I had four messages about my last article. The most notable was from prominent member Laviak who wrote a response to my article here. (I should point out Laviak was not disagreeing or debating me, just throwing some extra ideas out there for people to think about).

I have taken all feedback, and will divide it into: things I agree with, things I disagree with, and 'agree to disagree'.

Things I have been convinced of:

Laviak idea of skilling Saurus in a >TR200 team by giving them Tackle/Break Tackle before Block. It is a potent catcher-catching combo. I like Block because it greatly reduces the chances of a turnover, but I think Laviak has a point that getting a Saurus to 31SPP's takes a while, and that Tackle/Break Tackle Combo in necessary. Although I have not tested this advice like all my others, it makes logical sense to me.

Laviak and another coach both have been recommending Dodge over Stand Firm. (Read Laviak's article!) I made it clear that Blockers benefit from Dodge, but people seem to think it is the best choice for Blitzers. I recently got a Block/Dodge Saurus, so I will see (although my TR is getting high) - but in my experience Stand Firm is better because of the benefits associated with fighting near the sidelines. Still, what everyone says seems to make sense.

Agree to disagree:

Laviak talks about scoring with Sauruses. In my opinion this is a bit redundant. If you can score with a Saurus that has one or two skills - do you really need any advice? It is either a freak occurrence or your opponent has 3 players left. Look, if this works, it is a great idea, because SPP's are so hard to come by.

The other option is to build a saurus to score, so he looks something like:
Block, Dodge, Break Tackle, Sure Hands, +AG

Now we have a bona fide scoring machine. I have experimented, with my old scoring saurus having:
Block, Stand Firm, Break Tackle, +ST

Look - it was a killer tactic. More accurately, it could be a killer tactic. But, you know
a) They race away on SPP's
b) Getting the ball and setting it up is not very reliable
c) They need 4 or 5 skills to be effective at this (mine needed that +ag)

Overall I just don't think training a saurus up do to this is worth it. But it could be. One super-large-awesome-adavantage with this play is it allows you to slow the play right down, and really grind the opposition down. If you're playing a weaker race, this is gold. But still, I think it is too unreliable. I would consider a +ag it if I already had block BT, dodge, and maybe ST for good measure. But I think taking the +AG on a saurus with zero, one or two skills is a waste. Agree to disagree. What is also important to note is that these posts are obviously made for coaches who are beginners-intermediate and this is a difficult tactic to pull off. You think you know more than me? Go ahead and try it, I'll see you on the pitch ;)

EDIT: I received a PM from the coach who wrote the Lizardman Strategy who made mention of his tactics to score at low TR with Sauruses. My opinion is that this is too risky if the game is in doubt. You cannot move the cage fast enough without enough break tackle, you cannot win a direct cage fight against strong teams, and fast teams will capitalise on a dropped ball too quickly. It is a difficult tactic, especially for newer players. However, looking at that coaches win/loss and Scoring-Sauruses it seems as though this can be effective. One day I will go into this more, but this post is about saurus skills, not strategy, and the real question is: "is it worth building a saurus up to score?" which I contend it is not.

Then there is the popular theory of taking Mighty Blow as a first skill for a saurus in a team of skilled sauruses. The idea is that it speeds their progression. Look - what screws sides is turnovers, and Block greatly reduces the chances of that happening. It means you can use your Saurus more effectively. I think it is a question over team v individual and I think Block should be taken. A lot of coaches think otherwise, so agree to disagree.

Laviak talks about the idea of not having many pure blockers on your team. He is 100% correct that Saurus cannot win a head on fight against sides like Orcs. But I still think two pure blockers have a place on your side - because without them you may find yourself losing an all in brawl to guard heavy sides of: Dark Elves, Norse, Human, Amazon, Vampire, etc. However, I did say that Break Tackle has a place on your blockers, so it all comes down to what sort of game style you like to play.

I still think I'm right:

No one likes Shadowing! I must be a pioneer of taking Shadowing, but I firmly believe it belongs as a fourth skill on Block, Tackle, Break Tackle Sauruses. I have played a number of games, and have had many opponents comment how effective it is. I guess that proves nothing. There is not much I can say that I already haven't, but try it once and see for yourself.

Kick as a fourth skill. Laviak is right that having kick is very important to a lizardman side, but I think it is more suited to the first or second double roll on a skink. Saurus need to maximise their effectiveness with their skills. Besides, you want Kick asap, waiting until a blitzer has a fourth skill could mean you are waiting a while.

Then there is the idea of taking Side-Step on a double. As far as I can see Stand Firm is better. Side step could, on some occasions, work out better after a block, but Stand Firm means:
- You cannot be surfed (Side step just makes it harder)
- The added benefit of dodging without a turnover.
Stand Firm > Side Step
edit: Laviak has pointed out the obvious benefit of Side Step over Stand Firm:
"SS over SF - SF gets you fouled a lot more than SS (moreso with blocker type saurus). I'd still take SF most times, purely for the ability to stay standing on a failed dodge, but avoiding gang fouls is definitely the selling point for SS"
This is a very good point! Since I stongly recommend Dodge for blockers anyway this doesn't influence my overall opinion other than to say that SS is not a bad pick if you already have dodge on a blocker and play against foul-heavy teams.


Well that's all from me: next time I talk skinks and krox. Much less to debate!