Reptiliad Team - reactions?

[lerchey]

Hi Again,

I've been asked by our league commissioner to get reactions to some of our home-brew teams. I previously posted the Cultists and got some very good feedback (albeit from only one poster!).

Next on our list are our Reptiliads. These minis use the figures from RAFM Miniatures, which can be found on Impact Miniatures site. Pics can be found on our league website (http://okapi.andrew.cmu.edu/TRAVL) under the side link for the 1167 Season Results by clicking on the name "Banished Ones".

Team layout:

QTY Position Cost STATS Skills Imp
0-16 Line Packer 70,000 7 3 4 7 None GA /SP
0-2 Pusher 80,000 6 3 4 7 Stand Firm GS /AP
0-4 Leaper 90,000 9 2 4 7 Catch, Leap A /GSP
0-2 Flanker 100,000 6 3 4 7 Guard GA /SP
0-2 Spoiler 120,000 8 3 4 8 Block, Jump Up GA /SP
Rerolls 50,000

In the 1167 season the Banished Ones played a total of 9 games, including a playoff game. Record was 6-1-1, and they lost the playoffs against a really nasty dwarf team.

Final lineup looks like this:

Spoiler 8347 Block, Dodge, Jump Up, Leader, Side Step, Frac Skull (-1 AV) 39SPP
Spoiler 8347 Block, Jump Up, Frac Skull (-1 AV) 0 SPP
Leaper 9247 Catch, Dodge, Leap, Pass Block, Diving Catch 58SPP
Leaper 9247 Catch, Leap 0SPP
Pusher 6347 Stand Firm, Block 7SPP
Flanker 6347 Guard 4SPP
Flanker 6347 Guard, Block 11SPP
Line P 7247 Smashed Collar Bone (-1ST) 0SPP
Line P 7347 Strip Ball 8SPP
Line P 7347 Block 7SPP
Line P 7347 Block, Fend 25SPP
2 Line P 7347 4 and 2 SPP

2 Rerolls
1 Asst Coach
3 Cheerleaders
1 Apo
FF 6

So, whatcha think?

[Leipziger]

Seem like an interesting team to use. It seems very expensive to put together though. You can get a bunch of linemen, but unless you play a long season or get very lucky on wins + winnings, it is going to take a long time to fill up on positionals. Equally, it must take a while to recover when you have one of those games and lose 2 or 3 players to serious injury/death, which will happen as practically all the players are AV7.

With the skills they get as starting skills, I am sure they are a lot of fun to play with when you get a good spread of players. They are like ueber skaven.

[lerchey]

Leipziger,

Yeah, not "my" team, but I've played a bunch against them, and only won 1 game. They are expensive, which is their only (IMHO) downfall. With all having AG 4 and lots of positionals, they're a fast and nasty team. But they do tend to suffer badly when they lose players. One of our coaches, with an undead team, killed one of a line packer and went out and got a reptiliad minis and made a zombie out of it. :)

I look at them as "superskaven" or "superdarkelves".

Thanks!

[Jural]

OK, so this is a Wood Elf team with:

Better catchers (Leap is a game changer, Dodge is nice to have.)

Two positionals that start with guard

Two more positionals that have STR access and Stand Firm

No throwers or treemen

Wardancers, but not as we know them (no dodge, no leap, but +1AV and Jump Up.)

So the Wood Elf team loses dodge on 6 players, and puts leap on a less optimized piece, but a 0-4 piece. Then the nearly useless Wood Elf thrower is converted into two very useful bashy pieces, and the treeman is likewise removed

Yes, they are expensive, but no more so than the Dark Elf squad. I think the problem is that they are just too good at ball pursuit. With starting guard players they can break open any defense or offense, with leap supporters coming in from the other side (if needed.) Stand Firm can hold the center of the field for a turn or two, and AG 4, MA 7 means repositioning is a cakewalk.

I just think this team is clearly better than the Wood Elf squad, and that isn't OK! High cost may be a problem, true enough. But it's the only problem!

[lerchey]

Jural,

Thanks for the comments. :)

As someone who plays against the reptiliad team, I have often commented to the owner that it looks like they have *exactly* all of the skills that they need at all times, despite the high cost. Most teams are lacking in something - dwarves can't move, elves are soft and very non-bashy, lizards don't start with any block, chaos starts with (essentially) no skills, etc. The reptiliads seem to be designed to score, and they do so frequently.

We tracked (in the last season) the top 3 players for most TDs, CAS, CMPs, and INTs.

Banished ones had 2 of the top TD positions, one player with 12 and one with 8 for the season. A dwarf-from-hell was also on that list. :)

There were very few interceptions, with a fair number of players with 1, and they had a player there.

They didn't rate at all in CAS or CMPs. But in scoring, they simply walk all over folks.

I think I'll always hate them, and cheer gleefully when they die. :)

[Darkson]

I seem to remember Guard being a big No-NO on team creation (like Block on a ST4 player).

[Lictor]

I seem to remember Guard being a big No-NO on team creation (like Block on a ST4 player).

It is a big no-no. No other team has starting Guard for very good reason: It is a ba$tard of a skill. For a team to start with it with Block players is almost crazy.

I don't like this team, it's only weakness is it is expensive, which only affects LONG term development in that it will be harder to buy back anyone who dies, but they are not slow and Ag4 also means anyone you do buy back will skill up quickly anyway.

I don't like it.

[Carnis]

don't like it either.

BUT, those leapers are worse than woodies. A - access, no block, strip, daunts etc..

[Ogre Marauder]

Nice idea, but would need tweaking for balance I think.

Guard would need to go - as already commented on above by others
Strength access on AG4 players is also a bit of a no-no I think - compare with any sort of elf team --- no ST access at all (not counting the IMHO not needed treeman)

Maybe something along the lines of:
Line Packers - OK
Pushers - probably OK if they lose ST access, but I'd consider replacing them with a 0-1 'Big Guy' with Juggernaut or maybe a 5428, Juggernaut, Frenzy, G / ASP 'Monitor Lizard' (similar-ish to an Ulfwerner but obviously more expensive)
Leapers - reduce MA to 7 or 8 and lose Catch - they can always get it later! or go a different route entirely
Flankers - replace Guard with Grab(?) - keeps a ST skill in there, still useful but not as great as Guard
Spoilers - a bit too fast again. Would probably be OK at MA 6 or 7

Just my initial thoughts above - may make little or no sense...

BFN

Paul

[lerchey]

Thanks, all of you!

Couple of comments... :)

1) The team was designed to "fit" the reptiliad models. Thus, no big-guy, and positions are (at least named) for the models from the old RAFM lurpa ball (sp?) game.

2) I wasn't aware that Guard was a no-no for starting, and likely the guy who designed them wasn't aware either. He will be soon. :)

3) I have to agree that an all AG 4 team with high speed is evil.

A lot of the suggestions for re-skilling the starting positions sound pretty good. As does losing access to S skills.

I will also say that the team is a stone cold bitch to play against. They dodge like mad, handle the ball effortlessly with AG4, and generally dominate the field. The only game I've won against them was using a very powerful dwarf team (one dwarf runner is 7438 Block, Sure Hands, Thick Skull, +ST, Pro, +MA, 55 SPPs) who simply removed most of the lizards from the field. By the second half the reptiliads were down to 5 players. :)

Thanks again for the comments! I'll likely post my turtle team next for a nice ripping. :)

[Darkson]

You might find these guides helpful, but remember - they're GUIDES only, and they were all made for LRB4 and earlier.
http://www.midgardbb.com/BloodBowlPlayers.html

[lerchey]

Darkson,

Thanks! I believe that our commish has that article. And I'm sure that I've read it before. It seems to be generally good, despite it's age.