TEAM: Sulentic Shards (Crystallan team) Review Version 2.0

Sulentic Shards (Crystallan team)
Original Assessments in Gray from MAy 26, 2015, revised assessments in white.

Strengths: 
A Team of Bruisers - Having 5 Guards with an Orx Strength is no joke. These guys hit like a ton of bricks. Every single Rush you should be Slamming a couple of opposing players. This team is not for the timid. This is truly where the teams advantages are. Not just the Guards either, the Jacks are 3+ Strength too, and benefit from Harmonics. This team is a force to be reckoned with. The Crystallans also may be one of the top teams to benefit from the Star Realms League rules for Organized play. Being able to Slam from 2-3 hexes away, with 3+ Strength, and between 3 and 5 dice makes the Jacks no joke when it comes to crushing your opponent on the field. And in the Star Realms rules, if you can clear the Pitch so that there are no opposing player on the Pitch at the end of your opponent's turn, you automatically win in a 7 point landslide!

Pitch Perfect - Harmonics is a very strange ability, it definitely has some depth to it. Having the plus to Movement in most cases is a must. The extra dice to Speed comes in handy more often than I would have initially thought, and when you can get the extra dice on Strength for the Slam, that is amazing. With the Movement 5 bonus being the one you will see the most often, that should be the only one you rely on getting (much as I alluded to in my original Overall thoughts).

Defensive Chops - With the right setup, defending your side of the pitch is made easier by the Harmonics ability. Spacing your players to grant bonuses to other players is key. Knowing the capabilities of your opponent will help you know whether to set up for the blocking of the front 1-2 point zones or blocking the 1-2 centers and crowding the 3-4. I hold to The C3 Defense being the best setup if you are the Visiting team. It has proven itself very strong. Try it out.


Weaknesses:
No Strikers - Well, scoring is not easy with the Crystallans. A jacks only team is a challenge, but this is not an insurmountable obstacle, I mean look at the Orx. :-) This is a very difficult hurdle to get over. Jacks are less reiable scorers than Strikers, plan for this difficulty.

Clumping - If you are not careful, you will find your players clumped together. An astute opponent will try to get you to maneuver your players into areas that will handicap your ability to defend. This is also made even more difficult by one's own brain constantly saying, "Yeah, but 6 dice Slams!" It takes a few games to not fall into this trap. But if you can plan ahead, this weakness can actually become a strength as you learn where a player should end up when performing an action - it might be different than other teams.

They Are Big Rock Guys - Terrible Speed and Movement. Now these are mitigated by the Harmonics, but you cannot rely on it all the time. Getting the ball stolen is a problem. Try your best to Threaten hexes around your Jack if you have to hold on to the ball. If you can manage to be within three hexes of two Crystallans, you get an extra dice for Speed rolls too.


MVP Recommendations:

Crypt - This guy is a great choice if you are going for a team to crush and destroy your opoent, in a literal sense. With a 2+ Strength and a higher than average Crystallan Speed, this guy is a murderer. With a possible 6 Dice Slam on a 2+, you are all but guaranteed to send someone off the pitch with every Slam!

Any Striker MVP! This team would kill for a Striker. Whether it is Nightshade or the Praetorian or WHOEVER, it doesn't matter, grab 'em!


Overall: 
Don't fall into the trap of HAVING to have full Harmonics on everything you do. Crystallan Guards are utterly amazing BEFORE the extra dice from Harmonics. Take advantage of the single bump from Harmonics that 1 other Crystallans near you grants, this is a great advantage in and of itself. Use the plus to Speed to keep your players safe from those in the back Slams, and when you need to Steal (but you had better be Threatening the ballholder with at least one other Crystallan too!). If you are willing to put in the time on the Sulentic Shards, I have a feeling that the reward will proportional. If you are a fan of the Orx from Season One, I think you might enjoy the Crystallans. I agree with the original assessment for the most part. Like each of the teams from Season Six, the Crystallans are not a "pick up and play" team. They take time to learn and time to master, but I think they are a bit better than I originally thought having played with and against them more now.


Grade:
C +

C + is probably right, but easily a "B" if in the Star Realms League

TEAM: Glambek Gosts (Ada-Lorana team)

Glambek Gosts (Ada-Lorana team)

Strengths: 
Phasing - This is obviously the special advantage only the Ada-Lorana have. Being able to just ignore the other side's players and position wherever you want is cool. This does make positioning pretty simple. AND, it has the added bonus of subtracting dice to to Slams (yours and your opponent's). This makes them nigh impossible to take out, especially when you couple it with...

Gaseous beings on Speed - The entire team has 3+ Speed. With the negative to Slambacks, I even find myself using a Dodge on my Guards! Taking out a an Ada-Lorana is ridiculously hard! 

Cards and Dice! - The Glambek Ghosts begin play with a Card and a Coaching dice. Considering their stats, I am not sure this was neccessary, but if you are playing them, it really makes you happy.

Great Strikers - With average Movement, decent Skill, amazing Speed, and Phaser, the Strikers really deserve a specific mention themselves. They are fantastic!


Weaknesses:
How many players? - You only have 6 players to put on the Pitch. When you lose someone, even for only a Rush or two, you feel it. And should someone get lucky, or your dice rebel against you, and you lose more than one player, you game becomes a bit more diffcult.

Damaged - With only one Guard, you don't have much of a bashing game to speak of. If you want that in a team, I would look somewhere else.


MVP Recommendations:

M'Zei Kein - Though it might not intuitive, I think that the best bang for your buck is going to be M'Zei Kein, the Tsudochan MVP. You might be tempted to grab a Buzzcut, or Enforcer, and they would be fine choices, but I think that to completely dominate the Pitch, just add a little Push to the mix. Everyone but the ball carrier will be able to Phase, so we should fix that! With Push, you can clear the Strike Zone, or remove a Threatening player. You can move a Striker that extra hex to allow him to Throw without moving. I really think that utilizing M'Zei Kein for the Push is the way to go. Oh, and he is a Guard with 360 and Grizzled... so there's that too!

Overall: 
The overall themes of the Season Six teams are "practice to perfection" and "utilize your uniqueness". The Ada-Lorana are by far the most forgiving of the season (as long as you keep them alive). The are great at getting into place, Stealing, scoring, and not getting hurt. Honestly, they would be a great team for a player that is fairly new to the game. That is not to say they aren't pretty awesome for a vet to play with... then they are awesome!


Grade:
A-

TEAM: Wu-ling Wanderers (Koris Team) Review Version 2.0

Wu-ling Wanderers (Koris Team)
Original Assessments in Gray from May 8, 2015, revised assessments in white

Strengths: 
Portals - The portals are just so much fun! They add another layer on the game. Use them to Score. Use them to Slam. Use them to block line of sight. Use them to help guard your back. Use them to clog up your opponent's path. The possibilities are endless! I would add one huge extra to this too. Because of the way portals work, if you utilize them, it pretty much grants you an extra hex of movement (or possibly two if you jump from one to another). The more I play them/see them played, the more I think this is a great tactic to keep in mind and to develop as part of your team strategy.

Finally, Jacks that I can live with... - I love the fact that now, I can use one jack to place a portal, then use another jack to move one space, that becomes one space on the other side, then still Throw the ball. I think this is a huge boon for a jack-heavy team. I finally have some jacks that I...like. This is even more relevant if you are play with the Star Realm League rules where a Koris Jack could move 2 hexes and get a throw off.

Gotcha! - With the two Guards working together, or a Guard and a Jack working together, Gotcha! is fantastically powerful, even if you only have the Strength of a Corporation Guard. For a team with only two Guards, Gotcha! is more effectively used as a defensive tool I have learned. If you are playing the Nameless, no doubt it is offensive - Sticky Guard with Gotcha! stands beside the target, then the Hard Guard rushes him. But on the Koris, in my experience, it is a tool best used to guard Strike Zones and Threaten players who have the ball, or need to get the ball. Though, an occasional Gotcha! to hold someone for a Slam is always a good thing!


Weaknesses:
Maybe the four legs work independently? - Movement the same as a Forge Father is never good. Of course, because of the portals this is mitigated a good bit, but it is worth a mention, because... Movement 4 is bad. See above comments on Movement for a slight addendum to this.

One Striker - Want to paint a big target on someone's back? Make them the only Striker on the team. This will be the first person that gets killed on your team, and rightly so. Protect him... or use him as bait. :-) Still a big issue. You will get one, MAYBE two Rushes out of this guy against a good opposing player.

Portal Placing - Two things here: 1 - Until you get practiced with the Koris, the fact that placing a portal takes a full action from a Jack can really mess up your plans. 2 - You have to be thinking a few steps ahead to execute the Koris portals "Pitch perfectly". This is going to be a stumbling block for some newer players.


MVP Recommendations:

I am going to wait on this until I can see the Koris MVP and th other Season 5/6 MVPs are capable of. Still not used any MVPs with them, but they could definitely use Kryphos for sure! That guy is a literal and figurative monster!

Overall: 
I really enjoy playing these guys - I can't wait to have the actual models! They really open up a new level of game play, both you and your opponent. I think that the DB community is going to find a lot of interesting and innovative ways to use them. I might use them in our next league... we will see. I honestly believe that this team is going to be one of the teams that you are going to to get what you put into them. If you try them once or twice and decide you don't like them, that's cool. But if you are willing to put time into this team, I think the returns will be awesome! The play style needed to play them properly does not develop in a game or two, I can feel the understanding of how to use this team deepening each time they are on the Pitch in front of me. I seasoned Koris player is going to be a difficult player to stop, especially in a league environment.


Grade:
B -
But definitely an "A" for fun factor!

B
Still an "A" for fun factor!

SIDELINE REPORT: Greenmoon Smackers vs Wu-ling Wanderers

This game was played with a specifc purpose in mind. I wanted to try out the new Jack rules that are in the Star Realms League Play Pack. So, I asked my opponent to choose a Jack-heavy team, as did I. I went with the Marauders and my opponent went with the Koris.

Orx Guard - Red, Goblin Jack - Orange, Koris Guard - Dark Blue, Koris Jack - Light Blue

I pulled the Home team for the Marauders. I decided to go with a highly aggressive setup on the center line. I wanted to get the Orx on the other side and see if I could wreck some ugly Koris face. I did put one goblin in the front line too, you know, for the ball. I also decided that with the portal movement the Koris can manage, I wanted to guard the 3-4 point Strikezone - two goblins and an Orx.

My opponent went with a similar setup in the 3-4 Point Strikezone. He chose to use two Jacks to Guard the extra point hexes in the 1-2 point zones too. And finally, he went with a Guard in the center, no doubt to try and attack the poor Marauders on his turn.

The first few Rushes saw the Orx and Goblins dominate. By the end of the third Rush, 5 Koris were off the Pitch and I had scored a 4 point Strike with a Goblin! My dice were above average for sure, and my opponent's dice were... awful.

The game began to balance out after that. The Wanderers came back on the Pitch slowly, but with the use of the portals and some luck, they did manage to score a 2 point Strike. My opponent did a good job of placing the portals and utilizing them. 

The Goblins began having butter fingers and flubbed some easy rolls. The Orx continued to beat down the other side, but more knocked down models than sent off the Pitch as the game moved along.

The final score was in the Marauder's favor, but just.

Thoughts on the game:

• Orx are still big boys! They crush like it was Season One all the time!
• Koris Movement 4 HAS TO be mitigated by the portals.
• The Koris Striker is a huge target, and is taken off the pitch easily - use him for the big score and then pray he doesn't die.
  
• Goblins Dash well... unless they don't.
• The Koris Guards are better than I originally imagined.
• Slamming to get the ball is usually better than trying to Steal.

Thoughts on the new Jack rules:

• The new Jack rules will matter the most for teams with Jacks that have decent Strength. I think that the Teratons, Brokkrs (and I guess by extension the Forge Fathers), and the Crystallans will gain the most from these new rules. Being able to Slam with a 3+ Strength from 2-3 hexes away is a fantastic boon to these teams.
• The all-Jack teams for instance, can only be improved by the rules of course. I am not sure it will make them more competitive though. Time and playing them will tell, but my gut says that it will not vastly improve them.
• Void Siren Jacks! Um, a Running Interference Slam from 3 hexes away is crazy, crazy good!
• Z'zor Jacks... makes the Z'zor Striker useless now.
• The Sorak Jack will be improved by this change (like the Rebs needed another boost!).
• Martian Jack guns?!?! Does it work on their guns?

MANTIC DREADBALL UPDATE: Organized Play Kit

Under the Dreadball Support section on the Organized Play Page from Mantic (http://www.manticgames.com/organised-play.html) there was quite a treat, specifically in the League Play Pack. Let me cut to the chase!

"The new boots have granted the Jack players better stability on the pitch and as a result confidence in their abilities in the game. While playing in the Star Realms League all Jack players may move up to half their movement, rounding up, when performing a Slam, Steal or Throw action and may be used with Run Interference."


WOOHOO!!!! A Jack upgrade across the board! Now we are talking! This should really change things for a LOT of teams out there - Marauders, Robots, Zzor, Zees, Martians, Koris, and of course, the Rebs, and probably many more... Before I go gushing about how this is the exact fix needed, or how I am super happy with Mantic responding to players' concerns, we are giving it a go Monday night. I will report back on Tuesday in a special Sideline Report!

There were some other changes in the document too:

"In homage to its violent past the Star Realms League runs a little differently to normal leagues. In game terms this means that if either team has no players on the pitch at the end of their turn then their opponent wins with a 7 point victory regardless of the score when the game finishes. In addition to this any player removed from the pitch injured as a result of a Foul action generates a Fan Check."

There were some changes to other aspects too, leveling up, free agents, so on (please take a look), but everything seems overshadowed by the Jack change.

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!

TACTICS: Dealing with difficult teams... the Rebs

The Rebs

or "The Unincorporated" 

Following in the specialization trend that started with the Nameless, the Rebs are a a dream team of sorts. With pretty much the best Striker in the game, a Jack actually is a reliable receiver, a different Jack who doubles as a Guard, and a Guard who double as a double of himself, this team is dynamite. Looking at their stat line alone can make most coaches start down a losing path before ever putting a player on the Pitch. What is to be done?

1. Let's look at this logically. The most dangerous player on the team is the Striker. Why? Because he can VERY reliably score very Rush. He needs to be your first target. A smart coach will only begin with one on the board, as not to lose both super-stars super quick. So, this is a background stratagem that should become a laser-focused-must if a Reb Striker is on the board. 
2. Don't freakout too much over the damage potential of the Rebs. The best Strength on the team is 4+. A Gaelian Jack might hit you from downtown, or a Rin Guard might try to Pummel you, but you aren't up against a Hobgoblin Hulk here. Your odds on surviving are pretty good, depending on who you
   
   are of course.
3. Remember, there is only 2 of each position. This can be used to your advantage if you watch the opposing coach closely. He will probably lean harder on some players than others-take them out. Make your opponent play a game he is not comfortable with.
4. As far as the Gaelian goes, get in his face. If you are adjacent to him, he hits like a regular old Jack. This takes away his distance and momentum advantages. If he wants to go somewhere, at least he has to make a 2 Dice Evade test on a 4+.
5. Guard the 3-4 point zone by clogging it up. Make your opponent have to clear this zone to score, because clearing it will be harder than scoring for him.
6. Do not underestimate the Sorak Jack. If he gets in your strike zone, he has a good chance of scoring too. Normally, he won't be going for extra points, but I have seen coaches ignore him and regret it later.

My ragtag group of Rebels!

Hopefully, these few little tidbits helped alleviate some of the terror you might feel when you see the Rebs on the other side of the Pitch. Next installment, the Convicts, the newest "big bads" and deservedly so.

COACH'S CORNER: Giants - Part Two

Giants - Part Two

Synechdoche

First off, the model... meh.

If you know that you are up against a "turtling"-style team, like a Forge Father, Brokkr, or a non-Striker team - pretty much anyone who will have to retain the ball over time to control the pace of the game, the Synechdoche might be a pretty good choice you. Also good against Hobgoblins... just saying, taking control of a Hulk and Slamming the little guys on the Hobgoblin team is a sweet idea.

The Synechdoche's stat line is for crap, I mean awful, but that isn't why you are taking him. You take him for the ability Mind Control. With this ability you can take control of a player from the opposing team and basically have them hand over the ball, or set themselves up for a Slam, or move out of the way, whatever. Mind Control is a great ability, but a seasoned coach will pick up on the tactic pretty quickly. He won't be able to stop it, but he might be able to mitigate it some.

The question is, does this ability warrant only having 5 players on the Pitch and the expenditure of 15 MC. Cheap for a Giant, expensive for a regular MVP.

Grade: B

Brank ‘BOOM-FIST'

I am a sucker for this model. I love it.

Talk about making Big Mech completely redundant, wow. Brank has a 3+ Armor, due to being a Keeper, and Can't Feel A Thing. Taking him out is nigh impossible! And with his 3+ Strength, he is a force to be reckoned with on the Pitch.

He is slow... Forge Father slow, but for once, it doesn't really seem to matter. I mean, he even has a 4+ Speed-jealouos much Brokkrs? :-)

Oh yeah, and Skill matters some, he has a 4+ there too.

'Boom Fist' is not bad at all for an anchor piece on the Pitch. He is a big stompy thing that is almost unkillable. Plop him down in the 3 point Strike Zone and... nothing, just let him sit there, forever.

And he looks so cool!

Grade: A -

Skarathron

Model, ok I guess...

A fast, Threatening Jack with Stretch. I am not seeing the appeal. Really, just not. I would rather take Alpha Simian over this guy-though in all frankness, I am not sure I would ever take a Giant Jack.

For 20 MC, give me a Striker MVP and a Guard MVP, over Skarathron any day.

Am I missing something here?

Grade: C -

Karadon

Crazy shark guy. Not crazy about the mini, it's ok though.

A Threatening Keeper with a Strength 3+, not bad at all. This is the damage-dealing other side of the 'Boom-Fist' coin. He has a Move of 5, so average on that. Speed 4+, so average on that. Skill 5+, eh, not great for a Keeper. But of course, with the better Armor (seemed to be misprinted as 4+ in the book, it should be 3+), he is still a monster. Pun intended.

You could do worse than Karadon for 19 MC, I put him up there as one of the better Giants for sure.

Grade: B +

So that puts my tiers of Giant Assessment as the following:

Tier 1 (A range)
Nameless Spawn - The Irresistible Force
Brank 'BOOM-FIST' - The Immovable Object

Tier 2 (B range)
Dozer - Our Lady of Wrecking Face
Karadon - Giant Shark of Destruction
Synechdoche - Strange ... the... the.. Greatest Player of All-Time Ever... I must serve Synechdoche...

Tier 3 (C range)
Skarathron - Big 'ole Fast Spider-Thing
Alpha Simian - Dreadball's Monster Ape
Barricade - Rolling Wrecking Ball

Tier 4 (D range)
Big Mech - Big Disappointment

TACTICS: Dealing with difficult teams... the Nameless

In my opinion, there are three monster teams to fear across the Pitch from you in Dreadball: The Rebs, The Nameless, and the Convicts. These three teams are really tough nuts to crack, and usually have the upper hand from the moment the ball is launched. Each has different strengths and weaknesses, and dealing with them can be nigh impossible without a plan... so, let's make one!

The Nameless

The original boogeymen and rightfully so! There is not a player slot wasted on this team. Both Guards have their purposes, one for Threatening and one for Slamming. And the Strikers are just plain great at moving the ball down the Pitch, and pretty good at scoring to boot! What should we do?

1. Don't panic. The players might be from disparate races that resemble ancient deities worshiped in the dark recesses of mankind's undreamt past, but the coach is still human (probably). Watch for openings, he can't protect all scoring lanes and go after your players too. Take careful note of the positioning of Guards, it might tell you where he is aiming for on your team. Pray to your own gods that the dice do not favor him. ;-)
2. If you are a squishy team, try to stay 6 or so hexes away from the Hard Guard. He can Dash for 6, but most coaches won't risk it. If you stay 6 away, then he will probably be using 3 Actions for an attempt at a Slam. One (maybe two) to get the Sticky Guard in place. Then one for a Hard Guard move. Then another to Slam. 
3. Keep the pressure on the other coach to score. If you have a fast and decently skilled team, score. Then score again. Concentrate on the point total and keep the pressure on. If the opposing coach is playing catch-up, he has less time to be killing your players.
   
4. If you are a bashy team, kill the Hard Guards. Team up and put them in the dirt. Do everything you can to take them out of commission. They only have a 5+ Speed, and if you can get behind them and/or them one or two dice down, you can at least send them off the Pitch. It might seems smarter to go for the Sticky Guards, but they have a 4+ Speed for a better Dodge, and they are only Movement 4, so less versatile. The smart money is on taking out the Hard Guards. I would be willing to entertain arguments for focusing on one of the other two positions if you think you have a good reason though.   
5. Clog up the entire 3-4 back line. Leave the 1-2 point scoring zones open if you have to, but protect the back field. This will slow their advance tremendously.
6. Don't panic.

Well, there's a start to playing against the boogeymen... next installment, those pesky Rebels!

COACH'S CORNER: Giants - Part One

The next two Coach's Corners are going to be a two part look into the Giants of Dreadball, in a literal sense. Giants are an interesting aspect of the game that, quite honestly, very rarely see play in my neck of the wood. I think the main reasons for their absence are:

1. We tend to play a whole lot of one-off games.
2. In our last league, there weren't any Giants "for sale"... or maybe there were and no one "bought" any.
3. Until very recently, only two of our local players had any Giants (and one was a rare attendee of game nights). 

We are trying to get more on the Pitch now though. So, we'll see. We have talked about doing more Exhibition Games rather than just straight-up one-on-one games.

I am splitting the section up into two parts:

1. Part One is going to be a look at the Giants released in Season 3. This is the section below. 
2. Part Two are the Giants from the Season 6 book, which are available already.

So, let us commence with Part One...

Giants - Part One

Alpha Simian

First off, I really dig this mini. Alpha Simian is a great sculpt. He looks very cool and was one of the poster children for Mantic's Giants.  

Ok, so first off he is a Jack, meh. But he has Slide and Stretch, hmmm, getting better. And he has a Speed of 3+... ok, now we're talking. In addition to that, he has a Skill of 4+. Throwing from or to a Giant is nice too, as you choose the "front hex"-they are hard to block. I am seeing a decent addition to the scoring side of a team.

So, decent at Slamming, and good at getting to where he needs to be and ball-handling. Is he worth 19 MC? Is he worth 19 MC when you compare him to other MVPs, like The Praetorian for 11 MC, or even Mellisandra for 10 MC (both from the same Season 3 book)? Well, probably not. At least, not as far as my play style goes. 

Grade: C 

Barricade

Next up is Barricade. The mini itself is alright. I like that it has wheels. :-)

He's a Guard with a Move 6 which is great, but a Strength 4+, which is pretty middle of the road. He also has Stretch, Threatening and Comin' Through! All these abilities are good. The is all about barreling through your opponents and Slamming them from a decent distance away. Oh, and a Speed 3+... huh, that is unexpectedly good.

He is meant to be a cannonball, rocketing through the opposing team. I wish he were a regular-sized player though-this is really an overall trend in my way of thinking with Giants. For  cost of 18 MC, I can get me Buzzcut, or a Grak, and still have enough left over for another MVP (not necessarily a good one, but another body on the Pitch, which of course Giants count as 2 players).

Grade: C +

Big Mech

Very cool Deadzone-styled model. I love it!

Threatening, awesome! Can't Feel a Thing, excellent! Strength 3+, yes! Showoff, ok. Jack, what the ...

Had Big Mech been a Guard, he would have been SO MUCH BETTER, but alas, he is a Jack. And as bad as it is to be a Jack in regular DBO, being a Giant Jack is worse.

Sure, he is hard to take out, very hard to take out. Sure, he hits like a ton of bricks. But his effective Slam range is one hex away. Ugh.

I mean, I get the big Gorilla being a Jack, and he is a decent one at that, but I see Big Mech and my brain screams, "GUARD!" 

I can't see a situation where I couldn't find something better to spend 19 MC on.

Grade: D 

Dozer

The model is fine... 

Guard, Threatening, and a 3+ Strength, now we're talking. I realize that she has a Move of 4, so she is slow, very slow, but she is finally a Giant worth really looking at! She has a Threatening Slam with 6 Dice on a 3+, with Brush Aside, nice! Very nice!

Plus, wanna hit her in the back? She ain't having it! With Teleport, she is outta there! This is a nice mitigation of one of the weaknesses of the Giants.

For 19 MC, she is a fair purchase. There might be better uses of your MC, but at least this one does not feel like a ripoff.

Grade: B +

Nameless Spawn

And finally, we have the Cthulu monster that apparently scares the bejesus out of everyone! Nice model for that!

Here we have a Guard, with the so-so Strength 4+ stat, but... but... but... THREATENING AND GOTCHA! Unholy crap! This Giant is freaking crazy. You realize, of course, that means you are on a 6 Dice Strength 4+ Slam against an opponent that is rolling minus two Dice (or minus three if you thought ahead and put another player Threatening him)! 

The Nameless Spawn is a murderer. Period. This creature excels at casting opposing players into an early grave. And yeah, go ahead and try to Slam him head-on... go ahead, at your minus 2 Dice. Good grief.

Oh yeah, and a Speed 3+ is pretty nice too!

Now 21 MC, that is still a steep price. If you had the perfect combination of MVPs, you could probably get a more powerful bang for your 21 MC... maybe. If it is an important game, and let's face it, what game isn't? The Nameless Spawn is not a bad choice.

Grade: A -

Next week, the second wave of Giants...

 

 

TACTICS: Tsudochan Scoot!

On an all Jack team, you often have to be creative in the way you move the ball around the board to score. Luckily, if you are the Tsudochan, you have a bigger tool belt than most, using your Push ability. This is a simple tactic, but hey, everything doesn't have to be deftly crafted by Hannibal to be valid.

Let's say you have a Jack go to pick up a ball on the Pitch, and sadly, he does not double the Pick Up, meaning he only has a single space to move and throw with his second action. Well, if you are using the telekinetic Tsudochan, this is not a problem. You can be up to 6 spaces away from where you would like to throw, and not incur the movement penalty (up to 7 if you don't mind being at minus one dice on that throw).

Orange - Tsudochan, Dark Blue - Other Team

Ok, our Jack is the only Tsudochan on the opposing teams side of the Pitch. We could try to Sprint someone over to that side and Throw the ball to them, either being Threatened or having to Evade once. Then our Jack would have to Throw the ball successfully, and that other Jack would have to Catch it... Too many points of failure, and maybe the only option for some teams, but not for the Tsudochan.

Instead, let's just use our "psychic" abilities and move our guy down the Pitch. Our first action was the ball Pick Up. The second, third, and fourth actions will be using other members of our team to move our Jack down the Pitch:

Then, "Tada!" Our Jack has our team's final action to attempt the 3 point shot with 2 Dice. Not bad at all.

Remember, when playing the Tsudochan, play the game your way, not the opponent's way. Use your Push to move your guys into position, or move the opposing coach's players out of the way. Look for lanes and how to use them. It requires a different mode of thinking, but it is a lot of fun.

TACTICS: Gaelian Get-Around

Here is a simple tactic that demonstrates just how amazing the Gaelian Jack is. It also shows how as a defender, you have to have very careful planning to avoid the Rebel charge.

Often, when a coach is on the defending side the Pitch, he will set up in a heavily defensive posture. This is a good idea usually, especially since the defending coach has to take it on the chin for the first Rush. A normal defensive setup is having players defending the Center Strike Lanes on each of the Strike Zones (especially the 4 Point lane of the furthest Strike Zone). When I say the Center Strike Lane, I am referring to the following:

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to clear up that center lane, and have a chance for your Ralarat Striker to throw in for that 4 Point score? Especially considering the Ralarat Striker is the best in the game at doing that... Of course, that would be nice. Well, with the Gaelian Jack, you have a solid chance of doing just that. Let's start with the players involved...

Orange - Gaelian Jack, Blue - Defender

 

So, the two players involved here as Gaelian Jack and your average Defender. Ok, usually the side of the Pitch in-front of the Gaelian Jack is clear. So, here is what you do, numerals are movement, the 10/11 Hex is a slight pivot to the left...

This sets you up for a pretty straight-forward Slam, and with Charge!, you are hitting like a Guard!

 

Now, the defender might not make this super-easy. The defender may well be a player with Speed 3+. The defender may be a Hobgoblin, or a Sphyr. But, more often than not, in what I have seen on the table, the player in that spot is a Guard (or a Jack). If they are a Guard, usually there Speed is less than their Strength, which means this rear Slam have a good chance of knocking them down. Which means, you have a good chance of getting that 4 point score.

BTW, don't follow-up on the Slam. :-)

This tactic might need to be altered slightly depending on the defender's setup. But with a Gaelian Jack with Charge!, you can probably figure out how to execute this maneuver regardless of what you opponent has done on his/her side of the Pitch. 

TEAM: Bremlin Nebulas (Kalyshi team)

Bremlin Nebulas (Kalyshi team)

Strengths: 
Asterian Scoring Chops - Want to score a goal? You can hardly get any better than an Asterian. With good Skill and great Speed and fantastic Movement, the Kalyshi are the perfect scoring team. They are reliable when it comes to putting points on the board, use them for that every chance you get. A Kalyshi Striker is one of tailor-made for scoring and...

Come on let's Jump! - Jump! Might as well, Jump! If you remember that your Strikers have Jump, you will find a place to use it. Jump is one of those underused abilities in my estimation, your experience might be otherwise. Speed 3+ Jump is even better. :-)

Jacked Up - Although they have pretty bad Strength, they have a few things to augment them, which is a good thing as they don't have any Guards on this team. Backstab is nice to have in your back pocket, but Shove is much more useful. The chance to move someone out of the way of a striking lane can be pretty handy. And speaking of strike lanes, these Jacks are fairly reliable scorers in their own right. Don't be afraid to utilize them as part of your offensive strategy.


Weaknesses:
No Dice and No Cards - This is pretty self-explanatory. They start with no advantages other than themselves.

No Guards - This team does not excel in hurting people. I have seen opponents realize halfway through a match that this team is just not set up for the Slam. If there is a useful, or dire, time you need to Slam, get those extra Threat hexes on your opponent and try to Backstab (or Shove).


MVP Recommendations:

Kailasa - First off, she is cool! I love her background, it might be a little cheesy, but it is fun. And I really dig her model. I like the fact she definitely looks like a Kalyshi taken to the extreme. Plus, she is a Guard. IS she the best Guard in Dreadball? Well, no. But she does have some really neat aspects. One, she is a Guard with Movement 6, which is a very nice start. Two, she has a 4+ Strength, not amazing, but better than her Kalyshi counterparts. Three, she has Backstab. Now, on a Kalyshi Jack Backstab is decent, but on Kailasa it is actually really good! Hitting someone in the back from 6 or more spaces away (let's face it, a Dash when you have Speed 3+ is well within reason) with 6 Dice is great, even with Strength 4+! So, yeah... do that. For 8 MC, she is a SOLID choice for any Kalyshi coach. I think she might be pretty awesome on Tsudochan team too, but that is for another entry.


Overall: 
The Kalyshi team is a team made for scoring. If you are playing them and you are wondering, "Should I hit that guy in the back, or should I try to score?" Go for the points. If the choice is doing (whatever) or trying to score, you should try to score. If you focus your efforts on getting to the Strikezone and throwing the ball in, you have a VERY good chance of winning the game. If you get sidetracked with ANYTHING ELSE (unless you have a decent MVP or Free Agent), you are risking losing the game. Do what this team does, go for the big scores fast.


Grade:
A

TACTICS: General Miasma (Hobgoblin Team)

General Miasma (Visitor)

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

After a recent game where I was playing the Hobgoblins against a Kalyshi team, and had a Kalyshi Striker smack my Hulk Guard in the back of the head, sending him out until the sixth Rush, I decided I needed a better setup for my Hobgoblins to start with when being the visiting team. I think I came up with something that works pretty well on a few different fronts, but mainly is about protection.

What does this setup protect?

1. It protects my precious Hulk. By placing him back-to-the-ref, he is protected from those deadly back-of-the-head throws. He still projects three hexes out and he is near the center line for some head smashing on the other side on the second Rush. 
2. It protects the 3-4 point goal. With Hobgoblin Jacks fully blocking the 3 and 4 point strikes, it will definitely take some effort to remove them. Plus, with Stench, they are Threatening tons of hexes all around them.
3. It protects the 2 point goal, and Threatens the 1 point attempts. By placing the Hobgoblin Strikers in the center, they Threaten ever hex of the Strikezone. 

I honestly feel this might be one of the best possible setups for the Hobgoblin team. I will let you know more after further testing.

My Hobgoblin team, "The Brown Dwarf Bashers".

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: Bremlin Nebulas vs Rallion Roses

I was lucky enough to get a match in this week with a friend of mine. He decided to play the Kalyshi. I had thought to play them too (I wrote down their stats prior my friend arriving), and though a mirror match can be fun, I went with my second choice of teams (I wrote down the Hobgoblin's stats too, so I was ready).

My friend got the Home side of the pitch. Then he went with a fairly standard setup. I went with a variation on a setup I called Middle Irk. You can see the setup a little better below.

Orange - Kalyshi Jack, Yellow - Kalyshi Striker, Dark Blue - Hulk Guard, Light Blue - Hobgoblin Jack, Green - Hobgoblin Striker

I did my best to keep up with the turns, but I have got to discover a better way than just jotting down a few illegible facts for every Rush. Regardless, here is what I wrote down:

RUSH NOTES:

Rush 1 - Kalyshi Striker throws the ball at the back of the Hulk's head and sends him out for two rounds.

Rush 2 - The Hobgoblins knock out a Striker for a round. Then the Hobgoblins score 3 points.

Rush 3 - Kalyshi score 3 points.

Rush 4 - Hobgoblins score 1 point.

Rush 5 - Kalyshi score 1 point.

Rush 6 - Hulk comes back in and knocks out a few Kalyshi, the Hobgoblins run and hide with the ball.

Rush 7 - Nothing really.

Rush 8 - Hobgoblins score 3 points.

Rush 9 - Kalyshi score 3 points.

Rush 10 - ****can't read my handwriting****

Rush 11 - Kalyshi score 2 points.

Rush 12 - Hulk fails to injury the Kalyshi. Hobgoblins flub the attempt to get the ball.

Rush 13 - Kalyshi score 2 points.

HOBGOBLIN CONCEDE. 

What did I learn?

• Don't let a Striker-heavy team get the drop on the Hulk. The Hulk being out for 2 rounds was awful! 
• The Hobgoblin Jacks are decent at damaging opponents too. 
• I also learned that Brush Aside is not as good as I initially thought-it is rather situational.
• Kalyshi, much like the regular Asterians, should pretty much focus entirely on scoring.
• Skill 5+ is terrible! Argh!

Getting both your Strikers stuck in the opposing teams goal is no bueno.