Theory I: Dumb Luck

Hey, I got an Idea: let’s go stand out in the open. They won’t hit us. I hope.

How bout we run around like chickens with our heads cut off?

Maybe have someone moon the opposition?

These ludicrous ideas and more follow sometimes, and every so often, they just, well, work. The worst part of this is that the chaos of combat will often allow for opportunities to arise that you can take advantage of and drop a dumb, but effective tactic on the opposition. Also, things can happen during combat situations that tend to not happen to people when not under fire, creating tactically advantageous situations. This is the Theory of Dumb Luck.

Simply put, you’ll get an opportunity when the opposition won’t see it coming, but something simple will allow you to take complete control of the situation. This can be as easy as moving a few inches to the right because a pile of snow just collapsed, creating a new section of cover with a better angle. Or it can be as large as a rout caused by a teammate that’s scared of spiders. Sometimes, the opponent’s hopper malfunctions, disabling an opponent that is laying down heavy fire for a short period of time.
As crazy as this sounds, most of this is often the most effective period to strike in. The window of opportunity to take advantage of this theory often ranges in the half to four second range. This makes the Theory of Dumb Luck a great tool for Dagger and Ambush units.
Daggers, obviously, already take full advantage of this theory, giving them the edge in close quarters combat (CQC). In CQC situations, players are usually in surrendering range (Less than 20ft) but neither side is willing (Or able...) to give up for whatever reason. This is mainly because most players don’t want to lose their all important showmanship by having a surrender story flying about their gear set.
In CQC Obviously, Dumb Luck often comes when one side is forced behind cover, giving the forcer a small amount of time in which to move in and strike down the opposition, or just move closer.
As a command, if a Dagger unit shouts for or radios for CQC help, Always try to
get units behind the opposition to support the Dagger, and don’t allow them to see your units moving in. This gives you an extra opportunity to get not only some ground, but also get another chance at eliminating the opponent.
Ambush units also can gain amazing advantages using dumb luck to get themselves a movement period or a chance to drop an extra hit. These opportunities tend to be a little less often, but they can always help out in a pinch. Ambush units should definitely NOT rely on these happenings, but should employ them whenever possible.
The simplest time an Ambush can take advantage of these is when the opponent is distracted for whatever reason, lowering their perception of the world around them, and allowing for a quick move or a shot to be made. This can either be from the opponent’s action, a teammate’s action, or an Ambush initiated action.
An Opponent’s action would be like reloading, shifting position, moving over treacherous terrain, or having just tripped. These tend to be a little less than honorable ways of taking out opponents, but can be useful in a pinch or if the other team is playing a little unfairly themselves.
Teammate actions stem from players that are working with the ambush, usually from Broadsword or Hammer units laying down covering fire and or Daggers and Sabres entering a building, making opponents in other parts of the building have to react and become vulnerable.
Finally, Ambush initiated actions are results of the Ambush drawing attention to themselves and or distracting the opponent with misleading fire or eliminating players that are in a group. Here, the Ambush creates a few seconds of opportunity to attack and gain the advantage, but these tend to backfire quickly, so subsequent actions should be taken immediately.
Command units can employ their squad to create these opportunities for their Ambush units by practicing firing rounds that keep the opponent’s head down (A useful skill in itself, though it may waste paint). A firing round has multiple players firing in a stepped pattern, giving each member time to relax, and if needed, reload before they are needed to fire. This causes distraction in the opponents because fire is coming from multiple directions.
Avoid here, however, sticking to one pattern for too long, as you often may adjust someone to the pattern, allowing them to command units to strike when certain teammates rise to fire. This, also can trigger an opportunity because if they expect a pattern, then a variation in the pattern can throw the enemy off and allow for their elimination.
Now on the flip side of this is how you can fall victim to dumb luck yourself. The easiest way to avoid this is to develop good observation skills. Half of anything is knowing where to go and what to do there, similarily, in paintball, one must become aware of the opposition’s location and focus there, but not lose focus on the rest of the area.
This, when observation of other areas is ignored, leads to tunnel vision. Tunnel Vision makes people look only at one particular object, and acting upon conditions from that particular object only. This is costly in paintball, and wastes paint. You must focus on that object, but be aware of everything around you in order to avoid being eliminated by an Ambush or sudden appearance of a Dagger unit.
Also, gearchecks when you head out can help prevent the opponent from gaining advantages from gear malfunctions. Check on the way to the field that:

1.) Your marker is firing properly

2.) Your safety is off (This happens more than you think)

3.) Your hopper and pods are securely snapped shut and cannot be opened or lost on accident.

This assures a certain level of security in your game that can be beneficial and keep you from being taken advantage of if you cease fire for a few moments.
Finally, keep an eye on time. Be sure that you are keeping time at least subconciously and do not succumb to pressure from time. Being pushed sometimes leads to brilliant charges and attacks, but often can get you eliminated quickly. Therefore, a sportswatch with a timer can often assist you in making tactical
decisions. This is one of the rarest pieces of someone’s gearkit, but often can help know when stupid things are going to happen from the other side, and often your walk-on players.
Using some of the insane things that happen on the field is one of the best tactical advantages that a commander can gain, and also, in theory, can help defeat even the best equipped and well disciplined team. Always watch for dumb things, and for what may happen as a result