[Elf] Why is there an "Elf" team?

[Murkglow]

Can someone who is more knowledgeable about Blood Bowl history explain why there is the "Elf" team?

Each of the others (Dark/High/Wood) is at least moderately different from one another, but the same can't really be said of the Elf team. They are the High Elf team with a slight difference each and a price tweak*.
*Linemen -1AV -10k, Thrower -Safe Throw -1AV -20k, Catcher +Nerves of Steel +10k, Blitzer +Side Step +10k, No New/Different Players

So why are they in the book? The only explanation I can think of was they were the original elf team and then they wanted to add the "named" elf races, for some reason didn't just rename them high elves, and since then they got "grandfathered" through the editions.

Thoughts?

[Coach]

It stems from second edition when there were Elves and Dark Elves. The second edition miniatures were a more cyberpunk style. Pretty much all the 3rd edition Elf team miniatures suck (the current ones still on sale which were sculpted back around 1994).

During the process of the Living Rule Book GW were actually producing some new teams and wanted to go back to the second edition style. A new Elf team was created to go with the minis, this was the same time that Necromantic, Khemri and Vampires were added as well. There was talk of dropping Undead and High Elves at teams though that wasn't popular amongst the players. Due to that a fourth Elf team was created instead.

The aim for the team was to have a cheaper style of elves which were made up of professional Blood Bowl playing Elves which no allegiance to the Dark, High or Wood. It has been a while since I've read the background behind them though. The fourth roster was made to create an AG4 team that had somewhat more affordable players as the cheapest of all the other elves was 70k.

The other elf teams were then tweaked a bit, high elves getting Safe Throw on their Thrower, Dark Elves losing their Thrower in exchange for a Runner and gaining an Assassin. So Wood Elves were the fast ones, High Elves the tougher passing ones, Dark Elves the running ones and "Pro" Elves the cheaper ones.

[Murkglow]

So their nitch is being the cheapest elves... Kinda funny then that a "full" team (4 linemen, 1 thrower, 4 catchers, 2 blitzers) costs the same between the High Elves and the "Pro" Elves now. Of course if you consider the second thrower, the skills (a HE blitzer with Side Step will have a higher TV then the Pro Elf guy I believe), and the bench, the "Pro" Elves gain their lead but still...

Thanks a lot for that explanation Coach, it was very helpful.

[Coach]

Sure the overall cost is just as high but if you want to get numbers their Linemen are the cheapest AG4 player in the game iirc. It allows more options when starting the team as well, most notably being able to take more than two rerolls.

[Murkglow]

Well it's not like the other elves can't get more then 2 rerolls (you've actually provided a Roster with 3 rerolls in a High Elf starting roster thread, I remember because I really like that roster) but I do see your point of them being the cheapest 4 Agi guys in the game (they can start with more positionals maybe on a team then other elves at the beginning and so forth). Still not really sure they are different enough but that's just my own hang up. If other people like them then who am I to judge?

*Edit: A Pro Elf team could do 4 rerolls, 8 linemen, 1 thrower, 2 blitzers, 30k left over or 3 rerolls, 6 linemen, 1 thrower, 2 blitzers, 2 catchers. So there are benefits to going Pro Elf, I'm not saying there aren't.

[Coach]

When they were introduced most people started teams with 9 Fan Factor rather than none. During those times if you wanted three rerolls with the Elf sides you had to start with 11 Linemen.

The rules have changed now so that isn't so much of an issue, though as you worked out Pro Elves can get four rerolls fairly easily at the start if you were so inclined.

I'm sure that most people have teams they don't like, I personally think Necro and Khemri shouldn't have been added. Golems and Werewolves could have been added as Star players and you could make a Skeleton team using Undead if you were so inclined.

Either way, I think that clears up the extra Elf team!

[Gerard]

I thought they were introduced so people could run a competitive elf tournament team at 1 million GP.

[Coach]

That goes hand in hand with them being cheaper!

Not many table top tournaments use just 1million GP in all honesty. You may be right that it had some bearing on it though.

[Murkglow]

I don't understand. Why can you not run a competitive team at 1mil with the other Elves? Sure you can't have all your positionals but you don't require them all to be competitive and alot of teams can't run a full roster either (like Nurgle or really any team with alot of expensive units).

[Coach]

He was referring to NAF ranked table top tournaments where you keep the same team each game, SPP and injuries etc don't count from game to game.

Wood Elves work really well, Dark Elves at a pinch but High Elves are a bit rubbish in that format. Most tournaments use 1.1M to even things out a bit. More recently rules have been more diverse to give the traditionally poor NAF tournament teams more of a boost.

In that format Amazon, Wood Elves, Undead, Skaven, Dwarfs, Orcs tend to dominate. Generally though rules changes haven't given a huge amount of weight to NAF tournament results compared to traditional leagues.