Guide d'équipe : Hommes Lézards

GENERAL KALE'S GUIDE TO LIZARDMAN STRATEGY


WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE LIZARDMEN?

At first glance, the Lizardman roster looks like the blueprint for a perfect BB team. No other team can offer you their unique combination of strength and speed, and in the right hands,Lizardmen can be a nightmare to play against. With 6 Saurus and 1 Kroxigor, Lizards can have more ST 4+ players than any other race in BB, and with 6 MV, a Saurus has much greater mobility than his friend the Black Orc. Behind that imposing front line are the Skinks, who are some of the most mobile players in the game. With 8 MV, they can cover a lot of territory in a hurry, and with Dodge and Stunty, they can blow through tackle zones and into the opposition backfield in the blink of an eye. That mammoth front line can withstand the rushing attack of Strength teams like Dwarfs and Orcs, while the Skinks can track down Catchers and Gutter Runners loose behind your line. Like I said, a perfect BB team, right?


WHY SHOULD I NOT CHOOSE LIZARDMEN?

Despite their initial appearance, Lizardmen have some significant drawbacks. A lineup full of ST 4 monsters and MV 8 roadrunners sounds great, but Lizards start with a distinct lack of skills. Nobody starts with block, and nobody starts with Sure Hands, which is a recipe for burning through Team Re-Rolls and suffering turnovers. Not only are they skill-deprived as a starting team, those skills can be hard to come by as the team advances. Your big, bruising Sauruses will skill slowly, because players who rely on casualties take longer to advance than players who can score the occasional touchdown.

The most serious limitation to Lizardman teams is a lack of ballhandling ability. Skinks are limited to Agility skills, which is a MAJOR drawback; bread-and-butter skills like Block and Sure Hands can only be taken on doubles. And though Skinks make excellent receivers, Stunty and a lack of access to passing skills make them terrible throwers, which rules out any hope of a reliable aerial attack. This means that, though their combination of speed and power is an imposing one, Lizardmen have a rather one-dimensional quality on offense. Add it all up, and Lizardmen aren't necessarily the juggernaut that you might expect them to be at first glance.


TEAM BUILDS

Given the aforementioned lack of skills, and the problems that can cause, I'd recommend a minimum of 3 re-rolls when building a Lizardman team. That being said, here are a couple of different starting lineups.

OPTION 1

5 Saurus 400
6 Skink 360
3 RR 180
1 Apothecary 50
1 FF 10

If I were starting a Lizarman team, this is the build I would use. 5 Sauruses are sufficient to give you an imposing defensive front, and the apothecary will almost certainly come in handy, what with your Skinks having AV 7 and Stunty. Alternately, you could drop the Apothecary and the FF and start with 7 Skinks; having 12 players is never a bad option. You should be able to add your 6th Saurus after 2 games, followed by either another Skink or your Kroxigor, depending on how quickly you're earning money and whether or not you need to replace any dead Lizards.

OPTION 2

6 Saurus 480
5 Skink 300
3 RR 180
4 FF4 40

Similar to option 1, this roster maxes out on Sauruses to present a slightly beefier lineup. If this build is more to your liking, consider dumping some FF and banking some cash. If you stash the 40k, you're guaranteed to have enough dough for either an apothecary or another Skink after your first game.

OPTION 3

6 Saurus 480
6 Skink 360
2 RR 120
4 FF 40

OPTION 4

5 Saurus 400
7 Skink 420
2 RR 120
1 Apothecary 50
1 FF 10

As I said, I don't think 2 RR is enough, but these two builds will let you start with 12 players. When I'm building a team, I like to try and spend all of my available cash without buying FF; in my opinion, it lets you field the best possible team for your money. With that in mind, I find option 4 more appealing than 3. With either of these teams, I'd make my first purchase a 3rd RR.

BIG GUY OPTION

1 Kroxigor 140
6 Saurus 480
4 Skink 240
2 RR 120
2 FF 20

Though I'm already on record as saying that I'm not a fan of Big Guys, and that 2 RR isn't enough, this is definitely the most intimidating lineup you can field, and it's quite an intriguing build. If you're going to start with only 2 RR, this might be the best team to field; the Kroxigor's Prehensile Tail is great to have against agility teams, and his 6 MV makes him more mobile than Ogres or Trolls. Bear in mind that this team only has 4 players with any hope of handling the ball, and your opponent is most definitely going to be hunting those players (more on "Blitz-a-Skink" later).


LIZARDMAN OFFENSE

As I said, Lizardmen aren't built for passing, so they're married to the rushing attack (If you don't believe me when I say that Lizards shouldn't pass, consider this: an elf completes a Quick Pass on a 2, and a Skink needs a 4. I hope that is a clear enough indication of why Lizardmen can't rely on a passing attack. You want to throw the ball? Don't play Lizards). That being said, Lizardmen have more speed at their disposal than the rest of the running-reliant teams. This means that they can choose between employing a quick-strike offense, much like Skaven or Elves, or grinding it out like Dwarf or Chaos teams. In my experience, Lizardman teams favour a more conservative approach, so once you do get possession of the ball, don't do anything risky with it unless it's as a last resort. Don't make a handoff unless it's absolutely necessary, and remember, unless you've got catch, you're more likely to succeed on a dodge than you are on a hand-off.

If a quick TD is needed, punch a hole in the opposition line and get a couple of Skinks into scoring range. Spread them out a little, and send a Saurus with them if you can. Advance the ballcarrier as far forward as possible without leaving him exposed. As long as you get more than one Skink downfield, your opponent will only be able to blitz one of them, which will leave you with at least one still standing. After that, all you need to do is throw a couple of blocks, make one hand-off (or a pass if you havn't been listening to me), maybe a dodge or two, and you're in the endzone.

If you aren't in a hurry to push the ball downfield, Lizardmen are well-suited for the more deliberate, methodical rushing attack. Six Sauruses and a Kroxigor can create a cage that can stand up against anyone, and once you've penetrated 3-4 squares into the opposition half, the Skink in the middle can break for the endzone whenever the opportunity presents itself. If running the clock down to score on Turn 8 is your plan, Lizards can do that as well as anyone. One last thing: on those occasions where your opponent kicks a touchback, consider giving the ball to a Saurus, especially against a team like Elves or Skaven. Despite being largely incapable of picking up or catching the ball, a Saurus has the ST and MV to be an steamroller of a fullback if he ever gets the ball in his hands. And if you do manage to get him into the endzone, he'll pick up some much-needed SPPs. Don't try it with your Kroxigor, though...Nuffle frowns upon such things, and I can guarantee that you'll fail that bonehead roll and ruin your chance to score just as you're ready to push for the goalline...


LIZARDMAN DEFENCE



There are plenty of good defensive alignments out there, but I'd go with something like this. You want to minimize the possibility of your Skinks getting blitzed; if you're uncomfortable having all your players pushed forward, the other option would be to set your Skinks up far enough back that they're out of blitz range. Get your heavies forward and let them do as much damage as they're able to, and keep your Skinks back in the secondary unless you need to bring them forward to provide assists. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about setting up a deep defense, even against a speed team, because your Skinks are easily mobile enough to get back and cover any Gutter Runners or Catchers that get through your front 7.

When you force turnovers, protecting the ball should be a higher priority than pushing it forward. If you can, form a cage around whoever recovered the ball and start your push downfield. I wouldn't recommend having a Skink cherry-picking down near your opponents' goalline unless you're into the second half and you need to gamble. Anyone you leave hanging around in the opposition backfield is most likely going to get squashed before he can be of any use to you anyway.

*EDIT - I had a request for defensive setups that didn't include the Kroxigor. Here are two more sample alignments; the one on the left is with 6 Sauruses, the one on the right with 5.




GENERAL STRATEGIES

First of all, and I can't stress this enough, protect your Skinks. On a team full of ST 4 bruisers, your lightly-armoured Skinks may as well be wearing targets on their chests. If your opponent is a ruthless bastard who knows what he's doing, he'll be hitting your Skinks every chance he gets, which is where the so-called "Blitz-a-Skink mentality" comes from. Some people don't like this tactic, perhaps feeling like it isn't "sporting", but whether you like it or not, it's gonna happen, so you
better be ready for it. If your opponent rids the pitch of your Skinks, he completely neuters your offense, so don't expose them to any unnecessary punishment. Don't leave the other coach any blocks against your Skinks if you can help it. Make the most of your Stunty and Dodge, and run the little buggers away from the enemy every chance you get.

Make full use of your Kroxigor by getting him into the middle of every scrum, especially against agility teams. That prehensile tail can be the difference between giving up a touchdown and causing a turnover, so get him next to the ballcarrier whenever possible. Your Sauruses have the ST and AV to go head-to-head with just about anything, so don't be afraid to turn the game into a trench-fight, particularly if it looks like your opponent is trying to avoid that style of game. *EDIT - Be sure to make full use of the Kroxigor's assists BEFORE you make that bonehead roll. You can't fail it if you don't try it, so if you really need that assist or tackle zone, there might be times when it's better not to activate him at all.

On offense, I'd recommend keeping your extra Skinks behind the cage so that they can move up to provide timely assists to your Sauruses, and so that they're in good defensive position if everything goes horribly wrong and the opposition gets their hands on the ball. Pushing Skinks downfield can open up the option of a quick score as well as serving to draw defenders away from the cage, but be warned that unprotected Skinks are going to get blitzed, and possibly fouled. So unless you NEED to score quickly, keep 'em in your backfield, where they'll be (comparatively) safe.


ADVANCES

Skill selection is particularly important for Lizardman teams, because you don't start with any. Block is a must for all of your Sauruses, and the usual suspects like Mighty Blow and Guard are next on the list. You should have at least one with Tackle, one with Strip Ball, and one with Wrestle. On doubles, consider Dodge, to help keep the player on his feet. Break Tackle is a great choice for a 3rd-4th skill, because it will do wonders for your mobility on defense, and Piling On is a good choice for getting rid of the oppositions' skilled players.


You're limited to Agility skills on your Skinks, so pray for doubles. Catch is a good first choice, because it'll let you reroll failed hand-off attempts, and Side Step can get you out of sticky situations in traffic or along the sidelines. Sprint and Sure Feet is a tried-and-true combo, and Sneaky Git makes fouling a lot less risky. The only skill I'd recommend against is Leap, which I wouldn't take unless I had a Skink with an AG up, but aside from that, you'll find a use for all those Agility skills at one time or another, so try to have a good mix.

When you do hit doubles, get 2 Skinks with Sure Hands before you even think of taking anything else (and keep in mind that if you hit 5-5 or 6-6, you'll probably take the stat increase, so you're really only looking at a 1 in 9 chance to take those skills). After Sure hands is taken care of, you may be tempted to try and build a thrower, but I wouldn't recommend it (we've been over this, dammit!) I would consider Hail Mary Pass on doubles, though, and if you do take it, be sure you have a couple of Skinks with Diving Catch for some late-game heroics.


FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE

Be patient with your Lizardman team. If they look like a great choice at first, but then your new team doesn't perform as well as you'd hoped, understand that Lizards need to be developed before they're really imposing. As far as rookie teams go, I think that Lizardmen are like Chaos teams in that they're at a slight disadvantage at first, but that will change over time. You might take it on the chin in your first few matches, but once you've got a few Sauruses with Block and a Reserves Box full of extra Skinks, your team will be a force to be reckoned with.

- General Kale