Note: If you have strategy ideas and tips for gameplay you would like to submit, please contact me and I will post them here.

Constructing A Team: The Skinny On Attributes, Points, And Other Things Showdown

How many points should one invest in a given position? How about the #2 players? And what attributes should one look for?

The following is a guide I came up with to help design a team from scratch. Note that primary attributes are stats that I feel are most important to that position.

Quarterback. Primary Attributes: Accuracy, range. 15 accuracy or more ensures that you can use Thread The Needle...which is no small thing. Speed is an underappreciated quarterback stat, as 15 speed (which some QBs have) can "outrun" most linebackers coming at him, usually netting five yards in the process.

Running Back. Primary Attributes: For running exclusively, power, then agility a close second; pass receiving, all are equally as important. If your team is going to utilize the running back in passing situations, consider spending the extra points to get a running back that is good up and down (Curtis Martin is not bad for the points). Otherwise save the points and get a bruiser (Jerome Bettis or Tyrone Wheatley). And remember...15 or greater agility means Spin Move is usable.

Wide Receiver. Primary Attributes: Speed, hands. Power can be important in relation to preventing turnovers (some receivers have high power, making it more difficult for the opposing cornerback/safety to Force Fumble). Isaac Bruce is an excellent, all-around wide receiver to use (14 power, 16 speed and hands). Note: 15 or greater hands means Fingertips is usable (to negate turnovers played against you).

Tight End. Primary Attributes: Power first, speed second. Often neglected but can be useful with the right plays, especially in Double Tight End formations. However, avoid putting points in this position unless your playbook dictates otherwise; your points can be better used elsewhere.

Offensive Lineman. Primary Attributes: Run block, pass block. Whichever your team emphasizs more (run vs. pass), find the lineman that best suits (for a running team, Brad Hopkins is excellent as he has 17 run block; for a passing team, find a lineman with an equally impressive pass block; for balance, Grant Williams is an excellent choice). Power is only necessary in case of Force Fumble, and it rarely comes up on lineman. Speed is never called. Centers (C) gain an extra advantage in relation to certain strategy cards (Clear The Middle).

Defensive Lineman. Primary Attributes: Power. Second...pass defense and run defense. Don't be afraid to spend many points in this position, as the defensive lineman is your first and most reliable line of defense. A good lineman should be good in either run or pass defense (preferably both). Decent speed is nice but not necessary. A 15 or higher run defense allows you to play Stuff, excellent when your opponent plays Tuck The Ball In (or a card of the like). Nose tackles (NT) negate certain advantages in relation to certain strategy cards (Clear The Middle).

Linebacker. Primary Attributes: Power. High power allows the opportunity to Force Fumbles. It may not be a bad choice to have your linebacker focus on the area of your defense where it may be weakest (be it run or pass). They will chase quarterbacks, run up against running backs, and cover receivers, tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield. Because they do it all, the remaining attributes--speed, run defense and pass defense--are important for this position, as all are called with some frequency.

Cornerback. Primary Attributes: Coverage. Speed is important as well, but there is debate whether it is as important as coverage in this case. The backbone of the secondary, a cornerback with both good coverage and speed can defend most passes. 15 or better coverage means you can play Coverage Sack, arguably the best defensive card. Power, though not as important, should be considered, as it could get called upon should a screen pass be played.

Safety. Primary Attributes: Speed. Coverage is important as well, but there is debate whether it is as important as speed in this case. 15 or better coverage means you can use Coverage Sack. High coverage betters the chance of playing a successful Deep Coverage, which utilizes the safety in most passing situations.

Kicker. Optional. Comes down to how well you do with the dice. If you feel increasing your odds are important, then investing in a kicker is a wise choice. Games have been decided by field goals. Kickers should not be completely ruled out.

Secondary players, or "#2's". If possible, use 10 point players for your #2 tight end, offensive lineman, cornerback and safety. #2 players in these positions are rarely (if ever) called upon and don't warrant the extra points. Some plays ask for #2 players frequently (Trap Right is a good example), so that could be a factor in how many points should be invested in certain #2 positions. Secondary running backs and wide receivers can be called when you don't want them, so putting a few extra points in those areas won't hurt. Note that some offenses will attack the defenses #2 players, so extra points in the #2 defensive lineman or linebacker will be well spent.

If you have any comments or have anything you would like to add, let me know.

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Gray Strategy Cards: Turnovers, Penalties, Injuries

Here is my take on a portion of the arsenal available to Showdown players in creating a strategy deck.

A look at the gray cards--turnovers, penalties and injuries.

Turnovers. As in real football, turnovers can make or break a game. With this in mind, it is important to put a few into your strategy deck.
By calling the correct defense in the right situation, you can increase the odds of creating a turnover. It also helps to have players with good enough stats to produce a turnover situation.
The best turnover card versus the pass is Blown Route. The only prerequisite for playing Blown Route is discarding another card from your hand. Bad Pass is its inferior cousin, as there is no guarantee you will intercept the pass (requires d20 roll that is greater than QB's accuracy; most quarterbacks used have at least 15).
Force Fumble is the most versatile as it will work on either pass or run. The catch is your key player must have higher power than the opponent's key player. Defenses geared toward high powered players can make Force Fumble the turnover of choice.
Piledriver requires not only a sack (induced by card or indicated on Playgrid), but "Chance For Turnover" to come up. Needing two conditions to play this cards makes it unreliable at best.

Penalties. Unlike "Chance For Turnover", "Chance For Penalty" is a completely random occurence on the Playgrid. Not as dependable, yes, but penalty cards are worthy of consideration; a penalty at the right time could enhance your drive or help set back your opponent.
Tripping seems to be the trendy penalty going, and for good reason. Its great because it can be used for either offense or defense, and the only obvious drawback is discarding another card to play it. Upon reading the card carefully, it doesn't override the play in question--it adds or subtracts 10 yards AFTER THE RESULT OF THE PLAY. Its great if you sack someone (although down marker is not advanced), but not so good if they completed a 15-20 yard pass.
A penalty, like Offensive Holding, sends the offense ten yards back from the line of scrimmage regardless of play result. While it is not a penalty that can be used on either side of the ball, it is a very dependable card--and you don't have to discard a card to play it.
There are enough good penalty cards for the offense that you can cater the penalties to the offensive style; for example, a passing team might want to use Defensive Pass Interference. A team that likes to eat up the clock, especially in contests that use the shortened game rules (losing a card on a run play--see Tournament Rules for details) can make good use of Offsides--gain 5 yards, each coach draws a card, which is more time off the clock.
Avoid Personal Foul and Facemask. Similar to Tripping, except there is a risk of failure. Miss your roll, there is no penalty and you still lose a card (or two) for playing it. Not cost effective. Piling On has too many requirements for it to be an effective penalty; a sack must happen when the opportunity for penalty arises. Too unreliable of circumstance.

Injuries. Like penalties, injuries are a totally random element. Unlike penalties, however, injuries are far less reliable in use.
I'll put it this way: If a "chance for injury" appears, there is no guarantee it will be against the player you want to get rid of; there is no guarantee the injury card you have is even playable (opponent might be more points, might have higher power, etc.); there is no guarantee it will happen at a point in the drive when you need it to happen. On top of all this, the injury only lasts for a drive. Granted, an injury to the right player at the right time could be crippling...but also unlikely and it still may not slow your opponent down.

If you have any comments or have anything you would like to add, let me know.

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Designing Your Playbook: General Tips

For both offense and defense, I find it important to use only one or two formations. I say this for a few reasons.

If you use four or five formations on offense, an opponent may pick up on play-calling tendencies a lot easier. If you do not have a good variety of plays in each formation (inside and outside runs, short and long passes), you might be setting yourself up for a turnover. In a recent game I noticed my opponent run a play from the Double TE formation, and based on the events of the game, the only play he ran with Double TE was an outside run. I stacked my defense to stop the outside run and forced the turnover. His Double TE play stood out from the rest of his playbook like a sore thumb and I was able to capitalize.

A pair of my teams uses two offensive formations; in each formation I include at least one of each type of play (run inside, run outside, short pass, long pass). I put in a few extra passes for my passing teams, and likewise for my running teams. I try and utilize all the different types of plays in a game to keep my opponent guessing as much as possible. Such play versatility in a formation affords me the option to audiable into a play I feel will be most productive.

On defense I usually stick to one defensive formation and include a couple of nickel/dime plays. I include the one formation to negate the advantage of audiables. In other words, if I play exclusively a 5-2 defense with plays to defend all contengencies (inside run, outside run, etc.) my opponent will have a more difficult time guessing what I am defending against. One could use two formations and have defenses to cover all the possibilities, but my personal preference is to use one. I include a few nickel/dime plays in the event of obvious passing downs.

Due note that what I am stating here are generalizations. Some plays work better versus certain defenses than others. The secret is to find the plays that best suit your players (and in some cases your strategy cards).

If you have any comments or have anything you would like to add, let me know.

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Combos And Counters

The following are some card combinations that work and can enhance the performance of your team. There are also some counters to such combos if your opponent uses them against you.

COMBO: Support The Weak Side and Trick Plays. A well known combo that can generate turnovers. While Trick Plays forces the opponent to swipe their #2 player, Support The Weak Side creates a "chance for turnover" when a #2 player is swiped. While effective, it can be difficult to get both defense cards plus the appropriate turnover card to make it happen.
COUNTER: If this combo is used against you...

COMBO: Offsides and a devoted running team. Note that this combo only works when the tournament rules for rushing are used. Any good rushing team likes to run time off the clock. Offsides penalty card further enhances such strategy by forcing both coaches to draw a card, taking yet that much more time off the clock.

COMBO: Coverage Sack and Deep In The Backfield. This combo can put your opponent out of Air It Out or Tuck The Ball In range for the first down. Note that multiple Deep In The Backfields can be played to create a huge loss. (Thanks to Talenn for the submission!)
Use the above combo with Deep Blitz (on a loss, if your play has Blitz in its name, double the yards lost) and send your opponent back 20 yards or more!

COUNTER: How to deal with Coverage Sack. If you tend to fall victim to this defensive card, here are some ways to combat it or avoid it altogether.

If you have any comments or have anything you would like to add, let me know.

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Any comments, suggestions, opinions, etc, please contact me.