I once saw the Obligatory Cthulhu Set for another boardgame. I guess this is the obligatory Nameless set when it comes to DreadBall. These tentacly creatures storm the pitch under the name of the Kalimarin Ancients.
This team excels in the most important aspects of DreadBall. Slamming and scoring! So no wonder this is a very popular team. But are they as great as everyone keeps saying? Well, they actually are a very hard team to play against when not knowing what you're up against, so let's delve in!
Offering 100mc to the Elder Gods will grant you the powers of the following team. DreadBall Cards or Dice are not included in this offer.
4 Strikes and 4 Guards, divided in 2 different types of Guards. Sticky and Hard. The entire team is granted with gifts to improve their position, so let's get researching!
Gotcha!
Every Threat penalty is increased from -1 to -2, to a maximum of -3! On top of that, if a player tries to evade and fails, he stays in his current hex, and ends his action.
Can't Feel a Thing
Having an automatic for Armour Checks is great!
Steady
Steady means your player does not get knocked over when doubled in a Slam(Back). He does need to make an Armour Check, and is still moved off the pitch when failing. If the player falls over thanks to a failed Evade or Dash, he does find himself on the ground.
A Safe Pair of Hands
This gives you +1 on inaccurate passes. Meaning in practice that your Striker always has at least 2 dice to catch the ball!
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| Hard Guard, Striker and Sticky Guard |
Kalimarin Ancients descent onto the pitch
The Nameless offer you anything to dominate a pitch, with the exception of a 3+ Skill on the Strikers (which would make it just unfair!) The Hard Guards are great in blocking or simply slaughtering the opponenent's players using their 3+ Strength. Having Can't Feel a Thing and Steady means they can withstand a lot of resistance, unless they are caught off guard, and Slammed in the back. So positioning them is key!
Your Sticky Guards are great for augmenting the Slam of your Heavy Guard and even better at defending your half of the pitch. Being Guards they get a +1 when Slammed and on every block they provide a -2 penalty making in tougher to score around.
Your Strikers are to be called average with increased movement. Having 6 move makes you more dangerous moving towards the 3pointer zone. Having A Safe Pair of Hands makes you even beter, because it allows you to have more faith in throwing the ball towards your catcher!
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| Think about positioning in every match-up |
Use your Sticky Guards to protect the Scoring zones. The Hard Guards can take out the key opponent players, while your Strikers try to go for the 4-pointers! Based on this we can make a first offensive attack using the Guards to clear a path for our Strikers who can finish the job.
When playing defensive, don't forget to keep those Sticky Guards close to lower the dice pool of your opponent.
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| What just SPAWN'ed here? |
Lashing out your tentacles in a League
Going through a League with the Nameless is an effort of attacking and positioning. Every one of your players is really worth their weight in Gold. Having a player die in the pitch means a big loss to this team. Having specialized positions increases this loss.
While playing leagues, focus on XP. Let your Guards take out as many weak opponents as they can get their slimy paws on, allowing your Strikers to gain the needed XP in scoring 3 or 4 pointers. Gaining Skill is what you're going for with the Strikers and gaining 360 vision really improves your Guards.
Buying an offensive Coach is a good investment for this team. It allows you to make that final action when others might've failed. Having a Coaching die improves your chances in succeeding, so don't forget about those. Always keep some credits in reserve in case you need to revive those teammates!
MVP's from beyond the veil
John Doe might see the most obvious choice when it comes to the Nameless, but being in essention another Sticky Guard, I'd rather have another Hard Guard, so Buzzcut would suit me better. Being banned in most tournaments (around here at least), Rico Van Dien served me quite adequately, providing an easier way to score and someone to generate some Fan Checks!
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| John Doe about to hug a Forge Father. |
Overall
This is a BAD-A$$ Team! Personally I hate to play with AND against this team. While great in numbers, when they dwindle you quickly lose your strengths as you do with every specialized team. When keeping calm and focussed this team can be beaten quite easily. About as easy as this team can beat you.
If you want your players to have a clear role, and take a beating than this is your team. Keep it close and let the others beg for mercy!
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| Painted by Maveric Miniatures Studios |
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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