Dark Elf Blitzer Overview: #
Dark Elves are very good at the running game, partly because they don’t have recognised Throwers and Catches like the other Elf teams, but because they are the only one that has access to four Blitzers. Given the changes to Fan Factor in the current rules it is also quite easy to start with all four in your starting line up. This is something I encourage as Block is really good early on, AV8 stands up better than the AV7 players. Also with expensive players you won’t initially be able to afford many rerolls, so Block will cut down on turnovers.
As they are fairly speedy and come with decent armour and Block they will be doing a lot of the leg work on the team. The fact you have four of them as well means it is quite easy to build them all up in slightly different ways to perform different roles. There will be some overlap but you can specialise individual Blitzers in order to take on different types of opposing players. As they start with Block you can get there quicker than your elven counterparts who also need to take Block or Wrestle in addition to further skills. Having four as well means you can cover practically any where on the pitch with them, especially as they are mobile.
Dark Elf teams are also quite a bit slower than other Elves so scoring quickly isn’t as easily done and you tend to play more in a mobile cage using strategic hits. Somewhat of a cross between the standard Elven tactics and a traditional caging team. Having four Blitzers let you screen off other players well and once you have the ball secured or screened off in the other half you should have a number of players who you can use to score with.
Strip Ball Blitzer: #
- Normal: Dodge, Strip Ball, Tackle/Leap, Jump Up, Side Step/Diving Tackle
- Doubles: Guard, Mighty Blow
- Stat Increase: +ST +AG +MV
This build is most useful early on when most teams aren’t going to have a Sure Hands ball carrier, I start all Blitzers off with Dodge as you are light on Rerolls, they will be dodging a lot and it makes them even harder to knock over. Strip Ball next up to get the ball off any non Sure Hands Ball carrier, it is even worth attempting this most of the time if you are doing a two dice block in their favour. (Wrestle and Strip Ball is also good on a Lineman but they usually will take longer to skill up.) You may also consider taking Strip Ball first before more players get Sure Hands. Tackle follows on to deal with Dodge players if you are light on Tackle and there are lots of Dodge Players. Leap lets you get at the Ball Carrier and you may consider taking this before Tackle if you already have another Blitzer with Tackle/Leap. Jump Up can be useful to keep your movement and get extra blocks in. Diving Tackle will tie up players you don’t want getting away, though it is more useful if you have Side Step already.
For Doubles Guard is probably the best choice as you have no players on the team with strength skill access and with Block and Dodge keeping them upright and their higher armour means they are the best equipped to have Guard. Mighty Blow is also worth considering but I would say Guard will be far more useful all around. As usual +ST is brilliant as is +AG and +MV can also be a great asset.
Tackle Blitzer: #
- Normal: Dodge, Tackle, Side Step, Diving Tackle
- Doubles: Guard, Mighty Blow
- Stat Increase: +ST +AG +MV
I would look to build two this way and they are useful for both going after the ball carrier or marking receivers or blocking running lanes. As usual Dodge first, though if you are in a Dodge heavy league, Tackle might be more useful first and then Dodge. Side Step for greater positioning (especially near the side lines where your Witch Elves threaten) and staying next to players you are marking. Diving Tackle will also tie up players you were unable to knock over. Doubles and stat increases are also fairly standard.
Leaping Blitzer: #
- Normal: Dodge, Leap, Tackle, Jump Up
- Doubles: Guard, Mighty Blow
- Stat Increase: +ST +AG +MV
I still start with Dodge first as I find it more useful all around than Leap. Take Leap next, then take Tackle for blitzing Dodge players. Jump Up is probably more useful than Diving Tackle as you don’t have Side Step and helps after you failed a Leap. Doubles and stats as before.
Dark Elf Blitzer Summary: #
Depending on which Blitzers roll stat increases or doubles you can see that they do share a lot of skills in common. If you are in a Dodge heavy environment make sure to get some Tackle in and prioritise it above Dodge (you will get more Dodge when you buy Witch Elves). If you are in a Dodge Light league though, you can take it yourself, especially as other teams will probably have less Tackle themselves. I really don’t like using Leap but it does offer fantastic freedom of movement and sometimes the threat of it is more useful than the skill itself. Your Blitzers are rather versatile and each one can be specified to deal with certain situations, while still being somewhat of an all round useful player in the games their specific skills may not come into play. Their skills may look primarily for defence but a lot of them are also useful for running the ball on offence.
