first roll on a Pro Elf Thrower

[Blackmore]

Its a mostly new team, only 112 team rating. I just got a roll on a thrower. What do I get first. More throwing skills like accurate or so I go for the basic needs like Block/Dodge?

[Evil Git]

how many re-rolls have you got? if you think you haven't got enough then go leader. if you like him to carry the football before throwing it (or give yourself a running option) go block / dodge. if you like throwing the football around then go passing.

it really depends on how you like to play. if you've got a number of catchers already (2 or 3) then more likely go for either leader if you need re-rolls (as chances are you won't have enough of them yet) or a passing style skill choice.

[Little_Rat]

if your thrower is attacked, you are definately in need of a proper cage ^^ Accurate is the first choice, but if you´re afraid of getting pummeled, take Dump off. You can take Safe Throw too, then you are much safer to throw like mad.

But the wisest Choice is, to take Leader ^^ I don´t know how much rr you have, but you can´t have enough ^^

[mlindsay2706]

personally id take block. pro elf teams don't have much block at all, so its valuable in that respect. moreover though, it allows your thrower to move forward and go for the ball, rather than hanging back waiting for the ball to pop put somewhere then pick it up. block just makes him more versatile in attacking and better for defending, able to hit and take hits better.

id take block before accurate, i think block would be more useful

[mattgslater]

Sure Hands, unless you've got only one RR; then you might want Leader.

The lesser benefit is that Sure Hands prevents Strip Ball. If you only chuck on the turn you score, your Thrower is the only guy vulnerable to the blitz, so he's the guy you'd want to negate Strip Ball with. That's not what really matters, though.

What matters is this. Every time a half begins, if your team is doing well, you need to pick up the ball. Every time you receive, you want it to be with the Thrower. Every time you kick, you want to get the ball away and have a dedicated player to go pick it up. Pro Elves are unique in that they don't get Nerves of Steel via their Throwers, but even still, Throwers start with one of the three skills (Pass, SH, NoS) and have access to the other two, while Catchers start with one, and have access to only one of the other two. Tailoring a ball-hawk Thrower starts with SH (then NoS, then Dodge), tailoring a quarterback starts with SH (then Accurate, then Block)... go for SH.

Having a couple of re-rolls is nice, so Leader is tempting, especially if you have two Throwers. If you've got 2 RRs, you can wait on Leader until you roll doubles the third time on a lineman. If you do take Leader, take it on the thrower you'd use as a DB rather than a QB and make a Catcher your ball-hawk instead. Put the leader on the Block/Dodge track to protect him and keep him useful. I don't like that idea.

For one thing, you only get 2 Throwers, so setting one back a skill matters, and diverting one off his skill path matters (about as much, frankly).

For another, all a Leader does is give you a TRR while he's on the field. TRRs are super-important only if you don't have any. If you're just picking up with Sure Hands and passing with Pass and catching (either with AG4 or with Catch and NoS), and blocking maybe once or twice, usually using a guy with Block, then all having too many RRs can do is encourage you to do stuff you really shouldn't be doing. Go get the ball, dude. Sure Hands lets you re-roll EVERY time, whether you've used a TRR or not.

Don't waste doubles on Throwers; Guard will get them killed and nothing else will get used much. Always take stat-ups: dedicated leaders or DBs should take AV over MA, and QBs should go the other way. AG-up on the first two rolls identifies the player as a DB; ST-up does the same, but it changes the path -- Block comes next in that case, then NoS.

[PubBowler]

Don't waste doubles on Throwers; Guard will get them killed and nothing else will get used much.

I think Strong Arm might get used on a Thrower...

[voyagers_uk]

I gave my Pro Elf Thrower guard as his first skill roll. I trust AG4 a lot and tend not to use a whole lot of rerolls.

with him and my two guard catchers I was able to use the linemen as more effective blockers and thusly skill them up quicker.

[Garnak]

I tend to agree with Voyager trust your AG4. So taking Accurate is a waste this early.

Your RRs are relatively cheap, and you should have 3-4 already to start, so Leader just stunts your growth. If at all, it should be a #5 or #6 skill.

A blodging Thrower is great for manuverability and survivability, so those skills should be in your sights on your second and third skill rolls.

But your first skill should be Sure Hands. It gives you a RR on the pickups (just in case) but more importantly it negates that nasty little Strip Ball issue.

After you go SB, B, D, then you can go either Safe Throw or Nerves of Steel, depending on your league. I would take NOS myself, but if you are in an "Elfie" league, Safe Throw may be more useful.

Doubles..... I'd tend to take Strong Arm (it opens the field up really nice) although Guard is highly tempting as the more str help you get the better.

[wesleytj]

Sure Hands, no question. Your throwers are always the ones picking up the ball to start the drive on offense. You increase the success from 83-ish% to like 96-ish% with Sure Hands.

[fen]

Sure Hands, no question. Your throwers are always the ones picking up the ball to start the drive on offense. You increase the success from 83-ish% to like 96-ish% with Sure Hands.

Agreed - additionally you almost completely remove the need to spend rerolls on picking up the ball, which gives you a reroll to spend elsewhere.

[DoubleSkulls]

Sure Hands, no question. Your throwers are always the ones picking up the ball to start the drive on offense. You increase the success from 83-ish% to like 96-ish% with Sure Hands.

Not for me. In league play I normally pick the ball up with a lino and go for the easy completion for the SPP. So Sure Hands means I don't tend to do that so much. For the same reason I wouldn't value Kick Off return.

I tend to prefer accurate to improve the long passing game when its necessary.

[falconeyed]

Sure Hands, no question. Your throwers are always the ones picking up the ball to start the drive on offense. You increase the success from 83-ish% to like 96-ish% with Sure Hands.

Not for me. In league play I normally pick the ball up with a lino and go for the easy completion for the SPP. So Sure Hands means I don't tend to do that so much. For the same reason I wouldn't value Kick Off return.

I tend to prefer accurate to improve the long passing game when its necessary.

You can still do the free SPP thing and keep the lucky lineelf back with the thrower. However, if you need two turns to score and you're out of rerolls, I don't think that having the lineelf back there would be ideal. You need to have the dedicated thrower.

I would take Sure Hands, followed by kickoff return / accurate / dodge with Strong Arm on a doubles. The pro elf thrower, from a stat standpoint, is the worst elf thrower in the game. I believe that extending his reliability along the passing ruler will compensate for that, as would kick off return.

[datalorex]

It sounds like he's early in his league, so I doubt he'll see much strip ball (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'd wait on sure hands. Accurate for me is almost always my first choice on a Passer. I'd consider Safe Throw if I play against a lot of other elf teams. I'd save Leader for my second passer.

[wesleytj]

Not for me. In league play I normally pick the ball up with a lino and go for the easy completion for the SPP. So Sure Hands means I don't tend to do that so much. For the same reason I wouldn't value Kick Off return.

I tend to prefer accurate to improve the long passing game when its necessary.

I do what you're saying, too, Ian. But then I don't buy a thrower until about 10 games in, either, and by then all the line elves have a comp or two, and often most of them have a skill by then.

At that point, you want a dedicated ball grabber (that sounds so wrong), so Sure Hands is just the ticket.

[mattgslater]

I think Pro Elf Throwers are a great deal! They cost 10k more than a lino with no drawback, have a skill that re-rolls the hardest AG check in the game (and would be doubles-only for any other player), and have access to not two but THREE categories! If I didn't have two Throwers, and I was looking to hire an extra player and had the 70k on hand, I'd do it in a heartbeat.