TACTICS: Dealing with difficult teams... the Convicts

In my opinion, the Convicts may well be THE BEST TEAM IN DREADBALL. Having said that, they are not an auto-win for the coach playing them. Let's go over some schemes for defeating them.

The Convicts

With human stats for Strikers, a massive and Threatening Guard, and finally a use for Jacks (shocking, I know), the Convicts are a super strong team. In the right hands, they can be played as a scoring team, or a crush-your-opponent team. Let's discuss some ways around these strengths.

• If you have Strikers with decent Skill on your team, Throw the Ball at the back of the Grogan Guard's head. If you are the Home team, do this immediately. If you are visiting, and not starting on your back foot (like 4 points down), do it the first chance you get. If you can take out the Guards, your chances go up quickly. If you can, do this to both Guards... yeah, I know... wishful thinking. :-)
• DO NOT CLUMP! If you can in any way avoid it, do not set up your players in such a way that someone can threaten two players at once. If you do this, and the other coach is acquainted with his team, he will send in someone to shock them. This minimizes the potential threat of the Shock Collar.
• Remember that the Convicts have an Offensive coach. This is important for planning your set up for your opponent's Rush. Assume that they roll the extra move, just assume it and plan accordingly.
• Consider unique strategies that might not be otherwise obvious, like positioning two defenders in the following positions to defend the 4 point strike lane without allowing for the Shock Collar to take both defenders out:

• This will pretty much go for playing any difficult team (any team really), play to your Strengths. If you are a scoring team, use that to your advantage. If your team specializes in Slams, then Slam! Do not get too distracted by the Convicts shenanigans, do your thing. Keep the pressure on with the skew that is for you, or if your team is more balanced, then concentrate on playing smart. The Convicts are not invincible.

I would love to hear your strategies for taking on difficult teams. 

Thanks for reading!

TEAM: Long Rock Lifers (Convict team)

Long Rock Lifers (Convict team)

Strengths: 
Lots of humans - Six out of eight members of this team are human. They have the average stats of humans. I definitely consider this an advantage. One of the biggest strengths of the Corporation teams is their lack of any major flaws in the stats category and bringing the Convicts into DBO eliminated one of their only weaknesses, the fact that the Strikers had TERRIBLE armor. Now, the Convicts are like humans, plus...

Plus... - The Guard for the Convicts isn't quite human, he's better (Grogan)! With a the Strength of an Orx Guard and Threatening, this guy is a wrecking ball! He can reliably take out players by himself, but team him with another player and your are almost guaranteed to take someone off the Pitch.

Shocking Advantage! - A well timed Shock Collar execution can absolutely change the course of a game. And finally, a good use for a Jack!

The Warden - On top of all the above, the get an Offensive Coach. This really helps make the Convicts a team to fear on the Pitch.


Weaknesses:
No Starting Cards or Dice - This is a disadvantage, but only until a Convict Guard knocks a few guys out of the game and the Fan Checks give you some dice.


MVP Recommendations:

'Brickbat’ Vognar - Thematically, this guy is a given. On top of that, he is really good. With Lucky and Steady, and of course an Orx stat line, he is the extra helping hand that your already spectacular Guard want to assist them. And look at that model! So cool!


Overall: 
Amazing! This team is just fantastic on the Pitch! It is like playing Trontek, but deadlier. The Guards are monstrous. The Strikers are good. And the Jacks are moving knockdown/killing machines (technically the whole team is). The Convicts are really good. I can easily see them winning a tournament or a league with "shocking" ease. This team could give any team from any season a run for their money for best all-around. I might even go so far as to call them the best team in Dreadball... maybe.


Grade:
A+

SIDELINE REPORT: The Fran-Taar Philosophers vs Long Rock Lifers

This is my first Sideline Report (Battle Report) on the blog. I plan on alternating some between the TACTICS and the SIDELINE REPORT entries. It is not the format I am going to follow, and I didn't know I was going to even write it when I played the game. But I did want to get some of these up here to discuss a few things about the flow and movement of games. We'll see how it goes...

I was fortunate enough to get in a game of Dreadball with a fellow veteran Dreadball Coach the other night. We decided to play two of the newer teams and see how the match went. He chose the Long Rock Lifers, the Convict team, and I chose the Fran-Taar Philosophers, the Tsudochan team. We had seen the Tsudochan on the Pitch before, but this was our first time trying out the convicts.

The Setup:

Orange - Tsudochan Jacks

Dark Blue - Convict Guard, Light Blue - Convict Jack, Green - Convict Striker

We both began the game in a very standard setup for Dreadball. We each had three players along the center and one player guarding the extra point lane of each Strikezone. My opponent's plan was obvious, he was going to try and hurt me with the Guards. Not a whole lot I was going to be able to do about that-a Jack with a 4+ Speed and a 5+ Strength isn't going to strong a monster 3+ Strength Guard. Oh well..
The first Rush went totally my way. Being on the Home side as the Tsudochan is a major boon to your game. You are pretty much guaranteed to get an attempt to score, which I did, for three points!
Then the pain... the rest of the Rushes after the first consisted of lots of pain, for both sides. For the poor Tsudochan, the pain was actual pain. Although he ever only managed to kill one player, I was constantly getting guys sent out and getting knocked down. There was pain on the other side too, but it was the pain of bad dice. My opponent missed every Strike attempt, when he actually managed to Pick Up the Ball.
The 12th Rush is the only other one worth mentioning. In the 11th Rush, I made a crucial error, I one I had avoided the entire game so far...

I ended my turn in the 11th Rush with the above setup. I had two Tsudochan Jacks (Orange) side-by-sideThreatening his Convict Striker (Green) who was sitting on the 4 point hex. On his turn, in the 12th Rush, she Sprinted a Convict Jack where you see above (Light Blue). Then he used his shock collar... *sigh* it sent both my Jacks out for two rounds (removing them from the game), and freed up his Striker, who finally scored a 4 pointer.

And though there was some valiant last ditch attempts at scoring, the Fran-Taar Philosophers met defeat that day.

What did I learn?:

1. The Convicts are a really good team (despite my opponent's terrible dice). They can score like Trontek (maybe even easier considering they come with an Offensive Coach), but there Guards hit like Orx. And that Shock Collar at the right moment can turn a game.
2. As much as I really want to like the Tsudochan, an all Jack team is still difficult to handle. With a 5+ Strength, your only real option is Dodge. Moving people is great, but you only get that on your turn. 
3. If you can at all avoid it, do not space your guys so that the Convicts can get that Shock Collar on more than one player.
4. With the Fran-Taar Philosophers, score early and go for the three pointers if possible.

SPONSOR: The Warden (DBX)

The Warden

Best Features:
Cheap and Plentiful Fodder - One of the best reasons to use the Warden as your sponsor, is that he has access to a lot of super inexpensive, and infinitely expendable, Convicts. No one in the known universe is going to miss one of these felons if you decide it is time confound your opponent by making one explode. At a cost of 4 MC for the Con and only 5 MC for a Runner, even with the cost of the explosion you're only talking about 7 or 8 MC - still a great deal!

Well-Rounded Pool - On the whole, even if you are only using Convicts (as I often do), you have a very good pool to pull from to make up your team. Thugs are amazing Guards. Runners are Human Strikers, so 50/50 on each dice for those Skill checks. Scoring and Slamming is what the game is about, and you can make a team of 4 Thugs and 6 Runners if you want and be pretty good at both.

FUN! - Ok, one of the reasons you are going to play the Warden is that he is just plain fun! Using Thugs to crush your opponents, blowing up Cons in the middle of a couple of enemy players, watching the opposing coach's face as you break his Striker's bones, this is why you play the Warden!

"Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women." - Conan the Barbarian (paraphrased from Genghis Khan)

Drawbacks:
Be the Better Man - It is hard to make an elite team with easy Scoring power using the Warden, the Warden specializes in brutality. With a Kalyshi Striker or a Yndij Reaver completely out of your reach, the only top-of-the-line player available to him is the Jetari SL-22 "Thrower". The problem with the "Thrower" is that with so many options for cheap troops, you are going to want more players rather than "good" ones.

Variety is the Spice of Life - You just aren't going to be playing a wide variety of players. I mean, you can, but you won't. Sure, you might have a couple of Zees, or a "Thrower", or the Spinpede, but you are going to have mostly Convicts on the pitch for you.


Custom Options:
One of my favorite option for the Warden, I have spoken about before on the blog, I call it Speed Freaks and Roid Rage. It consists of entirely Convicts, mostly Runners and Thugs, to maximize the potential of each. You could go with something different, and I am certain some interesting choices will eventually become available for the Warden, but for right now, it is all about configurations of Convicts. So, just do it, and have fun!


Grade:
A

PLAYER: Con (Human DBX Convict)

PLAYER: Con (Human DBX Convict)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Expendable - Ok, let's be completely honest, the only way you are going to be feilding a Con is if your Sponsor is the Warden. The Warden can enlist the help of a Con for cheaper than any DBX player currently available. At such a cheap cost, you almost have to factor in the 3 MC to surprise the poor guy by making him explode! Unless one of the other Convicts are surrounded and a perfect target for the BOOM, you can bet I will make a Con explode, probably from directly off the bench.

Human - They basically have human stats... I guess that's a plus?


Weaknesses:
Well, they got caught at some point - In order to be a "Con", you are more than likely not the "best" at what you do. At best you are average, and not particularly good at anything.

Boring - I find the Cons lack ANYTHING that make them interesting. *YAWN*


Best Sponsor:

Warden - So cheap! They are nice to fill out random MC slots for the Warden. You will probably end up with at least one on your team. Blaine would not even look the Con's way.


Overall:
There are warm bodies on the pitch! You can make them explode!
...I am not a fan. I wish I had more to say on them.

Grade:
D

PLAYER: Runner (Human DBX Convict)

PLAYER: Runner (Human DBX Convict)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Cheap Date - If you are playing the Warden as your Sponsor, you will be hard-pressed to find a better MC expenditure than the Runners. They are expendable and dependable- meaning they will either Score or draw in a bunch of opposing players for a nice Ka-Boom!

Human Striker - Another advantage that the Runner brings to the pitch is the fact that he is a human striker. He is average at basically everything - Dodge, Throw, Pick Up the Ball and Score. Being basically average is better than being bad.


Weaknesses:
Thin Skin - Worst armor save in the game (at least stat-wise). Ugh. If you are taking an armor save, you are more than likely getting injured, or worse.


Best Sponsor:

Warden - 5 MC for a Striker, I don't think you will ever see a cheaper Striker in DBX. And the Convicts were specifically designed for the Warden. You don't need to vary from what works. And plentiful, expendable Strikers work perfectly for the Warden's style.










Overall:
When using the Warden, I like to have tons Runners. Are they great? No, not really. Are they cheap and "good enough"? Sure are, when there are enough of them. I usually take AT LEAST 4 on every Warden custom team I design, more often than not, 6. And if one is letting you down, well, there is always the Explosive Collar. :-)

Grade:
C +

DBX TEAM CONFIGURATION: Speed Freaks and Roid Rage (Warden)

With 70 MC, there is only so much variation that can come into play so early in DBX. One of the more successful configurations we have been trying out has been what I like to call Speed Freaks and Roid Rage. This team, and the slight variations on it, involve letting go of most of the Convict Jacks in the Warden's team. It looks something like this:

Speed Freaks and Roid Rage (Original)
Warden
Thug x 3
Runner x 6
Con x 1
Total: 64 MC

This original setup allows for one Jack to hang in the back and be ready to jump onto the pitch if he is needed in the middle of a rush. It also leaves enough MC for 2 uses of the explosive collar. The 6 Runners give the Warden ample chances to score and the 3 Thugs ensure that there is a lot of blood on the floor. It is an all Convicts team with a 10 person crew and it works pretty well.

Variants
I have one friend that likes to drop the Con for another explosion.

I have another friend that likes to drop a Con and a Thug to grab a Jetari SL22 "Thrower" - this makes the team slanted heavily towards the scoring end of the spectrum.

I have tried it dropping one Runner and one Con and picking up 2 Zee Buccaneers. It worked decently.

Conclusion
I find that the best is still the original. It is simple and sticks to doing a few things well. Until we get a few more options, I think this is my go-to Warden list.

PLAYER: Thug (Grogan DBX Convict)

Thug (Grogan DBX Convict)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out

Strengths:
Overwhelming the Opponent - The Thug does exceptionally well Slamming the single opponent, especially a Jack that would only be 3 dice anyway (regardless if they are Slamming Back or Dodging) - the Threatening ability just makes the Thug a one man wrecking crew. Add someone else for the additional minus to the opposing player and you are almost guaranteed to put them on the ground!

Not Bad at Other Stuff - The Thug does not suffer so badly from the curse of the strong guard, he has a decent Speed so he can actually at least have a halfway decent attempt at a Dodge. His Armor is also pretty good. And his Movemment is the same as the average human. All-in-all, he is good all-around player in general.

Weaknesses:
Target - I find that the Thug becomes a big target wherever he goes. This can be used to your advantage if you realize what is happening. Or it can frustrate you if you really want/need to use the Thug somewhere.

Best Sponsor:

The Warden - Um, complete no-brainer. Though he is fine with Blaine, in all honesty, he really shines with the other Convicts along. His MC cost to the Warden is not extraordinary, and the return on investment really makes Thugs a good choice for up to 3.










Overall:
Great player, especially for the Warden. If crushing and maiming your enemies is your thing, and your playing Dreadball Xtreme, so it is, then the Thug is your go-to player. Right now, he breaks heads like nobody else for the price.


Grade:
A