Tag Archives: ETC

2 September 2013

ETC2013 getting to 5th place

By WarHamSandwich

So, as I may have mentioned (every 5 minutes or so), team Ireland got its highest result to date at the ETC this year.  More than a few people were surprised (delighted?) that we reached 5th place so I thought I’d spend today’s post talking about the team and what worked for us.

irl serious

So firstly there’s the guys who have to take the punishment. Everyone has a term for them: bid lists, shields, prey lists, put forward lists etc. Basically if you lose the bidding roll off, who do you nominate? This year my shield guys were Necrons, and Eldar with Tau allies. They did their jobs magnificently with scores of 61 and 57 across 6 games, showing that even with a full set of choices of counterattack our opponents were only able to draw on average with them. Good job fellas!

The next three were our counters/finesse lists. Tyranids, Daemons, and Imperial Guard with Chaos Marine allies. These lists were generally used as counters to armies that the opposing team had bid, and there’s quite a bit of effort needed to find the right matchup for them. With the right pairing they can do serious damage, in the wrong one they can end up in bad place! I found it impossible to get a good matchup for everyone in every round, but as long as two of the three were good then I knew we could still do well in the round aggregate.

The final three were our all rounders, nasty lists that can take on almost anything. Here we had Chaos Marines with Necron allies, Tau, and Grey Knights. The strategy with these guys was just to avoid the small number of potential bad matchups and use them against whatever our counter lists weren’t able to handle. Here we were relying more on player skill and army strength rather than good bidding to get ahead. These guys really delivered. Our Chaos Marine and Tau players both finished both in the top 5 of all players in the ETC (also both were top player in their respective armies), and our Grey Knight player also finished ahead of the curve.

Practicalities aside, the ‘secret’ ingredient for us is team spirit. As anyone on the team will attest, everyone did a fantastic job of supporting each other and everyone worked well as a unit. I never heard a single complaint when anyone had to face a bad matchup so that others could get good ones. Simply put, everyone completely understood the joint effort required to win a round.

irl silly

The final point I’ll add is that we really do strive to play fair with our opponents and ensure that both sides have a good set of games whether we win, lose or draw. I think it’s the right thing to do, but also it has a psychological benefit for the team as we don’t end up totally stressed out by needless arguments throughout the day. I really hope that it’s something we can keep as a core value of our team now and in the future.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in ETC, Tactics and Techniques, Tournament

28 August 2013

ETC2013 the view from the top

By WarHamSandwich

So my last two posts have been about the overall meta at ETC2013, and today I want to take a quick look at the top 3 countries and how they compare to the overall meta.

As a quick refresher the top performing armies were:

  1. Tau
  2. Eldar
  3. Necrons
  4. Chaos Space Marines
  5. Chaos Daemons
  6. Tyranides
  7. Space Marines
  8. Dark Angels

Whereas the most popular armies were:

  1. Necrons
  2. Chaos Space Marines
  3. Tau
  4. Grey Knights
  5. Imperial Guard
  6. Tyranids
  7. Chaos Daemons
  8. Dark Angels

Germany got the top spot (familiar territory for these guys!).

Germany

They ran with:

  • Tau
  • Grey Knights
  • Necrons
  • Chaos Space Marines
  • Chaos Daemons
  • Tyranides
  • Orks
  • Dark Angels

So this includes 6 of the 8 top armies (they left out Eldar and Space Marines), and 7 of the 8 most popular armies (they avoided IG, which was the biggest underperformer of the popular armies).

Spain came in second,

spain

and their team comprised:

  • Tau
  • Grey Knights
  • Necrons
  • Chaos Space Marines
  • Chaos Daemons
  • Eldar
  • Imperial Guard
  • Dark Angels

Again they had 6 of the top 8 armies, leaving out Tyranids and Space marines. They also brought 7 of the 8 most popular armies, just leaving out the Tyranids.

Poland were third

poland

and they brought:

  • Necrons
  • Chaos Space Marines
  • Tau
  • Grey Knights
  • Imperial Guard
  • Tyranids
  • Chaos Daemons
  • Dark Angels

This also has 6 out of the 8 top armies (similarly to Germany they left out Eldar and Space Marines), and interestingly all of the most popular armies.

So the top three countries all brought 6 of the 8 top armies (though not the same ones) and all brought 7 or more of the 8 most popular armies.  There is a big overlap in that all three countries brought Chaos Marines, Dark Angels, Daemons, Grey Knights, Necrons, and Tau.

So, what does that mean for the army rankings I described previously? Well firstly it shows that picking the top 8 armies is not necessary to win, and places more weight on my caveat that just going on army rank is a simplification that needs to be tempered by the roles needed or the team – and the skillsets of your players!

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in ETC, Tactics and Techniques, Tournament

24 August 2013

ETC2013 Popularity vs Performance

By WarHamSandwich

So last time I put up a table of how the various armies performed (on average) at the ETC in Serbia. There were some interesting results, and today’s post follows up that line of thinking by comparing the popularity of army choices with their score rank. Popularity in this case just means how many teams included that army, and the table below puts the armies in order of popularity.
RankVsPop
So the numbers in the ‘Difference’ column highlights any disconnect between how popular an army is versus how well it performed at the ETC. A positive number means that the army performed better than its popularity, a negative number means that its popularity was higher than its performance warranted.

Tau weren’t the most popular army, but really the first three are so close that it makes little difference. The captains made those choices fairly rationally: Necrons, Tau, and Heldrakes are solid performers.

There is an interesting hiccup in places 4 and 5 where Grey Knights and Imperial Guard were both quite popular but didn’t do as well as their popularity suggests. Both armies were in the bottom half performance-wise but were both present in more than 75% of teams (my own included!)

Tyranids were fairly popular, and by the results that seems to be justified – similarly with Chaos Daemons (slightly under-represented), and Dark Angels.

Eldar were quite under-represented and were the ‘sleeper hit’ of the ETC, doing quite well for the 11 teams that brought them. Of the remainder, only Space Marines have a big positive difference showing that they did a better job than their low popularity would have predicted.

There is of course a big caveat here: armies fill particular roles on a team so simply picking the highest average scorers may very well lead you astray with too much of one role and too little of another. So we don’t have a magic formula for army selection just yet.

It also creates an interesting mind game for next year: do you bring a team that works well against the popular armies of 2013, or do you focus on bringing what did well in 2013, or do you bring counters to what did well in 2013? How much will the new codices between now and Aug 2014 change the meta?

Lots to think about for the new captains!

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in ETC, Tournament

22 August 2013

ETC 2013 Armies and Stats

By WarHamSandwich

So the madness of ETC2013 is over, and the post mortem analysis can begin in earnest.  I won’t start with my own team (Ireland), but rather I’d like to take a look at the overall meta.  Thankfully my job has been made easier by the organisers who have already published lots of data on who took what armies and how they fared in the tournament.

So, what armies generally did well?

ArmyRanks

So the number 1 slot is probably no surprise to anyone, Tau are new and awesome, they wrecked face at the ESC and are probably doing well at a tournament near you right now.

Number 2, Eldar is probably a bit more of a surprise – particularly considering that it was the OLD codex that was legal for the tournament, not the shiny new one.  My prediction beforehand was that they would be a solid army to ‘not lose’ I wasn’t expecting them to win big.  The fact that they were often backed up by Tau allies probably helped a little too

Necrons, Heldrakes, and Chaos Daemons round out the ‘winners list’ (i.e. the armies that are averaging >10 which is a win).  Again this isn’t very surprising Necrons are still crazy powerful, everyone hates Heldrakes for a reason, and Chaos Daemons can certainly be deadly in the right matchup.

It worth taking a moment to think about the remaining armies.  Everything else on that list was losing on average (i.e. <10).

Admittedly, that’s a bit of a sweeping statement as the performance of an individual can vary greatly from the group average, and not just down to player skill but also down to the team pairing strategy.  The table also doesn’t factor in the use of allies – which is perhaps a project for me for another time…

But, that said, this table does give us a line in the sand as regards what the 2013 meta was like and I’m sure it will influence team and army selection for next year!

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in ETC, Tournament

29 November 2012

Ireland’s Call

By WarHamSandwich

20121129-141650.jpg

The recruitment campaign now starts in earnest! Prospective 40k players for Ireland’s ETC 2013 team should make themselves known on W-ired or Onthestep

Last year we broke into the top ten, I dare you to do better!

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21 August 2011

ETC 2011 DAY 2

By WarHamSandwich

As I mentioned yesterday, Warhammer 40,000 doesn’t quite have a world championship, but this role is at least partially fulfilled by the growth of the European Team Championship (ETC) to incorporate teams from all over the world, far beyond its European origin.

While it is a highly competitive international event, it’s important to retain some perspective, and ensure that all players enjoy the complete range of experiences on offer, as clearly demonstrated by Woody:

ETC 2011 finished in Switzerland today with the final three rounds of the two-day  six-round tournament.  What I’ll cover here is a brief round up of the results, mainly focusing on the performance of team Republic of Ireland, and team Northern Ireland.

NOTE: All results courtesy of TableTopTournaments

Here are the standings going in to day two:

OVERALL PLACING END OF DAY 1

Place Team Points Difference
1 Germany 6 184
2 Poland 6 144
3 Sweden 5 162
4 Italy 5 68
5 United States 4 100
6 Spain 4 46
7 England 4 40
8 Latvia 4 34
9 Wales 4 20
10 France 4 -6
11 Czech Republic 3 36
12 European Union 3 0
13 Switzerland 3 -10
14 Belgium 3 -28
15 Ireland 3 -58
16 Denmark 2 -12
17 Scotland 2 -16
18 Finland 2 -56
19 Norway 2 -94
20 Belarus 1 -38
21 Austria 1 -52
22 Northern Ireland 1 -144
23 Russia 0 -140
24 Greece 0 -180

How does this get shaken up by Day 2?

ROUND 4

Team A Team B Points TP
Poland Germanyvictory 0 : 2 57 : 103
Swedenvictory United States 1 : 1 82 : 78
Italy Spainvictory 0 : 2 73 : 87
Latvia Englandvictory 1 : 1 75 : 85
Wales Francevictory 0 : 2 41 : 119
Switzerlandvictory Czech Republic 2 : 0 86 : 74
Belgium European Unionvictory 0 : 2 62 : 98
Irelandvictory Denmark 1 : 1 84 : 78
Finland Scotlandvictory 1 : 1 77 : 83
Norway Belarusvictory 0 : 2 29 : 131
Austriavictory Greece 2 : 0 110 : 40
Northern Ireland Russiavictory 0 : 2 56 : 104

Team NI faced off Russia for their opening game, but the great Bear of Russia proved a difficult opponent.  Loss for Team NI.  Republic of Ireland looked like a victory mid game, but the Danes pulled back the draw.  Not a bad start for RoI, top half of the table!

Worth noting that this was the first ever loss in a round by Poland, so well done to the German team for that performance.  I’m sure there’s an inappropriate WW2 joke in there somewhere, but let’s just leave it at that.

ROUND 5

Team A Team B Points TP
Swedenvictory Germany 2 : 0 99 : 61
Polandvictory Spain 2 : 0 95 : 65
France United Statesvictory 0 : 2 61 : 99
Italy Englandvictory 0 : 2 74 : 86
Latviavictory European Union 2 : 0 112 : 48
Ireland Switzerlandvictory 0 : 2 55 : 105
Walesvictory Czech Republic 2 : 0 86 : 74
Austria Belarusvictory 0 : 2 74 : 86
Denmark Scotlandvictory 1 : 1 75 : 85
Finlandvictory Belgium 2 : 0 119 : 41
Norway Russiavictory 0 : 2 50 : 110
Northern Ireland Greecevictory 1 : 1 76 : 84

Team RoI faces the host nation, Switzerland, and lets them win out of sheer politeness.  Team NI get back on the horse with a hard fought draw against Greece.  Things are heating up at the top, with Germany, Poland and Sweden all on 8 points.

ROUND 6

Team A Team B Points TP
Polandvictory Sweden 2 : 0 103 : 57
Latvia Germanyvictory 0 : 2 47 : 113
England United Statesvictory 0 : 2 67 : 93
Switzerland Spainvictory 0 : 2 66 : 94
Walesvictory Belarus 2 : 0 100 : 60
Italy Francevictory 0 : 2 71 : 89
Finlandvictory European Union 2 : 0 90 : 70
Denmarkvictory Czech Republic 2 : 0 91 : 69
Russiavictory Scotland 1 : 1 83 : 77
Irelandvictory Austria 2 : 0 103 : 57
Belgiumvictory Greece 2 : 0 91 : 69
Norway Northern Irelandvictory – : 160

RoI took on Austria in the final round, but flight schedules meant the Austrians couldn’t stay the course and had to concede.  Not the way RoI would like to win it, but there you go.  Similarly Team NI got a walkover from Norway as they had to leave early.  A bit of a flat end, but the boys did us proud and hopefully they had a great time!

FINAL RESULTS

Place Team Points Difference
1 Germany 10 258
2 Poland 10 174
3 United States 9 160
4 Sweden 8 158
5 Spain 8 58
6 France 8 52
7 Wales 8 -6
8 England 7 36
9 Finland 7 36
10 Switzerland 7 24
11 Latvia 7 22
12 Denmark 6 -6
13 Ireland 6 -56
14 Belarus 5 36
15 Italy 5 24
16 Scotland 5 -6
17 Russia 5 -26
18 European Union 5 -48
19 Belgium 5 -120
20 Northern Ireland 4 -40
21 Czech Republic 3 -10
22 Austria 3 -40
23 Norway 2 -416
24 Greece 1 -264

Great performances overall from teams RoI and NI, and we hope for even better next year!  For excellent video coverage of the full event, check out RHQ.tv

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Tournament

20 August 2011

ETC 2011 DAY 1

By WarHamSandwich

Warhammer 40,000 doesn’t quite have a world championship, but this role is at least partially fulfilled by the growth of the European Team Championship (ETC) to incorporate teams from all over the world, far beyond its European origin.

ETC 2011 takes place in Switzerland today (Saturday 20th August) and tomorrow (21st).  I’ll be doing a brief round up at end of both days, mainly focusing on the performance of team Republic of Ireland, and team Northern Ireland.

NOTE: All results courtesy of TableTopTournaments

ROUND 1

Team A Team B Points TP
Russia Belgiumvictory 0 : 2 66 : 94
Northern Ireland Austriavictory 1 : 1 78 : 82
Norway Latviavictory 0 : 2 57 : 103
Switzerlandvictory England 1 : 1 84 : 76
Scotlandvictory European Union 2 : 0 106 : 54
Spainvictory Czech Republic 2 : 0 113 : 47
Denmark Polandvictory 0 : 2 63 : 97
Germanyvictory Wales 2 : 0 120 : 40
Greece United Statesvictory 0 : 2 30 : 130
Italyvictory Sweden 1 : 1 82 : 78
Finland Irelandvictory 0 : 2 69 : 91
Francevictory Belarus 2 : 0 88 : 72

A good start for team Ireland, beating Finland in a close match up.  The first game of a tournament can really make or break players’ confidence and this got the whole team on a good footing.  The Northern Ireland team held their own against Austria, all to play for in round 2!

ROUND 2

Team A Team B Points TP
Germanyvictory United States 2 : 0 105 : 55
Spainvictory Scotland 2 : 0 97 : 63
Latvia Polandvictory 0 : 2 57 : 103
Irelandvictory Belgium 1 : 1 82 : 78
Switzerland Francevictory 0 : 2 59 : 101
Italyvictory Austria 2 : 0 86 : 74
Swedenvictory Northern Ireland 2 : 0 121 : 39
England Belarusvictory 1 : 1 79 : 81
Finlandvictory Russia 2 : 0 88 : 72
Norway Denmarkvictory 0 : 2 44 : 116
Czech Republicvictory European Union 1 : 1 83 : 77
Walesvictory Greece 2 : 0 108 : 52

A good start in Round 1 means a tough opponent in Round 2!  The RoI team faced off Belgium, and came away with a draw.  Another solid performance which puts them in a good position for Round 3.

Joe “Maynard” Cullen wore his lucky hat and beard, and it appeared to pay off getting 11-9 with his Chaos Marines against seer council Eldar:

Team Northern Ireland lost their way slightly in round 2 and were defeated by the Swedish team.

As a twist of fate, RoI would face Sweden next in Round 3, can they get revenge for their Northern brethren?

ROUND 3

Team A Team B Points TP
Germanyvictory Spain 2 : 0 107 : 53
Polandvictory France 2 : 0 112 : 48
Ireland Swedenvictory 0 : 2 38 : 122
Italyvictory Belgium 2 : 0 106 : 54
Denmark United Statesvictory 0 : 2 55 : 105
Latviavictory Scotland 2 : 0 97 : 63
Finland Englandvictory 0 : 2 55 : 105
Walesvictory Austria 2 : 0 97 : 53
Switzerlandvictory Belarus 2 : 0 92 : 68
Northern Ireland European Unionvictory 0 : 2 51 : 109
Russia Czech Republicvictory 0 : 2 32 : 128
Norwayvictory Greece 2 : 0 92 : 68

After a poor performance in Round 1, the Swedes were fighting hard to get back up to the top.  Team Ireland stood in their way at the end of day 1 but unfortunately got steamrolled by the Nordic Nightmare.  A harsh result for RoI, but tomorrow will be a chance to get back in the tournament.  Team NI suffered at the hands of the Merc term, they’ll need a good start tomorrow to lift their spirits!

OVERALL PLACING END OF DAY 1

Place Team Points Difference
1 Germany 6 184
2 Poland 6 144
3 Sweden 5 162
4 Italy 5 68
5 United States 4 100
6 Spain 4 46
7 England 4 40
8 Latvia 4 34
9 Wales 4 20
10 France 4 -6
11 Czech Republic 3 36
12 European Union 3 0
13 Switzerland 3 -10
14 Belgium 3 -28
15 Ireland 3 -58
16 Denmark 2 -12
17 Scotland 2 -16
18 Finland 2 -56
19 Norway 2 -94
20 Belarus 1 -38
21 Austria 1 -52
22 Northern Ireland 1 -144
23 Russia 0 -140
24 Greece 0 -180

Overall good start to the ETC for team Ireland with one win, one draw, and one loss.  Team NI didn’t get such a good start, with one draw and two losses.  Here’s the matchups for Round 4 tomorrow morning:

Team A Team B
Poland Germany
Sweden United States
Italy Spain
Latvia England
Wales France
Switzerland Czech Republic
Belgium European Union
Ireland Denmark
Finland Scotland
Norway Belarus
Austria Greece
Northern Ireland Russia

Ireland plays Denmark, and Northern Ireland plays Russia, best of luck fellas!

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