When you read this, please keep in mind that these are my thoughts, observations and take-aways from conversations, podcasts and web articles. I can be and will be wrong about aspects. Please feel free to correct me, I am always willing to learn but remember that I don't have much experience of Guild Ball so - don't be a dick! :)
For those who are reading because they can't sleep, this article is for Si (@irons1de) to help a bit with the Union models he's got and could potentially get. Si was my opponent in the first Big League game (http://geekphotoguy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/the-big-leagues-big-kick-off-guild-ball.html) and a long time gaming friend through Age of Sigmar and numerous TCGs. A really sound bloke!
Looking further at the Union and their uses, I'm going to be examining selective models which Si owns and some which he doesn't but I will not be running through all of the Union models... today...
Si's team when I played against him was:
*Blackheart [C]
*Coin [M]
*Gutter
*Decimate
*Rage
*Mist
What he did very successfully was gang up on certain players, eliminating them from the game. In fact, he managed to do it twice to get 4 of his 8 VPs. Where it fell apart was when Scalpel, Silence and Dirge decided that they would just start to run, very quickly, up the opposite flank!
What are the strengths of the line up he used?
- Flexible.
- High Momentum generating.
- Able to iscolate models and deal with them through damage output.
- 4 models are armoured.
- 2nd best striker in the game!
Where does this fall down?
- Bar the 2nd best striker, fair average kick stats but the redeeming feature is the amount of dice to throw at the kick!
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Blackheart (Captain)
- 2" dodge at the start of the activation.
- Commanding Aura for 2 INF which gives +1 TAC and +1 DMG to playbook results within 4" of him.
- Playbook's access to dodges and high end damage.
Weakness
- High end, momentus damage only comes in columns 5 and 6.
- Misdirecton. Circumstantial, yes and very good when used effectively but for 4 INF there are better things to be spending your INF on! If there is a model with 1 INF on and it will stop something bigger (Boar/Rage - if he's playing for another team) then it can be used as a nice surprise technique to only make that bollocks charge and beserk thing less on a wanker move!
Legendary
A neat little play to be used in the mid-to-late game when things are stuck in combat or are about to. This play has many benefits, it does allow models to become unengaged fairly easily with the dodge action and then carry on the rest of their turn - something if he activates first and with an 8" pulse they will probably want to be the models you need to get out of combat in order to reposition. The +1 DEF is really valuable as a support piece which could be used in his support of Mist going up the board! But, just think... +1 DEF on DEF 4/ARM 1 models makes them incredibly annoying to take down in a turn - just enough to weather a storm and hit back!
Blackheart is a great Captain which offers a lot of support to those around him. Yes, he can hit but he hits better when he's teamed up with a minion or two. We'll get on to that.
Coin (Mascot)
Okay, so this guy is a little bit of a tickster. He is best left towards the back of the field to be a support piece but also to stop anyone scoring!
- Tackle on the 1st column.
- Bag of Coffers - possibly the best mascot trait in the game... possibly!
- Follow up helps for the engagement issue when Coin gets involved with those pesky goalscorers!
- Armour! Huzzah!
Weaknesses
- TAC 2... but he's a mascot with tackle on 1... don't complain too much!
- Hamstring! -4/-4 is great but only in melee... not really value!
So Coin is one of those to have him play behind the lines. He is a great piece early game to ensure that additional influence is banded around. Him giving an additional influence to Decimate to pull off Second Wind or to Hemlocke for Smelling Salts is useful. Even better to give to Mist for him to full off the 1 INF - Where'd they go? propelling him up the board. Something for nothing in that case!
Gutter
This is a model that has a love/hate relationship with some players. She brings a bit of influence to the table but can drain it quite quickly if you're not careful.
- Chain Grab - giving an enemy model a 4" push towards this model (and potentially to its death). For 1 INF this is an excellent way of iscolating models away from the opponent's original game line.
- Anatomical Precision.
- High Momentous playbook.
- Scything Blow - 3 DMG to all in a 2" melee zone is brilliant but also a curse (discussed below).
- 2" melee to control areas of the board.
- Life Drinker to recover HP throughout the game.
Weaknesses
- Scything Blow - Yes, a 2" melee is wonderful and if she's on her own, it's a great ability to use to dish out damage but bear in mind that this ability hits ALL models - including your own so beware of placement when you are hoping to hit.
- Low damage output. She's better at luring people in instead of hitting. 2 Momentus damage on column 3 with TAC 5 isn't terrible but isn't the best you've ever seen.
Gutter is another support piece instead of an outright damage dealer. Her chain grab ability is very good but limited only to 4" away so there is a potential there to be in a lot of trouble if it is not set up correctly. I think the phrase to remember is 'Better in numbers!'
Decimate
She should be French... is she French? She really should be!
Attributes
- Excellent movement capabilities. (Second Wind and 6"/9")
- Anatomical Precision - Stripping away ARM? Count me in!
- Thousand Cuts - Circumstantial again - 6th column on the playbook or 3 INF. This is again great for working in tandem with Blackheart and Rage getting the opposing model to have -2 DEF for the rest of the turn but it does depend on activation and where priorities lie.
- High Momentum generation.
- Dodges to get the hell out of there if needed.
Weaknesses
- Thousand Cuts - High price to pay for this ability. It has its place but I think it would be a very rare sight to use 3 INF on something like this unless its a DEF 5/6 model which you really need to get rid of!
Decimate is a character which can do consistent damage. Using her 2 influence should get you at least 4 damage on the playbook and 2 momentum, if not more!
Rage
A model which is considered in most teams which can take him!
- Charge for free! Bonus!
- Crucial Artery - gaining the bleed condition - another bonus! This can be incredibly useful, particuarly after a model has activated so it will take more (if they want to) to get that condition off.
- Tooled Up - Giving himself or another character *cough* Blackheart *cough* Decimate (Consistent damage output with +1 damage...hmm) *cough*
- High Momentous plays.
- Consistent Damage Output.
- Berserk - A free attack if you manage to damage after an attack... Sign me up!
Weaknesses
But he doesn't have any weaknesses... yes he does!
- 0 Armour and DEF 4 makes him easy to get a hold of!
- 1 INF max which stops him from really going batshit crazy! This is a good thing - for everyone else!
- Can't benefit from friendly character traits or plays. So, can't be used with Blackheart's ability but does he need it?
- Concussion. It is really quite useful but the weakness comes because it's in the 5/6 column of the damage output. Helpful if you want to strip INF off models which haven't activated yet but if they have, it's just a waste of time!
- Doesn't have access to pushes or dodges (but does have access to KDs)!
To be used in tandem with Blackheart and Decimate when trying to eliminate models off the table. He can be used very successfully with Mist in going up the board with the ball!
Mist
The second best striker in the game! (And some people have now clicked off this page, lost their minds or about to write a real long essay about Mist vs. Flint) I'm just going off what I've heard okay! So, don't shoot the writer!
- 8" kick! 3 dice is nice but not the best! Still has a great success rate!
- Tackle on 1 success!
- High access to dodges!
- Ability to move an additional 4" with Where'd They Go?
- 2" melee zone.
- Additional movement benefits (Cover of Darkness).
Weaknesses
- Armour 0 - not much of a weakness with DEF 5 though!
- 3 dice on the kick, again not much of a weakness but an additional die could make him more consistent!
Where to put Mist is the biggest problem. Every time I've seen him, he's been on the wing just smashing his way through and dodging out of trouble. A decent idea and a conversation on Hall of Legends Podcast with Mat the other week, he was saying about spreading the play and having a team which will play the ball all the way across the 3x3 board. He certainly can offer this! He does need to be supported though and I do wonder that if he's on the side of a pitch is there a model which could help him and support him by using pushes to get players off the pitch or away from where they need to be? There is one model in the faction with easy access to these...
*CHEESY SEGWAY!*
Avarisse
Well, hello big boy!
Attributes
- Used with Greede to control activations.
- Access to high momentum plays.
- Singled out is excellent in tandem with others (Rage, Blackheart, Decimate).
- Tough Hide allows him to have more stickability. It also just brushes off those shitty little bits of damage from models!
- KD on 2nd column! Good...Good....
Weaknesses
Where would we be without mentioning the elephant in the room...
- Movement - 4"/7". I'd want to see him up the pitch with Mist being able to clear players off the pitch or a clear channel for Mist to run in to. He would benefit from Decimate's Second Wind, for sure!
I see him as a bulldozer going up the pitch smashing people left, right and centre in order to clear channels for a striker to get through!
Greede
Attributes
- Provides addition INF to your team!
- DEF 5
- Ability to go crazy... if you so wish.
- Where'd they go? ability to get moving out and about in order to close down the ball!
- Kick of 4/4" - AMAZING... if he had more of a kick... I wonder if he could get more of a kick threat range from somewhere...
Weaknesses
- Move 4"/5" but does benefit from WTG.
- 4 Wounds
Where to use this delightful chap? Keep him at the back (yes, with Coin - infact, Coin could push up a big dishing the INF out) in order to play as a (albeit small) goalkeeper. He has an ability to be a bit of a nuisance. The only way to really get the ball though is through going crazy... not really ideal but, if you must, if it's the last thing you can do, if it can save the game for you... then I might let you do it!
Fangtooth
This heavy mofo is a selective choice. He does offer an heroic play but that is a very unusual play to bust out!
- High momentous damage.
- Ability to KD on the 1st coloumn.
- Can give out Bleeding fairly easily - again, another condition to be used after models have activated or you want to drain momentum.
- Unmasking - Brilliant on Ghast and brilliant on him. Giving the push really can balls teams up!
- 29 wounds... with Glutonus Mass... Umm... someone pass the popcorn, we're going to be here for a while! If someone does get through ALL OF THOSE WOUNDS, then they have their priorities wrong!
- 40mm base with Foul Odour to slow opponents down using it as rough ground.
Weaknesses
- Movement is an issue but if you're going to use him then he tends to stand his ground in the middle of the pitch!
- 1" melee zone. It's better than a kick in the balls and with a 40mm base and 3" Aura it's pretty good but unlike Ghast (Morticians) he doesn't have a huge melee to smash face with unmasking. Still a very useful piece though.
Fangtooth is another one of those models people have a love/hate relationship with. I think he has his place in a team but he will undoubtedly be more useful against slower teams which need to be made slower. He is very good for denying flanks or the centre of the pitch to make opponents play around him. Not great against Shark Fish lists but can do some damage in the middle of the park or at the back against opponents who don't have those dodges or pushes. He is certainly a momentum machine! That Heroic play... 5 damage in a 4" pulse to friendly models but giving additional movement and damage for character plays for that turn can get him places and stay there!
Hemlocke
- A great range of abilities which can lay down AoEs for the better or worse of your and your opponents.
- Adds 1 DEF when taking parting blows - putting her up to DEF 6!
- High momentous plays.
- Blind ability gives the ability shut down opponents at range (8") making opponents really sweat when it comes to kicking or indeed attacking. -2 TAC for the turn, plus the additional negatives to kick and movement? Yep!
- Smelling Salts is one primary reason to take Hemlocke with the ability to clear the conditions on models within 4" and a 3" AOE.
- Noxious Blast is another good ability, not as good as Smelling Salts but still can dish out posion as well as 2 DMG. It does also give you a bit of access to board control. With Fangtooth and her in a team you could effectly close off one half of a board. That doesn't mean that the AOE she lays down is impassable but it does pose interesting questions for your opponent about if they really want to send their models through the AOE and gain the effect.
- Magical Brew - Removing conditions from herself - excellent!
Weaknesses
- Low wound count - particularly with the icy sponge tokens for 1 and 2. I'd be very wary of bringing her back on the pitch with just 1 icy sponge token.
- TAC 3. Although she really shouldn't be getting into combat despite being able to generate momentum very quickly. Getting the ball off someone is just great!
Minx
Attributes
- Good movement ability.
- Free charge! Woo!
- Increased charging movement when targetting a model which has suffered damage!
- Marked Target ability to let others gain a charge bonus against a single model allowing additional movement.
- Armour 1.
Weaknesses
- Screeching Banshee - another good ability against a model, reducing their movement but on the 4th column of the playbook, there are better things to choose on that playbook!
- Kick of 2/6" - not really a striker but she might be useful to kick off with in order to get her in and around the back of the board.
- 12 wounds with DEF 4, so fairly fragile. She will need to be kept out of the way for the majority of the game.
Minx is a great model to use in order to hunt down enemy models which have just come back on the board after recovering icy sponge tokens. Yes, she can be fragile but worthwhile to lay damage down on the feeble and weak! Good against teams which have low DEF and are easy to take out. While she's hunting down prey, she does provide a threat at the back of the board to lock the ball down and with a tackle on column 2, she's pretty good!
These models, yes Season 1, are strong choices to take in match ups.
I always think that a core of players is required with additional players to swap in and out when facing different teams.
My core list would be:
*Blackheart
*Coin
*Decimate
*Mist
with the additional slots available for the rest, it would depend very much on a team or what you're trying to achieve.
Ultimately, it's a game of football (the real football) and passing the ball round, spreading it across the pitch and creating shooting lanes is what should be achieved.
I'd be looking to keep on top of the momentum game just to give me options.
I hope this run down helps in some small way and maybe picked out some things which could be a possibility in future games.
That's it from me, for now!
Thanks for reading.
I'll see you soon!
@geekphotoguy
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