Blitz Home

Counterstrategy: Strike the Shepherd (Undead)

An Undead team at any level can be a formidable, damaging force to take the field against, be your team anything from Elves to Chaos to the Undead itself. It could be argued that the average Undead team is in fact more threatening than high-end Chaos - they typically have many more Dirty Players. Let us examine the anatomy of the Undead team:

(2) Mummies: 3MA-5ST-1AG-9AV Regenerate, Mighty Blow, (Block), (Guard), (Break Tackle), (Multiple Block), (Side Step or Stand Firm, sometimes Frenzy)
(2) Wights: 6MA-3ST-3AG-8AV Regenerate, Block, (Tackle), (Strip Ball), (Sure Hands) (Mighty Blow, sometimes Dodge)
(4) Ghouls: 7MA-3ST-3AG-7AV Dodge, (Block), (Side Step), (Diving Tackle), (Tackle) (Pass, sometimes Guard or Mighty Blow)
(8+) Zombies: 4MA-3ST-2AG-8AV Regenerate, (Dirty Player), (Block), (Tackle), (Guard or Mighty Blow)

Strengths: Mummies' destructive power, Ghouls' speed, Wights' balance, expendable linemen Weaknesses: Mummies' speed, Ghouls' fragility, few ballhandlers
Weapons: Mighty Blow (Mummies, possibly a Wight or Zombie), Dirty Player (Zombies)

Undead Agenda: Blitz with a Mummy or a Wight and then envelop and destroy using zombies. Strategic placement of Mummies to control the field and intimidate. Mummies are effectively beacons of strength the team uses to control the field and bludgeon foes down with, because wherever a Mummy is, all opposing players around are either under control or in danger. Avoid damage to Ghouls, resorting to risky long runs and passing only in dire situations. Keep opposing players in a Zombie tacklezones while Ghouls and Wights handle blitzing/ball handling from just out of reach.

Basic Counterstrategy:
Isolate and destroy Mummies at all costs. Create spacing and avoid allowing key players to be marked by Zombies. Keep Wights marked/grounded to force Ghouls into the open, and then target those Ghouls in blitz range. Use tight spacing and don't allow the front line to get skewed, where linemen can easily become surrounded and gangfouled. Don't let them foul out your Tackler(s) - without them, Ghouls will be laughing all the way to the endzone.
Elven Addendum:
Utilize the edge in agility to the fullest - leave no one in an unfavorable tacklezone. Speedy blitzers should have an easier time knocking Mummies into spots where agile linemen can dodge, surround, and foul. Having a Dauntless player is key. A Guard or two is also nice to have. If the team's more mobile elements are marked or removed, the rest of the team is rather easy to outrun.
Basher Addendum:
Extra emphasis on Mummy removal. Use Guards and linemen to clear out the Zombie mass - seperate them from a given Mummy, and then blitz/foul it. Remember, when even one Mummy is rid of, complete control of the field is most entirely a given. Powerful blitzers should have no trouble sending wayward Ghouls to the CAS box.

In-Depth:
Law 48: Assume Formlessness
If possible, lure or mark Mummies into places where they will not be a threat. Throw an expendable lineman on them and forget about them, particularly if they do not have Break Tackle. If they lack Tackle, put a blodger on them. These strategies are doubly effective in conjunction with Side Step. Nothing is more satisfying than leading an overly aggressive Mummy into a spot where he can be easily surfed or fouled the following turn.
Reversal: Sometimes, it can be effective to lure a Mummy or Wight into blitzing into a particular spot just so you can counterblock (and hopefully foul) the following turn. Try leaving a Guard or some other somewhat useful or seemingly vulnerable player in a spot within their range to draw the blitz, and then pounce on them mercilessly the following turn.

Strategy 16: Hit Them Where It Hurts: The Center-of-Gravity Strategy
To see the path to victory clearly one must take a look at what an Undead team without Mummies is - a handful of what most other teams call linemen, and a mass of slow-moving, inept disposables. Thus, the foremost key to power in any matchup against the Undead is the isolation and destruction of Mummies. Their poor movement speed and agility make this a simpler task than it sounds. Three players of virtually any race should be able to reliably knock down and foul a Mummy, who is likely within a tacklezone or two at the beginning of any given turn. Often a problem with this is a Mummy's surrounding entourage of Zombies. Blitz the Mummy at a specific angle, knocking him toward your own players - or from behind if possible - in order to set up more blocks and/or the foul afterwards.
Reversal: Eliminating a Mummy becomes much harder if it has Side Step. In these situations it's sometimes worth the risky move of offering the option of Side Stepping into a position in which he can easily get up and blitz (possibly crowdpush?) a vulnerable player on the following turn. Overly aggressive coaches will take the bait, and if one sets it up correctly, this could put them in a strong position to be fouled.
Of Note: ST3 teams should never be without either a manueverable +ST or Dauntless player. A matchup against the Undead exemplifies why. No number of guards can be considered a substitute - having four squares to pile Elven linemen in next to a given Mummy is a rare commodity, and one no wise coach will hand you without a fight.

Strategy 18: Expose and Attack the Flank
Ghouls, left exposed or unattended - particularly before they can pick up Block or Side Step - are by far the most fragile leg of the Undead team. Unfortunately, any Undead coach worth their salt knows this and positions them accordingly. Ghouls will typically be left in tacklezones only by unwise coaches or in situations where they will serve an important role - such as marking a ballcarrier. Thusly, it is doubly important to strike Ghouls before they are in these key positions.

The primary weapon in exposing Ghouls are the Wights. Every play involving the ball, moving any real distance, or of course dodges and blitzes, that a Wight is not in position to make, a Ghoul typically has to do. Furthermore, a coach will more likely send a free Ghoul in from the backfield to make a play than risk forcing a Wight to dodge in order to make the attempt. Occupy the Wights and the Ghouls are forced to make themselves more visible - and accordingly, more vulnerable. Simply marking both Wights (as well as nearby Zombies and Mummies obviously) while leaving a juicy target - a low-AV player or a weak corner of your cage for example - just in range of a Ghoul is often enough to lure an aggressive coach into forgetting the fragility of these speedy playmakers.

Conclusion: ...And The Sheep Will Scatter
The key to victory in any conflict is removal or neutralization of the adversary's strengths. The Undead are as strong an example of this as there is. With their champions down early, not only is the team surrounding them crippled, but the coach behind them is often intimidated, desperate, or angry - particularly with a RIP'd Mummy's blood on your hands. Intimidated coaches play timid. Desperate coaches take risks they shouldn't. Angry coaches become overaggressive. A Mummy is a very strong, highly-armored player with Regenerate. Any CAS will have this sort of impact, but it will be felt tenfold if the effect was permanent and on a player that before its death, felt powerful and indestructible.

Never ignore the psychological effects that a death or devastating injury has on its coach. Those that pretend to be unaffected ("They're just pixels!") are often just hiding their frustrations. Time was invested in this player - they care, though they're wise not to show it.

-Hustler One