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".

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.

TACTICS: That Stinks! (Hobgoblin Team)

That Stinks! (Visitor)

Red - Hulk Guard, Orange - Hobgoblin Jack, Yellow - Hobgoblin Striker

If there is one thing that the Hobgoblin team is know for... well, it would be the Hulk. But, the second biggest thing the Hobgoblin team is known for is their horrific (and fantastic) Stench! This starting formation as the visiting team is a highly aggressive utilization of the Stench ability.

I have set up 4 Jacks and one Striker along the front line of the visiting side. This setup covers anywhere the ball might come out, except the odd bounce on a roll of a 6. This is going to force your opponent to deal with, or attempt to deal with, the short, stinky front line before trying to score. Sure, they can try to Evade past your players, but the odds are NOT in their favor as the Hobgoblins threaten 360 degrees. The best tactic for the other team is probably to just straight-up attack you, but that will deplete precious resources, and of course, there is the Hulk lingering in the background. If someone comes on your side of the Pitch, you can almost guarantee when it is your turn, they will exit the Pitch immediately!

This is a "high risk-high reward" initial setup. It is probably not as good against a Bashy team as it is against a Striker-heavy, Jack-heavy, or Balanced team, as the Bashy team will probably be super happy to see all those targets right there. And as always, do keep in mind your opponent's setup and counter it as best you can. 

But when in doubt, at least make the other coach yell, "That Stinks!", when they see your setup. :-) 

PAINTING: Challenging Myself to Paint!

I made a promise to myself when I received my Kickstarter shipment earlier this year. I promised that before the next Wave arrived, I would have my Season 4 teams painted. Now, this promise was made easier by the fact that one of my friends had paid for the Brokkr team and one of my friends had paid for the Sphyr team. But that still left me with three teams to get painted before the next shipment, and for me, that is a big deal. I felt determined it should happen.

Team One Martians

The first team I completed was the Martians! They were a lot of fun to paint, even though it took me a long time to do it. I went with a pretty traditional scheme for their colors. When I play them, I say, "Ack ack!" every time I shoot someone. 

Team Two Rebs

The second team I finished up was the Rebs! I went with a blue on blue scheme for them. It went well with most of the other color choices that I was thrilled! My wife particularly liked the Sorak Jack painted in turquoise. I actually was pushed to finish these guys because I "oathed" to do it on the MANTIC MADNESS Facebook group - I was an Oath Keeper! 

Team Three Hobgoblins

The third and final team I completed, and thereby fulfilled my promise to myself, was the Hobgoblins. I started them a long time ago, and finally completed them right after I finished up the Rebs. My idea was to do a Dark Brown on top of a Light Brown for a team, then do the inverse for another team of Hobgoblins (which would give them close enough colors to use in a league). The original team turned out pretty good, but the secondary team did not. The Light Brown on top of Dark Brown just doesn't work. Oh well, at least one team is painted! I did vary some from the original scheme thanks to a comment from RavensaursRex, and I like the result.

ALSO, I finished another team in the time period!

Team Four Orx and Goblins

AND, I repainted a team too!

Team Five Asterians

  

So, when I receive my Season 5 and Season 6 Kickstarter teams soon, I challenge myself to paint at least three of the teams before the end of the year!

TACTICS: Asterian Forward Commanders Setup and Hobgoblin's Middle Irk Setup

Please note, these two setups are to be understood independently of each other, they are just presented on a single pitch because one was for a Home team and one for a Visiting team. In the future, I will display only one side at a time for individual team setup.

Asterian Forward Commanders (Home)

Red - Guard, Orange - Jack, Yellow - Striker

I like this setup for the Asterian for a number of reasons if you are the Home team. 

The first reason is that you have your Guard on the Pitch at the beginning of the game. With the ref starting on the Visiting side, it is much more likely that you Dirty Tricks is useful on the first Rush--use it! Try to take out a Striker, or failing that a pretty hefty Guard. Once the first Rush is over, and you find a Rush that you have two Actions left (this seemed to happen a good bt with the Asterians believe it or not), then exchange him for one of the Jacks. The Jack will do just as good at Dodging as the Guard, so blocking the 4 point hex line works fine, plus you always have that Taking a Dive to use. 

Second reason, you have a Jack positioned in the direct center of the Pitch to move down and try and clean a path to either a 3 or 4 point goal using Taking a Dive. If this isn't necessary for some reason, he is still a decently reliable player (heck, an Asterian Jack is nearly as good as many teams' Strikers!). This give a bit of flexibility, which is nice.

Speaking of Jacks, if that center jack does not use his Taking a Dive, perhaps in the third Rush, one of those jacks in the 1/2 point zones can use their Taking a Dive. You are bound to have some of the opposing coach's players on your side, and they are surly asking for a Foul!

Finally, the pinnacle of the Asterian team, the Strikers! These guys are amazing, if you didn't know! Use their incredible movement and Speed to get into position to score that 3 or 4 points. You can go for a 1 or 2 pointer, and you might have to depending on you opponent, but push the Strikers to move down the Pitch and try every time for a 3/4 point goal. They can easily get there and score without breaking a sweat on the very first Rush--they may need the Jack to try and clear a path though.

Hobgoblin's Middle Irk (Visitor)

Dark Blue - Guard (Hulk), Light Blue - Jack, Green - Striker

For this Hobgoblin setup, what I focused on was getting to the second Rush. If the opposing coach is smart, the first thing he does to the Hobgoblins is remove their Hulk, or try to at least. So, this setup first and foremost is about protecting the Hulk. 

The Hulk is flanked by a Jack on either side*, their Threat Hexes, combined with Stench, helps protect the Hulk from ever side and angle--unless you are going to come all the way around and Slam/Throw the Ball at the Hulk from directly behind him. Once you are in the second Rush, these two Jacks become the Hulk's little buddies. They should lead an advance and have the Hulk follow, devastating the opposing team. 

One Jack stays back to protect the 4 point hex.

The two Strikers are guarding the 2 point lanes on either side. They are there because you will need them on the second Rush, to hopefully score. Should the other coach go after one... good, the Hulk can turn them into paste next turn. 

*One note about this little threesome, it can also work if all three move back a hex, putting the Hulk in the 4 point hex, but I generally like them as far forward as possible. Either is extremely effective.

PAINTING: Hobgoblin Prototypes

Got a little bit of painting done today during nap time. I wanted to go with a different color than the studio Hobgoblin team. Thought about red, but my Orx are a traditionally painted red team. I liked the idea of brown due to silly connection to the "Stench" ability. I like the way they are looking, but they still need a little cleanup.

TEAM: Rallion Roses (Hobgoblin Team)

Rallion Roses (Hobgoblin Team)
Reviewed during early Season 4 for DBO only


Strengths: 
Hulk Guard - This brute is a literal monster on the pitch! I always run a stinky little hobgoblin beside him for a extra -1 to whoever I am about to Slam - couple that with Mighty and this guy will just make the opposing coach lament having come to the game. Positioned correctly, the Hulk can take out 2 guys in a Rush, no problem.

Stench - What a fun rule! This is really the only thing that helps these little guys out when they are Slamming Back (jack) or Dodging (Striker). There are a lot of interesting positioning options for these guys when you want to be a detriment to your opponent but not hinder yourself, as the stink is 360 degrees.


Weaknesses:
Skill - You are going to need those Coaching Dice you get at the beginning and from the damage the Hulk is going to cause. Hobgoblins have trouble Picking Up the Ball, Throwing, Catching, and Shooting. Always have a Striker near/in scoring position and use that Coaching Dice to Catch/Shoot the ball.

The Hulk's Backside - Having to Dodge with the Hulk is something you DO NOT WANT TO DO! Taking him out from the rear is not that hard. Guard it, or at least make it difficult to get to. One good Slam in the back from even a guard with even average Strength can take the Hulk out.


MVP Recommendations:

The Praetorian - I will probably be recommending this guy a lot with a number of teams for a variety of reasons. Here, the reason is Skill. You have to have someone on your team that can score reliably. The hobgoblins are great on defense and destruction, but there offensive scoring ability is inversely proportional to their offensive odor.

The Enforcer - This guy has it all! And who is a better compliment to the Hulk than Ironman! With a Strength the same as the Hulk's, plus his own way to get to where he needs to be with Jump (as opposed ot the Hulk's Trail Blazer ability), The Enforcer is mechanical mayhem on the move! And you could go with Buzzcut, or The Excavator, or Yurik Yurikson, but none of them have a Movement or Speed stat like The Enforcer.






Overall: 
The hobgoblin team is a riot to play. The Hulk is one of the most fun pieces in Dreadball in 9 out of 10 games (then there will be the one where he is killed the first rush and you will hate life). The stinky little hobgoblins are also fun to run around with and foul up the place with -1s everywhere. They have a few drawbacks, but the are a viable team, in my opinion.


Grade:
B -