GENERAL KALE'S GUIDE TO ORC STRATEGY
WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE ORCS?
Orcs are one of the most popular BB races, and for good reason. They're the most heavily armoured team in Blood Bowl, they've got better mobility than Dwarves or Undead, and with 4 Blitzers and 4 Black Orcs on their roster, they're suited to bashing heads. Added to that combination of strength and toughness is AG 3 across the board (except the BOBs), and throwers that are ALMOST as good as humans, making Orcs a contender in any league against any opponent. Orcs are also a great choice for coaches who are just learning the game, because they're fairly straightforward, and their players have clearly defined roles. If you want to play a strength team, but you still want to have the option of an effective passing attack, Orcs are the team for you.
WHY SHOULD I NOT CHOOSE ORCS?
Honestly, there aren't many reasons not to choose Orcs, but if they do have a drawback, it's that they suffer from the same "middle-of-the-road" syndrome that Humans do. While they don't have any glaring weaknesses, there isn't any one thing that Orcs do better than any other race. It's sort of a "Jack of all trades, master of none" kind of deal. On defense, their lack of mobility exposes them to quick strikes from speed teams, while on offense, they're hampered by a lack of skilled catchers. Also, Black Orcs aren't as good as they might seem at first. They skill so slowly that many Orc coaches find them less and less useful as the team develops; once you've got a full roster, you may find yourself leaving one or two Black Orcs on the bench to make room for linemen who have gained skills like Dirty Player, Kick, or even Block.
TEAM BUILDS
Because Orcs can start with With six different player types available, I'm not even going to try and cover all the possible team builds, but here are a few of the more popular options.
OPTION 1
4 Blitzers 320
3 Black Orcs 240
1 Thrower 70
3 Linemen 150
3 RR 180
4 FF 40
I'd never start an Orc team with less than 4 Blitzers, because they're the backbone of the team both on defense and offense. If you wanted to, you could trade a lineman for either your 2nd Thrower or 4th Black Orc, and dropping your FF to either 2 or 1. With this build, your first purchase should be an apothecary, then any remaining position players, then your Troll.
OPTION 2
4 Blitzers 320
3 Black Orcs 240
1 Thrower 70
3 Linemen 150
2 Goblins 80
2 RR 120
2 FF 20
This build allows you to use your Goblins as receivers for your passing attack. Starting with 13 players may seem excessive, but keep in mind that you'll want to leave your Gobbos on the bench if you lose the coin toss and have to kick first. If you wanted, you could drop a Goblin and your FF and take a 3rd RR instead.
OPTION 3
4 Blitzers 320
4 Black Orcs 320
2 Throwers 140
1 Lineman 50
2 RR 120
1 Apothecary 50
This build allows you to start with all of your position players and only 1 lineman. You may consider 2 throwers unnecessary, but with only 5 movement, it's nice to have both of them to cover more of your backfield when receiving the kickoff. You could drop 1 Thrower and the Apothecary in exchange for a lineman, a 3rd RR, and 1 FF.
BIG GUY OPTION
4 Blitzers 320
4 Black Orcs 320
1 Thrower 70
1 Troll 110
1 Linemen 50
2 RR 120
1 FF 10
This is the bashiest starting lineup possible. If you want to maximize the amount of damage that your Orc squad can dish out, this is the way to go. Just don't come crying to me when your cage collapses because your Troll fails his Really Stupid roll and loses his tackle zones, giving your opponent a clean shot at the ball-carrier. (That's how I won my last game against Orcs.)
THROW TEAMMATE OPTION
3 Blitzers 240
3 Black Orcs 240
1 Thrower 70
3 Linemen 150
1 Troll 110
1 Goblin 40
2 RR 120
3 FF 30
Personally, I think that this is the weakest of the builds I've listed, but like the heading says, it gives you the option of tossing the Gobbo down the field. That's not a tactic that I'd build an Orc team around, but there will be times when that's your only option to try and score. Use this build if you're more interested in playing an entertaining team than a winning one. Actually, if you want to play an entertaining team, start with 4 Gobbos and have the Troll fire them into the heart of your opponents' cage like a missile. That's always good for a laugh.
ORC OFFENSE
The Orcs are more suited to the running game, so unless you've only got a couple of turns left, I'd have the Thrower collect the ball and then run it into the centre of a cage. Of course, the specifics of your strategy will depend on who your opponent is, but I'd suggest using the Black Orcs to protect the ball while your Blitzers pound the snot out of the opposition. I've seen coaches run the ball with a Blitzer instead of a Thrower, but using your Thrower as a running back keeps the passing option open. If the cage bogs down or you find yourself losing the hitting war, then have a Blitzer peel off for the end zone and go for the pass.
Having capable throwers but no reliable receivers can be quite frustrating, but unless one of your Blitzers gets an AG up, passing should only be a last resort. If you do need a quick score, you can try employing Goblins as receivers; though they aren't any faster than your Blitzers, Dodge and Stunty makes them more maneuverable, and access to agility skills means that you can give them Catch, Diving Catch, etc. without having to wait for doubles. Or there's always the good ol' Gobbo toss, but again, only as a last resort.
ORC DEFENSE
Your best bet on defense is to get right into the face of your opposition, but you'll have to employ vastly different strategies depending on who your opponent is.
Against passing attacks, you may not be able to keep them out of the end zone, but hopefully you'll smash a few of them to pieces while they're scoring on you. Put everybody in a tackle zone (or two) and dare them to hit you, or pray that they fail a dodge and give you the chance to pulp their team. Also, if they ARE going to score on you, force them to do it quickly. That will give your offense more time to get you back on even terms.
Against rushing attacks, make them fight you for every inch. You may not be able to out-casualty your opponent if you're up against another bashy team, so try to focus more on preventing the score. Trust in your team to suck up punishment, especially your Black Orcs. Make the most of your 9 armour and turn the game into a brawl. If you cause a few casualties, that's gravy on the meat and potatoes, but your first goal should be to bog down their cage and prevent them from getting into striking distance.
If you do get your hands on the ball on defense, be sure to put it somewhere safe; you did all that work to take it away, so make 'em work to try and get it back. Don't do anything risky unless you've only got a couple of turns left and you don't have any other choice.
ADVANCES
As I've mentioned before, skill selection is how you customize your team, so decide what kind of team you want to play, and select skills that suit your style. That said, Here are some guidelines to follow:
Black Orcs - First skill should ALWAYS be block, unless you roll a ST up. After block, Mighty Blow, Guard, and Stand Firm, and Thick Skull are all good choices.
Blitzers - These guys are the leaders of your team. You've got 4 of them, so I'd suggest building two of them for offense, and two for defense. If you hit doubles, I'd take either Dodge or Catch, and make that guy into a receiver. Another good offensive skill is Sure Hands, to negate Strip Ball. For the defensive Blitzer, Tackle/Strip Ball/Mighty Blow/Wrestle are all good choices.
Linemen - This is where you take skills like Kick or Dirty Player, though if you're using Goblins, you should make a Gobbo a Dirty Player so you can combine it with Sneaky Git. A lineman with Guard can come in pretty handy too, but get Block first. A player with Guard and not Block is just going to be the first guy your opponent flattens every turn.
Throwers - Accurate is a good first choice, with Strong Arm on doubles. Dump-Off is a must if you're planning on using your Thrower to rush the ball, Leader is never a bad choice, and Safe Throw will help prevent those drive-killing turnovers.
Trolls - You're stuck with Strength Skills unless you hit doubles, and they start with the Mighty Blow, so your choices are extremely limited. Piling On can help you get your opposition off the field, and Break Tackle will help with your Troll's mobility, but really, why would he be dodging when he could be hitting something?
Goblins - Build these little guys into Dirty Players and Receivers. That's all they're good for.
FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE
First off, I'd strongly suggest you don't try to pass against Elves or Skaven unless you really don't have any other choice. The chances of you putting the ball on the ground are just too high, and those teams can capitalize on turnovers too quickly. Actually, the only team I'd recommend throwing against is Dwarves, because they're the only team slower than you.
Second, whether you're on offense or defense, your primary goal should be to do as much damage as possible to your opposition, particularly if you're up against a speed team. You aren't going to win a shootout against Skaven or Elves, so the only way to beat 'em is to beat 'em up. Hit them, foul them, push them into the crowd, do whatever you can to get them off the field. You aren't going to lead the league in touchdowns, so do what you can to lead the league in casualties.
Last, don't get demoralized if it seems like Skaven or Elves can score on you at will. Play to your strengths, be ready to adapt your tactics to suit whatever team you're up against, and stick to your gameplan. With the right strategies, your Orc team could become the terror of your next league.
- General Kale
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Gio Lug 09, 2009 6:54 pm
