The Elven Union Linemen is the cheapest Elf money can buy. For 60k you get the usual Elven affair, but with 1 less MV compared to the Woodies and weaker AV compared to the D-Elves. This makes them unusually expendable for an Elf team, although losing one does hurt a bit more compared to Humans or Skaven. They’re not quite in the disposable category but you’re going to want these guys to soak up the hits in order to protect your more valuable Blitzers & Catchers, usually as part of a screen to keep the opposition at bay.

Their biggest advantage compared to other linemen is AG2+, making these guys amazing back up ball carriers in a pinch and able to just simply run away and reposition. They’re not as fast as their Wood Elf counterparts, but MV6 is usually more than enough to play some keep away and provide assists or support where needed.

Randomised Skills:

On an expensive, screening piece like this, it would be tempting to grab something cheap early on, especially with AV8+ making them fragile enough that you can just hire and fire them at will. However, Elf Linemen benefit greatly from skills that utilise their Agility, so for me, selecting their skills, even for a higher price, is better.

The Usual | Elven Union Linemen Build

Primaries: Dodge, Wrestle/Block, Side Step, Fend
Secondaries: Guard
Characteristics: ST/AG/MV

Unfortunately for us Elf players, the rules say you have to put three players on the LoS. For Elven Union, this usually means putting some sacrificial lambs in the way the hopes that your opponent rolls low when attempting to break your armour. If you have no Rookies, this means you’ll need some Elfs who can survive a hit then run away with ease, which of course means taking Dodge first. It’s a skill ubiquitous with Elves and is never a bad pick for AG2+, as it provides both defence again Stumbles results and lets you dodge away with relative ease.

Following on, Wrestle or Block will be your next choice. I personally like Wrestle as it gives you a nice counter to the Elf’s main weakness, Block/Tackle, as you can drag them down and then run past them freely. I’d get a few of each, using your Wrestlers for defensive purposes, then your Blockers if you need to hit back. Side Step is another skill Elves love, as it gives you access to the sidelines and lets your Elves get away from those pesky additional tackle zones.

If you can afford it, Guard is just great and massive boon to any Elf team. One or two of these will make a real difference when paired with your Blitzers. Fend is a nice shout too, just as you’ll end up rolling fewer dodging dice and thus fewer chances of rolling those nuffle-awful double ones!

All of the Characteristics are useful (bar AV, as usual), but I’d be tempted to save the SPP for skills on these guys, just to keep their costs down. Elves tend to bloat really quickly in terms of TV and their fragility means you’ll want your defensive skills as soon as possible, making a Characteristic roll more and more expensive.

The Kicker | Elven Union Linemen Build

Primaries: Kick, Dodge, Block, Side Step
Secondaries: Guard
Characteristics: ST/AG/MV

Elves are arguably one of the best teams who can use Kick to their advantage thanks to their Agility & Speed, particularly from a Blitz event. You’ll always want one of these players on your team and should be the first advancement you take. Against slow, STR4 teams you can place the ball away from the inevitable cage, spreading their team out and taking aim for a steal or giving you time to set up a nice defence. Against faster, more fragile teams, you can kick shallow then swarm the ball with your players before they can set up attacking lines.

Block, Dodge, Side Step & Guard round off this player nicely if only to keep them alive for longer and able to be used as a screener/assist piece. You probably won’t be able to get all of these skills as Kickers tend to be starved of SPP outside the odd MVP, but they’re nice to have if you can get ’em.

The Defender | Elven Union Linemen Build

Primaries: Dodge, Defensive, Block, Side Step
Secondaries: Guard
Characteristics: ST/MV/AG

Guard is a skill Elves have often struggled with. Without any high strength players or easy access to the skill itself, it often means opponents can easily set up 2 die blocks when defending, particularly if the game turns into a bit of a slog and you can’t get away. The last thing an Elf wants is to be hit and historically teams with lots of Guard can do that very easily.

However, with a new edition, comes a new skill and we call it…. Defensive…. and boy do I LOVE IT as an Elf coach. For those unenlightened by this glorious new edition, on your opponents turn, any players with Guard adjacent to a player with Defensive, basically have their Guard turned off. For Elf teams, this is big as it means their defensive formations can no longer be overwhelmed by tons of Guard on the opponent’s turn, making hits against them risky without unmarked assist pieces.

While I wouldn’t build every Linemen like this, one or two will make a difference and make amazing parts of a screen, both when attacking in a loose cage and then defending in turn. I’d still get Dodge first as you’ll need to keep them upright, followed by the skill itself then Block & Side Step to keep it up. These guys are going to be in the thick of things, so the Blodgestep combo is pretty much essential to make the most out of it. If you can get it, Guard, of course, works well with this.

Two of these guys working together as a pair will be very fun I think, meaning your opponent can’t just throw their guard at you willy nilly, hopefully giving you some more space to move around in and less 2 dies against you.

The Fouler | Elven Union 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 the cheaper 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.

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As typical with elves, the Elven Union Linemen is a flexible player who can be moulded as needed, either as a supporting piece or one who can put in a defensive shift. They end up doing a lot of the dirty work however so that the Catchers & Blitzers have the space needed to do their thing, so don’t get too attached to them, even the skilled ones. As Linemen, they’re not going to be getting too much in the way of SPP, so while the builds here do look at the maximum amount of Advancements, you’re going to have most on 1 or 2, maybe three over the course of a League (although with a 3 season League like GRUMBBL, you might see some advanced Line-elves!).

With that in mind, you’re mostly going to see Dodge Linemen, one with Kick then the rest with a mix of skills depending on their Role. If you have the 6 Linemen roster, I’d grab 3 Usuals, 2 Defenders and a Kicker for max flexibility & utility.

That’s it for the Elven Union Linemen Build, Head over to the Elven Union Thrower, Catcher & Blitzer builds for more BB2020 player advancement guides!