“Tactical Takeaways:

1. Black Orc Armor Still Breaks

I feel like I've gone whole games where it seemed like my AV 10+ was invincible, and this time with this being a mirror it became very clear that that wasn't the case. Both our teams lost players in droves, and it was just a good reminder that giving away hits isn't a good idea.

2. Plan for the Foul

I felt the first drive of this game on defense was a good example of planning around the foul. We were able to get several black orcs isolated and go for fouls with 4 or more assists while the opponent worked to secure the ball. This resulted in 3 removals early. An argument could be made that in the time I was fouling I could've been pressuring the ball, but I don't think that's what Black Orcs are built for. Grab and cheap bribes means foul.

3. Throwing Goblins

Amazed at how often my opponent would throw goblins, and though it wasn't overly effective in this case, it did change the dynamic of the game, knowing that I hadn't accounted for that as a tactic. One throw landed behind the LOS near a ball that I'd just failed to pick up and if that goblin scattered to any other square it would've been devastating.

4. 2-1 Grind

Really good example of starting on defense and forcing the early score, scoring back, and stalling to the final score on turn 8. This is a big plus for me because I've always thought that the Black Orcs just weren't capable of scoring in less than 6 or even 7 turns. We managed to do it here in 4 or 5, and just knowing that that is something we're capable of - at least against other Black Orcs - is good to know.

5. Keep your Team Together

Difficult to control this, but at a certain point in the second drive the opponent managed to isolate 2 black orcs from the rest of my line, and it made it very difficult to cage effectively. This was because in the pre-snap the opponent aligned with 3 players on the LOS spread out as far as possible. I decided to base up for the blocks, and it is what led to my team getting separated. I felt uncomfortable about the alignment, but wasn't entirely sure why. Now I know. Keep your guys together if at all possible. ”