Welcome to the third annual pre-season AD Blood Bowl Power Rankings |
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| I do feel as though I'm repeating myself somewhat in the introduction of these rankings, but for those of you new to this, the power rankings try to represent the strength of a team, how they will fare in the 2007 season, will they reach the post season, and will they be amongst the front runners for the 2007 title! |
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| The league has taken another big step forward, the number of franchises has increased by another 8 taking the total to a massive 32, As always the new teams can be found at the bottom of the rankings since I currently know too little about them to make a fair assessment, what I do know is that the last few seasons have shown that new teams struggle, especially in the post season. |
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There has however been a change to the way the rankings are structured. The focus of the majority of the commentators, myself included, is the top of the league. The league is now so large that focusing on the teams at the pinnacle means that those towards the base appear a bit blurry! As a result the rankings you can see below report mainly on what I consider to be the top 16 teams. If your team is there, now you need to move it up. If your team is not there then you should think about what you're going to do differently this year to drag the team into the top 16,
| As with all of my rankings I hope some of you agree. If you disagree please feel free to contact me on the AD Blood Bowl forum. I will try to explain my reasoning |
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POWER RANKINGS |
Power Rankings |
Team |
2006 Position |
| The past couple of seasons have seen the Fabienettes languishing at the bottom of the ADA East following the departure of their mercurial coach Fabien but this all looks set to change in 2007 with his return. Fabien, who showed off his self-proclaimed "genius" during his one year contract with the Mugaz in 2006, inherits one of the strongest teams in the league. The strength of the playing staff on the Fabienettes roster can be attributed to a number of seasons at the bottom of the league and it does now seem that the owners of the Fabienettes have been playing the "long game". We all know that finishing bottom of the league has its advantages, however, for most, early Krush picks are scant consolation for a season of humiliation and deefeat but it seems the owners of the Fabienettes have suffered over the past few years for a reason, to mount a serious bid for the 2007 title. The Fabienettes face their conference rivals, the Mutineers, twice during the season. Blood Bowl fans should look to the results and balance of play (in particular casualties) in those two games to indicate whether the owners strategy is likely to pay off. |
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| The 2006 champions are in a very strong position. The core of the title winning side is still in place and a couple of useful additions have replaced those who have left. The main problem for the All-Stars is that the team is a year older, and we all know that old players are much more likely to miss games. The ADA West should be a formality now that Fabien has returned to his old stomping ground in the ADA East, unless of course the much heralded "Year of the Beej" comes to pass. Looking ahead to the post season, fixtures may hinge on the availability of key players which is why the results of regular season cross conference matches against the PAIN Corp and the Mutineers may not be as important as they seem. |
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| Every year the Mutineers have been there or thereabouts, the Mutineers hold 4 ADA East titles and their play-off record reads runners-up, champions, semi-finalists, runners-up. However, over the past couple of years the decline, and in some cases retirement, of key players has severely weakened the Mutineers. Da Krush saw an opportunity to replace Kerval Axebreaker, a key player who retired at the end of the 2005 season. However, 2006 saw the retirement of a further 2 veterans who have made significant contributions to the franchise. This year the Mutineers have severe competition in the ADA East in the form of the Fabienettes, but once the post season starts not too many people will be keen to face the Mutineers. |
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| Much was expected at the start of the 2006 season. The Tragedy were reigning champions and according to some on their way to another title thanks to their unique style of low risk, high impact offence. However, the 2006 season didn't quite go to plan, the Tragedy only reached the Quarter Finals where they were knocked out by the Mutineers. A shortage of cash has made player investment almost impossible in the close season with only one new Lineman coming in as part of a trade which saw the Tragedy sell both of their Krush picks. If the Tragedy get back into their 2005 groove, expect them to dominate their conference and go far ino the post season, but a loss against the Delight in the inter divisional fixture would indicate that the Tragedy have not slotted into their groove and possibly deserve to have dropped even further down the rankings. |
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| The PAIN Corp are very much a team on the up. In contrast to the top of the rankings, which is populated by very experienced teams, the next tier of teams is made up of new teams lead by the Corp. In two of the last three seasons the title had been won by a second year side, the exception was last year when nobody really expected a challenge from a second year team. However, the Corp stormed through the regular season and made it all the way to the Semi Finals where they were beaten in overtime by the Mutineers. Historically, second year teams have done well as they are full of youthful players who are nearing the end of their second season in the league, however, the ever increasing experience of the league's founding members may be shifting the balance away from second year teams and their youthfulness. As a third year team, many believe the Corp are well placed to be a serious player in the post season. The coach has made noises that he is worried about the toll of another year on his players but I believe the key players are still in a position to make a major impact. Indeed, in contrast with the teams higher up the rankings, the post season has probably strengthened the Corp. Look for strong performances including against the Hacks, and especially the All-Stars. However, the Corp will have to prove that last season was not a one-off, especially given that their conference rivals have strengthened over the pre-season. |
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| As I discussed above, second year teams have a history of success, but last seson the sole challenge from a second year team was the result of a surprise run by the PAIN Corp. Therefore, I believe it will take a monumental effort from a second year team to win the 2007 title. However, if one of last year's new teams does win the title I would be very surprised if the winner is outside of the three franchise group of the Punchers, the Delight, and the Hacks, the three teams which made it into the post season in their first year. After a series of impressive stastistical performances and after inflicting a crushing defeat on the Delight last year, I have ranked the Punchers at the top of this group. This will no doubt upset the Hacks who topped the ADF East in 2006 ahead of the Punchers, however, the Punchers coach is held in high regard around the league and has been able to add some quality to his squad in the pre season. The addition of a new Elf Thrower has raised questions about the coach's intentions for last season's record breaker Learned Hand but, no doubt, the owners of the Punchers have faith in their coach. |
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| The Delight confused many commentators and spectators last year. In some games the team seemed to execute the coach's meticulously planned tactics perfectly and as a result the team looked to be in absolute control. However, in other games where an early mistake led to deviation from the pre-planned tactics Delight fared very badly losing 0-4 to the Punchers and 2-4 to the Legends. Strong pre season additions and the experience gained by last season's rookies should reduce the likelihood of early game mistakes. However, unless the experienced coach can learn to be more pragmatic with his new team a championship challenge may be another year away. |
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| As I said earlier, the Hacks will not be happy to be ranked behind the Punchers after coming top of the ADF East in 2006 and making it one step further in the post season to the Quarter Finals. As a result of this post season run, the Hacks have not been able to strengthen in the same way as the Punchers and Delight but last season's surprise package the Hacks could surprise a few more people this year. However, it would be a big surprise if they were crowned champions at the end of the season. |
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| The Bomb Squad have been relatively unspectacular in the two seasons since they entered the league, however, a post season victory against the Punchers followed by only a narrow loss against the eventual champion All-Stars shows that the Bomb Squad can mix it with the top teams. A victory in one of the two regular season matches against the PAIN Corp could be an indication of good things to come in the post season. |
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| Will this be their year? I find myself repeating last year's prediction, but every year the noise out of the Savage Land is the same, that this will be their year, their championship, but the downtrodden inhabitants are still waiting. The Savages have built modestly on their already impressive squad, however the question that many commentators are asking is whether this is their last real opportunity before the star players, many already veterans, become too old. In my opinion the Savages still represent one of the strongest teams in the league; the questiobn is whether the coach can transfer that strength onto the pitch. The Savages made their first appearance in the post season in 2006, but they did not look at home and this year's modest additions are unlikely to change that. As in 2006, if the Savages get on a roll they could batter their way into the post season and possibly all the way, but given the Savages lacklustre effort in the 2006 post season I won't be backing them. |
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| The Darkstalkers literally failed to turn up for the post season last year. This prompted speculation around who was to blame for the non-attendance and for some time it looked like the coach would be forced to relinquish control of the franchise, however, it now seems that an alternative scapegoat has been found and that the Messiah will be in control for the 2007 season. The 2007 season promises to be a difficult one for the Darkstalkers, the expected resurgence of the Fabienettes along with the overpowering consistency of the Mutineers is likely to push the Darkstalkers down into third place in the ADA East from where they may struggle to make it into the post season. If the franchise does find itself in the psot season it will be very difficult to predict the outcome following last year's debacle but the Darkstalkers do have a decent team and an experienced coach, so they should not be discounted. |
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| For many it will be a surprise to see the Mugaz this far down the rankings. The record of the original coach of 2004 championship, 2005 semi-final, 2006 final was matched by semi-final appearance last year. However, the franchise has lost a second coach in two years and now faces a potentially difficult season. Although quality has been added to the team, time which for the first couple of seasons seemed mysteriously to have stopped around Puddle Dock, has finally caught up with the Mugaz and the experienced players are starting to show their age. The franchise still has the players to make an impact on the post season but any improvement from the Wildmen could see the Mugaz fail to even make it. |
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| The Stealers struggled in 2006 and ultimately did not make it into the post season after making it to the semi finals in their debut season. The poor league position can be sttributed to tough matches against the Bomb Squad and PAIN Corp. However, after being surprised last year, the Stealers may be in a better positiobn to take on the physical challenge of the Corp and will benefit from less tough cross conference matches. A strong showing against the Corp should see the Stealers rocket up the rankings, otherwise another disappointing season may be on the cards. |
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| The Legends and Cornflkes are two more second year teams. Both improved significantly during the second half of the season as the rookie coahces and players gained experience. After each adding potentially game winning players to their ranks, both teams will be looking to make it into the post season after both missed out by a narrow margin last year. However, the presence of the Delight makes the ADA South a difficult place to thrive. Every match in the ADA South is likely to be important with cross conference matches good opportunities to pick up extra points. If any of the teams (Delight included) falls off the pace it could be very difficult to catch up so look to see who sets the early pace to see who has had a more productive off-season and who is likely to make it into the post season. |
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| The Missiles are an established team which has performed well, if not spectacularly over the last couple of seasons. I expect another decent season where victories against conference rivals Revengers' Tragedy could signla the start of an unexpected title challenge, but are more likely to be events to celebrate in themselves. |
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| Rumours are rife concerning the departure of the team's popular coach who personified the team's attitude. The new coach will have some good tools to work with and the recent signing of a Goblin Fanatic indicates that the new coach will be aiming for evolution rather than revolution in the franchise's second season. |
| The Principals are a good team with some very interesting players. Can the coach get it right in 2007? |
| Rebellion are a relatively new team which has a strong squad thanks to some high Krush picks in each of the years since they were established. The owners will expect better performances in 2007. |
| One of the league's original teams has suffered in recent years with injuries. Last year's poor performance guaranteed a couple of high Krush picks which were expected to improve the team in 2007, however the continued decline of star veteran "High" Lady Venice has eroded some of the enthusiasm. |
| Another of the 2006 mew teams which struggled to make an impact. How will they fare second time around? |
| Possibly the best squad in the league improved further by Da Krush 2007. Another team with one big question hanging over it. Can the coach get it right? |
| Can the Wildmen reverse their shocking decline with the signing of a Troll replacement for former captain Mr Wildman? An uncertain coaching position is unlikely to help. |
| The signing of a Minotaur Blitzer should help last season's bottom franchise, but will it be enough to change the fate of a team which really struggled in their first season? |