Dark Elf Assassins

Blood Bowl Dark Elf Assassin
Dark Elf Assassin Overview:

The Dark Elf Assassin offer a new and unique player type to the Dark Elf team which sets them apart even more from the other Elven races. They are low armour but come with the Stab skill, though aren’t hindered by the Secret Weapon ability of getting sent off after a drive. Their low armour and no preservation skills can mean they are targetted by the opposition as an easier target to remove from the pitch. Coupled with the fact that the threat Stab can offer, don’t be surprised if they are taking a lot of hits. Though this can mean they are taking attention away from your other, perhaps more dangerous players. As a lot of coaches haven’t faced Assassins yet, they may be overly fearful of them as well.

Due to the way Stab works they are of most use against low armour players, especially ones with Block and Dodge who are harder to knock over by blocking. Using Stab does mean that you need to be standing next to at least one opponent though (unless you want to use your blitz with them), which can mean they are open to getting hit back if their Stab attack fails.

Shadowing can mean they are a nuisance against the slower higher armoured teams where Stab is less effective. Use him to exert tackle zones in an area where their ball carrier is likely to have to run through, the average movement of the Assassin should be enough vs these teams for Shadowing to cause problems.

So given the two starting skills, you can develop Assassins to make the most of one or the other of these. Assassins will probably skill up slowly though as Stab doesn’t gain any SPP and their average movement and way they tend to be used on the pitch doesn’t gain SPP quickly. So chances are they will probably get killed or injured before developing a great deal.

Stabbing Assassins:

As mentioned Assassins are fragile, so taking a skill to help them survive early on may be the best course of action, so Block makes a lot of sense. Side Step should also be considered though, these two being the first two skills I would recommend. Side Step will keep you next to targets you want to Stab, as well as minimising the number of Blocks against you. This makes it really useful against opposing receivers who typically have low armour and Side Step keeps you next to them, which would encourage them to risk the dodge away. After that Jump Up will let you still have the threat of stabbing players even if you do get knocked over and saves your blitz more often. Then finally Dodge helps with the protection and keeps them on their feet more.

A double roll at any point and Multiple Block is the obvious choice as you then get to Stab two players a turn if you are standing next to two. This can really churn through the opposing players if they are low armour as well. Stat increases, +AV will help keep them alive longer due to the amount of hits they take, while +ST will make him more useful for blocking purposes when facing higher armour sides and again help with protecting him as well.

Shadowing Assassins:
  • Normal: Diving Tackle, Tackle, (Side Step), Pass Block, Dodge, Jump Up
  • Doubles: Multiple Block/Nerves of Steel
  • Stat Increases: +MV and +AG

This is the alternate build, though may not last as long as has less protection skills. Their usage is different though and rather than being more of an attacking problem, these guys are built for causing turnovers instead. Diving Tackle combines well with Shadowing in tying up receivers, then Tackle makes this even more effective. Pass Block will get you next to the receiver as well and give you a chance to intercept. Then Dodge helps to get to marking a target if you get marked by the opposition as well as finally giving some more protection and if you get this far Jump Up for the same reasons as the Stab build. You may also want to consider Side Step somewhere in the build to prevent being blitzed away from the target you are marking. Though without any protecting skills, an opposing blitz may knock you over anyway, while Pass Block may create a turnover.

Doubles you can go Multiple Block again as outlined above, two stabs a turn can be really nasty against some teams, or if you want to emphasise shutting down a passing option, Nerves of Steel will increase the interception threat. Stat increases, +MV makes you better at Shadowing and lets you cover more of the pitch to chase down receivers, while +AG helps with interceptions and dodging around, especially when using Pass Block.

Dark Elf Assassin Summary:

There are the two ways to build Assassins, though I would suggest there are a player to add the your team after the team has developed already, they are hard to protect and don’t skill up very quickly. Assassins are also fairly expensive players, so combined with their fragile nature, this can be a drain on resources while your team is developing. They can draw a lot of attention though and be a thorn in the side of a lot of opponents.

71 thoughts on “Dark Elf Assassins”

  1. What about Pro? For me what skill could be better as a 6th skill than Pro (assuming you can survive that long)? Re-roll on Stab, Leap, Shadowing or even blocks or Dodge (vs Tackle). So utilitarian.

    Reply
      • Yeah, that’s true. If you’re going to use Assassins you’d better make them count. If you’re going to make them count you’re going to have to force feed them to some degree. Luckily they are AG4. I would consider +AV as a 4th or 5th skill on a Leap build.

        Reply
    • It’s certainly possible to build the Assassins as catchers. They’re a bit slow to make particulrly good ones and don’t come with useful skills already, but they do have AG4 and Agility skill access. Also the threat of being stabbed will make your opponent think twice about marking them.

      I’ve not really tried this, since I don’t generally run Assassins, but I’d suggest using them as a decoy catchers. If your opponent goes to mark them, then use stab and do something else with the ball. If your opponent doesn’t mark them, then you have the option of passing to someone in the clear.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Aleksander Cancel reply

css.php
Represent BBTactics in the BB3 (PC) Blood Bowl World Championship by signing up to play in the Big Crunch League