Orc Blitzers

Blood Bowl Orc Blitzer
Overview:

It is rare to see an Orc Team without all four possible Blitzers on their roster. They are the star players of the team with the usual high armour of an Orc player, one of their fastest players, great skill access and average strength and agility makes them fairly versatile. Their flexibility lets them take on practically any role that the team needs fulfilling. Throwers may tend to carry the ball a lot, but the Blitzers are faster, Black Orcs do a lot of hitting, but the Blitzers start with Block and can match them, they are far more manoeuvrable to get to targets as well. At a pinch they can be used as receivers as well, with both their scoring and hitting ability you may find they are the fastest players on the team to advance.

With the other players on the team rather defined in their roles and what they do on the pitch, you have quite a few options with how you want to utilise each of your Blitzers. The most obvious is for that as an actual Blitzer, they are the best equipped to fulfil that role and you will make good use of them. There are two kinds you can develop though and both can be useful, one for extracting the ball and another to cause damage to the opponents (though the latter you can easily get away with). Blitzers can also be developed into very good mobile support players, which is very helpful for both defending and in offensive cage play. Especially so early on in the team’s life while the Black Orcs are slowly skilling up.

Ball Targeting Orc Blitzer:
  • Normal: Tackle / Strip Ball, Mighty Blow, Guard / Frenzy / Pro / Wrestle / Stand Firm
  • Doubles: Dodge / Side Step / Diving Tackle
  • Stat Increase: +ST +AG +MV

This Blitzer build is designed for hitting the opposing ball carrier, though you may find a lot of the time you just have to use whoever is available if he is out of position. They are still versatile though and are good at blitzing in general, especially low armoured Dodge players. Tackle is a good first choice to negate Dodge, you need Tackle on the team somewhere and there isn’t anyone else likely to get it, if you don’t you can really struggle against Dodge heavy teams. The alternative first skill is Strip Ball, it loses effectiveness the more Sure Hands players there are in your league, though I like to have one on the team for the times you bog down their usual ball carrier. You can get by without it though so it isn’t a vital skill and skipping it entirely wouldn’t cause major problems. Mighty Blow is good next up to help remove those players you do knock over from the game.

After that you have a wealth of options to take and I would pay some attention to what skills your team could use overall. You can never have enough Guard, though you will prefer to not have this player tied up in tackle zones, that doesn’t stop it being useful. Frenzy increases your chances of knocking players over (be careful with it though), Pro can give you a reroll on your hits again increasing your knock down chances. Wrestle is fantastic for getting Block players over and while not normally advised to take it on Block players sometimes you can make exceptions. Stand Firm can also cause problems for the other team should you only get a push back and means it is hard for them to free their ball carrier up. There are cases to be made for other skills as well but there are only so many you can take!

With so many great options on normal rolls you wouldn’t be making a mistake to ignore any doubles that you roll. Dodge is the usual option, though you may be going the route of not taking any Dodge on the team making all the Tackle on other teams useless. I’m not a big fan of dodging with AG3 players and try to use position to keep them free, or support players to free them up with blocks. Side Step is a useful alternative though you can somewhat replicate use with Stand Firm. Diving Tackle is another good option and will make them more flexible rather than overly specialised. Jump Up could also be considered as well though I think other skills are more useful for this build. For stats +ST is fantastic and will make Frenzy more attractive, +AG lets you get around and to your targets and can collect a loose ball afterwards too. +AV isn’t needed for such a high armoured player and for a fairly overall slow team +MV is going to be more useful.

More on Page 2…

30 thoughts on “Orc Blitzers”

  1. I’d like to offer an opinion on the ball-carrying Orc Blitzer build.

    I used to play Blood Bowl, and am currently playing the Xbox version. My Blood Bowl expertise is very limited, but I’ve always preferred to use my Orc Blitzers to score, either extracting the ball from the opponent, or having an Orc Thrower pass or hand off the ball to them. Granted, the passing game with Orcs is always a nail-biting experience, but with their tough line, they can more often afford to make a ball handling mistake than many other teams (assuming they have knocked down enough opposing players).

    I figure that Blitzers have a movement of 6 for a reason, just as Throwers have the “Pass” skill for a reason, and the two players can be used in conjunction in order to make quick touchdowns (Or, what I like to call the Orculate Reception). In any case, I would suggest that the “Pro” skill would be invaluable to any ball-carrying Blitzer. Granted, it only works 50% of the time, but if the player is one that is used often, its value will shine through. Furthermore, it can kick in at critical times, such as picking up the ball, catching the ball, dodging, or going for it. In addition, it can be stacked with the regular team re-roll, potentially allowing two re-roll opportunities. I would even suggest that “Pro” should be the first skill taken for Orc Blitzers destined to be ball carryers, as it will have a bigger impact when the team has fewer re-rolls.

    Reply
    • Thanks for your input, though I personally see Pro as a poor mans reroll. Given that Orc teams have a low rate of player turnover, cheap players and average priced rerolls, I prefer to get other skills. As you said Pro fails half the time and using a reroll on the Pro roll again fails half the time. I’d rather just use the reroll on the original roll and keep Pro as a backup (unless perhaps you want to save the reroll for rolls from other team mates later in the turn who don’t have Pro). Generally though if you are using a Blitzer as a ball carrier then they are the ones likely doing all the rolls (dodges, go for its, etc.).

      It is easy to start an Orc team with three rerolls and you can save up for more fairly easily. Their general game plan doesn’t involve much in the way of risky stuff on offence, especially when you get some more Block on the team. Any roll you make with the player holding the ball is a double risk if a turnover occurs. Not only does your turn end, but you are likely to lose possession of the ball, making things much easier for the other team. That 50% failure rate of Pro then starts to look a lot worse…

      Reply
  2. It’s been awhile since I’ve played tabletop Blood Bowl, and I haven’t played since 3rd Edition, so perhaps “Pro” is implemented differently in the Xbox version. Unless I’m mistaken, if I fail a roll on a player with the “Pro” skill, I can choose to use “Pro” first. If the 4+ roll to use the skill fails, or if the re-roll itself fails, I can then use the regular team re-roll (assuming I have one) as a backup. This is how it’s implemented in the Xbox version at least.

    It’s also the only way a player can have a chance to re-roll a failed roll twice, which can make a big difference at critical moments, especially for an average Agility player. Also, if the player has to make two or more rolls in order to score a touchdown, the “Pro” skill provides for more insurance (For example, if the player needs to Dodge and Go For It in order to score).

    Obviously the “Pro” skill’s value will be determined by how much it comes into play, so it probably is only worth using for a player that will be used often and will have to make critical rolls, which is why I think it is worthwhile on a Blitzer that serves as a Running Back.

    Reply
  3. Pro is implemented incorrectly on the Xbox version then. You can’t reroll any roll twice in the game, that has been the case since 1994 and hasn’t changed since. You can however use a reroll to try and reroll a failed Pro roll.

    If Pro did work like that though I’d take it a lot more often!

    Reply
  4. You’re correct. Only one re-roll can be used per action, even with “Pro.” I have managed to re-roll a re-roll with “Pro” in Xbox though (Sadly, Xbox is my only outlet for Blood Bowl…and the reason I bought an Xbox). So yes, that makes a big, big difference for critical rolls, and the value of the skill.

    Reply
  5. Thx for the direction man, I got 3 skillups after game 2 in cyanide and I decide to go one of each type and it paid of immidietly.

    Keep up the good work

    Reply
    • As explained if you want a dedicated player to take down opposing ball carriers who will usually have Block, Wrestle will combat it. A typical starting line up for an Orc team typically consists of: Troll, 4 Black Orcs and 4 Blitzers, which leaves two spaces, perhaps one or both is a Thrower, maybe Linemen or even a Goblin or two. Out of all those players a Blitzer is the best option for the roll, you don’t want Wrestle on a Thrower, Linemen are somewhat slow and Goblins are weak…

      Reply
  6. Hey Coach, could Dauntless on a Blitzer build be viable? I know Orcs are pretty beefy with 4 ST4 and 1 ST5 guy, but since Orcs rely on bashing heavily I was thinking of something like a Big Guy Blitzer/Killer or more muscle against teams like Chaos and Lizardmen. Maybe something like MB, Dauntless, PO/Frenzy/Pro/Tackle. Maybe even a Dauntless on a ball hunter in late development for more utility/breaking ST4 Ball Carriers. Thoughts?

    Reply
    • I generally find Orcs shouldn’t need it with strong players themselves and easy access to lots of Guard. I could see a use for Dauntless I just personally would rather have one of the many good options. Give it a try and see how it works for you, best way to find out at the end of the day! If there are lots of particularly strong teams in your league it could prove very useful, though it’s only really Lizardmen and Ogres that have the strength advantage.

      Reply
      • Hmm, yeah, I do see the point you make, considering I’m highly thinking about Guard first instead of Block on my B.O.Bs, maybe it seemed more useful in my head since alot of teams have a Big Guy and if I made a Blitzer to take em out it freed the B.O.B and Troll to do other duties. I might just give it a whirl on one Orc and see how it turns out, thanks for the input! I can’t wait to get the PC version and test out my team in practice instead of theorycrafting it in my head.

        Reply
        • I prefer to deal with the Big Guy players by marking them up and forgetting about them, Orc Linemen are perfect for that being cheap and having high armour.

          Reply
      • not just lizardmen & ogres, undead are the bane of my team as I am still saving up for a troll, while they have 3 ST5 players (2 mummies, & a vampire (we’re doing star players in the style of the 1994 version))

        any tips?

        Reply
  7. I’ve been trying a lineup of 4 blorcs, 4 blitzers and 3 linemen recently, keeping 2 Blitzers back when receiving (one in each half) to pick up the ball.

    If going for the ball carrying blitzer build, should I just give one of them Sure Hands and leave him back alone or should I give it to two of them? The other option suggested to me was giving the SH player Kick-off return. Are either of these options good ideas?

    3rd option could be having both a KOR Thrower and a SH Blitzer back which should cover the back field very well. What do you think?

    Reply
  8. Coach, i just rolled a double ten on my blitzer orc with mighty blow and block. I have couple of options ranging from dodge and sidestep to +MV. So far my team is fairly new with none of my other players having any levels. What do you recommend to me?

    Reply
        • As he has mb i would not go mv+. if it had been at tackle blitzer i would.

          With a Tackle mv 7 blitzer. you can place him in the back on any defence. Securing at least 1 dice on any Catcher or ball carrier coming down on you side. This helps so taht he oposing coach feel he has to for a cage on your half before going for the TD. That leaves you in a perfect position where you just have to hold the Los i order to prevent himn form scoring, and with Orc that is easy vs most teams.

          Depending on what leauge you are in i would recomend dodge in long leauges where you canm develop you team or pion if yuou are in cabal and want to win evry game. To have a mbpion blitzer as the first 2 skill pos on the Orc tgeam is simply amazing.

          Reply
  9. Hey Coach, I could use your opinion with my orc team. My team looks like this after one Little Crunch season:
    4 Black orcs, 1 with block,
    1 Thrower with block,
    2 Linemen
    4 Blitzers, One with Str+

    The Str4 blitzer and a rookie blitzer both rolled a normal roll. I’m thinking of going with tackle on the Str4 blitzer and guard on the other one, but I guess it could work the other way around too. Not really sure of building the Str4 guy as a killer, yet atleast. I’d like to keep him standing up. What are your thoughts?

    Reply
    • Either way could work, though Guard and ST4 is harder for opponents to deal with so I would go that way. You need some Tackle on the team so taking it on the rookie fits well. That’s the longer term route, the short term route I would go the other way as blitzing with ST4 and Tackle requires less support in the form of assists.

      Reply
  10. I had a Blitzer with Tackle.
    My Orc team suddenly happened to have a passing option with +Ag on the Thrower.
    Next two levelups on that Blitzer were +Ag and +Mv. He now scores most of my team’s touchdowns, even Tackle players cannot stop his 2+ dodges.
    Would Catch be a good option if I roll another double with him? What skills he needs most, in your opinion?

    Reply
    • You can replicate the Catch skill with a team reroll, so whilst it’s a useful skill it’s not one I will often take as an upgrade as a player who doesn’t have it already. It’s also something you aren’t going to use that often compared to other options. Nerves of Steel is a more effective choice in the passing game than Catch, though Catch helps with scattered balls, bouncing balls and interception attempts.

      If taking a double then Sure Feet is more useful than Catch, it’s something you can use every turn without the ball and gives you a more reliable extended scoring range. Side Step is probably the best doubles choice though, makes it harder to blitz him out of scoring range, extends the width of the pitch as you can be safer near the sideline and generally makes it harder to tie him down in a bog of tackle zones.

      I would probably give a lot of consideration to Guard, it’s one of the best skills in the game and you’d have it on one of your fastest players who can also dodge around to get it in the most useful position. Guard will also help when your Blitzer is marked and you want to use another of your players to hit a player marking him. Guard will help on both offence and defence and makes other players on your team better. It also combos really well with Side Step if you’ve taken that on a double.

      Reply
      • Thanks for the answer. I will probably lean towards Sure Feet on a double because I run into a lot of fast dodge teams, and reaching that Gutter Runner behind your lines reliably seems more important to me right now.

        Reply
  11. hi coach, I have a new team, with 4 black orcs, 4 blitzers, 2 throwers, & 2 gobbos. i’m saving up for a troll.

    one of my blitzers got a +AG, what build should I go for? i’m thinking ball targeting, but do you have any suggestions?

    Reply
  12. Hi Coach, I got lucky and have an AG+1 Blitzer with already dodge and now I rolled a double again!!

    SideStep looks too expansive and with stand firm I’ll have a similar effekt with lesser TV increase.

    Jump?
    or ignore it and take Guard?

    Thx for Help 🙂

    Reply
    • It really depends on what the rest of the team looks like and what role you use him for. Side Step is great but as you said you can get Stand Firm which can be just as good. If you’re using him for Blitzing then Tackle & Strip Ball could be needed, if he is carrying the ball then Sure Hands. Guard is always useful, though there is a lot of other players on the team who can take it and his extra mobility might come in useful for a more specific build. Take a look at the rest of the teams in the league, lots of Dodge, then Tackle will be useful, lots of strength teams then Guard etc.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to OverLORDY Cancel reply

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