Guild Ball Primer: Morticians

Hello again, all!

It's time for a beginner guide on a faction, and just highlighting some basic's that are useful for newer players to know.

This entry is about giving you a basic overview of the Nightmare-Undead-Dark-Faction equivalent in Guild Ball... the Morticians!

The play style you can expect: debuffs, control, and overall just messing with your opponents. If you are the type of player who likes to actively screw up the way your opponent wants to play, Morticians are the faction for you!

The first point to discuss: The captain from the starter box, Obulus. He is practically the definition of being annoying and controlling how your opponent plays. Main things to think about:
-Obulus is hard to pin down with a combination of Unpredictable Movement, and a Momentous Dodge on his first column on his playbook, and a Double Dodge on 2. So, if your Obulus is being attacked somehow, just remember: counter-attack to escape!
-Puppet Master! This ability is so good, it's almost never a mistake to use it. Take advantage of it, to really control your opponent. Whether it's forcing your opponent to pass you the ball, or artificially extending the threat range of your other models... This character play alone is what makes Obulus special.
-Good use of Rigor Mortis (or not using it!). This ability controls the whole pace of the game. As long as you have it available for use, your opponent has to be very mindful of how much Momentum they hold. No opponent will likely let you steal a stack of 10 momentum. But if your opponent thinks you have a chance of using this ability on any given turn, they will spend any momentum they gain, just to deny you from having it. This is not a bad thing. This means you are controlling how they want to play! For a more detailed explanation on more advanced concepts, look at Slothrop's articles, "A Gravedigger's Handbook."

The next model, I feel is pretty much an auto-include in any Mortician's list. Ghast. He is arguably the best defensive model and tank in the game, and he does this through a combination of control and brute force.

He has a few abilities that are just so good together, that some players may not be able escape his grasp. A combination of being a medium base and having a 2" melee range gives him a big area he can threaten. The momentous KD on his second column, combined with a TAC of 6 means two things: One, you can generate a lot of momentum and Knock down a lot of models. But more importantly, once engaged, they can't leave, lest they be knocked down by Ghast's parting blow's. If your opponent's don't have 2" melee? Most of them are pretty much stuck if they started in base contact with him! Add in Fear and Rising Anger, and it just add's to your opponent's frustration when trying to deal with him. Essentially, Ghast is kind of like a big black hole that you can park somewhere, and your opponent will generally have to make a tough choice whether to try and take out this 21 hit-point monster, or just deal with being controlled until he can be dealt with later.

The next model to really focus on is Silence. He generates 3 Influence, which by itself is very notable. But the fact that he can bring back Dirge from death is sweet too. He is randomly a good kicker. Oh, and has 5+ defense with 15 hit-points. All-in-all, he would be a solid addition to your team, even if he didn't have great character plays.

But, it is his character plays that really add more to the control aspect of the game. With access to both Tucked and Shutout, he literally can control your opponent's turn. Certain teams, like the Mason's, who rely on very specific order of activation's really don't like being told which model has to go next and which model has to go last. Really, Silence is just gross, and you, Mortician's player, will probably put him in every team you ever make!


There are plenty of other Mortician's models to look at, but these three are the one's I feel you should learn to use first. Not only are they excellent rule's-wise, but they allow you to play the whole aspect of control and denial in Guild Ball. They also require more practice to make sure you are fully utilizing their disgusting powers. The other character's are pretty much used exactly as written on their cards, and are more "obvious", more or less. I may go over them in the future, but for now, learn the nuances of using these guys. The more you can learn about these models, the better a Mortician's player you will become! Oh, and I'm sure I'll have a Scalpel discussion sometime in the future.

Have an amazing day, and welcome to the world of annoying your opponents intentionally!

-the aY