MANTIC UPDATE: Dreadball Updates from this week...

This week saw a number of Mantic updates, and a good number of them were for Dreadball! I thought I would hit a few things that I thought were some of the highlights:

The Year of Dreadball Continued... Reveal #5

• The Season 5 Teams are officially: The Kalyshi, The Convicts, The Mechanites and The Mutants. Perhaps this was common knowledge to some, but I was not sure which teams were going to be Season 5 and which were going to be Season 6, especially after the switching around for Season 4.
• Free Agent tables for DBO are to include the Free Agents from DBX! I love the idea! These guys are very flavorful and very different than the standard "player from team X" normally on the tables.
• The new MVPs are going to be fun!
• And finally, a link to a Kickstarter updates page that showed off some pics, the best of which was the Koris! Most likely playing them in the next league--they are too much fun on the pitch!

Player Manual... Reveal #6

The Sponsors, the DBO players included... this is where DBX really begins! I believe that the Player Manual is the thing that is going to break Dreadball Xtreme wide open. I have friends who really enjoy DBX, but the limited number of options put them off. "Just wait...", I said. Now here it is! Options galore!

Once More into the Pit... Reveal #7

• Variable Pitches are just an awesome idea! I love these and what they could bring to the game. 

• Riot Foam, Force Pulse and Zzzzzap! traps usable by the Sponsors sounds great! I believe DBX might overtake DBO as the standard by next year.
• Medi-bots, I am curious as to how these will work. They look great though.

• Multi-player DBX games! and Giants!

A great week of announcements. I think that Dreadball Xtreme is going to explode in the next few months! The way it sounds, it is going to be a riot to play and leagues are going to be awesome.

PLAYER: Vlorox Spinpede (Vlorox DBX Free Agent)

PLAYER: Vlorox Spinpede (Vlorox DBX Free Agent)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Rollin, Rollin, Rollin - Alright, we all know that the biggest draw for the Spinpede is the triple Movement Sprint. This puts the Spinpede on par with some of the fastest in the game.

Tough Guy, Eh? - The fact he has a good armor save is great for a Striker. Couple that with Can't Feel a Thing and a Forge Father Strength and you have yourself a Striker that is hard to put down.


Weaknesses:
Fast? - The thing is, the Vlorox is not really "fast". His actual Movement is awful, his Speed is terrible, and the one pivot part of Rolling is just plain crippling. For a Striker, he sure doesn't do anything I want a Striker to be able to do (well, he does have a 50/50 shot on his Skill checks, that is good for a Striker).


Best Sponsor:

Warden - Even though he is MUCH cheaper for Blaine, he is not even in the ballpark of a "good" player for Blaine's team. That leaves the Warden. He is pricey for the Warden, but he has a bit of a survival trait to the team for a Striker, something that the Runners do not bring.










Overall:
I cannot bring myself to use the Vlorox Spinpede, other than in the example games and using the stock Warden team. He doesn't bring much to the table. He brings NOTHING, in my estimation for Blaine. And honestly, the Warden would rather have 3 Runners with 2 losses rather than use the Spinpede. Unless a later Sponsor can bring him for super cheap, I do not see a reason to use this guy.


Grade:
D

PLAYER: Yndij Reaver (Yndij DBX Free Agent)

PLAYER: Yndij Reaver (Yndij DBX Free Agent)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Can't Touch This! - A Speed stat as good as an Asterian, but let's add in the fact he is a Striker, oh yeah, and he has Duck and Weave, that equals 5 dice to Dodge with a 66.666% chance on each dice rolled! Wow!

You Better Hurt Me! - If someone can power their way past your dexterity, they better make you bleed. If they just knock you down, well, just do a Backflip and move on.


Weaknesses:
Light Armor - Being so nimble comes with a cost. The light armor only gives you a a 33.333% chance per dice rolled of not getting injured. Not great odds.


Best Sponsor:

Blaine - Not a bad choice for Blaine's team. His cost for Blaine is that of 1.5 Kalyshi Strikers... that is about right. He adds a lot to Blaine's team, though I don't think I would ever consider two Reavers - the cost is just a bit much on that. Plus, considering the Warden is only other Sponsor out right now, and his cost for the Warden is the same as 6 Cons, the Warden ain't looking for a Yndij on his team.








Overall:
The Yndij Reaver is an awesome Striker, and with Blaine his MC cost feels right. The Yndij also brings some great abilities to the pitch, and these really feel like they are Kalyshi Strikers in the extreme. You won't regret bringing them to the game (unless someone's Thug grinds your Reaver into paste before you get to do much).

Grade:
A -

PLAYER: Pusk Rampager (Pusk DBX Free Agent)

PLAYER: Pusk Rampager (Pusk DBX Free Agent)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Ram - It is all about the Ram, my friends! This is such a crazy good ability. I am often using "the pug" (we took to calling him that) to knock players off of my Strikers' paths. It can even mean a double move sometimes!

You Can't Keep a Good Man Down - With a 50/50 shot of shaking off damage due to his Armor, you have a decent chance of not taking damage. If you are put on the ground, because of Resilient, you will be getting up sooner. Not a bad thing.


Weaknesses:
Slow - His Movement is just as fast as an average dwarf. *Sigh*


Best Sponsor:

Blaine - At 12 MC, the Pusk is not a bad choice for a guard on Blaine's team. Also, the Ram ability synergizes well with the Kalyshi Jack's Shove ability. With those two, you have some of the best board control available on the pitch.










Overall:
A bit on the slow side, and not exceptionally strong for a guard, the Pusk Rampager fits in a very different role than most guards. The Ram ability should be abused as much as possible, especially in a Kalyshi team that has Shove and Jump handy. The Pusk adds another layer of control on the pitch, and if you learn to use it, it is a mighty boon to your team.

Grade:
C + *

*(If used expertly, and in the right situation, the Pusk Rampager could easily be a B+, but on average I would call him a C+).

PAINTING: DBX Free Agents

So, I have a few of my free agents painted so far. I have the second round from the kickstarter that I still haven't touched, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Below are the Zee Bucaneers, the Avaran Treebeast, and the training robots (Jetari SL-22 "Thrower" and Jetari GL-14 "Brawler").

PLAYER: Zee Buccaneer (Zee DBX Free Agent)

Zee Buccaneer (DBX Free Agent)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out

Strengths:
Runaround - The ability to Run two Zees for the price of one is pretty sweet. You can set up Threats for Slams, set off traps, or just get into position with them. If you want efficiency, you can't get much better than a pair of Zees (though you might want to consider three).

Super Speed - The Speed stat on the Zees is remarkable. They Steal the ball with relative ease. They can Dodge like nobody's business (especially with Duck & Weave). And let me tell you first hand, watching the frustration on my opponent's face when they are trying to kill one with a Slam is worth it. I have had Zee survive ridiculous odds on multiple occasions (see next point for more on the ability to survive).

Decent Armor Save? - I love having to repeat the Buccaneers armor saves to my opponent. Most coaches expect their save to be bad, but in reality, it is 50/50 for each roll, not bad.

Weaknesses:
Ball Handling - Having mediocre-to-bad Skill stat doesn't really help these guys in the whole Picking Up the Ball, Throwing, or Catching arenas. I recommend Dunking the ball with them if they end up with it.

Best Sponsor:

Blaine - At the present, there are only two sponsors in the game, and the Zee Buccaneer costs 7 MC for each of them. But seeing as how the Warden can purchase two types of Convicts cheaper, you rarely see Zees on his team. For Blaine on the other hand, they are tied with the Kalyshi Jack as Blaine's cheapest choice, and with two of these little guys can easily do the work of three players due to Runaround. So, they are a solid choice. And used properly, they won't often disappoint.






Overall:
I really like the Zee Buccaneers. I think a lot of coaches underestimate the power of the Zees in DBX, perhaps in part to the fact they are underwhelming in DBO. I have even heard coaches say that 7 MC is too much to pay for them. I disagree. If they were 2 for 12 MC, that would seem like too much of a bargain for what they bring. If they were 16 MC for 2, that would be too much. I think that 7 MC is the correct cost for them. That makes buying two 14 MC (or 3 at 21 MC), which feels right after playing them a few times. I do highly recommend them for trap removal and for bogging down the opponent. And moving two at once, well that's just awesome.

Grade:
B 

PLAYER: Jetari SL22 “Thrower” (Robot DBX Free Agent)

Jetari SL22 “Thrower” (Robot DBX Free Agent)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Dream Striker - A Striker that is always facing you and can always try to catch an inaccurate Throw is pretty sweet. Oh yeah, and has a Skill to match even the Ralarat Striker. The Jetari SL22 is a Striker almost without equal. Not bad for an old practice bot.

Um, see above! - Seriously.


Weaknesses:
Average Chances of Survival - No matter which sponsor you are playing, this robot is going to cost you a pretty penny. And with that kind of investment, being only "average" at survival makes a one nervous. With one decent Slam, he could be out of the game. Protect him well, or keep him away from heavy hitters.

Rich Blood - His is a bit expensive for either sponsor. More on that...


Best Sponsor:

Warden - Would the SL-22 be good with Blaine? Sure. But Blaine could buy 2 Kalyshi Strikers for the same MC cost, and two of them are a better than one SL-22 from where I sit. The Warden on the other hand has the super cheap Runners, he could almost buy 3 for the cost he would pay for the training bot. The difference is that SL-22 is much better, and actually more survivable, than the Runners. I am not necessarily saying that the Warden should go with the SL-22 over 2 Runners and a Con (same cost as the SL-22), but it is a different option. And I really think that is much less of an option for Blaine.




Overall:
Wow, what a tremendous Striker! Such a great idea, model, and cool, very tempting rules. I do think the biggest drawbacks are his cost and the fact that he will be a big, expensive target. Is he great? Yes. Is he worth the cost? I usually can't justify the MC output for him. I imagine in league play that would be very different.

Grade:
B *

*(...for now, and mostly due to his MC cost for both sponsors)