Why throw heads when you can throw the ball? The Morticians!

Great tidings to you all fellow wargamers and welcome to another exciting episode of Wargamer Ramblings!  Today I wanted to go over another team in Guild Ball and it happens to be the second team that the household currently has: the Morticians!  As in the previous team review post you can view/download the stat cards for free right HERE.

So if there is one thing certain about living is that death is inevitable and well someone has to take care of the grisly grave work.  That is where the Mortician's guild comes onto the scene and they will take care of your loved ones...maybe?  The team definitely has the feel that whatever they do off the pitch is not quite ethical.  Each model has the look and demeanor that something isn't quite right about them and whatever drives them is malicious.  Gameplay-wise the Morticians are about manipulating the enemy team and influence to fit the plans of the guild of death.  I find that it might be best to look at the models and get an idea of what they do to really make sense of it all.  Given the complexity of the team this might be a lengthy post so get a drink/snack and let's get to it.

Guild Symbol

Alright let's look at the captains.  First off we have old man Obulus who has a pretty decent stat-line save his movement and kicking potential.  That's not why you take him though, you take him for his character plays!  For 1 Influence he can have an ally re-roll all dice for it's next attack or character play.  Next you can use him to steal Influence off of an enemy model though and give it to a friendly model.  Finally you can force an enemy model to one of the following: jog/pass/attack and during this action it's counted as a friendly.  Character traits help Obulus move around the field some and get out of sticky spots if engaged.  His legendary play steals all of the enemy team's MP and you gain that MP.  So let me just say Obulus is quite the manipulator.  Being able to force the enemy striker to pass the ball to a fellow Mortician, to steal Influence that might be desperately needed for a possible score, and to steal ALL of the MP from the enemy?  That's pretty intimidating if you ask me.

Start box with Obulus, Cosset, and Graves S1

Scalpel is the season 2 Mortician's captain and she offers a different take to the guild's playstyle.  Her stat-line is a bit beefier than Obulus but with less overt influence manipulation.  Her legendary play will bring every enemy model within 3" into her which then allows her to bring some pain!  She can manipulate Influence but not to a degree like Obulus.  She can transfer them around to other enemy models which in the right circumstances can be annoying.  Her character traits seem to suggest she favors a bit more of a risky gameplay than Obulus, with benefits to reducing armor and gaining defense on parting blows.  Finally she provides some utility for her team's movement with Second Wind, and helps some people stick around with Wake the Dead.

Graves season 1 has some interesting stuff to bring to the pitch, starting off with a Tackle result with only 1 success in melee!  His kick is decent too, so he can easily snatch the ball from an unwary opponent.  His character play allows him to damage all models in his melee range (careful it includes friendly ones too) for a quick 3 points of damage, but also triggering his ability to put a bleed condition on as well.  Should you get 6 hits he can put Rabid Animal on someone for a -4/-4" move and give the poisoned condition.  Graves season 2 plays a bit off of the season 2 mascot gaining some buffs if nearby the rats.  His stat-line changed to reflect his now increasingly paranoia, and his character play Gravedigger benefits a team who is trying to go for the knock-out win by adding a VP when a targeted enemy model is taken-out.

The overall mood of the Mortician's: gloom and doom

So looking at the other players I want to start off with Cosset.  She is what I consider a risky card in your team, in that she can take 3 damage (with only 12 health to start) to gain +3 to her TAC.  She also can charge for free so combined she can bring 11 TAC to the charge.  She only has a max of 2 influence to spend so it's either to claw out someone's eyes or to use her character play, Lure, and get someone to make a jog directly towards her.  Ghast is a solid choice as well with a decent stat-line and offensive capabilities.  His character play only triggers on 4 hits but it is a nice pulse to push every (again that is friendly models too) 4" away and to give them 3 damage.  The first time he takes damage each turn the team gains 2 MP, so that could deter someone wanting to slap him a bit.  Bonesaw is a bit of a whirlwind of options.  Keep in mind his base size is 50mm but he can pass over other models with his heroic play (if he has the movement to do so) and after his activation he gets +1 Defense from attacks/character plays.  His playbook is short so with a couple of hits he can take the ball and the next attack make a character play to give someone 2 damage and then make a kick, which isn't a bad move if you ask me.  If he does manage to fall he will get up each turn before being officially knocked-out and heal up 3 HP.

Let's talk about my growing favorite, Silence.  At first I am like "that's a good stat-line except for his move..." and then I see his character plays.  Wow.  Just wow.  Being able to force an opponent to activate a specific model next...AND also being able to force them to activate a model LAST is unreal.  Think about it: you set up your guild members to steal the ball and pass it to your striker in prime position and then BAM you can't activate that key member until it is the last one.  How annoying is that?  The only downside is that each costs only 1 Influence so you might need some MP to ensure a hit.  Casket is your big 'ole team member.  He is slow, has a lot of health, can hit hard, and has some neat utility options.  For one he can make it harder for the enemy to charge one of your friendlies, and with 2 hits from his playbook he can debuff an enemy model with -4/-4" and -2 dice on their TAC and plays.  He has a legendary play though that is quite nasty.  If he lands the knock-out blow once per game he nets you an additional 2 VP's but, and I say BUT, THERE'S MORE!  The model knocked out cannot receive icy sponges this turn and in the next maintenance phase!  So you knock out someone and they stay knocked da eff out!

One of my favorite paint jobs, credit to: Battle Brush Studios right here

Finally the mascots.  Dirge does a lot of support when he flies around the field.  His move is high, can mark an enemy model so that friendlies gain +2 to their TAC pool, and if the enemy takes him out they straight out lose 4 MP.  That's not an appealing move if you ask me.  Vileswarm, the pile of rats, is more or less meant to be annoying as hell.  It takes only 1 influence to charge most players and if they take him out then everyone in 3" takes damage and are now poisoned.

Phew what a mouthful!  Compared to the Alchemists the Morticians definitely have a lot of complexity underneath the dirt.  I'm sure with some careful digging you will be able to find the bone of their techniques and get a head of the game!  Anyways bad jokes aside the Morticians have a lot of depth to them and a skilled player will be exceptionally annoying to play against.  Hopefully that gave you some insight into the players of the team, happy gaming everyone and roll well!