Black Orc Strategy

Black Orc teams are a brawl, scrum heavy team which is focused on blocking and pitch control. They are one of two teams who have the capacity to field seven players with high strength, providing them an exceptional amount of power and pitch presence. The team itself consists of Black Orcs, Goblins and a Troll, giving a nice combination of brute force and agility.

Strengths

• Six Black Orcs with a troll gives a powerful frontline
• Goblins are agile and cheap
• Cheap bribes
• Black Orcs and the troll are very durable
• Brawler makes blocking relatively safe

Weaknesses

• Black Orcs are very slow
• Goblins are very fragile
• Team can struggle if caught out of position

Defense and Offense as Black Orcs

Black Orcs are a strong, bash related team who excel at engaging and overpowering their opponents in melee. With six Str4 players and one Str5, Black Orcs can have a lot of pitch control but must be very careful about positioning due to their poor speed.

Defense

Some general advice for defense.

• Always be cautious where you commit Black Orcs
• Do not spread out too heavily as Black Orcs can be easily out positioned
• Wait for the opponent to commit to one side, then follow suite
• Protect your Goblins
• Do not throw a Goblin unless it is a crisis situation and there are no options left

This is general advice which will serve any Black Orc coach well on defense. Assuming the opponent is a strong bash team, it is suggested your line of scrum consists of two black orcs and a troll for maximum survivability.

In the initial stages of a defensive drive, it is best that you attempt to screen the opponent while doing hit and run blitzes. Once the opponent starts advancing down a side of the pitch, the Black Orcs can begin to engage the enemy in a more committed fashion. Attempt to crack a cage with a Black Orc and flood it with more Black Orcs and protect them with goblin bodies to reduce the capacity for assists. The troll should also be used as a means to cut off choke points or slow down a box formation.

In terms of formations, Black Orcs should concentrate their heavy hitters in the middle, forcing the opponents down one side.

Against faster teams like elves, a Chevron formation can be utilised.

Offense

Black Orcs high strength and brawler comes into its own here. Generally you should aim to do the following:

• Smash open the line of scrum with your Black Orcs
• Use grab to trap enemy players so they either must stay down or be forced to dodge
• Gang foul any high value targets
• Make sure your goblin carrier is safe behind a wall of Black Orcs

Your standard strategy is a loose box while using your Black Orcs and troll to grind your way up the field. However there will be times when there may be a weaker layer to the opponents screen. Be careful to not congregate too heavily in one space but also not to spread too thin. Black Orcs should be paired up with a goblin acting as an annoyance to protect any black orcs from being swarmed.

Don't be afraid to hand off during emergencies and always remember to do your safe moves first.

Conclusion

Black Orcs are a strong but challenging team. With one of the strongest front lines in the Blood Bowl game, Black Orcs have the potential to smash some heads in! However with their low movement and fragile nature of the goblins, it is important that a Black Orc Coach remains aware of their positioning and always be sure that when they bring a valuable enemy player down to plant the boot in!

Good luck with your Black Orcs!