“GLT QUALIFIER #16 -FINALS

Handicaps for Poems: Extra Training and Duh! Where Am I?

I knew from the start that this would be the hardest game in the qualifier. Synn is known for skillful play and lots of fouling, and his orcs outguarded Poems 9-5, with three sidestepping guard BOBs. Poems, on the other hand, have two ST4 AG5 players to even things out. DME hired Morg and a wiz, Poems hired Gnashrak and a wiz of their own.

Poems start with the ball, but quickle gets bogged down by the orcs, with the sidestepping BOBs proving every bit as problematic as feared. Gnashrak got knocked out by Morg (who was boneheaded), and Poems got pushed up against the sidelines. Poems decided to change tactics, fell back with my 6458 beastman ballkeeper and sending my AG5 Leap CW, my ST5 tents CW and a couple of beastman forward for a potential score.

Morg broke through Poems flimsy lines and marked the ballkeeper. After making some dodges Poems managed to get The Happiest Season in position to catch the ball, although he would have been exposed for a 1d blitz the next turn. That wasn't an issue though, since Time Is snaked his dodge to break free from Morg, who picked up the ball and scored in turn 8.

Poems 0-1 DME after the first half. Both players still have their Wiz.

Second half saw several breakthrough attempts by Time Is and The Happiest Season, and after a couple of turns Poems managed to get the ball loose. However, Time Is once again mostly failed, and DME recovered the ball and fouled Time Is off the field.

However, the orcs had packed themselves too closely together, and a well-aimed fireball took all 6 potential targets down them down, with a perfect scatter of the ball to boot! This allowed The Raven the chance to get the ball and score in turn 15. Synns bold attempt at a OTS failed, getting the game to OT.

Poems 1-1 DME after full time, DME have their wiz and one reroll for OT, Poems have three rerolls but no wiz.

Poems kick in OT, the ball scatters way back. DME pick it up with their AG4 blitzer, but then fails the handoff to their 7439 blitzer. The ball scatters to just one square away from being reachable. Poems rush forward, and in a flurry of GFIs manage to put two tacklezones on the ball while some beastmen covers them. DME fireballs, but the wiz is mostly a failure, bringing down 1/3 players. DME recovers the ball, but Time Is manages to roll 9 2+rolls, knock the ballkeeper down on 2d, another beastman picks up the ball in one TZ and dodges away!

DME uses their last reroll on a doubleskull, and a 2d block failes to bring the ballkeeper down. Time Is blitz the player away, and Poems score 2-1 in turn 3 of OT.

Synn went for a win instead of slowly going for a draw, but bad dicerolls and no rerolls left allowed Poems to recover the ball once again, and score 3-1 in turn 16.

This was a great game vs a great coach. Both of us made some mistakes, but the bad dice I had in the first half haunted Synn in OT, giving me the win. Still, both of us played well and I won't demean either Synn or myself by saying the dice was the only deciding factor.

Good game Synn, GLT here I come!”