I had the good fortune to be able to wrangle a free night to try out two of the teams that Jake released for play testing from Seasons 5 and 6.
Tsudochan:
Game:
Tsudochan V.2 vs Male Corporation Team (I was playing Corporation)
Result:
Landslide victory for the Corporation in the 8th Rush
Thoughts:
The Tsudochan are very interesting. You cannot block their path. You cannot threaten them. You have to play an entirely different game against them. From the beginning, I knew the game was going to be unlike playing against any other team, so I set up my defense with that in mind. I was the Visitors. I used Guards to block the center lanes of the 1/2 point zones and used my remaining 3 Strikers and a Jack in a straight line defending the 4 point lane of the 3/4 point strike zone (see picture). I thought that if nothing else, he would have to dedicate a lot of resources to moving my players if he was going to go for the big score--I wanted to prevent that as long as I could. My opponent began in a standard 3 Frontline/3 Goal Guarding setup.
Even though the Tsudochan were able to scoot my team all over the pitch, moving the ball was hard for them. They tried a few times to score, but due to the amount of movement it was taking for them to get in place, they were almost always trying for a strike with a single roll of the dice, a straight up 50/50 shot. This overall swung the game to the team with some Strikers.
As the Corporation, I was easiy able to move the ball down the pitch and score, opting for the 3 point shots whenever I could. Eventually, it came down to the fact that I was able to just run the pitch with the ball-handlers, and constantly moving my other players into places where he had to sacrifice his movements to use the Push ability. Without a solid Striker or a Guard to dish out some damage, the Tsudochan are almost playing a different game on the pitch entirely. Which is not a bad thing, but would take some getting used to.
My friend and I discussed how we would change the Tsudochan after the match. We settled on what we thought they needed for a straight team on team match was to begin with a Coaching Dice (or maybe 2). The 2 Cards were not as needed as one might think, due to the specialized nature of the cards, heck you can't even use Striker or Guard cards at all. But a Coaching Dice would allow them to have a more solid shot at getting some points on the board and moving some momentum toward their side of the table.
In a League, these guys may well become monsters! Especially, If they can get an MVP or a Free Agent, they will be unstoppable. Same goes for an Exhibition Match with say 120 MC, that would entirely change the dynamic.
Overall, super fun and cool team with interesting rules and interactions. They seem like with a little practice, they might be a force to be recokoned with! And as a side note, with an all jack team, go for the 1 and 3 point shots most of the time, the odds are way better.
Koris:
Game:
Koris V.2 (I played the Koris) vs Male Corporation Team
Result:
One point victory for the Koris
Thoughts:
Portals! Man, the portals were a ton of fun, for both sides! And boy does it change the game flow and strategy!
So, I was the home team Koris in this matchup. I set up with a slight variation on the standard 3 up and 3 defending configuartion. I had a Guard defending a 1/2 strike zone, and Jacks defending the other 1/2 and 3/4 strike zones. I played my Striker in the center, flanked by a Guard and a Jack. I placed my initial portal right behind the Striker. My opponent set up in a almosted honeycombed configuartion that was well-planned to prevent me from having an easy go at a deep feild incursion.
The first thing I did on my turn was Sprint my forward Jack as deep into the center of my opponents backfeild as I could. Then I placed a portal. This was key. I used that portal constantly.
At first, the 4 Movement was really bumming me out. Then, I decided that I had to utilize the portals better and as a constant part of my tactics on the pitch. Then everything changed. I used Jacks to move portals and jump to place just beside the ball, or used the portal as my one space move for a Jack to throw on the other side. It was loads of fun!
My opponent enjoy using the portals too! He used them to score, to Slam me and generally take advantage just like I was. The problem, of course, was that pushing your luck like that will eventually catch up with you, and it did! A portal gave him the chance to win the game in the 14th Rush, then with a Failure on a Confusion check, it solidified the win for me! This was a really close game, btw.
I think the Koris are great! I look forward to more games with them and more teleporting shenanigans! They would be great in a League too. I don't think I would change a thing about them.
Pro-tip: Protect your sole Striker! He is your money-machine!
