Underworld Denizens Teams

On occasion the Skaven and Goblins living below all the hated races walking above in the sun team together to form Blood Bowl teams. The Underworld Creepers are the best known and most successful of these Underworld teams to date. However these teams often have very poor records as they spend most of their time infighting and blaming each other for the errors for each play. The one feature of this team that makes many fans attend is that the players sleep and bathe in Warpstone (and some eat it). While this kills off most of the potential players before they ever join a team, the ones that do survive often develop fascinating mutations.

QTYPositionCostMASTAGPAAVSkills & TraitsPriSec
0-12Goblin40k623+4+8+Dodge, Stunty, Right StuffAMGS
0-6Snotling15k513+5+6+Dodge, Right Stuff, Side Step, Stunty, Swarming, TitchyAMG
0-3Skaven Clanrat50k733+4+8+Animosity (Goblins)GMAS
0-1Skaven Thrower85k733+2+8+Animosity (Goblins), Pass, Sure HandsGMPAS
0-1Gutter Runner85k922+4+8+Animosity (Goblins), DodgeAGMPS
0-1Skaven Blitzer90k733+5+9+Animosity (Goblins), BlockGMSAP
0-11 Of 2:
0-1Underworld Troll115k455+5+10+Always Hungry, Loner (4+), Mighty Blow (+1), Projectile Vomit, Really Stupid, Regeneration, Throw Team MateMSAGP
0-1Mutant Rat Ogre150k654+9+Animal Savagery, Frenzy, Loner (4+), Mighty Blow (+1), Prehensile TailMSAG
0-8ReRolls70kApothecary: Yes
Special RulesBribery and Corruption, Underworld Challenge

Underworld Denizens Team Overview:

Underworld Denizens teams are a mixed race team combining Chaotic Goblins and Skaven and now in 2020, Snotlings, which makes for an interesting line up. Everyone on the team can get Mutations as normal skills and the players are fairly cheap. While none of the players are particularly great players, mutations will let you develop them in useful ways and let you co-ordinate the team well. Stunty players with mutations can really get some combos that can create issues for other teams for instance. The team also has the ability for one turn touchdowns using throw team mate, very much a high risk, high reward team in play style.

On paper though the disadvantages appear to out weigh the advantages. The team has low armour and low strength and can really suffer in games of attrition. They don’t have much in the way of core skills from the start and most of the team doesn’t even have access to general skills on normal rolls. Team rerolls are expensive and the Animosity between the races on the team can cause problems with ball handling.

Certainly one of the trickier teams to use and so perhaps not the best for a beginner. Animosity can get you into trouble at the worst times and the low strength and armour players won’t be that forgiving. If you are up for a challenge though they can be very entertaining and cause unexpected problems for opponents that other races can’t utilise.

Underworld Denizens Team Strengths:

  • Normal Mutation Access
  • Fairly Cheap Players
  • Unusual Player Builds

Underworld Denizens Team Weaknesses:

  • Low Armour and Strength
  • Animosity
  • Expensive Rerolls

25 thoughts on “Underworld Denizens Teams”

  1. Thanks for the article!
     
    A rules question: Would Underworld teams classify as a Goblin team when purchasing Bribes (Inducements) or is this solely for strict goblin teams?
     
    How about Chaos Pact or Orc teams that also have goblins?
     
    Thanx again!
    /Karbunkelsopp

    Reply
  2. How do you recomend developing your goblins, I was wondering about using them for the ball hunter role, stunty should allow them to get to the carrier and horns would make them strength 3 on a blitz. What do you think?

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    • Gobos rock. People really underestimate them… I don’t care what the accepted wisdom is – these guys are my stars! I absolutely love this team.

      Just started in a pretty damn strong private league, and doing quite well with a 4-2-2 record so far.

      2 Heads always as the first skill. Dodge anywere on a 2+ This is so insanely powerful, and only requires the one lvl, so even if the little buggers die a lot, you’ll have very powerful players quickly again.

      (Until you meet a tackle-heavy team, of course 😀 )

      Then:
      – 1 with horns = 1D blitz pretty easily into most cages. Does this make the opposng coach rage when it works? Yes. Yes it does 🙂 (next skill Wrestle, please)

      – 1 Big Hand to pick up the ball in tackle zones after you blitzed it free with your horns gobo or rats (he should get Extra Arms if he survives for another lvl)

      The rest is honestly flavour. You’re already set. Personally I want to get a duplicate of the Horns and the Big Hand gobos, because if they go down, a lot of my defensive play is shot.

      General usage:
      Use the gobos to run through the defensive line like it isn’t there, form a loose screen behind the defense and blitz through with the ball on a rat.

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      • Extra Head is enough to dodge anywhere on a 2+? I thought they’d need AG 4 AND and Extra Head in order to be able to do that. Would Extra Head on an AG 4 Underworld Goblin be a waste of a skill?

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        • Correct that Extra head is all that is needed to dodge on a 2+ anywhere.

          You only need extra head or AG4 for 2+ goblin dodges anywhere. Having both is a waste no matter what as I believe stunty is never negated.

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        • They already Dodge where they please most the time on a 3+ with AG3 and Stunty, Extra Head makes this a 2+. The only times it will be useful on an AG4 Goblin would be against teams that have Diving Tackle and / or Prehensile Tail.

          If you get AG4 I’d look at getting Side Step, Catch, or Sure Feet on a normal roll rather than Extra Head, Big Hand could also be considered.

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  3. just going to say the whole low strength and armor is deceiving due to the fact my chaos were out 8 players vs these cheeky beggers

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    • It’s mostly because the game is based on dice. You can have your entire team of dwarves get murdered by snotlings. Doesn’t mean squat. Snotlings still are abysmal and squishy as hell, and so are underworld.

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      • While I agree the game is based on dice, that doesn’t automatically mean Underworld teams sux. It depends on how you play them. Sure they will sux if I play them as a bash team, but if I play to their strengths then they can win as well as any teams. And my record proves that.

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      • Underworld usually have a few players with Claw and Mighty Blow, maybe Piling On too, so with a bit of luck they can rack up a lot of casualties in a match. Cheap Goblins for fouling too.

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        • I’ve played Underworld for a while with some degree of success, and I have to agree with Hrup. Underworld Blitzers can become ClawPOMB death machines without needing to roll ANY doubles, and the troll doesn’t need a double to become a ClawMB threat (freeing up that double for Block/Pro). Add a DP goblin and you can have a frightening lineup, although the team is certainly a glass cannon.

          In my last season in the Big Crunch, my (TV 1500 or so) Underworld team won 2nd place in their division. They were hands down the most violent team in the division, and very nearly won all three of the top slots for most violent individual players (the troll got knocked from third place in the last match by an upstart orcish blitzer, if I remember correctly).

          I can see how fairly developed Underworld teams could regularly see matches where both sides take heavy casualties.

          Reply
  4. I love these guys. Big hand and extra arm followed by two heads makes for an amazing ball carrier. Doubles on a goblin = guard. Leap and very long legs followed by strip ball on my blitzer means I own the ball.

    It takes a few matches and lots of gobs getting TD’s but you end up with a tram that’s really hard to stop. It’s hard for your opponent to score and easy for you to get the ball in your hands.

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  5. Coach

    I love Underworld as it offers some options other teams can only dream of: gobo’s with 2 heads, or horns, killer blitzers,…

    The problem I face with them is setting up my players when kicking the ball. Do I offer the opponent a cheap, expendable gobo (which very often doesn’t last a turn?). Argument pro = dodge, but with their pathetic strength 2, 3-dice blocks are fairly easy to get.

    Or do I offer my opponent my marginally more expensive linemen, who are stronger, lack dodge, but aren’t stunty either?

    Third “man” on the pitch is a no-brainer: the troll.

    Reply
    • I generally always use unskilled or injured players on the Line of Scrimmage. As always there are exceptions, like when facing a Dwarf team the Goblins are even more likely to get squished. However would you rather than than one of your Skaven players, it would depend how well they were developed at the time.

      I wouldn’t also always put the Troll there as there is a fair chance you may lose him when he would be a useful player to have as the drive goes on. A free Block and then possibly an advantageous foul from the other team and you lose a big chunk of your team value for the drive if not worse.

      Reply
  6. …meanwhile…3 years later. I just started my first underworld team and am really enjoying it so far (we play 7s in my league currently with 550k to start, 1/2 of all positionals max). I’ve been using my goblins as mobile tackle zones while the skaven handle the ball. I have no issues with the skaven leveling up, but I want my two head gobbos and I’m wondering how experienced coaches get the gobbos the ball and score for SPP. I’ve had more than one goblin in the endzone, the thrower with the ball, no rerolls and roll a “1” for animosity. Any strategies? I of course use them to foul every turn, but injuries caused that way don’t get SPP!!!!!

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    • My advice would be just pick up the ball with a goblin and screen / cage them to scoring. Its only 1 goblin that needs protecting at a time after all.

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  7. Unless I’m mistaken, the Underworld Goblin article was never written on the site. I think it could be quite an interesting one (though the comments here mostly outline the possible builds already) as it’s easy to dismiss them as just cheap fodder at first when they can be so much more.

    Reply

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