Underworld - Putrid Sump Pirates (Blog)

Vinz D. · Post by **Vinz D.** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:12 am

After not having played for a month or two, I had a league match last night and decided to try out an Underworld team. It consisted of a Troll, 2 Blitzers, 2 Throwers, 2 Linerats, 4 Goblins, 3 Re-Rolls, 3 Fan Factor, 1 Assistant Coach, 1 Cheerleader and an Apothecary.

My first match was against a Skaven team with $140k team value more then mine, so I induced Nobbla "Don't you just loooooove chainsaws?" Blackwart and got all the luck Nuffle could grant me for free with it as well. Now my opponent's Skaven were already considered something of an 'unlucky' team, but if you roll a 6 to intercept with a Troll (when he REALLY needed that pass!) and get to score with it as well, then apparently Nuffle was indeed cheering for the Underworld team. Eventual score was 3-0 with 5-2 in casualties.

The current team roster is as follows:

#1: Warpstone Troll @ 5 SPP (1 TD, 1 INT)
#2: Skaven Blitzer @ 0 SPP
#3: Skaven Blitzer @ 2 SPP (1 CAS)
#4: Skaven Thrower @ 8 SPP (1 TD, 1 MVP) -> rolled 5 + 6
#5: Skaven Thrower @ 0 SPP
#7: Goblin @ 4 SPP (1 COMP, 1 TD)
#8: Goblin @ 2 SPP (1 CAS)
#9: Goblin @ 5 SPP (1 COMP, 2 CAS)
#10: Skaven Linerat @ 0 SPP
#11: Goblin @ 2 SPP (1 CAS)
#13: Skaven Linerat @ 0 SPP

3 Re-Rolls, 4 Fan Factor, $60k banked, 1 Ass. Coach, 1 Cheerleader, 1 Apo

Now our league consists of a fair few bashy teams and several players really get their kick out of beating other teams into oblivion. (An easy example would be the all-guard, all-block, all-tackle, all-mighty blow Dwarf teams).

What would be a reasonable setup for skill advances in these cases? (Also with the 5 + 6 roll for my Thrower).

Greetz

Ullis · Post by **Ullis** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 9:26 am

That's an unusual SPP spread on a troll.

I'd definitely get the +AG on the thrower. I think the Underworld team really benefits from having a reliable ST3 dodger. Additionally, I find the passing option great for the Underworld team because of the mobility of the players.

JaM · Post by **JaM** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 9:31 am

Yes, take the AG.

After that I reccommend gobbos with 2 heads, and claws on the blitzers.

Some dirty player gobbos are nice to have too.

Leipziger · Post by **Leipziger** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 9:37 am

I'd echo Jam's thoughts. Juggernaught/tentacles on the Troll. Getting horn on a gobbo can also be useful.

Post by **DoubleSkulls** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:00 am

That's interesting I hadn't thought about tentacles. I was thinking of the Troll probably more along the blocker/shock absorber route - guard, claw, stand firm. Block on doubles of course.

Given the lack of Av & resilience in the team does building them as a trap really work that well?

TuernRedvenom · Post by **TuernRedvenom** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:04 am

ianwilliams wrote:That's interesting I hadn't thought about tentacles. I was thinking of the Troll probably more along the blocker/shock absorber route - guard, claw, stand firm. Block on doubles of course.

Given the lack of Av & resilience in the team does building them as a trap really work that well?

I wouldn't do it either, it also combo's badly with really stupid. It is a really good pick on a chaos mino though.
First choice for me would be either:
* Claw (long term): really speeds up development a lot and makes opponents think twice before man marking him with a longbeard for the entire game.
* Guard (short term): because you have a fragile team and are in dire need of an "anchor" in your otherwise weak line. For the same reason I'd give the blitzers guard before claw as well.

Vinz D. · Post by **Vinz D.** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:13 am

So, +1AG for the Thrower...

... And Guard for Troll + Blitzers.

Any hints on how to handle Dwarves/ Orks/ heavy hitters in terms of play and skill choices?

Greetz

JaM · Post by **JaM** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 11:52 am

Claw. AV7 orks and dwarfs are much better to handle that way.

And, if possible, dont let them turtle up, but harass them and score asap.
Mobbing up on a dwarf that falls behind is perfectly legit for this team.

If they dont have tackle, dodge out (easy with gobbos), even with the Skaven. throwing a gobbo to the opponetns players is a tactic you might consider also.

Good luck !

TuernRedvenom · Post by **TuernRedvenom** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:08 pm

JaM wrote:Claw. AV7 orks and dwarfs are much better to handle that way.

But before you go the Claw route make sure you have some guard in your team because otherwise our Claw players won't be throwing enough blocks against those bash teams to make a difference. Claw on it's own just isn't enough, besides gaurd you'll also need Mighty Blow on top of Claw to really put a dent in those tough teams.
Remember the Norse principle: AV doesn't nearly make as big a difference (which is where claws matter) in a brawl as the amount of blocks you throw vs the ones you receive (which is where skills like guard matter).

Claw could be a good pick on the Troll though, he has high STR so doesn't need assists to throw 2-die blocks and he already has Mighty Blow.

JaM · Post by **JaM** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:17 pm

Not sure... it's in the same league as "MB first, then block, or v.v".
Claw will let them break more armour, thus having a better shot at getting SPP for getting injusries.
guard is nice, but on a Str 3 blitzer with a lot of movement.. Not so sure. I know that you do need it, but there may be other skills you want before that.
MB is good (espescially with claw for a combo), but 3 skills on those expensive models (90K each IIRC) is a lot. I'd rather have something else in there when my blitzers reach 3 skills, something like frenzy, tackle,...

Personally, I'd go with claw first, after that I'd want to see what the rest of the team, and the rest of the league looks like.
Maybe it's just that "back then" you needed a double for claws. on this team, you just take them. I think that's a bonus, and one of the good reasons to play this particular team.

Just my 0.02 €

JaM

p.s. I do agree on your blocking-philosophy though. The more the better. as long as the other team is on the floor, AV doesnt maater for YOUR players. It will work for norse of course ( that rhymes ! yay!) but I doubt that it will for this team.

TuernRedvenom · Post by **TuernRedvenom** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:50 pm

JaM wrote:Not sure... it's in the same league as "MB first, then block, or v.v".
Claw will let them break more armour, thus having a better shot at getting SPP for getting injusries.
guard is nice, but on a Str 3 blitzer with a lot of movement.. Not so sure. I know that you do need it, but there may be other skills you want before that.
MB is good (espescially with claw for a combo), but 3 skills on those expensive models (90K each IIRC) is a lot. I'd rather have something else in there when my blitzers reach 3 skills, something like frenzy, tackle,...

Problem is those blitzer (and the Troll) are the only ones with regular access to strength skills. If they're not taking guard who will? Besides that they are IMO the best players (after the Troll) to give guard to, better then average armour and start with block.
Having guard gives you more blocks giving you a better chance to cause injuries and an easier time scoring touchdowns, so this helps getting spp's as well although it isn't so obvious. It also means you will be taking less return blocks meaning your players will live longer and can actually do something with the spp's they've gathered.

p.s. I do agree on your blocking-philosophy though. The more the better. as long as the other team is on the floor, AV doesnt maater for YOUR players. It will work for norse of course ( that rhymes ! yay!) but I doubt that it will for this team.

Obviously it won't work as well for underworld as it does for Norse. But it does make a real difference! A few well placed guarders can work wonders!

I guess it comes down to playing philosphy. Taking Claw early is a high risk/high gain strategy IMO. If it works out and you can cause a few early cas with it's great and you have a chance of steamrolling over the opposition.
Taking Guard is more a low risk/low gain strategy. It will help you throughout the match regardless of your opponent but you'll need to play it right (position your guarders) to score a win.

Ullis · Post by **Ullis** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:58 pm

I've been meaning to take Claw on the first Skaven lineman to reach 16 SPP's (Block being the first skill). The second one will probably get Tackle as the second skill. Those are normal skills for the linemen, and as Tuern said, S access is scarce and the team does need Guard. If I get doubles, I'll probably take Dodge on the linerats.

My troll took Claws as the second skill, but that was an obvious choice as the first skill was a lucky Block. Mind you, I still would've taken Claw after Guard (on a normal roll) too.

PubBowler · Post by **PubBowler** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 4:33 pm

I was thinking Claw, Tentacles, Guard, Stand Firm for a Underworld Troll.

I think the Blitzers have to be Guard carriers but see the temptation of pain givers.

SierraKiloBravo · Post by **SierraKiloBravo** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:23 pm

You might want to think about sidestep on the blitzers, if you ever roll a double. My understanding is that the conventional wisdom has the blitzers acting as blockers on your defensive line, so that sidestep will help.

plasmoid · Post by **plasmoid** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:27 pm

Hi all,
I've got a creepers team with 20 games under it's belt, and a good record.
You can see my team here:
http://www.midgardbb.com/MBBL/teamView.php?teamid=577

But in 20 games, I've learnt a thing or, and this is what I'd do 2nd time around:

For gobbos: 2-heads first. On (almost) everone. Mobility is key!
For skaven: Dodge on doubles, because getting bashed is your weakness. Only 1 thrower should go for strong arm instead. Throwers should go extra arms first. Other than that, kick-off return on a thrower has been my most pleasant surprise.

Troll: Claw. Then tentacles.
My troll went tentacles first, and has only earned 15 SPPs in 20 games! So he never reached claw. And this team needs a hitter or 2, to keep up in the game of attrition.

TuernRedvenom about Tentacles:

I wouldn't do it either, it also combo's badly with really stupid.

In all fairness, nothing combos with really stupid.
But tentacles actually work great when you don't dare activate the troll!
He has worked great for me, tying up an opposing star or 2, letting my other players compete against the rest.
And claw is awesome against bashers, and bashers are causing me more trouble than finesse teams.

I might go claw, tentacles, stand firm (combos well with tentacles) then guard.

Cheers
Martin

PS, I have just one guard, and it hasn't been a big problem.