It’s hard to think of a more flexible and moldable lineman in the game, the Dark Elf Lineman, while expensive, has the tools they need to suit a myriad of roles thanks to their good agility and decent armour. Their average movement means they can keep up with most players plus they can use their agility to get into spaces where others wouldn’t usually risk going to. This goes hand in hand with the Dark Elf team’s overall adaptability, giving you options for Kickers, Screeners, Markers, spare Blitzers and more.
They benefit nicely from the new SPP system too. Typically Elves of all kinds struggled with a lack of easy Strength access, but with AG2+, you can grab a Touchdown or two with these guys to push them further towards buying a Secondary and that all-important Guard skill becomes much easier to obtain, at least compared to just hoping for a doubles roll like before.
Overall, these pointy players are going to be adapted depending on how the rest of your team fairs. While your Blitzers and Witch Elves steal the spotlight, the Linemen are going to be stuck doing some of the dirty work and protecting your more valuable players. Don’t get too attached, they’re going to be taking plenty of hits so the others won’t have to and while AV8+ is decent, it’ll start to crumble once you start seeing Mighty Blow being taken in droves.
Build List:
Randomised Skills:
These guys can get some good use out of most of the available skills, but a rookie who starts with nothing, each category is a very big pool to roll from. They’re on the costly side too, so losing one of these hurts a lot more, especially for a team that doesn’t often go beyond 12 or 13 players at most, thus, you’re going to want to prioritise getting a reliable, defensive skill like Block, Wrestle or Dodge first and foremost.
That being said, perhaps rolling on 1 or 2 linemen who are struggling for SPP wouldn’t be a bad thing. If you’ve got spare cash and happen to roll badly, you could always replace them and try again later.
The Kicker | Dark Elf Linemen Build
Primaries: Kick, Block, Dodge, Side Step
Characteristics: ST/AG/MV
Elves LOVE Kick as they’re one of the teams that can take advantage of it the most, so I’d recommend your first Linemen who advances first to grab it straight away. As you progress, you’ll find that this player spends most of their time on defensive duties, often being placed in the dugout for a more offensive player, so you’ll want to grab Block as his next skill.
Outside of the odd CAS or MVP, they’re not going to be getting much in the way of SPP so you probably won’t see them get more than 2 skills over the course of a League. If they do, then Dodge and Side Step are good, reliable skills to take on any AG2+ player.
ST/AG/MV buffs are of course good but, not worth the investment on a piece like this.
Carrier Sacker | Dark Elf Linemen Build
Primaries: Wrestle, Tackle, Dodge, Strip Ball/Side Step, Diving Tackle
Secondaries: Guard, Arm Bar
Characteristics: ST/AG/MV
Dark Elves get a surprising amount of block on their team with their four Blitzers and with the Witch Elves being big fouling targets, they tend to get Block to keep themselves up. Therefore, there’s a big gap in the team for someone to be a dedicated ball hawk type player. This of course means grabbing Wrestle in order the counter those pesky Block Ball Carriers, followed by Tackle to do the same against Dodge.
From there, Dodge means you can get through the odd tackle zone, as well as giving them a bit more protection against the inevitable strike back against them. Strip Ball is of course, great if your opponents are neglecting Sure Hands, if not then Side Step allows them to stick next to the ball carrier like glue if you don’t manage to get them down. Against Dodge heavy teams, Diving Tackle combos nicely with Side Step, making it harder to run away
For Secondaries, Guard is nice as they’ll usually be in a position for another player to use and Arm Bar makes dodging away from you a little risker. Unfortunately, with a max of 6 skills, it’s probably not worth the SPP investment with the Primaries being better at the actual sacker job. Guard is the one I’d take out of the two, probably subbing it in for Strip Ball if you’re up against Sure Hands. The same goes for Characteristics, they’re all helpful but they’re a big investment where the cheaper Primaries are more useful.
D-Elf Defender | Dark Elf Linemen Build
Primaries: Block, Defensive, Dodge, Side Step
Secondaries: Guard, Stand Firm
Characteristics: ST
It’s been stated many times now but I LOVE Defensive and on a team that’s as good at defending as Dark Elves are, this skill gives them an extra edge. As mentioned above, Guard has long been a bane of Elf teams, being typically hard to get meaning that you’ll often be outgunned in any pitch brawls. As Dark Elves tend to be a little more in the fight compared to other Elf teams, a lack of Guard can really hurt them, particularly when being hit themselves.
The Dark Elf Linemen is, in this coaches humble opinion, the best place for Defensive to be used thanks to their AV9+. You’ll want to grab Block first as it’s pretty much necessary to make the most out of Defensive and makes them useful outside of counter-guarding. Grabbing it second, followed by Dodge & Side Step to keep them on their feet, makes for a great anti-guard player who can slot in at just the right time and place to put a damper on a Guard-reliant team.
Getting Guard on the Elf itself combos beautifully too, as the front-line nature of this player will lend itself to being the ultimate support piece for your Blitzers and other Linemen. There’s even an argument to be made for Stand Firm in place of Side Step, although I prefer the latter as it gives you the maneuverability AG2+ can take better advantage of by moving into a new space you need to defend against.
A Strength boost would be a great boon to these guys as well as it makes them harder to hit back, thus harder for your opponent to remove Defensive from their Guard line. It’s expensive however and will make for a very bloated player.
I’d take two of these guys, as they can team up together!
The Fouler | Dark Elf Linemen Build
Primaries: Dirty Player, Sneaky Git
General & Agility access gives you a chance to grab both Dirty Player & Sneaky Git, a fun fouling combo that might just be worth it on your more expendable elves. Dirty Player comes first as the +1 is better and fulfilling their role, then Sneaky Git for at least a chance of not being removed. With Argue the Call now a thing, there’s a little more viability for Elves to stick the boot in more often than they otherwise would have.
Unlike Union teams, however, you’re only going to have a few of these guys on the pitch, seeing as you’re like to have a few more positionals knocking about. That means you’ll probably want to build your other Linos with more useful skills first, then maybe have a fouler as your 12th/13th man
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The spiky linemen is a great all-rounder piece and fill in the gaps left by the other Dark Elf Positionals. With their decent speed and armour combined with AG2+, they arguably the most versatile lineman in the game, if one of the more expensive ones.
If it were me, I’d lean into a couple of sackers, then a defender and a kicker. You’ve got a bunch of Block on the team already, so some Wrestle Elves will be a great asset when you’ve got to drag Block Carriers down, as well as helping you make gaps against Block heavy teams. Then a Defender to help with Guard, and a Kicker because you’re elves and you can take make good use of it quite often. If you have a 5th guy, then maybe a Fouler, for those hard to remove opponents!
That’s it for the Dark Elf Linemen build! Check out our guides for the Blitzer, Witch Elf, Runner and Assassin.
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