Doubles on a Saurus?

[Marlow]

Salutations Readers,

My friend has rolled a Double for his first Saurus upgrade on a Rookie Lizardman team. He only other skill is Side Step on one Skink.

Is Dodge the best choice or should he take something else or even ignorethe Double and take Block or Mighty Blow?

[Skipper]

I think side-step on a Saurus would be quite a surprise , not to mention useful and annoying.

[PubBowler]

I'd be tempted by Leader.

Doubles on skinks are too good to spend on it and rerolls tend to be in short supply and needed due to lack of basic skills.
A saurus is often more likely to stay on the pitch as well!

But if you already have 4 rerolls then I'd go with Side Step (to be followed by Block & Frenzy).

[kithor2002]

I'd choose Diving Tackle.

For development I would choose next block followed by tackle.

[mattgslater]

As huge a Side Step fan as I am, you have so much A access that you're better off saving the 10k and taking Stand Firm on a Saurus unless he already has Break Tackle.

Dodge? I don't like it now, but after 31 SPP... nah. Don't. Nothing that mandates an AG roll, of course, and no P skills except maybe Leader, which frankly loses to Block at this point in team development if there are 3+ TRRs on the roster (which should be always on that team). Diving Tackle is a better skill for Skinks, as it's often ok if they start the turn prone. A Saurus has a harder time getting around, and you want him to be a blitz target anyway (at least, you do if you get him Block or Stand Firm instead of DT).

Ummm... umm... I hate to say it, but ... Block, Stand Firm or Break Tackle. Sorry. Lizardmen can't afford to be going off the line in their Saurus development until they're well established as a team. Too bad you didn't roll doubles on a Skink. Categories A and P have little to recommend them to a Saurus on a Lizardman team at the outset of team construction, but Skinks sure love them G skills. I'd say the same for a 10 or 11: only deviate from the path if +ST is on the line (because that's not really a deviation).

[DoubleSkulls]

I agree with Matt. First skill on Saurus pretty much has to be block or break tackle. Otherwise the gap to 16 SPPs is so big you are probably looking at 20 games to get that 2nd skill.

Doubles as a 2nd or 3rd skill is more interesting, dodge, sidestep and leader are all worth considering then.

[Storch]

Dodge is great, but not as a first skill. There are only a handful of scarier blitzers then a Saurus with Block, Dodge, and Break Tackle.

[Craigtw]

Dodge is great, but not as a first skill. There are only a handful of scarier blitzers then a Saurus with Block, Dodge, and Break Tackle.

Agreed. The dodge will only be useful to him on the block dice result, and only then if the player does not have tackle.

Whereas block is something that he does often, and will be a more useful skill to him.

Take block now and hope fo the doubles again later!

[Jural]

I've had luck putting Mighty Blow on some Sauri as well... I think 2 block, 2 mighty blow, and 2 break tackle sauri are what to aim for, and in this order:

1) Block
2) Break Tackle
3) Block
4) Mighty Blow
5) Mighty Blow
6) Break Tackle

As a second skill, the league determines what goes on the block first guys, but by the 16th SPP block or wrestle must be on the player. I may lean towards wrestle and Break Tackle as a great combo.

Of course, given the nature of Blood Bowl, putting block on everyone wouldn't be silly... although I guess I'd still get one Break Tackle player.

[DoubleSkulls]

I've just started a lizardman team on MBBL (so potentially its long term) and I'm pondering Mighty Blow. I'm thinking that I might give it to all the Saurus as a 2nd skill (after a mix of block and break tackle).

The logic is
1) SPPs are hard to come by on Saurus, so doubling their cas causing rate must be a good thing to try and get someone to 31.
2) Without a fouling game, relying on "unboosted" blocking is unlikely to win many casualty wars.
3) With S4 I don't need guard as much
4) With the break tackle players, well tackle would be nice to help put them down, but putting them out is almost as important. Against non-dodgers tackle is useless, and I'll develop some skinks as ss/dt to at least reduce the dodging of elves - and the krox can help pin too.

[mattgslater]

Mighty Blow is great in a long season or perpetual league, especially for a better-than-average (or just very patient) coach who can survive a skill gap for a few games. After you've got four or five of them combining their effects, it doesn't feel like a skill gap (at least not in the 2nd half), and after you've had that much MB floating around for 5-7 games it starts buying skills of its own, so to speak. With Orcs, all Hell breaks loose after you've got 4 Blitzers with MB and a Troll: you're never facing equal numbers again, though it gets hard to find opponents in open leagues . I'd take it after Block, though, at least the first few times, putting it as a 2nd-3rd selection (after Block and maybe a toolbox skill like BT, SF or Frenzy) until I had 4 Sauri with Block.

While your early skill selections are mostly dictated by necessity, a lot of your long-term Saurus shopping list depends on league composition. I'd definitely get a lot of Block and at least one BT guy in any league. If your league is hard-hitting and ST-intensive, you'll want some Guard to protect SS Skink cornerbacks from 3d blitzes, and maybe Juggernaut on your BT guy in lieu of Block, so as to deal with funky SF combos. If you're facing more Agility, you'll want Stand Firm for hedge value, as much Mighty Blow as possible to assure your place on top of the Cas war, and maybe a Grab guy for your toolbox (essential if Pro Elves are a problem). If you expect a broad range, maybe grab Frenzy on a Block Saurus for double-duty: it helps disrupt cages and doubles a poor man's Tackle when blitzing a Catcher (Frenzy makes a good #3 selection after BT/Jugg as well, or a #2 selection on the way to Juggy). Speaking of Tackle, it's a good skill you should avoid until very late, just because G skills are such a pricey commodity for Lizardmen.

Get your Kroxigor Stand Firm first. That way, against an agility team, you can flank him with a Saurus on each side and know your line's not going anywhere, or stick him at inside LB and be absolutely certain that the opponent is going the other way: Guard is even better for the first one (except against Woodies), but useless if he's the guy (potentially) getting blitzed. Against a bash team, he's good to put in that blitz-absorber linebacker position, but you wouldn't put him on the line with or without Guard (all players are equal ST when prone). The best skill for that inside LB position is Stand Firm. Break Tackle looks good at first, but since he needs doubles to combo it with Block and has an added chance of wasting your blitz, I'd reserve BT for a Saurus.

[Craigtw]

I would think that for something like Saurus with their S4 and low AG they are a prime candidate for Mighty Blow as a first skill. As the only reasonable way to expect them to get SPPs is through casualties, and then block as a certain second.

I would concur with what the others are saying, which is a mix of MB and block as the first skills. This is, of course assuming that your league is not infested with dwarves, in which case you might want to go the route of block to try to keep them on their feet!

Tough luck getting the doubles on a saurus for the first roll, he is one of those players that really needs to get one of his regular access skills first in order to be the most useful!

[whitetiger]

Yep, odd getting a double on a saurus right off. But go ahead and use it. You may never get another chance. I'd give him dodge, jump up or sidestep. Dodge to keep him on his feet, jump up to get him moving again, side step to make him a nightmare to block. And I think I'd really lean toward side step. He could be used to put pressure on the ball carrier and he'd be a pain to block away.

[Marlow]

After discussins my friend has decided to go for BLOCK in our perpetual league.

[Banelord]

Block, Block, Block! Makes Saurus so hard and reliable. With 6 St4Mv6-players and a krox you don't need breakt tackle that often (compared to chaos dwarfs).