5 or 6 Saurus in a starting lizardmen roster?

[drathul]

G'day All,

I'm starting Lizards for the next season of our league and I can't make up my mind as to which roster to choose.

The rosters I'm looking at are:

6 Saurus's
5 Skinks
3 RR
Bank 40K for an Apoth

Or

5 Saurus's
6 Skinks
4 RR

Or

5 Saurus's
6 Skinks
3 RR
1 Apoth
Bank 10K


I was thinking of going with the 4 RR option as Lizards don't have much in the way of ball handling skills and I imagine it will be a while before the saurus get block.
I'd appreciate any feed back or tips on playing Lizzies.

[Jonny Deth]

Eyup Drathul

(using regional greetings)

Have played AGAINST Lizards on numerous occasions if I were to play lizards I would go for number three option.

However if you were to play in my league and ask foir advice I would be recommending to a newbie lizard coach to go for 16 skinks...

In the league I run in rainy Yorkshire there are now two good lizard teams using Krox's and Saurus's/Sauri (What ever!).

However when a Lizard team runs out of skinks during a game they lose!
As they have no scoring potential and you can tie up the sausus with tackle zones to prevent them from moving. All the games I have won against Lizards have resulted in the Lizard team having no skinks on the pitch...

Good luck on your team.

[Storch]

I think it depends a bit on your league.
I
f you are in a bashy league, 6 Sauri works better.

If your league isn't as bad and you think you can pull off decent money in your first couple games, I would also suggest option 3 as it has built in protection for your skinks as they develop.

Honestly Sauri don't develop all that quickly that the extra couple game will matter there and the extra skink and the Apo would be useful.

If it helps, here's a point of reference. In my develope Lizardman team, I have the Krox, 6 Sauri, and 6 skinks (of which one is a warm body and two might get dumped due to poor skill choices, but the number will stay the same).

[DoubleSkulls]

I think the key is slow Saurus development. 6 on the team (by increasing the % of Saurus) means you skill them up quicker so I'd go for the first option.

I'd be tempted to take an AC & CL from the 40k. 20k leaves plenty spare for the apoth and you are more likely to pick up those vital extra rerolls.

If you don't want that then option B is much better long term than C IMO.

[Brokje]

Totally agree with Ian here.
More Sauri means a bigger chance for an MVP...

Cheers!
B

[PubBowler]

I agree with Ian except rather than swap 40k bank for 20k bank and 1 AC & 1CL I would take 2FF.

20k banked will still get you an apoth after the first game in all but the most extreme circumstances (which is your objective I assume).

Having FF2 is something you'll never lose and does help on a variety of kick off tables and winnings roll.

It is a bettre bet than staff when starting a league IMO.

[stashman]

G'day All,
The rosters I'm looking at are:

5 Saurus's
6 Skinks
4 RR

Go with this start-up. If skink dies, get loners untill you have saved gold for a 6th saurus and an apo. 4 rerolls are needed becuse ST4 without block is not that safe as you may think. Everytime you get a touchback, give it to a saurus! They need SPP to get skills!

[Kheldar]

I went for option one and would do it again all the time out of a very simple reason. Too secure the skinks you have to have the sauri. Without 6 sauri (and a krox pretty fast) it will be hard to put your skinks in save places.

5 Skinks is more then enough in my oppinion for a starting team. I got a apo next, and save for my krox now. If you have him, you can build a solid line, thats hard to crush vor every team.

Standard 4-4-3 setup with 3 sauri on the LOS then 3 sauri and the krox and then the four skinks. This will give your opponents lot to think of. If you are playing against a none bashy coach, you can put your 2nd and 3rd line one step closer to the LOS, because Quick snap wont hurt you that hard. And it helps to bolster your line, and makes dodging harder.

For development I gave sidestep two my four skings that got a skill after game 2. Diving tackle will follow. Take every Attrib+ you can get.

The one saurus got Block. I would recommend get Block on all them first. Maybe break tackle on one of them. Then start to develop them into blockers (guard mighty blow) and blitzers (break tackle, tackle). Skip AG+.

Just my 2 cents

[Brokje]

I would not worry too much about 3 rr or a Loner Skink. The Skink are probably going to die off pretty quick. A solid Lizzardmen team depends completely on skilled Sauri. If that means risking losing a match by burning a rr early in a turn on blocking, so be it.

Skillwise, I usually get a Breack Tackler early on, at least one. A Frenzier can be nasty, just by being there it forces your opponent to a different (more predictable) playing style, limits his/her options and with that increases yours.

Skinks I usually stash with Diving Tackle, Sidestep, and the odd Catcher.
Doubles go to Sure Hands (early on, saves rr), or Block/Wrestle.

Cheers!
M

[tenwit]

I'm also for the modified roster #1 with AC+CL. And I wouldn't worry much about Jonny Deth's concern of ending up with no skinks. If you're risking more than two blitzes on skinks per half, you're playing too riskily. Unless you're playing Wood Elves or Skaven, more than half of every game you play will be on defense, which means you'll be threatening with your sauruses, forcing the opposition to blitz them in order to make their own plays. The only time they should get a chance at your skinks will be when you're on offense, and even then, it'll be at most one blitz per turn. You won't lose many sknks like that.

I can't recall a single KO on any of my skinks, and I've certainly never had any CASed. Sauruses, on the other hand, do take their knocks.

[Digger Goreman]

Guess I'm the big risk taker with my Lizzie Bordens:
4x Skinks
6x Sauri
1x Krox
2x Rerolls
2x FF/AC/CL

I can't believe the Krox moves 6! Prehensile tail is swingin' 'gainst dodges....

And Journeyman Skinks (if necessary) are the bomb! Anything you don't have to pay for with Ma8 is a bargain....

Edited, per next post, to correct....

[tenwit]

And Journeyman Skinks (if necessary) are the bomb! Anything you don't have to pay for with Ag4 is a bargain....

Eh? Skinks are AG3. Except my team captain. He's AG4, and my star player.

[DoubleSkulls]

I agree with Ian except rather than swap 40k bank for 20k bank and 1 AC & 1CL I would take 2FF.

20k banked will still get you an apoth after the first game in all but the most extreme circumstances (which is your objective I assume).

Having FF2 is something you'll never lose and does help on a variety of kick off tables and winnings roll.

It is a bettre bet than staff when starting a league IMO.

The initial analysis I've done seems to show that in the long run FF isn't generally worth buying. With a record of winning 40% and drawing 20% of games your FF will be the same after ~15 games anyway regardless of where you start and the additional cash won through winning more crowd rolls isn't that great.

[PubBowler]

Not to derail the thread but:

I'd be interested to see that analysis. Is it on your webpage?

I've been working on the theory that the main disadvantage of buying a low amount (less than 9 for reroll denial) FF is that it makes it possible/likely to lose it and less likely for it to increase.
Thus FF2 is optimal as it avoids both of these issues.

But I guess my theory would be wrong if FF wasn't worth it's TV.

Or something I haven't thought of of course...

[Digger Goreman]

And Journeyman Skinks (if necessary) are the bomb! Anything you don't have to pay for with Ag4 is a bargain....

Eh? Skinks are AG3. Except my team captain. He's AG4, and my star player.

I swear I don't drink... but I type like I do....