EYBBL Season 6 Final pt. 1 - Terror from Tiranoc!

Welcome Blood Bowl Fans!

The time has come, and the most anticipated night of the season is nearly upon us as we finalise the preparations for the last game of East Yorkshire Blood Bowl League's Season 6!

As the coaches lock in their plays, fans from all over the Old World book their accommodation and team accountants cook the books for those handy referee bribes, the hype wagon is certainly gaining momentum in this office!

We will be kicking off the pre-game celebration today, by taking a look at one of our finalists.

This year, the match promises to be an all-Elf extravaganza; you can almost hear the collective groans of joy from the fans. What's coming is a match of audacious agility, stunning skill and bone-rattling violence.

Both coaches are going into this game with a clear goal, and the stakes are high (figuratively speaking, relax Vampire fans).

Tiranoc Tigers’ coach Jackson is looking for good, old-fashioned revenge, aiming to finally secure his first title after narrowly missing out on the trophy in Season 4.

The Naggarond Sea Drakes are the reigning champions, looking to hold onto their title becoming the first team to win two consecutive championships, landing coach Coultas in the coveted VIP club of coaches with two or more championship titles, currently occupied only by coach Davis.

We proudly present our poster boys for today, the Tiranoc Tigers - an Elven Union team with an impressive season under their belt. Finishing in 4th with a 5-0-1 record and 22 points, they could have safely been considered contenders from the start and I don't think anyone was surprised to see them in the play-offs, considering the consistent performance and solid reputation of their coach.

Their current line up consists of:

#66 Catcher (Catch, Nerves of Steel, Dodge, Sidestep, Block)

#69 Catcher (Catch, Nerves of Steel, Dodge, Sidestep, Block)

#7 Thrower (Pass, Accurate)

#4 Blitzer (Block, Sidestep, Dodge, Mighty Blow)

#5 Lineman

#1 Lineman (Pro)

#3 Lineman

#10 Lineman (Shadowing) Sideline staff:

1x Apothecary and 305,000gp in the bank.

The Tigers, based on team value are going into the game as the Underdog. This does make things quite interesting, depending on whether the Sea Drakes’ coach decides to opt for any inducements, otherwise Union could be left a bit flat out.

Roster wise, the interesting thing to us is the choice of two Catchers instead of the more commonly seen two Blitzer, Thrower, Catcher lineup.

Having said that, with Block, Dodge, Sidestep as well as the two skills that'll allow them catch the ball anywhere and the one extra square of movement; it all sort of makes this a 3 Blitzer list, but spicier.

Union have always excelled at playing the passing game, particularly in the 2020 edition so, long plays are absolutely in the equation here with the Accurate on the Thrower, on top the ability to make a good run play, facilitated by those Dodge skills. It’ll give the Dark Elves a bit of a headache, trying to cover every eventuality to prevent a touchdown.

With three solid scoring threats, the Sea Drakes are going to have to think hard about their defence, which might prove difficult if they start losing players.

The shallow bench of the Tigers might be a problem if the Sea Drakes get stuck in first and opt for the violent approach - after all, you can't play Blood Bowl if you have no players, and in 7’s losing those one or two guys can trigger a domino effect that causes the whole team to fold in on itself.

So, the Dark Elves will need to pick their fights and decide quite early on whether to commit to solid positing and methodical removal, or go in for an all out man to man coverage forcing the Tigers to make those tricky dodges or face being smacked in the mouth, and we all know Elven armour is made of paper and injuries (including deaths) are rife.

The Mighty Blow on the Blitzer is an interesting addition - we're unsure if this was a chosen or random skill, but it will certainly help against the more heavily armoured Dark Elves. Though he can't be everywhere at once, it could prove painful if a tactical sacking is organised at a crucial moment.

The addition of the Pro skill on a Lineman might be able to get them out of a pinch, whether that's a failed dodge or Blitz, and the Shadowing could potentially prove to be a pain in the side, should it go off. I’m sure we'll see more of that skill in the next edition too.

All in all, the Tiranoc Tigers look to make a very solid bid to lift the trophy this season. They're fast, they're agile and they have the skills to back up the most outrageous plays, looking to be an absolute nightmare to stop.

The size of a 7's pitch makes it difficult to stop a fast and offensively capable team, and being able to pick up the ball and score from just about anywhere will certainly prove difficult for the Sea Drakes’ defence, and be an absolute treat for the fans to watch.

In the next article, we will be looking at the reigning champions and title defenders, the Dark Elf menace from the North - the Naggarond Sea Drakes!

Stay tuned!