This one is a bit of a departure from my normal content, but every fighter thinks about who they see as the best. The following is a list of my favorite warriors to watch fight in the game right now and reasons why. This list is not comprehensive or based purely on skill, but on who I enjoy watching swing foam. Though I certainly believe that it is those most skilled fighters who facilitate one's ability to suspend their sense of disbelief when watching foam-fighting. These are some of the fighters whom I could see having been warlords, knights, sell-swords and champions in ages past. Most of these fighters have a easily discernible, and highly effective personal style. This is not a ranking of national fighters, just a single person's opinion. I'm sure I've forgotten a few I'd like to include.... Oh well. =3
Aiden of Albion (Sons of Tara): War-chief of Albion, experienced fighter with high hand-speed and foot-speed. Exceptional footwork, physical dynamism and drive. Known to kill-streak entire teams.
Bran of Albion (SoT): Dominating fighter with commanding field presence and stout foot-work fueled shield defense. Equally dangerous on the field and in tournaments.
Bel of Albion (SoT): Incredibly quick hand-speed with both sword and shield. Tends toward static footwork, but hand-speed more than makes up for it. Also dangerous on the field and in tournaments.
Ramoen of Albion (SoT): In most other realms of the game, Ram could be the top fighter by some margin. But he's in Albion, so he'll have to settle for being one of the game's top lefties. Versatile field combatant with multiple weapon load outs.
Tyriel of No Quarter : Physically aggressive and dynamic style. Aggressive shield work and solid, consistent sword-work. Makes good use of his size and physicality in very close quarters.
Kai of No Quarter! : Experienced predictive fighter. Reads fighter patterns quickly and accurately and makes good use of timing to capitalize in conjunction with extreme levels of patience.
David the Serene of the Senegal's Finest : Fights very intelligently, efficiently, and less flashy than most of the other fighters on this list. Be careful though, as he has a history of beating insane odds against skilled fighters.
Collister of the EBF : Average sword-work, but easily the most physically mobile fighter in the game. Excellent use of field strategy and knowledge of his own status as a high mobility field piece makes him a constant threat.
Evias of Albion : He doesn't fight as often as he once did, but he doesn't lose a beat regardless of time away. Min-red specialist who uses a very evasive, foot-work intensive style of fighting. Makes superb use of angles and deception to snake kill shots on top SnBers.
Arczhidea of the Amyr : Old unit-mate of mine who is my favorite Florentine specialist. Quick hands, fast feet and exceptional balance made him dangerous before. Training under Peter the Quick has made him even scarier.
Xander of RVNS : Jack of all trades who's particularly deadly with a pole-arm (glaive/warpole). Also an experienced grappler who won't hesitate to disarm you and get way too close for comfort.
Batman : Top spear fighter that I've seen on the field in the last few years. Deceptive range, impressive angles and exceptional accuracy. Probably racks up consistently higher kill counts than almost any fighter in the game.
Troan of Albion (SoT) : Also a spear specialist, but where Batman is a killer, Troan is a guardian. Provides a ton of control with his longer spears, works well in conjunction with skilled fighters, and is highly proficient with his buckler.
Kalika of the Senegal's Finest : I've included an archer on my list, because love them or hate them, they're an interesting and crucial aspect to our game. Kalika is accurate, quick on her feet, and smart with her target choices. Also has a brutal shield kick in close range.
Olos of Black Company : Arches much of the time due to a very damaged knee, but is skilled with most weapon combos. Uses his wide knowledge of the game combined with accurate arrow shots to change the course of scenarios and field fights.
Rising Stars: These are fighters who are on their way up the ladder of foam fighting skill. They're all hungry and likely to be top fighters within the next couple years. Generally these fighters just need to find their own personal style to make that next level.
Minos of No Quarter : Highly dynamic physicality and a strong hunger to improve. Powerful aggressive shield work.
Piknic of Kotos : Top fighter in Florida. Fast, versatile and quick, voracious learner. Loads of potential, but needs to fight with more confidence.
Snojoo of RVNS : Quick and smart, good physical fitness levels and hungry. Loves thrown missile weapons. A ton. Good with most weapon combinations.
Nibenon of Atlantis : Florentine specialist from Imperial Atlantis in FL. Probably the top fighter in his unit, which is currently strongest in the state.
Ragefire of Ebon Light : Red fighter who's developed quite a bit over the past few years. Good body mechanics and speed, needs to continue to improve control.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Field Combat Roles: How Do You Contribute Best?
So you think you know how to swing a stick, but do you know what do you do when you're stuck amidst 200 other foam-wielding peons? No matter what you’re armed with on the field, there are
generally more and less effective ways you can utilize your weapons set to help your team achieve victory. This is not to say that
there are not plenty of non-standard ways of making a weapon combination useful and
deadly, but this article should help provide guidelines for newer fighters looking to have an impact.
Weapon and Shield: Regardless of what you’re wielding, this is the bread and butter combination for most battles. The large defensive surface space allows for a greater number of safe options in any given combat situation. Flankers with boards are harder to take down than their shield-less counterparts and can often penetrate deeper into lines when sweeping in. In a line, shields help dictate the pacing of combat. They can push in conjunction with poles to advance the line, and should provide defensive cover to their team’s longer reaching weapons. Most board kills should occur when a staggered push happens in either direction, letting your poles handle the lion’s share of the kill work.
Florentine: Well-suited for dueling in skirmish settings, matching up 1v1 against fighters on the outside edges of combat. Generally at a disadvantage in close quarters line fighting, given lack of range on poles, and lack of defense against shields in a static setting. However if a gap in a line is broken, a Florentine fighter can do considerably more damage than a SnB fighter when running the backs of a line.
Spear : Weapon of choice for bridge battles and line fighting. Can selectively be used in 1v1 skirmish settings assuming either high skill levels, side-arms or ally support. Spears are the primary dictators of the ability of a line to push forward. A single highly skilled long-spear can potentially demolish an enemy line unless he is either matched by a similar length/skill spear or matched by multiple shorter weapons and heavy shield support. Shorter lighter spears, with significant practice can be wielded single handed with a shield, making a solid skirmish combination. The best spear fighters have extreme proficiency in the fine manipulation of angles, critical for a mostly one-dimensional style.
Short Reds (48”-70”): Useful skirmishing weapons, where the lack of a serious range advantage is balanced by an increased ability to cope in close-quarter situations. Like Florentine, not ideally suited for line work at the shorter end of the range, but quite powerful as you reach the 70” mark as long as you avoid much longer poles. Beyond the actual ability to break shields, is the equally powerful potential shield-breaking threat. Sometimes greater effect can be garnered from placing a single red on a shield, and making your enemy fearful to engage, than by completely destroying it. Also, the ability to ignore armor makes it deadly inserted behind a line, also much like a Flo fighter.
Long Reds (70”): This category generally refers to glaives and war-poles, unwieldy in close-quarters but powerful when used in concert with allies, or given sufficient space. The ability to both stab at max range, as well as deliver shield-breaking damage creates a large threat radius around a skilled pole user. Given enough time and opportunity a highly-proficient pole fighter can topple the balance of a line engagement by forcing the enemy line to either back off or attempt a counter charge.
Archers: The key to effective and efficient combat archery is based strongly on the archer’s target selection. The best archers I know aren't just accurate and quick, they intimately understand the flow of combat, and have a strong ability to judge threat. Is it better to take the open arm shot on the pole? Or go for a head-shot against an unwary SnB fighter? Much of this boils down to knowing which fighters are dangerous, and prioritizing properly.
A complete army will consist of all of these elements, in varying quantities. A heavy line fighting group might slew heavy on tower shields and spears, whereas a skirmishing unit will have more mobile, less well protected fighters wielding high-damage weapons. Poles should be interspersed throughout the line, stacking up only to counter high-threat spears and poles. Large shields work well to bulwark a line, with smaller ones serving as either flankers or support for poles. Archers should be spaced with wide cross-angles allowing for multiple opportunities against high-value targets.
Hope this guide helps you navigate the fields of battle with more purpose, I'll be writing a part two soon describing different ways to engage. Slay well.
-The Golden Lion
Weapon and Shield: Regardless of what you’re wielding, this is the bread and butter combination for most battles. The large defensive surface space allows for a greater number of safe options in any given combat situation. Flankers with boards are harder to take down than their shield-less counterparts and can often penetrate deeper into lines when sweeping in. In a line, shields help dictate the pacing of combat. They can push in conjunction with poles to advance the line, and should provide defensive cover to their team’s longer reaching weapons. Most board kills should occur when a staggered push happens in either direction, letting your poles handle the lion’s share of the kill work.
Florentine: Well-suited for dueling in skirmish settings, matching up 1v1 against fighters on the outside edges of combat. Generally at a disadvantage in close quarters line fighting, given lack of range on poles, and lack of defense against shields in a static setting. However if a gap in a line is broken, a Florentine fighter can do considerably more damage than a SnB fighter when running the backs of a line.
Spear : Weapon of choice for bridge battles and line fighting. Can selectively be used in 1v1 skirmish settings assuming either high skill levels, side-arms or ally support. Spears are the primary dictators of the ability of a line to push forward. A single highly skilled long-spear can potentially demolish an enemy line unless he is either matched by a similar length/skill spear or matched by multiple shorter weapons and heavy shield support. Shorter lighter spears, with significant practice can be wielded single handed with a shield, making a solid skirmish combination. The best spear fighters have extreme proficiency in the fine manipulation of angles, critical for a mostly one-dimensional style.
Short Reds (48”-70”): Useful skirmishing weapons, where the lack of a serious range advantage is balanced by an increased ability to cope in close-quarter situations. Like Florentine, not ideally suited for line work at the shorter end of the range, but quite powerful as you reach the 70” mark as long as you avoid much longer poles. Beyond the actual ability to break shields, is the equally powerful potential shield-breaking threat. Sometimes greater effect can be garnered from placing a single red on a shield, and making your enemy fearful to engage, than by completely destroying it. Also, the ability to ignore armor makes it deadly inserted behind a line, also much like a Flo fighter.
Long Reds (70”): This category generally refers to glaives and war-poles, unwieldy in close-quarters but powerful when used in concert with allies, or given sufficient space. The ability to both stab at max range, as well as deliver shield-breaking damage creates a large threat radius around a skilled pole user. Given enough time and opportunity a highly-proficient pole fighter can topple the balance of a line engagement by forcing the enemy line to either back off or attempt a counter charge.
Archers: The key to effective and efficient combat archery is based strongly on the archer’s target selection. The best archers I know aren't just accurate and quick, they intimately understand the flow of combat, and have a strong ability to judge threat. Is it better to take the open arm shot on the pole? Or go for a head-shot against an unwary SnB fighter? Much of this boils down to knowing which fighters are dangerous, and prioritizing properly.
A complete army will consist of all of these elements, in varying quantities. A heavy line fighting group might slew heavy on tower shields and spears, whereas a skirmishing unit will have more mobile, less well protected fighters wielding high-damage weapons. Poles should be interspersed throughout the line, stacking up only to counter high-threat spears and poles. Large shields work well to bulwark a line, with smaller ones serving as either flankers or support for poles. Archers should be spaced with wide cross-angles allowing for multiple opportunities against high-value targets.
Hope this guide helps you navigate the fields of battle with more purpose, I'll be writing a part two soon describing different ways to engage. Slay well.
-The Golden Lion
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)