Do I give a snotling wrestle or dirty player?

[Gandalf]

Queen Lilian on Team Shrek rolled a double and am not sure what to do...

Wrestle = a rare general skill. Protects against block. Vastly improves the chance of a snotling taking someone down. Being ST1 though the chance is still pretty small. I prefer this over block as I already have a block snotling (and 2 block ogres), and I am playing more and more blocky teams.

Dirty Player = helps with fouling, and getting those pesky opponents off the pitch. But snotlings have MV5, so he won't be able to foul often as he can only move 2 squares after getting up, and even if he does get a few fouls in he'll be sent off before long.

If I think back across the season so far, what would've been more useful? I think I would say wrestle to the first 2 games them and maybe DP for the elf game. Though walking a snotling through elf cages (almost every dodge is 2+ for them) & doing a 3D against block on the ball carrier would've been an option if I had wrestle. Not a great chance, but much better for having wrestle.

I think DP is objectively the "better" skill but I feel wrestle will get used more often. So persuade me one way or the other!

[lawastooshort]

It’s not the same, but I had a Dirty Player gobbo on another Underworld team. Since I was frequently down on players, I didn’t foul with him as often as I should have done, and I was happy when he got retired. Although a snotling even more so than a gobbo is dead cheap, with DP that’s not as cheap. You still want to foul with several players unless you have bribes or haven’t had many snotlings murdered off the pitch.

On the other hand…

I have a Wrestle gobbo on the team – this was actually the next gobbo double, which shows what I thought of DP. I don’t use him to sack ballcarriers much because I have a ST3 Horns gobbo who is quite good at that and the Wrestle one doesn’t have Two Heads yet. So he isn’t much use, but he could be.

I know a lot of the time it will be 3d blocks, but you may be able to use your great quantities of Guard on cages, and snotling mobility for isolated ballcarriers to make them 2d blocks. Possibly.

I’d prefer Wrestle over DP, but I’d also do some maths on Strip Ball.

That said, ST1 is so poor I’d consider sacking him.

[DaigaroOgami]

Multiple Block.

Accurate.

Mighty Blow!!

Pass Block.

All highly useful skills there.

[Gandalf]

That said, ST1 is so poor I’d consider sacking him.

For me, a team doesn't need to have optimal value, though that is something to take into account. I try to have interesting/fun teams, so no way am I firing an uninjured snotling who rolls a double.

I know a lot of the time it will be 3d blocks, but you may be able to use your great quantities of Guard on cages, and snotling mobility for isolated ballcarriers to make them 2d blocks. Possibly.

My snotlings tend to team up for a small number of 1D blocks every game (or 2D when playing goblins) Usually the snotling with block makes them. "Extra" is still honoured among my snotlings, being the only current snotling to cause a casualty (I imagine that player retired him/herself in disgust).

I’d prefer Wrestle over DP, but I’d also do some maths on Strip Ball.

Good point... Abom twice got the ball loose with 3D against blocks with the help of strip ball. The worry I have is, many/most teams will have someone with sure hands, which could render it useless...? Also although strip ball may have more of an impact, the number of chances it will have to make an impact are lower.

[Raveen]

I'd go dirty player followed by Sneaky Git. Because you're not playing the team to be optimal so you might as well have fun and anyone is a fouling target for a snotling. Every single turn you should be sticking the boot in even if it's only a zombie or something. Learn to love the foul, Gandalf!

[Raveen]

Also, wouldn't multiple block give him free blocks? He's already St1 he can't split it any lower than that!

[Gandalf]

An amusing thought! The rules state that each defender's strength is increased by 2, not the attacker's is decreased. It's going to be a rare scenario where a snotling starts a turn next to two players anyway (I guess he survived some hits and sidestepped into position). So basically, he can throw even more 3d against blocks. Maybe after he has block/wrestle I might consider it!

I'd go dirty player followed by Sneaky Git. Because you're not playing the team to be optimal so you might as well have fun and anyone is a fouling target for a snotling. Every single turn you should be sticking the boot in even if it's only a zombie or something. Learn to love the foul, Gandalf!

Chances of levelling up again are pretty remote. I still don't know how on earth I have a lv3 and lv4 snotling, and why they have been that way for so long.

I am trying to foul more, I really am. It's just there's a decent chance of it ending your turn, and something goes awry earlier in the turn first, or there is another risky activity that is more important (picking up the ball, passing, risky blitz, GFI to score etc). Also a snotling's chief activity is to make 3D blocks for the ogres, so sometimes I don't have a snotling left to foul with.

[Raveen]

I suppose the way I'd aim to use it would be to block with the Ogre and then foul with the assisting Snot. It's one of those cases where plans don't always pan out though

[Gandalf]

It's a nice idea in theory but in practice I usually have to move the snotling into place first, so i can't foul with him as well. If my opponent starts their turn with a player adjacent to a snotling and an ogre they tend to either a) try to dodge away or b) hit the snotling, especially if b) means they will no longer be standing next to an ogre.