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. Here's Season2's most vicious team, the Z'zor.
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| The Z'zor scrawling up the pitch |
The Z'zor
Of course bugs had to take the playing field! After the Veer-myn took all scraps, now even more vermin storms the pitch. With Mantis like forms, the Z'zor bring a carapace protected team to the playing field to be reckoned with. But how do they play?
Buying their loyalty for 100mc, gives you one coaching die and one DreadBall Card to help these bugs with
|
Mov |
Str |
Spd |
Skl |
Arm |
SLu |
Cst |
Notes |
| Guard |
5 |
3+ |
4+ |
5+ |
4+ |
x1 |
17mc |
Can't Feel A Thing, Steady |
| Jack |
5 |
4+ |
4+ |
4+ |
4+ |
x5 |
9mc |
Can't Feel A Thing, Slide |
| Striker |
6 |
4+ |
4+ |
5+ |
5+ |
x2 |
11mc |
Can't Feel A Thing |
Allright, all roles present and none have feelings. That should be fun! Wait, Strikers with only 5+ Skill? But one Guard? Hmhmhm.. Let's take a look at those abilities then?
Can't Feel A Thing
You get an automatic success when making an armour check. How great is that! (Especially on Strikers). Having it on your entire team makes it even better!
Steady
Steady means you can't get knocked down as a result of a Slam. Combined with "Can't Feel A Thing", it's going to take great rolls for your opponent to get one of your Guards (actually the one..) down.
Do not forget, if you fail a Dash you still fall down! You can still get pushed back, and will be removed from the field when taking damage!
Slide
Slide allows you to Dash whenever you should be able to move 1 hex. Thus allowing you to move extra hexes while Passing, Slamming, or even trying to score!
The only downpart being you'll still have to roll your 4+ Speed to get there. This seems actually quite good for your Jacks. Don't forget Dashes can still be modified by enemy threat zones!
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| Striker, Guard and Jack standing to attack |
Praying (mantis) won't help you now...
Having mostly Jacks, this team revolves around teamwork (don't they all?). Use your Guard to defend the rest, and go after most feared opposing players.
The Jacks have an average statline, and thanks to their Slide you can get to the furthest scoring zone more easily. The best use for your Strikers will probably be to use them as zone defenders. Thanks to their Can't Feel A Thing, they have decent survivability, and can always try to Steal if the opponent comes too close. While playing with your Jacks, don't be afraid to dash closer thanks to Slide if it'll gain you an extra die in throwing!
Aiming for the 3point zone should be priority(in your final action). Not only are your Jacks capable to move in at least somewhat closer, but the extra XP in league play and Fan checks will be very helpful to getting extra coaching dice. Again, the Jacks can always help your Guard take down opposing players, or throw some threat zones. I myself keep my Strikers on Guard duty, while keeping a Jack with my Guard, and the other 2 on the offense towards the scoring zones.
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| Scatter! |
An all out attacking stance will work best while playing with the Z'zor. Don't be afraid to throw down the threat, and hope your carapace stops most incoming hits.
While starting I'd propose to quickly try and get one of your Strikers past the defensive line. Throwing the ball at your Striker means getting in the back fast!
While defending, be sure to block the double score zones while spreading for maximal threat. If you're like me, you'll always hope for the ball to scatter to you!
Shedding your skin during Leagues
Use your Guard efficiently and maybe quickly buy a second one if you gain enough credits. If not, don't forget about Coaching dice. Those can always help out your Jacks when going for the Score (or making a difficult pass).
Upgrading with "360 Vision " would be great for your Guard. Your other players benefit most from "Skill+". "A Safe Pair of Hands" helps you keep the ball when playing with your Jacks. When using my strategy above, you should level up quite easily, so options galore!
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| Jeremy Spurlock painted these extraterrestrial beauties |
MVP Buggers
Ludwig gives us the Jack MVP limited to the Z'zor. Having a 3+ Speed and the "Jump" ability, he'll fit in great with the other Jacks, even outperforming them. You might want to go for a more decent version of the Jack, like "Number 88". He'll mostly have better results.
When choosing to get another Guard to improve your Slamming capabilities, take a look at (the overpowered) Buzzcut, or even one of the new Season4 MVP's. Most will provide a great asset to your team!
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| Ludwig taking on Number 88 |
Overall
Z'zor are a buggy team (In a good sense). They don't really excel at anything but then can dish out the hurt about as much as they can handle it. Don't rely too hard on your Strikers and you'll be fine. If you're in the mood for a team that doesn't lose players every match, has an average statline and terrifies little girls, then this is the team for you!
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| the "Aphid Raiders" painted by James Thorne |
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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