TEAM: Trontek 29ers (Human Team)

The Trontek 29ers (Human Team)
Reviewed during early Season 4 for DBO only


Strengths: 
Average - The fact that all the human stats are average can be a benefit on the pitch. Nothing is terrible on their stat line, nothing excels but nothing lacks too bad. Dice and cards modifying average stats are much better than dice and cards modifying poor stats.

Cards - The biggest advantage may well be getting 2 cards to start the game with - the only team that starts that way. This advantage cannot be overlooked. Two cards definitely helps mitigate the average statistics, especially when you need that extra Throw from a Striker or Slam from a Guard.


Weaknesses:
Average - Just as much as the average stats can be a boon, they can also be a detriment. Again, nothing is terrible, but nothing is terribly good.


MVP Recommendations:

Grak - A brute to be sure, but a brute with versatility. His Pile-driver ability helps tremendous in taking people off the pitch and to control where the the player ends up. With the same Movement and better Strength, Grak would be a fantastic addition to the 29ers.

"Lucky" Logan - Logan is a premier player. Fantastic Speed and Skill, in addition to a Movement already faster than the average human, make "Lucky" a no-brainer choice. Oh yeah, and he is "Really Lucky", which is awesome.










Overall: 
The original Dreadball team is still viable on the pitch of today. Though they cannot compete stat for stat against many of the later season teams, the extra card and versatility of the team helps more than I usually think it will. I am never disappointed when I play them, maybe it is that they lend themselves to my play style, or maybe it is that that they still got it. And, if you add just a little spice to them with an MVP or improve them slightly via experience in a league, they really shine.


Grade:
B

TEAM: Greenmoon Smackers (Orx and Goblins Team)

Greenmoon Smackers (Orx and Goblins Team)
Reviewed during early Season 4 for DBO only


Strengths: 
Orx - Big strong greenskin savages smashing head on the pitch, that is what the Greenmoon Smackers are all about! The three massive guards are the heart and soul of this team. Their Strength makes them a force that you cannot ignore on the pitch.

Goblins - As far as jacks go, Goblin jacks are pretty good. They have excellent Speed and Skill rivaling that of a human. Now, I know that they would be better if they were Strikers, but as jacks they still perform better than one might expect. I would recommend going for the one and three point shots with 2 dice rather than the two or four point shots with 1 - unless you have to be spectacular to win the game with that two or four point shot.


Weaknesses:
Lack of Strikers - Now, I know I just went on about how I think that the goblins are pretty good. Having said that, they are not Strikers. You are not getting that extra boost to Catching, Throwing, Stealing, and so on... that can really hurt.


MVP Recommendations:

"Slippery Joe" - This guy is just what the Smackers need. He is a fabulous Striker. Great Speed for Dodging, Stealing, and Evading. A Safe Pair of Hands is a great trait for that unexpected Catch. Jump is a wonderful underrated ability that Joe can really take advantage of. And of course, Roll too! If you can contract him, do it.

Buzzcut - Go for OVERKILL! Taking out everyone on the pitch is viable tactic with the Orx and Goblins and Buzzcut makes it all the more efficient. I say have on Goblin grab and hold the ball, and then send Buzzcut and three Orx after anyone left on the pitch!









Overall: 
The Greenmoon Smackers are somewhat overshadowed by some of the other power teams taking the feild today, but they are not out of the running entirely. You need a good strategy and a few lucky rolls, but the Orx and Goblins are still pretty good. I enjoy playing them and still put them on the pitch a good bit.


Grade:
C +

TEAM: ShanMeeg Starhawks (Asterian Team)

ShanMeeg Starhawks (Asterian Team)
Reviewed during early Season 4 for DBO only


Strengths: 
Strikers - Speed tests are your friend when playing the Starhawks. Evade with ease. Steal the ball. Dodge. Add to that Movement better than a human, that easily makes these some of the best Strikers in the entire game. Run then Pass, Catch and Score. The strength of the Asterians lie in their master Strikers, oh yeah, and there are four of them!

Foul - What good is a Guard who has the Strength of a Goblin, you might ask? Calling a Foul on someone out of nowhere! And jacks, the position most coaches despise, they can get a Foul called on someone too! Sending people out without them doing anything is so devious, and helpful.

Defensive Coach - Don't forget to roll for some Defensive Coaching Dice every rush! You need these to keep the Fragile Asterians alive. The dice you get might be the difference in making to the next round or not.

Weaknesses:
Brittle - The Jacks and Strikers are both Fragile. This really, really hurts when playing a bashy team. If you cannot Dodge out of the way, you are likely looking at a few rushes out of the game, if you are lucky.

Straight Forward - One potential drawback is the fact that their game plan is usually pretty to predict. Asterians are going to go for the highest possible point value available to them on the board. Rinse. Repeat.


MVP Recommendations:

The Enforcer - Want a Guard that can Slam from a distance further away than even your Asterians can move, and do it fantastically well? Oh, let's add in that he can Dodge just as simply as you can. The Enforcer will be the Starhawks best friend.

The Praetorian - If you want overwhelming potential to score that Strike and pull off that landslide, forgo the Slams and just score! The Praetorian adds a boosted verision of the same amazing Striker (minus one Speed). Use him and win, quickly!









Overall: 
I won our league last year with the Asterians (The Anak-Suna Moons). Not only did I win the league, I had a landslide in every match, except the one I lost to the Corporation. The potential for scoring with the Starhawks is out of this world. Speed and Movement are the most reliable thing they possess. Sometimes, it is better to hold those Fouls, but I almost always used at least one in each rush. These guys are Fragile, but if they weren't they would be too unfair.


Grade:
A

TEAM: Nemion Oceanics (Sphyr Team)

Nemion Oceanics (Sphyr Team)
Reviewed during early Season 4 for DBO only


Strengths: 
Tail - The Sphyr tail makes the everyone just plain better. No longer do you have to worry about turning your back to someone. Heck, if you think they might try to Steal the ball, you are better off turning your back to them! This feature alone added to the average stats would make them good either but, there is one statistic that is not exactly average.

Movement - These guys are fast! The extra point bump from the average human Movement stat really makes a difference. Sprinting those extra two hexes, or even to Run that one extra, can make all the difference in the world.


Weaknesses:
Average - No starting dice, the human stat line (save for Movement), not terrible at scoring or killing, but not built for scoring or killing either. This might be a turnoff to some coaches. If you want to play a skew team, go somewhere else. This team does not have a lot of special rules (Tail is it), and no monstrous stats.


MVP Recommendations:

Buzzcut - This is the kind of team that could really make Buzzcut shine! Not that he isn't one of the best MVPs period. But with the Sphyr, Buzzcut has a team that can keep up with him and watch his back! If you want to add some one to crack some skulls, Buzzcut is the perfect match for the Sphyr.

Irsala Sephalin - Keeping with the look and theme of the Sphyr, Irsala is a great choice. Plus, she is a hell of a jack. Her Movement is not quite as fast as a Sphyr, and she has no Tail, but she does have Alert. She also has Gotcha! for some crippling of the of side's players. Plus, she has the same Skill stat as a Sphyr, which makes her a decent jack grabbing the ball and tossing it for a Sphyr Striker to score with. Oh yeah, and she has Steady and Toxic!





Overall: 
The Nemion Oceanics are going to be a force to be reckoned with in one off games and league play. They are not the strongest team on the pitch, or the toughest, or the best at scoring. What they are though is pretty good at everything, and they are all fast! The Sphyr are going to easily take a lot of people by surprise by being well-above average.


Grade:
A -

PAINTING: Martian Dreadball Team Prototype

I was pretty happy with the way this little guy turned out. He took quite some time for me - I am still a novice painter at best.

A lot of the techniques I used, I found in this video:

Looking forward to getting these finished and seeing how they play on the pitch.
Ack, Ack, Ack!

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 -

TEAM: Rotatek Rockslides (Brokkr Team)

Rotatek Rockslides (Brokkr Team)
Reviewed during early Season 4 for DBO only


Strengths: 
Slam - The number one thing that the Brokkr team does well is Slam. Much like their Forge Father cousins, when they reach their target, they can really put a hurting on them. One guard can really hurt an opposing team, but having 4 starting guards can lead to devastating an opponent. This is the number one thing that a coach should use to his advantage.

Steady - And should your Slam or Slamback not succeed, you are still Steady, regardless of if you are a Jack or a Guard (Strikers are Steady too, but of course cannot Slam or Slamback). Having this on everyone just makes sense for a dwarven team, the Midgard Delvers should really have this too in very least. Steady should be a racial trait for a dwarf. This is a super little passive advantage.

Grizzled - Having this on a Striker is the only mitigating factor against any opposing player that decides to do a Slam against a Brokkr Striker. It does help. This is easy to forget and it is up to you to remind your opponent!


Weaknesses:
Movement - Movement 4 is just crippling to many peoples' play styles - including my own. It often takes a double Sprint to get to the ball. And often getting that extra -1 dice threat on someone then Slamming them can cost nearly an entire rush. Sometimes a card can help some with this, but relying on that is rather fool hearty. If you are playing against a Movement 5 team, maybe you will do alright, but a Movement 6 team will just run circles around this dark little guys.

Speed - Want to hold on to the ball Mr. Striker? Yoink! No, you don't! Want to dodge this Slam MR. Jack? Negative! Dash, evade? Sorry, those just isn't in the cards for you. This is a major disadvantage. Mix this together with the slow Movement and there is a recipe for an easy Steal and "Keep Away" game your opponent can play.


MVP Recommendations:

The Praetorian - This guy will VASTLY improve your game. He makes up for all the weaknesses that the Brokkrs have, and is just about the best Striker in the game anyway. Just keep him safe! (Nightshade could also serve a similar purpose)

Irsala Sephalin - Why Irsala? Well, she is brings an awesome advantage to the devastating power of the Brokkr guards with Gotcha! She also has Steady, just like the rest of the team. And among other benefits, she brings a surprising Speed and a great Skill for a jack.









Overall:  
Before saying anything else, I have to say, they look cool as hell.
Ok...
The Brokkr team is a vast improvement over the Midgard Delvers. The Rockslides could hold their own better against the teams from Season One and Two. In my opinion though, with the teams from Seasons Three and Four in the mix, I just wouldn't play them. Maybe they just aren't my style, but I just can't see them competing against teams like the Nameless or Rebs - at least not without MVP assistance.


Grade: 
C - *

*(for DBO as it is at Season 4, compared to Seasons 1 or 2 teams, they are an easy B + or better)