Humans might be one of the oldest races in Blood Bowl, but with their hybrid playstyle and average stat lines, it can be difficult working out exactly how to build them.  Not only that, but BB20 brought a couple of big changes and new options, so in this guide we’re going to run you through all the positionals, builds and skills to get you ready for League and Tournament play.

 

The Human Roster

Linemen

The humble Human Linemen are subtly excellent players.  Though they excel at no particular aspect of the game they can equally contribute in a multitude of different ways, and they can become experts at specific roles with even a single skill.  They are also cheap!

Blitzer

Human Blitzers are one of the best in the game; starting with Block, having great movement range, having huge flexibility in how you can build them and what jobs they can do on the pitch, and you can take four of them.  Strength access on Primary skill selections means they can acquire powerful skills like Mighty Blow and Guard cheaply and quickly.

Thrower

With the changes in BB20, your Throwers are now one of the best in the game at what they do:  Reliably picking up the ball, and reliably moving it to a team-mate at a time of your choosing.  They are not cheap, so you will probably have to make do with one, which means you need to be careful with it, especially if you have to field it on defense.

Catcher

Despite having only ST2, Human Catchers are capable of being extremely versatile players who contribute on both sides of the ball.  With MA8, Catch, and Dodge, they are more than capable of doing what their name suggests and scoring TD’s on offense.  But they can also be used to contribute on defense by being built as ball-strippers and sackers, and even using Sneaky Git to contribute in the fouling game.

Ogre

The Ogre is one of the most reliable big guys, activating on a 2+ with no special conditions.  They can be used equally as a great roadblock or as a more aggressive part of your offense.  Between the Ogre and your Blitzers, Humans can surprise opponents with their bashing power.

Halfling

The newest addition to the Human team, the Hafling is a cheap way of adding to various aspects of the team.  Most notably, they give you a Throw-Team-Mate option and a one-turn scoring option.  They also make great cheap foulers.

League Builds

1m TV Build w/Ogre

1 x Ogre

1 x Thrower

4 x Blitzers

2 x Catchers

3 x Linemen

3 x Rerolls

This is a bare-bones 11-player roster, but it is packed with value.  4 Blitzers and the Ogre means opponents will have to respect your bashing power, while your Throwers and Catchers will give you a long-range scoring threat.  Your one weakness is a lack of depth, but this is true of many starting rosters.  This build also gives you a crucial 3 Rerolls to give you some reliability and safety net.

You have 10k spare to spend either on Dedicated Fans or put toward future purchases.  Spending on DF will probably provide the bigger pay-off .

League Development And Skill Choices

Your two main priorities when developing the team will be to add more bodies, and to add an Apothecary.  Ideally you will run with 13-14 players on the roster.  At some point, adding a Halfling will be worth it just to give you the TTM option.  A 4th Reroll is also a reasonable goal, but I would not go above 4, purely to keep TV lower, and avoid giving powerful inducements away.

Below you can see the best first skills for your team.  Depending on the length and format of your league, saving for certain Secondaries can be worthwhile, particularly Block on the Ogre.  Secondaries are marked inItalics.

Position	Best First Skills	Notes
Ogre	Block, Guard	Brawler is anok option but I would save for Block.
Thrower	Block,Dodge, Leader, Accurate
Blitzer	Mighty Blow, Tackle, Guard
Catcher	Blockor Wrestle, Sneaky Git, Side-Step, Sprint,Guard	Should be built for specific purposes, e.g. Scorer, Ball-stripper, Fouler, etc.
Linemen	Blockor Wrestle, Tackle,Guard, Dirty Player
Halfling	Sprint, Catch, Sidestep	These are the best skills for a TTM Fling.  For a fouler, take Sneaky Git.

Tournament Builds

1.1m TV Build w/Ogre

1 x Ogre

1 x Thrower

4 x Blitzers

2 x Catchers

3 x Linemen

2 x Halflings

3 x Rerolls

This roster gives you all the fundamental pieces you need in a neat 1100 package.  It is very easily customised for different Tournament Packs.

At 1150 you can add either a Lineman or another Reroll.

At 1200 you can add both a Lineman and a Reroll,or one of those, and swap a Halfling for another Catcher.

Builds Including Stars

Humans have a huge selection of stars to chose from, and with their relatively cheap player  and reroll costs, it can be quite easy to fit stars into builds without sacrificing too much.  Below are a couple of strong examples, but bear in mind that Tournament Rules Packs allowing stars can often come with very specific stipulations or drawbacks, so be prepared to modify these in practice.

1.2m TV Build w/Zug and Ogre

1 x The Mighty Zug

1 x Ogre

1 x Thrower

4 x Blitzers

2 x Catchers

3 x Linemen

1 x Halflings

2 x Rerolls

Zug is one of the cheapest and best options for Humans, adding effectively another Ogre to the team.  This build sacrifices a Reroll and a Halfling to squeeze him in.  You can run this exact same build with a similar priced star likeKarla Von Kill, who as a ST4 Blodger is also an amazing asset.

You can also run this build at 1.15m but will have to sacrifice another Reroll or Lineman.  In any scenario in which you do sacrifice rerolls, takingLeader on a Thrower can be one way of compensating.

Tournament Skill Selections

Humans normally find themselves in mid tiers in tournament packs, meaning they often get a few more skills to play with.  That said, you should prioritise yourOgre,Blitzers,Thrower, andCatchers for skills.  Any Tournament Pack that lets you select a Secondary should be used to put Block on your Ogre. Secondaries below are marked inItalics.

Position	Best Tournament Skills	Notes
Ogre	Block, Guard
Thrower	Block,Dodge, Leader, Accurate
Blitzer	Mighty Blow, Tackle, Guard	For Tournaments I would take at least one Guard and no more than one Mighty Blow.
Catcher	Blockor Wrestle, Sneaky Git	Should be built for specific purposes, e.g. Scorer, Ball-stripper, Fouler, etc.
Linemen	Blockor Wrestle, Dirty Player
Halfling	Sprint, Catch, Sidestep	These are the best skills for a TTM Fling.  For a fouler, take Sneaky Git.