★ Wood Elf ★
| QTY | Position | Cost | MA | ST | AG | PA | AV | Skills & Traits | Pri | Sec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Wood Elf Lineman | 70k | 7 | 3 | 2+ | 4+ | 8+ | – | AG | S |
 | Wood Elf Thrower | 95k | 7 | 3 | 2+ | 2+ | 8+ | Pass | AGP | S |
 | Wood Elf Catcher | 90k | 8 | 2 | 2+ | 4+ | 8+ | Catch, Dodge | AG | PS |
| Wardancer | 125k | 8 | 3 | 2+ | 4+ | 8+ | Block, Dodge, Leap | AG | PS |
 | Loren Forest Treeman | 120k | 2 | 6 | 5+ | 5+ | 11+ | Loner (4+), Mighty Blow (+1), Stand Firm, Strong Arm, Take Root, Thick Skull, Throw Team Mate | S | AG |
 | ReRolls | 50k | Apothecary: Yes | |||||||
| Special Rules | Elven Kingdoms League |
Create your team roster
Wood Elf Team Strengths:
- Fast
- Agile
- Wardancers
Wood Elf Team Weaknesses:
- Expensive
- Fragile
Wood Elf Star Player
- Akhorne The Squirrel
- Eldril Sidewinder
- Gloriel Summerbloom
- Grak & Crumbleberry
- Helmut Wulf
- Jordell Freshbreeze
- Kiroth Krakeneye
- Lucian and Valen Swift
- Morg ‘n’ Thorg
- Roxanna Darknail
- Willow Rosebark
- Zolcath the Zoat
Starting Roster Wood Elf
x2 Wardancers
| QTY | Players / Extras | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Wood Elf Linemen | 630k |
| 2 | Wardancers | 250k |
| 2 | Rerolls | 100k |
| Total | 980k |
This list is one of the most common choices for the Sylvan Elves. Wardancers are one of the best players in the game, so it makes sense to start with both. There is still 20k left in the bank that you can save up for an Apothecary, or get some Dedicated Fans. In either case, the Apothecary will be your first purchase to help keep death or injury to your Wardancers at bay.
It is possible to spend the extra 20k to upgrade a Lineman to a Catcher. The disadvantages of this are that it will take you longer to get a Botician, Catcher’s are not very strong (although Dodge is useful) but they can also hog the star player points. If you don’t have a Catcher you can concentrate on upgrading Wardancers. You’d like to have more rerolls but you can’t afford it. Wardancers come with their own built-in dodge roll, so in my opinion this is clearly the best option.
Treeman
| QTY | Players / Extras | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Wood Elf Linemen | 630k |
| 1 | Wardancers | 125k |
| 1 | Loren Forest Treeman | 120k |
| 2 | Rerolls | 100k |
| Total | 975k |
Since Sylvan Elves players can be quite fragile, you may want to start with a Treeman. All other Elves can get star player points very easily and Treemen are very slow to develop. However, I’m not sure it’s worth giving up a Wardancer to be able to afford a Treeman, so….
1 Reroll + Treeman
| QTY | Players / Extras | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Wood Elf Linemen | 560k |
| 2 | Wardancers | 250k |
| 1 | Loren Forest Treeman | 120k |
| 1 | Rerolls | 50k |
| Total | 980k |
The other way to start with a Treeman is to go down to a reroll that gives you just the right amount to upgrade a Lineman. This way, you keep both keepers from the start. The obvious disadvantage is that you now only have one Reroll, but as mentioned before, the guardian dodge helps a bit. You will also have to get an apothecary first, which further delays getting new Rerolls. Luckily, sylvan elves have fairly cheap dice rolls compared to most. You can also look for a catcher and a leader.
Max Rerolls
| QTY | Players / Extras | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Wood Elf Linemen | 700k |
| 1 | Wardancers | 125k |
| 3 | Rerolls | 150k |
| Total | 975k |
The reroll options usually involve getting four rerolls, although in the case of sylvan elves it is three. It is possible to get four if you only start with Linemens, but then you have a whole team without any skills.
0 Reroll!
| QTY | Players / Extras | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Wood Elf Linemen | 420k |
| 1 | Thrower | 95k |
| 2 | Catchers | 180k |
| 2 | Wardancers | 250k |
| 1 | Apothecary | 50k |
| Total | 995k |
The team starts with four high agility players with Dodge and has built in rerolls for the passing game, it also starts with an apothecary to protect these more expensive players, especially as the guards are magnets for a wing foul. You could trade that for a reroll if you wanted to.
Previously it was not uncommon for Sylvan Elf teams to not bother using the Caster. With the high speed and agility you could move the ball along the field without one anyway. Some of the teams that did carry one did so because they could get Leader easily. However, with the new passing rules, the thrower is much more important to the passing game, as now even making a quick pass with any of the other elves requires a roll of 4+ instead of the 2+ that the thrower retains.
Not having rerolls in this team is viable, but probably requires a more experienced coach, so I wouldn’t recommend it for newer players. The order in which players activate each turn is important in general, but even more so if you don’t have any rerolls.
Team Development
Linemen
Your usual strategy with Wood Elves will almost always involve avoiding direct contact unless you gain an advantage through an early block or are playing against a team with even less average strength. In most cases, the skill you’ll want to prioritize is Dodge. Alternatively, or as a complement to one of your linemen, Kick is especially useful for launching the ball deep into the opponent’s half to put pressure on them. The always useful Block or Wrestle are good options to force certain opponents to the ground, especially when being blocked by someone with higher strength and low mobility. You can also assign a lineman to fouling with Sneaky Git and Dirty Player, to help eliminate opposing players.
As a secondary skill, you can give a lineman Guard, which can assist with key blocks, for example, when trying to tackle the opponent’s ball carrier.
Throwers
As is often the case with throwers, the best option is Leader, which grants you an extra team reroll, useful for re-rolling a failed dodge. For a second skill or for another thrower, if you carry two, you can go for Dodge.
Catchers
Your catchers will need to expose themselves to score and have low strength, so it’s best to give them Block to reduce the chances of being knocked down. After that, you should give them Sidestep, which allows them to stay near the sidelines and reposition after being blocked.
Wardancers
Wardancers are incredibly versatile from the start, with their great movement, agility, and base skills, able to perform any action effectively. Since you can take two, you might choose to specialize one in scoring by prioritizing Sidestep, and the other more focused on blitzing actions. For that, the most interesting skills are Strip Ball, Tackle, and Mighty Blow.
Treeman
The Treeman is your only player with above-average strength, and while he’s good at blocking, his main function is to tie up opponents. With Guard, you can passively support the blocks of the rest of your team, especially on kick-offs. Grab ensures that even when you only manage a push, your opponent stays engaged with you, even if you take root. If you like taking risks and being aggressive, you can choose Multiple Block.
As a secondary skill, you should definitely go for Block, which will provide much more security when performing blocks.
Summary:
| Player | Primary | Secondary | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linemen | Dodge, Kick, Block/Wrestle, Sneaky Git, Dirty Player | Guard | |
| Throwers | Leader, Dodge | ||
| Catchers | Block, Sidestep | ||
| Wardancers | Sidestep, Strip Ball, Tackle, Mighty Blow | ||
| Treeman | Guard, Grab, Multiple Block | Block |
GW Box Content
The Wood Elf starter kit box contains 12 miniatures:
- x6 Sylvan Elves Linemen
- x2 Elven Sylvan Catchers
- x2 Sylvan Elf Throwers
- x2 Wardancers
- x2 double-sided Blood Bowl coins
- x2 turn and replay markers
- x4 balls
- Team Decals
For the Sylvan Elves the long pass is everything, even more so than for their High Elven cousins, and all their effort is focused on being an expert at throwing or receiving. No self-respecting Sylvan Elf is going to carry extra armour and be forced to prowl around, trying to take down opposing players. Instead, they rely on their natural athletic ability to stay out of trouble, which is usually enough: it takes a very agile or lucky opponent to get a hand on a Sylvan Elf!
Silvan Elves Blood Bowl Summary:
Jim: Good evening Blood Bowl fans! As always, I’m joined by Bob Bifford!
Bob: Good evening Jim.
Jim: “Bob, today we’re talking about the Wood Elves in the game of Blood Bowl.”
Bob: “Interesting. So, what makes them unique?”
Jim: “Well, the Wood Elves are the second fastest race in the game, and with their elven agility, they’re very good at moving the ball around the pitch.”
Bob: “That does sound dangerous. Are all the players a potential scoring threat?”
Jim: “Yes, that’s exactly what makes them a dangerous opponent. They’re also the only elven team with access to a big guy player.”
Bob: “So, what’s the downside?”
Jim: “The Wood Elf players tend to be quite fragile. They have low armor, and their starting skills and stats are more oriented towards the ball, not hitting the other team.”
Bob: “So, how do they defend themselves?”
Jim: “The Treeman does a good job of soaking up some of the pressure, and the players are agile enough to run away if needed. However, their players are expensive and you need to be careful with protecting them on the pitch.”
Bob: “I see. And what about the Wardancer?”
Jim: “The Wardancer is one of the best players in the game. They come with great starting skills, but as a result, they have a big target on them for the opposition.”
Bob: “So, what’s the verdict for a beginner team?”
Jim: “As a beginner team, their speed and agility can help get out of bad spots when it comes to handling the ball and scoring. But their high cost and fragility can leave you with few players left, making it really tough to play. I would say that they might not be the best team to start with because of this.”
Jim: “Anything to comment, Bob?”
Bob: “They don’t like melee, which is a shame, with how much fun I’d have with them.”
Jim: “Thanks, Bob.”
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