting blocked anyway. But all other niggling injuries should be removed asap.

When it comes to offence, I also agree with MrC that you should assume any and all rolls to be a failure and plan accordingly. Please note that I am not the best at that myself, and that there isn't a gfi that I can refuse. But it's the correct thing nonetheless.

But the most important rule is to always take care of the ball. You do not need to progress as long as you keep it safe. a score against on your drive means you lost. A tie on your drive means you still have a game in the second half. So whatever you do, make sure the ball carrier is covered first if you can. Sticking to that principle has helped me lot at least. Especially the first 4 turns there is no need whatsoever to be on the opponents half if it means taking a risk.

Related to that, I think it's important to be aware that the more risks you force on your opponent the more likely you will gain. Either by improving position or by getting removals. Early in the half you should simply maximize the amount of decisions your opponent will have to make. Each decision is a chance for a mistake. Later in the drive, if you haven't gotten a lucky break yet you may have to take risks but no need to do so if you can still pressure the opponent.

If you want an example watch any game Malmir played. There are many really good players on this site but I cannot think of any other coach on fumbbl that is as consistently good at positioning and creating pressure.
Heff



Joined: Dec 24, 2012

Post   Posted: Feb 17, 2021 - 13:59 Reply with quote Back to top

The most important step to learning in my view is to STOP BLAMING THE DICE! As soon as you blame the dice for your failures then you have decided to learn nothing from that game. Dice..Happen, and we have all lost a game on an un-needed 1, but the top coaches (Of which I am certainly NOT one) will look at the game and say "what did I do wrong the turn before that meant I had to make that roll?". Lesser coaches will just say that their opponents were lucky luckers and would have lost if the dice had been fair.
charlie1331



Joined: Sep 16, 2012

Post   Posted: Feb 19, 2021 - 15:19 Reply with quote Back to top

Heff wrote:
The most important step to learning in my view is to STOP BLAMING THE DICE! As soon as you blame the dice for your failures then you have decided to learn nothing from that game. Dice..Happen, and we have all lost a game on an un-needed 1, but the top coaches (Of which I am certainly NOT one) will look at the game and say "what did I do wrong the turn before that meant I had to make that roll?". Lesser coaches will just say that their opponents were lucky luckers and would have lost if the dice had been fair.


"Bad dice expose bad play." I can't recall which coach said it to me, one of the legends, maybe Purplechest, but that has always stuck with me. We're all going to get crap dice from time to time, but you can mitigate how badly they affect your game with better play and positioning.

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koadah



Joined: Mar 30, 2005

Post   Posted: Feb 19, 2021 - 15:53 Reply with quote Back to top

Heh heh. Some of the Legends are the biggest dice whiners of all. Twisted Evil

It seems to me that someone who starts a thread titled "How to improve?" has already figured out that that the dice are not the sole problem. They want to know how to improve.

It is useful advice for people who start "the RNG is borked" threads though. Wink

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