The Ball

Hello again, it has been awhile since my last blog post. I've been trying to get a battle report video series started, but I need to find a new video editing software. Reflecting on the past games and a chat after a game with a local inspired me with this topic, the value of the ball. In the game of guild ball both players have access to the same resources, momentum and influence. However there is only one ball. The ball can be used to generate momentum, add to the threat range of our players, and is 4 VPs whenever we want it. My hot take on this topic is that we should hold on to and protect the ball for as long as possible before taking the goal. This doesn't me we should never play the ball or score unless it wins us the game, if we need to score a goal to progress our plan we should try and score the goal as late as possible in the turn. Doing this limits the potential for an immediate crack-back goal, as well as allows us to deny our opponent from using the ball to there advantage. Some teams play different to this idea, teams like Shark Fish who look to score three goals as quickly as possible will want to score whenever the opportunity presents itself. However, I still believe these 3-0 teams want to play a bit more reserved when these teams have the ball, scoring later in turns will give them a better chance to score again because more of the opponents players will have activated which makes protecting the ball slightly harder. Lets dive deeper into the different cases.

The way I like to play a team is a flexible 2-2 or 4-1 path to victory, which I feel is the best fit for my playstyle. To do so I protect the ball behind the bulk of my team on a player with some sort of defensive "tech". The tech could be unpredictable movement, close control, or a solid counter attacker. Recently the guilds I have been playing around with are Brewers, Hunters, and Union. The models I use in these guilds are: Mash or Friday, Zarola, and Mist or Decimate. Throughout the course of a turn I feel safe having the ball on these players so that I don't have my resource taken from me. If I allocate influence to most of those players they can score a goal at the end of a turn, or contribute other ways in the game. Mash and Zarola have the option to kill the ball if I need to and focus on a beat down plan. Having control of the ball gives me the advantage in a stalemate. Sitting on the ball gives my team further threat ranges by being able to dodge off a pass, the ability to generate momentum without having to engage, and forces the opponent to come to my team because I have 4 VPs in my pocket. I like to score at the most opportune time, this is more of a feel that is developed by playing the game. The last game I played was an extremely close game, I was playing Union against Blaine's Hunters. I received the ball so I passed it around my team and got it to Mist and dodged her forward, in cover and behind Benediction and Pride. There was no way for Blaine to prevent my first turn goal with Theron so I got those 4 VPs for free. The game then went into a long drawn out brawl where my players got chipped away at and controlled, while Mist was on a suicide mission to secure the ball for my team. By turn 4 I had firm control of the ball, and this allowed VetRage to to meaningfully contribute to the fight by having the extra threat range that the ball provides. The following turn I closed out the game with a goal after we traded captains. There were mistakes on either side throughout the game, but talking about the game we came to the conclusion that I won the game because I played the ball more effectively, using it to project threat even with -6/-6 move or having a key player pinned, and using it for points. 

Some situations call for killing the ball. This can be done in many ways like sticking the ball on a mascot in the corner or leaving a free ball in the corner, having the ball on a Mash, Obulus, or Corsair type player which makes it extremely difficult for the opponent to take the ball away. Some people may think that it is a negative play experience, but it is a tool that helps more beat-down style teams compete against fast paced scoring teams. Breaking the ball kill or getting creative with a scoring team to score points are very useful skills to develop and practice. There isn't really much to talk about this strategy. When the opponent will struggle to score victory points without the ball, pick the best option your team has access to killing and do that. Score a goal to win the game or grind out the last takeouts. Not all teams want to do this, if you are playing a goal scoring team it will be better to play with the ball. I used this technique playing my Brewers against Jeremy's Alchemists. I kicked off with Friday to apply kickoff pressure. I got the ball back and stuck the ball on Mash and put him behind a obstruction, the rest of my team, and in a corner. With no way to get the ball, the alchemists had to try for push dodges into mash or by having oKat get take outs. The game slowed down into the Brewers favour until Mash passed the ball to Friday who drove in the winning goal.

Lastly there is fighting for the ball. The goal focused teams want the ball to work there way to winning the game. Positioning players to threaten every area of the pitch is important to getting the ball back for our team, later scoring a goal. If we have the ball at the start of the turn we want to score first or last activation. Scoring first activation allows for the rest of the team to retrieve the ball and potentially scoring twice in a turn, but this leaves the opponent with a player they can abuse. Scoring last activation denies the opponent the ball for the turn, but shifts the teams focus to protecting the ball for the entirety of the turn. When the opponent is in control of the ball it is a feel situation of when you should pull the trigger on going in for a goal run. If you go in too early it leaves an easy target for the opponent to start attacking, too late and the ball may be to well protected to get to. Getting the timing right comes down to practicing with your team. Combating a team that is trying to play football it is sometimes better to not take out a striker right away, rather setting them up for a take out at the beginning of a turn. When strikers are taken out, it allows them to reposition. The majority of the time the reposition sets them up in a better position to threaten the ball. 

Finally I am going to leave you with two of my Golden Rules of the ball. When playing a team that doesn't want to play all out football having a model that can put pressure on where the opponent keeps the ball is valuable because if you can take the ball away from them giving us the advantage in the game or having to position the ball in places on the pitch where they do not want it. When behind in the game playing the ball is the key getting back in the game.