The mismatched cousin to the sturdy Shambling Undead, the Necromantic Horrors field an eclectic mix of highly specialised positionals. What’s more to boot, they bring a spooksome array of Hollywood hair-raisers to break down the opposition, presumably so that their expert flesh-knitters can make new players out of ‘em. Our team guide breaks down the dos and don’ts for the team that goes bump in the night. Just in time for Halloween. Wait, what date is it?
Pros
- Master of pitch control and sideline play with multiple instances of Frenzy, Sidestep and Stand Firm.
- Very fast scoring threats in the form of Werewolves and Ghouls.
- Cheap, highly dependable linemen.
- Regeneration on most players extends their lifespan in league play.
Cons
- Expensive positionals and pricey Re-rolls make initial team building and replacement very difficult, and bloats TV in league play.
- Most players are very slow to gain skills.
- Limited potential ball carriers puts a giant target on your best players.
- Few ball handling starting skills and average AG for a dash team.
The Roster
Zombies
Ah, Zombies. As putrid and offputting as they are dependable. You could make a strong argument that zombies are high on the list of the best linemen in the entire game. They’re cheap as chips at 40k a pop, boast a decent armour value, and have Regeneration to boot. This makes them frustratingly difficult to remove and ideal as markers and foulers. Due to their low speed they’re likely to be locked in once you move them in to mark, so ensuring they’re not wildly out of position is wise. In league play your SPP is going to be limited to the occasional MVP, and maybe a casualty once or twice, so don’t be afraid to take a random skill on these lads. If you get something unusable, just fire and rehire, they’re just zombies.
Skill Choices: Dirty Player, Block, Wrestle, Tackle, Kick (on just one, naturally)
Wraiths
Wraiths are the retooled version of the old Wights, and they have some pluses and some minuses compared to their bonier brethren. For a 5k price increase they’ve gained Sidestep, Foul Appearance, and, regrettably, No Hands. No longer usable as ball carriers, they’re instead best utilised for scalpel blitzes, sideline control, or ball carrier marking – Sidestep and Foul Appearance make them hard to shift, and their strength skill access allows you to take Guard for an irritating mobile assist piece, or Mighty Blow and Tackle for precision strikes on valuable players. The problem, of course, is going to be whether you can even get SPP on them at all. With No Hands they’re incapable of levelling from touchdowns, so you’re entirely dependent on casualties and MVPs, fickle boons at the best of times.
Skill Choices: Guard, Mighty Blow, Tackle, Frenzy, Fend, Dodge (Secondary), Break Tackle
Flesh Golems
Compared to their Shambling kin the Necromantics are a little light on beef. They’re not entirely bereft, thankfully, thanks to the Flesh Golems. With above average ST, AV, and sporting Regeneration, Stand Firm and Thick Skull, these lads are a solid roadblock. Something to keep in mind is that Necros are rarely going to entirely overpower your opponent, particularly if they’re some flavour of bash. The Golems aren’t really here to break heads, they’re here to soak punches, hold the line, and generally be an intractable nuisance. As such, you should think carefully before you get them stuck in. Like any player with low AG and MA, they’re prone to being marked by a lineman and left to twiddle their thumbs for the whole half. Instead, use them to control space – casual marking is what Zombies are there for! Golems don’t have Block, so pressuring your opponent into making -2d blocks is often going to be more effective than punching with them a lot of the time. Players with Stand Firm are extremely irritating when they’re standing in the way of a scoring play, so use them to screen, cage and contain. Again, advancement in league play is going to be difficult. While they can score, their AG and MA make it unlikely in all but quite rare circumstances. Cross your fingers and pray to Nuffle, and grab those chances to try a cheeky score with them if you’re already well ahead.
Skill Choices: Guard, Block, Mighty Blow, Tackle, Grab
Werewolves
Now here’s where the money’s at. Werewolves are highly versatile players with the capacity to fill multiple roles on the pitch, given a level or two. While Claw received a (perhaps well earned) downgrade in the 2020 ruleset, it’s still a terrifying skill to have on the pitch for many teams. Frenzy makes these players the terror of the sidelines, as well as excellent ball sackers. Aiding this further is a formidable MA of 8, allowing them to perform excellently as scorers, sackers, and safeties. Their main downside is that they’re the most expensive positional, clocking in at a hefty 125k, and they’re one of only two positions on your team that can realistically score. This makes them a juicy target for fouls and blitzes. Make no mistake, if your opponent sees these furry stars hit the ground, they’re likely getting a boot. Watch out for Frenzy traps, as a canny opponent is going to try and bait you into putting your Wolves into a blitzable or surfable position. Even though they have Regeneration, losing one is a strong possibility, and it’s going to be tough for your team development. They don’t start with Block, so Frenzy is going to be risky until you can get a level on them (which honestly shouldn’t be too difficult, they’re touchdown machines). No Sure Hands or Catch either, so keep a Re-roll stocked for the hand-off or pick-up! Once they have some skills you can specialise one into a killer, and another into a flexible scoring threat.
Skill Choices: Block, Dodge, Sidestep, Jump Up, Tackle, Catch, Mighty Blow (Secondary), Sure Hands
Ghoul Runner
While your Werewolves are your star positional, your Ghouls are your play-makers. Fast, reasonably agile, and sporting Dodge to start with, these are your core ball carriers who will be waiting to do that crucial hand-off, or to scoop up a dropped ball. However, they are also the most vulnerable player on your team, with low AV, average ST and no Regeneration. An unpleasant proposition when you realise that they’re your only other potential scoring threat. Dodge is going to help your survivability for a while, but once you start encountering more Tackle that’ll diminish in efficacy. As such, keep your Ghouls safe – after the Werewolves, they’re going to be the prime target for blitzes and fouls. Thankfully they’re not as costly to replace as Werewolves, but you’ll have enough money problems even without having to replace them. As well as being good ball handlers and play-makers, their high MA and passable ST makes them good potential ballhawks with the addition of Wrestle and Strip Ball.
Skill Choices (playmaker): Block, Sidestep, Sure Hands, Jump Up, Catch
Skill Choices (ballhawk): Wrestle, Strip Ball, Tackle, Frenzy, Diving Tackle
Tactics and Playstyle
Necromantic are something of a hybrid of bash and dash, but not in the traditional sense. While they have some decent punchers on the board, they don’t start with many combat skills. Golems are hardy, but without Block or Mighty Blow their main role is pitch control not removal, at least until they can pick up some extra skills. Having two ST 4 players and two players with Block is, frankly, small potatoes compared to a lot of other teams. so relying on overpowering your opposition isn’t going to stick. Barring some occasional good luck, Necro coaches shouldn’t expect to be outnumbering their opponents that often – your aim is to control space, not win a punching match.
Necro can dependably score in 2-3 turns, but you’re not in the position Skaven are in, wherein they must score quickly before their team dissolves like wet tissue. Necro have the ability to form solid, intractable lines and cages, so the classic 2-1 grind is a good road to victory. Just don’t be afraid to shoot for a quick touchdown if you’re losing control of a drive.
Your primary game plan on offence is going to be to use the Zombies and Golems to control the pitch, the Wraiths to pick off important opponents, the Ghouls to screen and ball carry, and the Wolves to receive, score, and occasionally surf. On defence, the Golems hold the centre-pitch while the Wraiths and Wolves control the sidelines. Ghouls can act as flexible safeties or assists.
No matter the drive, one of your main objectives is to keep your Werewolves and Ghouls safe. A canny opponent is going to aim to remove them ASAP, as doing so almost entirely shuts down your ability to score and your flexibility, not to mention removing that scary Claw. These players are your greatest strength, but also your greatest weakness.
Starting Team Builds
League Play
Necromantic are notoriously difficult to build starting rosters for. All of your positionals are super expensive, and so are Re-rolls at 70k a pop. As such, you can’t really fit everything into a 1000TV list, so sacrifices need to be made somewhere. To compound the matter, you’ll rarely have the spare money for Dedicated Fans, so money gain will be slow. What things you sacrifice are partially going to be down to your playstyle, but here’s a couple of examples.
If you really want 3 Re-rolls:
- 2x Werewolf
- 2x Wraith
- 2x Ghoul Runner
- 5x Zombie
- 3x Re-roll
The Werewolves and Ghouls are, in my opinion, clutch. Starting with a full roster of potential scorers will make it harder for your opponent to shut down your scoring, and Werewolves should be skilled up as soon as possible. Missing out on Flesh Golems is a shame, but Zombies can fulfil a similar role until you can afford to buy them. Starting with Wraiths ensures you have some reliable Blitzers on the team, and gives them more chances to grab MVP. If you want more money making potential you can drop a re-roll, buy an extra Zombie and 3 Dedicated Fans, which may well pay-off in the long term.
Going down to 2x Re-rolls requires a little more finesse and care, but can allow a larger cadre of starting players:
- 1x Werewolf
- 2x Wraith
- 2x Flesh Golem
- 2x Ghoul Runner
- 4x Zombie
- 2x Re-roll
This is my personal favourite roster. Starting with fewer re-rolls can be a pain, but can be handled with careful play and discipline. On the up-side, here you start with 7/8 of your positionals, and although you only have one werewolf, the Flesh Golems give you a better chance of keeping him safe. Being able to take both Golems also increases their chances of levelling up! Until your Werewolf has Block, you don’t want to use him to aggressively blitz with (unless a juicy and safe surf opportunity pops up), just use him as a receiver and safety.
League Development
This strongly depends on your starting roster. If you only have two re-rolls, getting that third re-roll is going to be a strong priority, followed by your final Werewolf/whatever other positional you’ve dropped, and then an Igor. If you already have three re-rolls, focus on filling out your roster with positionals, then grab an Igor. Once you’ve filled out the team with your missing positionals, you should be sitting at a nice 12-13 players, which is more than enough. Expect your TV to be pretty high, however, as you have a lot of positionals and they’re almost universally pricey. Taking more than 3 re-rolls is unnecessary, and will only serve to bloat your TV even further.
Tournament Builds
Your choice here is really dependent on whether you’d rather max out your positionals, have a bench, or take 3 rerolls.
Let’s start with a maxed out team:
- 2x Werewolf
- 2x Wraith
- 2x Flesh Golem
- 2x Ghoul Runner
- 3x Zombie
- 3x Re-rolls
Everything for 1150k! Except a bench, of course. This is going to be pretty reliant on Regeneration holding out, and your Ghouls avoiding injury.
Alternatively, you can drop a re-roll and go for the following:
- 2x Werewolf
- 2x Wraith
- 2x Flesh Golem
- 2x Ghoul Runner
- 4x Zombie
- 2x Reroll
- 3x Assistant Coach
Ultimately the choice is going to come down to your playstyle! Necromantic are a very flexible team, and supports numerous viable builds.
Tournament Skills
Getting Block on at least one Werewolf is going to pay-off in spades, and taking some Guard, Mighty Blow, and Tackle on the Wraiths and Flesh Golems is a strong second priority. If you’re running a 2 re-roll build, Sure Hands on a Ghoul may be useful, provided you have the skill pick going spare. If you have some secondaries in your skillpack, get Dodge on at least one Werewolf, and perhaps Mighty Blow on the other if you can.
Tier
In a 3-tier system Necromantic Horrors are likely to be firmly in Tier 2. Although they have some excellent players, their expensive positionals, rerolls, and limited combat skills hold them down from the top of the pack. In 5-tier systems they probably belong in Tier 3.
We hope you’ve experienced thrills and chills with the graveyard spooks! As always if you have any feedback or requests for our Blood Bowl coverage, drop us a line at Contact@Goonhammer.com.
