MS Paris Longchamp blowup

Before I begin on the upcoming MS event layout I need to apologise to VFTD's followers out in PALS country. I received their layout with a request to do a breakdown--which I intended to do--but neglected to check the event's date. And--you guessed it--it done came and went. Sorry about that.

This field is a very technical design that is playable but only highly skilled players are going to be able to make the most of it. (And I remain skeptical that they will enjoy it much.) Less skilled and lower division teams are likely to work ruts into certain runs and bumps because they won't have much alternative. I expect some teams to find this very frustrating unless their players happen to enjoy routinely running to their death or constantly battling out of props that don't push the action.

Let's briefly discuss the snake side. The Home lane displayed in red is the probable primary OTB lane. (A better lane is the one inside the Can and between the trees and SD but I suspect it will be difficult for many team's primary shooter to consistently put an effective lane thru that zone.) However the red lane, when shot properly, will deny the mini, tall cake and snake. (Barring bad luck and/or bad paint.) And it is easily redirected on a player trying to make a move into the Can. Additionally, a disciplined Home shooter will be able to deny upfield bumps past the snake SD with very little difficulty.

The props marked in yellow are the only dual elevation props on the snake side (excluding the trees.) By dual elevation I mean the props may be played on a knee or on the feet, even though the tall cake can--and will be --problematic--as will the Can. Given the elevation and placement of the rest of the snake side props only the Can and Home are decent counters for an active snake player--which is another reason many teams will maintain a Home shooter. Otherwise contesting the snake will be much like the D-side; up close and personal. And with no snake corner prop the SD actually slows down a player's ability to get wire-side; making the snake more difficult to take OTB. All things considered for most teams the snake side is likely to slow play until bodies start to drop.

More interesting is the D-side. The gradient pink area is the primary OTB laning zone. A Home shooter also has a very narrow lane (see dotted line) that will be dependant on actual on site prop placement plus a lane on the outside of D1 (or D3.) In the case of the dotted lane the fact its trajectory must be lifted above the near T will allow a runner to dive low between the Can and D1. Given that there is a D-corner bunker it will be possible to run the Can OTB and if you can make the Can you can make D1. Note all the blue lanes from the various D-side props. Only the mirror Can or the nearest-to-Home MD has an opportunity to contest the run. The run requires speed but it won't be that hard to make. And once in D1 a player commands lanes on all the snake side props except Home and the snake itself. If that happens OTB it should result in a short point.

Because other D-side props can't contest D1, it will be necessary to close and attack the opposition directly. By the same token there are few effective lanes to battle D1 there are equally few lanes that can support and defend D1. Which means, like the snake side, contests on the wire sides could devolve into who bunkers who last. Or, everybody can hunker down and shoot long range lanes.

The primary tension created by this layout is the need to battle at the fifties versus the obvious utility of keeping players in Home. Figure that out and you may have discovered a winning formula.