Being a Mantic Pathfinder and a Mantic DreadBall Fanatic, I often get asked about how to play with several DreadBall teams. What tactics they should play, which are their strongest points or just their flaws. What MVP's should we really go with, and how will the team grow in a league? Trying to educate people in a group, I thought I'd write my opinion down for all the teams. Prepare for some pacifists with Season 2's Judwan.
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| Judwan scouting on the pitch |
The Judwan
Not all races are vicious and out to destroy the opponents, the Judwan are as peaceful and friendly as a squirrel. Unfortunately for the other teams, they are as nimble and fast as well. Thanks to this, they bring an element of speed and constant threat to the pitch. Starting with 100mc funds the Judwan provide you without coaching die and a single DreadBall Card and the following players
|
Mov |
Str |
Spd |
Skl |
Arm |
SLu |
Cst |
Notes |
| Striker |
6 |
5+ |
4+ |
4+ |
5+ |
x6 |
15mc |
Pacifist, Long Arms, Misdirect |
Awesome! An entire team comprised of nothing but Strikers! Wow, that should make scoring SUPER easy should it? Hmhmhm 4+ Skill and 4+ Speed.. not that bad.. and some Abilities!
Pacifist
Did I tell you these were friendly aliens? Because of the Ability "Pacifist", they cannot Slam, Slamback or deliberately punt the ball at other players. Neither will they Sucker Punch or Stomp others.
Most of this seems normal, since Strikers can perform none of those actions, except the punting (Throwing a ball at an opponent player in order to knock that player down). One exception to this, is when scoring. If you fail the score, and the ball scatters, then it might be possible for your players to hurt another one. Be certain to shed a tear for the bruise!
Long Arms
An ability limited to the Judwan. Being of excellent physique, and a peculiar philosophy, they have gained special features to control the ball. Because of this, they have no need for a special DreadBall glove and can even throw the ball further than other players. This gives them the following throwing chart
| Distance |
Dice |
| 1-4 hexes |
3 dice |
| 5-8 hexes |
2 dice |
| 9-12 hexes |
1 dice |
That, in combination with the fact that all your players are Strikers means they get a whopping 4 dice in short range!
Be warned though, you cannot score bonus points from the bonus hexes, so the Judwan can only score 1 or 3 points!
Misdirect
Being so nimble, the Judwan can choose to Misdirect their opponent to where they are going to move. This allows them to feint a move! Feinting is an action you can do as a follow-up to a move (or 1 step if you're a Jack).
You nominate a target in your Threat zone to Feint against. The target can choose to Slamback or Dodge the Feint. If you win, you can choose the direction both players are watching, and doubling allows you to move the opponent 1 hex away even (NOT YOURSELF)! If the Slamback would happen to win, you do get slammed back as normal.
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| Pelgar Mystic Strikers at the ready |
We bring you peace
This team gives you but 6 players and all of them Strikers. Being an incredible advantage is your combination of a decent Movement, Speed Stat and Long Arms. This should allow you to reach the 3 point zone at every occasion. Scoring there, and scoring fast should be your top priority.
By quickly landsliding, you'll not only win (and thus level up quicker) but you'll keep your Strikers out of most misery. Try to cleverly position your Strikers or they will get beaten down when played carelessly.
Use throws to your advantage as to move up the pitch quickly. If an opponent seems to be blocking your scoring zones, don't forget you can use Feint in order to make them look the other way! All this should make it rather easy to go for a landslide.
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| Spread 'em and get em.. |
Get ready to pick up the ball and storm the score zones. Try and keep most of your players in front of the opponents as to limit the number of Slams in the back.
While moving second, keep your distance while protecting your score zones. Keep in mind you only have 6 players, so don't expect backup to show up and save the day. Use Fan Check triggering events to increase your dice pool to get the edge!
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| The Melange Dreamers painted by Jon Peletis |
Lounging in the League
Go for landslides. Done. No, really.. try and landslide as fast as possible, gain XP by scoring 3 pointers, or throwing impossible passes and go for the fast win. This might be the only way to keep your precious players alive.
Because of this, I personally find matches with Judwan a Hit or Miss. Especially in Leagues. You either score before anything actually happens (sad for the opponent), or get whacked before you get to do anything which makes you lose very precious players! Luckily there is such a thing as Dice Gods evening the odds..
When it comes to leveling, the +Skill is very obvious, as is A Safe Pair of Hands, making them even better strikers!
When investing, always revive your players. The cost of 15mc is too steep not to try the cryo-technique. Try investing in a Defensive Coach to increase survivability, and especially some Coaching dice!
MVP's for the greater good
Mee-kel is a Judwan limited MVP that brings a sturdy Striker to the pitch. With 3+ Skill and Can't Feel A Thing, this Striker isn't removed from the pitch that easily.
Though some might choose to field a decent Guard to help give the team some offensive capabilities. Buzzcut will certainly fullfill that role, though when playing in Leagues, this amount of credits could best be kept for other investments.
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| Mee-kel sees all |
Overall
Judwan bring a very fast and capable team to the pitch. Be prepared to storm the pitch and get hunted very fast. You can move throughout the pitch and even move your opponents and set yourself up for some really fast matches. Once you get to invest some credits into improving your team with dice you'll find this a team that will reward the rushing coach. Up for some running and passing across the field while ducking and weaving for your life, join the Judwan cause now!
If you agree or disagree with any of my opinions about this team or my blog, don't hesitate to leave a comment. Or share this article if you like it, and spread the love!
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