Blood Bowl Puzzle #15 – How many RRs? – FUMBBL Necro vs Orcs

This puzzle comes from the FUMBBL NAF tournament with my Necro vs Budmilka (French National Team’s) Orcs. Necro to Play and there is potential for dice on the ball carrier. But is it worth it. Work out the play and then answer the question below.

It is Turn 4, two Zombies (SH, KO)and a Wolf (KO) have left the field. You have 2RRs and a Mascot.

Ball carrier (orange arrow) is a naked Orc Lino. G is Guard, B is Block.

Did you spot the same play as me?

The Play

Stage 1 – Fill the box.

2x 2+ rolls required. 69% to not require a RR.

Bottom Wraith double rushes (Green) and Ghoul tucks in (Yellow) to fill the box

Alternative option further down the page

Stage 2: Chain the Wraith in with Zombie 2D (89% for pushes, 55% for Pow).

Zombie 2D on the angle down into the box, chaining the Wraith next to the ball carrier.

At this point you have a -2D available onto the ball carrier. The carrier here is a Lino with no defensive skills. So the -2D is 25% success, 43% with RR. Not terrible to disrupt the drive.

But we could make it 1D.

Stage 3: Make it 1D

Option 1 – IF the zombie hit was a pow, then we can 2D the Troll and if that is a Pow too (30% to get both), then we can walk in to tag the BigUn and Lino for 1D, or could blitz the wolf in to get a bonus claw hit (although a 1/9 could be a problem on the first hit).

Option 2 – IF the zombie hit was a push or the Troll hit was a push, then we can use our blitz with the Wolf to go through the bottom Lino. 2D Pushes into 2D Push+ gets us in the mix and cancelling all the assists (49%).

Fleshie can 2D Troll if downed zombie gets up, if it’s a Pow we can step through the gap to tag the big Un and Lino. Non-pow on either block and we can use the Wolf Frenzy blitz to 2D into 2D to get in to cancel assists.

Once it is 1D, we’re on 50%/75% to get the ball down.

But there is no Recovery… reminder it is Turn 4

Option 2 for Stage 1 – to fill the box we can use the fleshie…

The Fleshie next to the Troll can hit the Big Un away, leaving the other Fleshie free to come around to fill the box, the Ghoul could tuck in as before or could add a rush to the Fleshie to fill the box with the two Guard Pieces

This option adds a 2D needing pushes and either no rushes (Ghoul in) and an extra rush to keep the Ghoul free. Or just adds a 2D to replace the two rushes and has a Wraith back in the action. The reason I didn’t think of it first is that I thought you would need the hit on the Troll. With this line you have to use the Frenzy Wolf (or Ghoul) to Blitz to get into position to counter the assists, which isn’t bad. Indeed, it is arguably better as you could pre-move the Ghoul or Wraith (whichever is not being part of the box) as a fail state coverage first.

You still don’t really get any recovery option here.

Reevaluation

Was there another solve? Comment below

What I did

I planned to take the shot using the first option. With 8 pieces on the field and playing a National-level coach, I didn’t think I’d get another shot to destabilise the drive, even though there was no recovery.

I was prepared to use the Mascot to try to RR the rushes, but not a full RR. If I got the rushes in safely, then I would be prepared to RR the 1/9 Zombie hit (but not pushes) and would have RR the 1D on the ball if I got that far.

However,

I made an interface error and pathed the Wraith incorrectly! Very frustrating. I then put the Ghoul and WW into the box making the Zombie hit a 1D and rolled a both down. I didn’t RR that.

A full pow with the Zombie would have left the Troll hit and a Zombie rush to still get the 1D on a Pow, but we were into quite unlikely dice territory. Should have pivoted to the Fleshie after I messed up!

Sad times.

The Orcs advanced and stabilised the next turn and ended up getting their drive completed relatively comfortably.