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

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.

PLAYER: Kalyshi Jack (Asterian DBX Kalyshi)

Kalyshi Striker (Jack DBX Kalyshi)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Look Out, Behind You! - With no ref in DBX, there is no such thing as a Sucker Punch - that works so well for the Kalyshi Jack. These sneaky ladies like to hit you when you are looking. The extra dice on this is great. Plus, with such a high Movement state, it is easy to set up. Use this to take out those players with a low Speed stat that you wouldn't hit in the face.

Look Out Behind You! - Shove. This takes some getting used to, but can be an awesome ability. Shove that Thug into the hex beside that crate - BOOM! Shove a player out of the 3 point hex and score the game winning point. Shove is a great ability, learn to use it wisely.


Weaknesses:
Head-to-head - These Jacks do not excel in Slamming someone head-on. I mean, they can do it... but I wouldn't. This does present some difficulties. You usually have to use an Action to get setup for a Slam, and though this is common for all Jacks, the Kalyshi Jacks REALLY need to be in the back arc of someone to do damage. If you just want to Shove, go for it, but if you want to hurt someone, don't go face-to-face.


Best Sponsor:

Blaine - They are part of his stock team. They are cheap for him to purchase in custom teams. And they are decent players who can enter the pitch at any time you want and possibly free up that hex you want to be in. They are good, they just don't shine easily.










Overall:
You can choose to Dodge or Shove in response to a Slam. You can free hexes up. You can possibly hurt someone with a Backstab. They are good and well-rounded players, but they are never really my star in a game. Solid... not amazing.

Grade:
B -

PLAYER: Kalyshi Striker (Asterian DBX Kalyshi)

Kalyshi Striker (Asterian DBX Kalyshi)
Reviewed when only the DBX box set was out


Strengths:
Ain't Nothing Gonna Breaka My Stride - If a Kalyshi Striker wants to get somewhere, it is hard to stop them. Evading is no problem with their fantastic Speed stat. Their Movement is as great as any of their race. They can use Jump to get over that player on the ground, that Thug blocking their path, or that box that was a dud and is still sitting on the pitch. These Strikers get to where they are going.

Speed - Even though Speed is a part of the point above, I think it is such a great stat score for them that it bears repeating. I played the Shan-meeg Starhawks Asterian team in a league last year and won it, losing only one game - this was in no small part due to Asterian Speed. The ability to Dodge with this Striker is phenomenal.


Weaknesses:
Injury - If your opponent can manage to double the Slam on you, the odds on your Striker getting hurt are pretty good. And once they are on the ground, recovering from those injuries isn't easier either. I find this to be the biggest issue with the Kalyshi Strikers. You are better off bringing a new Striker on the pitch usually.


Best Sponsor:

Blaine - Well, considering they are his "stock team", Blaine is the obvious choice here. I think they would be fine for the Warden too, the problem is that they cost him 23 MC! They work great for Blaine though. I usually don't even beginning designing my customer team until I have 3 of them on the roster.










Overall:
Great Speed, decent Skill, great Movement, and Jump (never underestimate Jump) makes these Strikers well worth the inclusion on a Blaine team. I love their play style and it is just up my alley. Their finesse is one of the only weapons Blaine has to counter the brutality of the Warden's Convicts on the pitch.

Grade:
A