“IT'S THE CABALVISION GAME DAY SHOW!

JIM: 'Good evening, folks, and welcome back to our studios! The first round of the CIBBL is over, with the game between the Coven of the Mirrored Hall and the Crimson Skull. We'll get to the game report, but first please welcome my co-host, Bob Bifford, who's reporting from the Chaos Wastelands, and game analyst "Toady" Kopec. How are you doing guys?'

BOB: 'Sup'

TOADY: 'I've seen - ungh - better days'

JIM: 'Now, some viewers might be asking themselves how Toady got so beaten up. Well, he and Bob have had some ... creative differences. Glad to have you back on board, Toady. Does it hurt?'

TOADY: 'Only when I - gasp - breathe...'

JIM: 'Of course, as Blood Bowl passionates we know that wanton violence is done here only to keep in with the spirit of the game. However, some judges apparently disagree with our view and have issued a restrictive order against Bob. As a sign of good will, my good friend wants to say something to our public'

BOB: *grumbles*

JIM: 'We can't hear you, Bob'

BOB: 'Fine. I'm sorry Toady'

JIM: 'That's the spirit! Anyway, on to the game. For those that were looking for a good game, this might have been a disappointing first showing for the two teams. The game ended 1-0 and... well, it wasn't pretty. What's your point of view, Bob?'

BOB: 'I say both teams need to step up, Jim. While the Crimson Skull team might be excusable for their lack of organization, as it was their first official game in the CIBBL, things look dire for the Coven, which was again unable to score and was beaten up badly by their rivals. It's been four scoreless games now, and the patience of the Tzeentch team towards their coach, AutoAxpert, should already run thin.'

JIM: 'Can't argue with that, the Coven has not looked good in these first games. But let's see the game recap, with play-by-play comment by Ragnar Grimsson.'

GAME RECAP

RAGNAR: 'It's an unusually sunny day here at the Chaos Wasteland pitch, with our two teams facing each other for the first time. The crowd is split between the two sides, with the Coven narrowly edging out their opponents. The Tzeentchian team won the toss of the coin and decided to receive the ball. The response from the crowd of familiars after the kickoff is raucous and seems to bolster the many-armed monstrosities fielded by the Coven. The gameplan of coach AutoAxpert seems clear right from the start: make the superior strength and discipline of the warriors hold the line against the Khornate horde, with the Tzaangors handling the ball and the familiars doing what they do best: annoy the opponent and occasionally foul them to even the strength battle between the two teams. This indications seem to work for the first minutes of the game, with the Crimson Skull failing to do much damage and the Coven running the sideline with confidence, looking for an early score to set the mood for the match. The team also somehow manages to gain the field superiority knocking out Tallomin. However, the better training in the physical game by the Khorne worshippers turns the table, as with patience the frenzied berserkers are able to crack open the cage set up by the Tzeentchians, sending the ball carrier, the Tzaangor Emminoth, scrambling for an opening. The play is apparently effective but the Khorngor Ba'ar Zul is able to blitz the number 4 of the Coven right on the doorstep of the endzone and the ball is knocked loose. Most importantly, the Skulls starts to impose their gamestyle to the match and knock out a couple of familiars. The followers of the Changer of Ways are unable to adapt and are trapped in a muscle battle they have no hope to win.
When the situation start to look dire for the Coven, however, the warriors start to show their cunning and are able to leave the opponents beffudled while they run for the ball. Confused, Skulltaker gets knocked out, leaving the door open for Eltrith to knock down Drakkar and get the ball back. In the final moments of the first half Skulltaker redeemes himself by grievously hitting M'zart. The situation looks bad for the Tzeentchian warrior, that seemed to be unable to survive the game, however the apothecary of the Coven is able to save his life, although he'll have to sit out the game against Seven Samples of Decay.

After the scoreless first half, the Tzeentch team appear to be in a bad situation, as along with M'zart all the players knocked out in the first period are unable to join back in the second. The Skulls are however slow to start the drive, as Arkh'gar fumbles the ball twice. The solid line set up by coach easilyamused prevents worse consequences, but the Coven is able to put some pressure on the Khornate backfield and fouls Skulltaker out of the game. When the Khorngor is however able to pick up the ball, the Coven overcommits: familiars aren't able to slow the ball carrier for long, and solid defense by Scyrak on Turakal sees the Tzaangors stuck on the wrong side of the field, leaving the pitch wide open for the score.

Displeased, the crowd of familiars starts a riot which could give their paladins a chance, but once again the Coven is stuck with few people fit to play and AutoAxpert is able to field just five players. With the clock ticking, the Coven is able to only to show the passing prowess of the Tzaangors and to claim their lonely casualty of the game by Eltrith.'

JIM: 'Lots of errors on both sides, not much the coaches could do. Toady, what's your two cents on the match? What made the Crimson Skull come on top?'

TOADY: ' I think the two keys to understand the Khornate victory are patience and durability. Khorne was able to crack down the elaborate schemes of the Coven by sticking to their physical game, cracking down the opponents and finally capitalizing on the agressiveness of the Tzeentchian players. The guys in blue always seemed too eager to make the big play and never slowed down to get in a better situation. You'd think it would be the other way around, but coach AutoAxpert knew that in a battle of attrition they were not coming on top. Unfortunately for them, the guys coached by easilyamused were able to do just that: slow them down, get them to fight and then punch'em into the ground.'

JIM: 'Thanks Toady. Clear as usual.'

TOADY: 'My spleen hurts'

JIM: 'Want to add something, Bob?'

BOB: 'Well, I don't like the attitude by those Coven warlock wannabes. Instead of jumping back into action after struggling in the first half, three of them sat out of the game and let the Khorne boys do their thing and hurt their teammates. If I was AutoAxpert, I'd start by giving them a good extra training session to harden them up.'

JIM: 'Not an easy job for an unexperienced coach. That's it for today's postgame, stay with us for more Blood Bowl coverage after these messages.'”