Eurobowl Rosters - The Lowdown!

By Dementor, Alex Davies

Firstly, this is going to be a very long read – so strap in! I’ve been playing blood bowl for the best part of 10 years, but I’ve recently become very interested in the pre-tournament separator of the wheat from the chaff, also known as theorybowl.

Eurobowl is a tournament that’s super competitive and everyone is looking for an edge. So on the eve of the deadline for Eurobowl rosters here are my thoughts on the Greek ruleset so after doing a lot of rosters I’ve come to some conclusions. But don’t worry, we’ll go through all of the teams on the way there. 

Obviously, a caveat, this is very opinionated, and I am also wrong about some things; so please ask me on discord or whatever medium you prefer my reasons for rosters. 

Throughout, the brackets mean the other, similarly viable, options for skill picks or star players, and within those options the square brackets mean the maximum recommended number of swaps. The slashes mean stacked skills.

Tier 1

Chaos Dwarfs

Chaos Dwarves are one of the teams that are a bit hard done by in this ruleset. They get a deep bench and 6 skills, but they just don’t stack up to the other powerhouses in this tier.

There are some options here for the spartan roster, like guard bulls, but this is a standard 1150 chorf roster. It’s fine, but there are a lot of other far more attractive options.

2x Bull Centaur	2x Block (Guard)	260
6x Chorfs	3x Guard, 1x Mighty Blow	420
5x Hobgoblin		200
3x Rerolls, Apo		260
		1140

For an option with the packs, you can take the cash pack to fit in the minotaur and 3rr. While it’s not that good, it’s something to do with some squad points if you wish.

1x Minotaur	1x Juggernaut	150
2x Bull Centaur	1x Block (Guard)	260
6x Chorfs	3x Guard (Mighty Blow, [1])	420
3x Hobgoblin		200
3x Rerolls		210
	1x Skill turned into cash	1160

Dark Elfs

Dark elves have a few options for the spartan pack, with 30k spare to spend on assassins/runners to taste. Another option is to drop the blitzer for a runner and an apo, giving you 3rr+leader and the apo. You can also forsake the 4th reroll and the apo for a lino, giving you the slightly more consistent 12 player roster. Here’s the standard, however.

4x Blitzers	4x Dodge	400
2x Witch Elves	1x Block, 1x Wrestle	220
5x Linemen		350
3x Rerolls		150
		1120

Another option for the 12 player roster is with the cash pack – you can fit in 3 blitzers with dodge and the witches, without the liability of the leader runner (if you consider him as such).

3x Blitzers	3x Dodge	400
2x Witch Elves	1x Block, 1x Wrestle	220
7x Linemen		350
3x Rerolls		150
	1x Skill turned into cash	1160

Dwarfs

For dwarfs, this is their standard tier 1 build at 1150.

2x Blitzers	2x Guard	160
2x Runners	(Block [1])	170
1x Troll Slayer		95
7x Blockers	3x Guard, 1x Mighty Blow	490
3x Rerolls, Apo		200
		1115

For a pack, they make decent use out of the star pack as they’re not strapped for cash at all, nor do they like the stack that much. Zug or Karla fit in here. This isn’t the best fit for your star pack however, and I really prefer the standard build. The biggest problem is that most of their good star options are just the wrong side of the 2 skill point star player tax cutoff.

2x Blitzers	2x Guard	160
2x Runners		170
7x Blockers	1x Guard	490
Mighty Zug or Karla The Slayer	3x Star player tax	220
2x Rerolls		200
		1140

Lizards

Spartan lizards are nothing exciting. You have a couple of options to drop rerolls/apo for more skinks. I’d recommend no more than one non-block skill.

1x Kroxigor	(Guard)	140
6x Saurus	6x Block (Guard [1], Tackle [1], Wrestle [1], Frenzy [1])	510
4x Skink		240
3x Rerolls, Apo		260
		1150

As for a pack, the stack and the extra skill pack both fit somewhat, but I feel the stronger of the two non-spartan rosters is the extra skill pack.

1x Kroxigor	1x Guard	140
6x Saurus	3x Block, 2x Guard, 1x Frenzy	510
4x Skink		240
3x Rerolls, Apo		260
		1150

Undead

Undead are the same old, same old. Barely any options within 1150

2x Mummies	1x Guard	250
2x Wights	1x Guard, 1x Tackle	180
4x Ghouls	3x Block (Wrestle [1])	300
5x Zombies		200
3x Rerolls		210
		1140

A few more options for the packs, with the standout being the Ivan undead build that’s been doing very well in some UK tournaments recently, and the honourable mention going to the extra skill pack, which just didn’t do it for me – too many wrestle ghouls.

2x Mummies	1x Guard	250
2x Wights	1x Guard	180
3x Ghouls	2x Block	225
4x Zombies		160
Ivan Deathshroud	2x Star player tax	190
2x Rerolls		140
		1145

This is pretty strong, and I’d recommend even veteran undead players try it before they knock it. The extra strength 4 brings a lot to undead, especially as you have maintained the same amount of guard as in the spartan roster. The main problem is the lack of rerolls so stabilisation against any sort of skaven or elf will be a little tricky – and there’ll be a lot of them. But we’ll get to the very good skaven rosters later.

Underworld

Now, onto the blight plaguing blood bowl. The infamous underworld denizens. Despite changes made to stop them from getting Varag, banning biased refs, and stopping them from getting sneaky git and bribes, every top team will be bringing one.

1x Rat Ogre	1x Juggernaut	150
1x Blitzer	1x Tackle (Guard, Mighty Blow)	90
1x Gutter Runner	1x Two Heads (Block)	85
1x Thrower	1x Block (Leader, Extra Arms)	85
3x Clanrats	1x Wrestle, 1x Dirty Player	150
6x Snotlings		90
3x Goblins		120
3x Rerolls, Apo, 2x Bribes		360
		1130

All of the packs bar cash are viable for underworld, because they’re underworld. Extra skill simply doesn’t have the drawback, due to their skill variety. Stack is fine but probably worse than the others as underworld don’t have many skills going spare. You could drop wrestle on the clanrat and block on the thrower for a sidestep/two heads gutter runner or a tackle/mighty blow blitzer, but wrestle and block are super helpful for the added 1/9 protection they bring to the table. I’m not sure that the star pack is the best of these 3 packs but it’s by far the most interesting of them.

1x Troll		115
1x Blitzer	1x Tackle (Guard, Mighty Blow)	90
1x Gutter Runner	1x Two Heads (Block)	85
1x Thrower	1x Leader (Block, Extra Arms)	85
3x Clanrats	1x Dirty Player	150
6x Snotlings		90
2x Goblins		120
1x Glart Smashrip Jr.	2x Star player tax	195
2x Rerolls, 2x Bribes		360
		1130

It’s a decent option for sure.

Tier 1 Conclusion

In conclusion of tier one, the obvious powerhouse is Underworld with Undead, Dark Elves, and Lizards being the collective runners-up due to being incredibly solid draw teams that can push for a win if needed. Dwarfs and Chaos Dwarfs just don’t make the cut on their own merit, although they are the obvious counterpicks to underworld, dark elves and amazons. Will be interesting to see how many of each turn up.

Tier 2

Amazons

Amazons in tier two are probably the most egregious mistier of this ruleset. 1160 with 7 singles with the option for just a free extra single is stupendously good, as they get everything they want and more. The main decision here is whether you take the extra lino + apo for a little bit more draw-oriented.

2x Blockers	2x Guard (Block [1])	220
2x Blitzers	1x Block, 1x Wrestle	180
1x Thrower	1x Block	80
8x Linewomen	1x Block, 1x Dirty Player	400
3x Rerolls, 1x Bribe		280
		1160

The only pack amazons really want to consider is the extra skill, giving them another wrestle lino on top of this already obscenely good build.

2x Blockers	2x Guard (Block [1])	220
2x Blitzers	1x Block, 1x Wrestle	180
1x Thrower	1x Block	80
8x Linewomen	1x Block, 1x Dirty Player, 1x Wrestle	400
3x Rerolls, 1x Bribe		280
		1160

Norse 

Norse can get a helluva lot of bang for their buck, but it’s very much not unnecessary.

2x Ulfwereners	1x Block, 1x Guard	210
2x Valkyries	1x Dodge, 1x Wrestle	190
9x Linemen	1x Tackle, 2x Dirty Player	450
1x Beer Boar		20
3x Rerolls, 1x Bribe		280
		1150

And they can utilise it quite well, in the star pack. I’ve gone for Lord Borak in this particular build, but there are other options like Skrorg Snowpelt or Glart Smashrip Jr.

2x Ulfwereners	1x Block, 1x Guard	210
2x Valkyries	1x Dodge, 1x Leader	190
7x Linemen		350
1x Beer Boars		20
Lord Borak	3x Star player tax	260
2x Rerolls		120
		1150

Orcs

Orcs seem to have been slightly overlooked in this ruleset by a couple of people I’ve spoken with, but the teams they deal with best should probably be super popular, on top of this build being just generally rock solid. I feel the troll is necessary but there are still good builds when disregarding it.

1x Troll	(Guard)	115
4x Big Uns	2x Block, 2x Guard (Block)	360
4x Blitzers	1x Guard, 1x Tackle, 1x Mighty Blow (Frenzy [1])	320
2x Linorcs		100
2x Goblins		80
3x Rerolls		180
		1155

They don’t have many options for packs, but the stack pack is probably the most viable, giving them access to a tackle/mighty blow player. I’ll also take this opportunity to showcase the non-troll build.

4x Big Uns	2x Block, 2x Guard (Block)	360
4x Blitzers	1x Tackle/Mighty Blow	320
1x Thrower		65
3x Linorcs		150
3x Rerolls, Apo		230
	1x Stack tax	1125

Both builds are definitely solid, and there are some very strong orc players on national teams – again will be interesting to see how the win rates fall post-Greece.

Skaven

Moving on to Skaven, they are another team that gets a massive massive power boost from being in tier 2 as opposed to tier 1 – more than the extra skill, though that does help, the cash breakpoint for Skaven is 1155, meaning they can get the thrower and all gutter runners. I’ve gone for 3 rerolls, 5 linerats but feel free to get apo/change number of rerolls/number of linerats to taste.

1x Rat Ogre	1x Juggernaut (Block)	150
2x Blitzers	1x Guard, 1x Tackle (Mighty Blow[1])	180
4x Gutter Runners	1x Wrestle, 1x Strip Ball, 1x Sidestep, 1x Block	340
1x Thrower		85
5x Linerats		250
		1155

As for the packs, Skaven make good use out of the extra skill and the stack pack, not really needing the cash or the star player. I like the stack pack to get strip ball and wrestle on one gutter in order to make those halfdice sacks a lot more likely than strip or wrestle independently whereas the extra skill is just a free extra skill, due to the variety in skill picks on Skaven.

1x Rat Ogre	1x Juggernaut (Block)	150
2x Blitzers	1x Guard, 1x Tackle (Mighty Blow[1])	180
4x Gutter Runners	1x Wrestle/Strip Ball, 1x Sidestep	340
1x Thrower		85
5x Linerats		250
	1x Stack tax	1155

I know there are a few very strong Skaven players going, such as Olivier Du Lac (current world #1 coach) and Sol (current USA #1 coach). With Skaven being strong pre-pack, it will be curious to see where the squad points fall on their respective teams (France and the USA).

Wood Elfs

To finish up tier 2, wood elves. There is some discussion as to whether the thrower is good or not, I personally don’t like it so will be putting together non-thrower builds. The access to a guard catcher means that wood elves can be a bit better than they normally are compared to dark elves.

1x Treeman		120
2x Wardancers	1x Tackle, 1x Strip Ball (Sidestep, Frenzy [1])	250
4x Catchers	1x Guard	360
4x Linemen	2x Wrestle, 1x Dodge	280
2x Rerolls, 1x Apo		150
		1160

If you’re trying to go for this sort of fighty wood elf however, I recommend the extra skill pack option – you get a free extra skill (gone for sidestep here) for switching the dodge lino to a wrestle.

1x Treeman	(Grab, Guard)	120
2x Wardancers	1x Tackle, 1x Strip Ball (Sidestep, Frenzy [1])	250
4x Catchers	1x Guard, 1x Sidestep	360
4x Linemen	3x Wrestle	280
2x Rerolls, 1x Apo		150
		1160

Tier 2 Conclusions

We’ve now passed through the notorious heavyweights of the current meta, with the notable mentions in this tier being amazons and skaven out in front, with wood elves and orcs trailing slightly behind. Norse, while being a decent build with pretty good options for packs, are just far too swingy for a non-specialist to pilot them on a national team, in my opinion. Pretty good pick for a singles tournament, however.

Tier 3

High Elfs

Out of the commonly good races, and into some of the less common races seen regularly at tournaments. High elves are one of these less common teams, and they get a decent pack for being in tier 3.

2x Blitzers	2x Dodge	200
4x Catchers	4x Wrestle (Dodge [2])	360
1x Thrower		100
5x Linemen	1x Guard	350
3x Rerolls		150
		1160

Their best option is the extra skill pack, due to their good skill diversity. The cash option and stack option are both solid, with the cash option allowing you the apo instead of the rookie thrower and the stack option letting you rival dark elves in blodging/wrodging capabilities.

2x Blitzers	2x Dodge	200
4x Catchers	4x Wrestle (Dodge [2])	360
1x Thrower	1x Block (Kick)	100
5x Linemen	1x Guard	350
3x Rerolls		150
		1160

Humans

Another really interesting team build in this ruleset is humans, and most likely one I will be playing a decent amount myself when not khemri’ing. They get everything they want, and crucially one of the few teams with good access to a Sneaky Git/Dirty Player catcher and Mighty Blow/Tackle blitzer. I’ve gone for a block ogre however, in the vanilla roster, as they don’t have much else to spend it on. I’ve given them 3 catchers in this build, so would normally bench one or two matchup depending.

1x Ogre	1x Block	140
4x Blitzers	3x Guard, 1x Tackle	340
3x Catchers	1x Block	195
1x Thrower	1x Block	80
4x Linemen		200
3x Rerolls, 1x Apo		200
		1155

Now, onto the pretty great human build. Has a lot of opportunities to remove the opposition, even if it is a little swingy. I’ll give the same stipulation as I gave to the norse.

1x Ogre		140
4x Blitzers	3x Guard, 1x Tackle/Mighty Blow	340
3x Catchers	1x Sneaky Git/Dirty Player	195
1x Thrower		80
4x Linemen		200
3x Rerolls, 1x Apo		200
		1155

Necromantic

Now, necromantic. Probably the stand out of this tier, with them getting almost everything they want – with either flavour.

2x Flesh Golem	2x Guard	230
2x Werewolves	2x Block (Wrestle [1])	250
2x Wraiths	2x Guard	190
1x Ghoul	1x Block	75
5x Zombies	1x Dirty Player	200
3x Rerolls		210
		1155

For the packs, the only one really worth considering is the extra cash – necro are too expensive and skill lacking to take advantage of the others. The extra cash pack basically trades a dirty player zombie for a rookie ghoul, and with them being your main ball carriers, you really want the backup ghoul.

2x Flesh Golem	2x Guard	230
2x Werewolves	2x Block (Wrestle [1])	250
2x Wraiths	2x Guard	190
2x Ghoul	1x Block	150
4x Zombies		160
3x Rerolls		210
		1190

Tomb Kings

Moving on, to khemri (or tomb kings as some blasphemers like to call them) are quite nice in this ruleset – they get everything they want and more.

4x Tomb Guardians	4x Guard (Mighty Blow [1])	400
2x Blitzras	1x Tackle, 1x Mighty Blow (Guard [1])	180
2x Throras	2x Block (Leader [1])	140
6x Skeletons		240
3x Rerolls		210
		1170

They get a bit more interesting when it comes to the packs, especially as they can utilise the the extra skill pack quite well, getting four rerolls and being able to to lean a bit more into removal based gameplay.

4x Tomb Guardians	3x Guard, 1x Mighty Blow	400
2x Blitzras	1x Tackle, 1x Mighty Blow	180
2x Throras	1x Block, 1x Leader	140
6x Skeletons	1x Dirty Player	240
3x Rerolls		210
		1170

The dirty player is my wardancer/witch elf/rat ogre deterrent, and means the opponent is usually a bit less aggressive in the face of a large foul if they get knocked down.

Pro Elfs

Pro elves and high elves being in the same tier usually makes one of them obsolete, but it isn’t that much of a thing in team tournaments as there’s a reason to take the other one. Nothing too special in the spartan build, but 1170 is a mild breakpoint for them as it allows you to get a thrower and a 12 players + apo in.

2x Blitzers	2x Dodge	230
4x Catchers	2x Dodge, 2xWrestle (Block[1])	400
2x Throwers	1x Leader, 1x Dodge (Kick [1])	150
4x Linemen		240
2x Rerolls, Apo		150
		1170

The extra skill pack for pro elves isn’t the best, but they do make quite good use of the stacking pack, to stack dodge/diving tackle on the blitzers and make them excellent ball harrassment pieces.

2x Blitzers	2x Dodge/Diving Tackle	230
3x Catchers	1x Dodge, 1x Wrestle, 1x Block	400
8x Linemen		240
3x Rerolls		150
		1170

The loss of the apo hurts quite a bit, but I’ve gone up to 13 men on this roster to compensate for it.

Vampires

Now, the new kid on the block (ignoring gnomes) is the vampire team, and in not wanting to underpower the new team for potentially a year of events (assuming that was their rationale) they’ve given them a bit too much in my opinion. 8 skills with the potential for two stacks is very strong, and the standard build of 5 vampires takes good advantage of it. For the vanilla however, 6 vampires seems to be the best with my limited experience of them. Though, as with all things on this analysis, happy to have a chat with you about this in any sort of discord server, so please reach out if you’re interested in any of this.

2x Blitzers	1x Block, 1x Frenzy (Strip Ball[1])	220
2x Throwers	1x Block, 1x Leader	220
2x Runners	2x Dodge	200
7x Thralls	1x Wrestle, 1x Kick (Block [2])	280
4x Rerolls		240
		1160

1x Blitzers	1x Block/Frenzy	220
2x Throwers	1x Block/Dodge, 1x Leader	220
2x Runners	2x Dodge	200
7x Thralls		280
4x Rerolls		240
		1160

Tier 3 Conclusion

And that concludes tier 3. Interestingly, all of these seem really quite viable, with necro, vampires, and khemri getting everything they want, and humans, pro and high elves being pretty close behind. This speaks to the strengths of this particular ruleset, and I expect the data from this event to show more TO’s that gradual TV and skills increase with a lot of options is the way forward for BB2020.

Vampires being one of the more swingy teams, they’re a lot harder to justify for a consistent team, but maybe some vampire specialists will be interested to play the new ones at the national level.

Part one of two - read the rest here