BB2020 Skaven Starting Rosters

Skaven Starting Rosters Overview

Under the Blood Bowl Second Season rules Skaven teams have been hit with some price increases on both the Gutter Runners and the Thrower. Some of you might think that makes sense on the Gutter Runners as they are one of the best players in the game. You could also be thinking why on earth would they raise the price on the Throwers when some Skaven coaches never took any in the first place?

The reason behind that is that the new passing rules and the introduction of the passing start have made dedicated Throwers a lot better at throwing that just a random high agility player, such as Gutter Runners for example. So whilst Gutter Runners have been made worse as passing, the Throwers can throw it even better than they did before. Some are even suggesting that the Skaven Thrower is the best one in the game and they are certainly worthy of that accolade.

It’s not all price rises, as the reroll price has dropped, which goes part way to compensate. While that’s all well and good, what does it actually mean in the practical terms of picking your starting roster? Let’s take a look!

All Positionals Skaven

This is nearly identical to the roster I used to start my Skaven teams with under the older rules, with the exception that you are now 5k short of also fitting in an Apothecary. Apart from that you have everything you need and dropping down any of the positional players to a Linerat in order to fit in that Apothecary doesn’t seem worth it to me. If you save all that money you will definitely have the money to get an Apothecary. It might also hamper any teams who have kept their team value low to get inducements. Alternatively you could get some Dedicated Fans to increase the winnings you generate.

12 Player + Apothecary Skaven

Skaven teams have a habit of getting beaten up with low armour and average agility on a lot of the team. For that reason you might want to start with a substitute and also the protection of an Apothecary for the more expensive players. With the Thrower and two Gutter Runners you should still be able to score easier than most teams. It also means you have slightly more strength on the pitch but at the expense of the Gutter Runner’s movement. If you’re one of those coaches who is happy playing with two rerolls then you could swap one for an extra Linerat which could come in useful for setting up in the second half.

4 Reroll Skaven

This is very similar to the above roster but instead of the substitute Linerat, you’ve got an extra reroll. Skaven are one of the teams that don’t really need so many rerolls compared to other teams. You’ve got skills on relevant players and your agility isn’t terrible across the team. However with only two Gutter Runners you might be attempting more dodges with average agility. Having lots of rerolls also gives you more licence for trying one die block, especially so with the Blitzers as they have Block. There is the option to wait on the Apothecary and upgrade one of the Linerats to a third Gutter Runner.

Rat Ogre Skaven

I played a lot of Skaven back when the Rat Ogre had the basically unplayable Wild Animal rules (they had to take the first action every turn and block if next to an opponent), so I got used to playing them without ever taking one. Sometimes it can be really helpful to have a really strong player available to the team so this would be how I would look to taking one from the start.

The Apothecary is there to protect the more expensive assets but swapping it for a third reroll and then saving up for one as soon as possible would probably be the way I would go.

No Thrower Skaven

This is very similar to the full positional roster, not having a Thrower basically means you are trading them off in order to be able to afford an Apothecary. You could swap the Apothecary for an extra Linerat or reroll. A Skaven team with four Gutter Runners and four rerolls can sometimes pull of some extraordinary plays! The only other high agility players who start with Dodge are the Wood Elf Catchers but you struggle to even start with three rerolls on a team of expensive elves.

Skaven Starting Rosters Summary

With the different price changes some of the previously common starting rosters have needed some slight tweaks. There are still quite a few different ways that you can elect to start your team so you should be able to find a combination that works with your preferences and play style.

Skaven can pull of some wild plays, especially now the Thrower is even better, however their low armour does leave them at risk of getting beaten up and playing with fewer players than the opposition.