TACTICS: Make a hole! (Brokkr)

Make a Hole! (Home)

Red - Guard, Orange - Jack, Yellow - Striker

I will be the first to admit that I am not a Forge Father/Brokkr player. I am not a master strategist with such a slow moving team, but having said that, here is an interesting slant on a space dwarf setup. :-)

First, I decided that since I am the starting player, I was going to lean hard to one side, but play so that I can move toward either. My overall strategy is to move the Guards in to Slam any player that is in my way and go for the 2 points. Hopefully, I will be able to protect my strikers at least some once they are down the Pitch with a Guard at the Striker's back. With Grizzled, those Strikers are a much more difficult proposition than say a regular Forge Father Striker. If the ball ends up on the side I am leaning toward, I think that my plan will work pretty well. And maybe I can clear some of the opposing players from that side of the board (where my undefended Strike Zone is too).Now, if the ball ends up on the lighter side of the Pitch, I will grab it with one Striker and probably pass it to the one on the more defended side after clearing some space.

The back of the pitch is defended in the centers with a Guard and Jack. On Rush 3, I plan on using that Guard, with the Jack in toe, to wreck the face of whosoever is on my side of the board. I did leave one side undefended, but I am hoping this is mitigated by clearing that side of the board some, and used as a little bit of bait.

I would love to hear some Brokkr tactics from an actual Brokkr player. They seem like a team that could be good, but will take time to perfect.   

TEAM: Rotatek Rockslides (Brokkr Team)

Rotatek Rockslides (Brokkr Team)
Reviewed during early Season 4 for DBO only


Strengths: 
Slam - The number one thing that the Brokkr team does well is Slam. Much like their Forge Father cousins, when they reach their target, they can really put a hurting on them. One guard can really hurt an opposing team, but having 4 starting guards can lead to devastating an opponent. This is the number one thing that a coach should use to his advantage.

Steady - And should your Slam or Slamback not succeed, you are still Steady, regardless of if you are a Jack or a Guard (Strikers are Steady too, but of course cannot Slam or Slamback). Having this on everyone just makes sense for a dwarven team, the Midgard Delvers should really have this too in very least. Steady should be a racial trait for a dwarf. This is a super little passive advantage.

Grizzled - Having this on a Striker is the only mitigating factor against any opposing player that decides to do a Slam against a Brokkr Striker. It does help. This is easy to forget and it is up to you to remind your opponent!


Weaknesses:
Movement - Movement 4 is just crippling to many peoples' play styles - including my own. It often takes a double Sprint to get to the ball. And often getting that extra -1 dice threat on someone then Slamming them can cost nearly an entire rush. Sometimes a card can help some with this, but relying on that is rather fool hearty. If you are playing against a Movement 5 team, maybe you will do alright, but a Movement 6 team will just run circles around this dark little guys.

Speed - Want to hold on to the ball Mr. Striker? Yoink! No, you don't! Want to dodge this Slam MR. Jack? Negative! Dash, evade? Sorry, those just isn't in the cards for you. This is a major disadvantage. Mix this together with the slow Movement and there is a recipe for an easy Steal and "Keep Away" game your opponent can play.


MVP Recommendations:

The Praetorian - This guy will VASTLY improve your game. He makes up for all the weaknesses that the Brokkrs have, and is just about the best Striker in the game anyway. Just keep him safe! (Nightshade could also serve a similar purpose)

Irsala Sephalin - Why Irsala? Well, she is brings an awesome advantage to the devastating power of the Brokkr guards with Gotcha! She also has Steady, just like the rest of the team. And among other benefits, she brings a surprising Speed and a great Skill for a jack.









Overall:  
Before saying anything else, I have to say, they look cool as hell.
Ok...
The Brokkr team is a vast improvement over the Midgard Delvers. The Rockslides could hold their own better against the teams from Season One and Two. In my opinion though, with the teams from Seasons Three and Four in the mix, I just wouldn't play them. Maybe they just aren't my style, but I just can't see them competing against teams like the Nameless or Rebs - at least not without MVP assistance.


Grade: 
C - *

*(for DBO as it is at Season 4, compared to Seasons 1 or 2 teams, they are an easy B + or better)