Round 1

06 Jan 2025 - 19 Jan 2025

The first games of Season Eight have all been played, so it's time for the Round One Roundup to take a look at who's showing early promise and who has a hard road ahead of them.

Division One kicked off with some elf-on-elf action as the newly-promoted wood elves of Sanguine Blade took on the more experienced dark elves of the Dark Delvers. The Blade have bolstered their roster with a treeman who showed his value early with a swift casualty, and any concerns fans might have had about their team struggling at the dizzying altitude of the top division would seem to be unfounded. Though the Delvers removed a catcher midway through the first half, the Blade still succeeded in taking the lead. The dark elves had no choice but to equalise early in the second half, hoping to turn the game their way, but the Blade would not be turned and had plenty of time to take the game 2-1.

The Grave Rubbers then faced last season's champions the Sokol Slaughterers. Last time they lined up against each other ended in a disappointing goalless draw, but this time the Rubbers refused to be cowed by the Slaughterer's shiny new trophy. They moved fast off the first kick to catch the ball in the Slaughterer's half, and though they didn't hold it for long that early strike proved prophetic of the match as a whole. Star werewolf Kessler carved through the opposition while the rest of the team moved the ball with skill, scoring three touchdowns without answer.

So the Rubbers and the Sanguine Blade hold the top spots, while the Sokol Slaughterers get a chance to admire the view from the bottom of the table for once. Next round sees the Badlands Debating Society showing up for their first game after finally finishing reading the schedule. They take on the Dark Delvers, while Sanguine Blade battle for position against the Grave Rubbers and the Slaughterers take some time off to think about what they did.

The Kroppenbruck Crusaders thought they'd missed out on promotion to Division Two, but with some other coaches opting to take a season off they got the opportunity to move up regardless. They started the season facing Bushy's Bonerattlers, who jumped two whole divisions after a sterling performance last season that saw them unbeaten. A strangely quiet match ensued, with neither team apparently interested in hurting their opponents. Still, it wasn't entirely uneventful with goals on both sides, and the Bonerattlers continue their perfect run with a 2-1 final score.

The other match for the division saw the Hammer Horrors facing off against the Blåhaj Blasts. The Blasts clearly have unresolved issues when it comes to the undead, given their previous brutal face-off against vampires last season and their similarly aggressive approach here. Only the Horrors' ability to shake off injuries that would cripple lesser teams kept them able to play at all, but that just gave the Blasts more targets to punch as they forced their way to a 3-1 victory.

The Blasts take the top spot, just above the Bonerattlers, and the Horrors languish at the bottom. Next round sees the Talabecland Thunder due to arrive, though their coach's injuries following a particularly high-spirited holiday may limit their ability to play this season. If they can manage it, they face the Bonerattlers. The Kroppenbruck Crusaders play the Hammer Horrors with both teams hoping to get their first points, and the Blasts take a well-earned break to get some therapy and consider the root of their issues with the walking dead.

To Division Three, where the Nevermore Ravens found themselves up against newcomers the Renegade Masters. The game was played in viciously hot conditions, and the Masters reacted by trying to tie up the game as quickly as possible with an early casualty courtesy of the ogre and a touchdown midway through the first half. The heat caused particular issues for the renegades' big guys, and the greater experience of the Ravens began to assert itself with Wayne Bruce, the man-bat himself, taking out players while the other vampires mostly resisted snacking on their own players in favour of moving the ball to win the game 2-1.

The other match saw the experienced Acomb Transfusions taking on the new dwarf entry, Durakdur Queensguard. The Queensguard came armed with a deathroller and spent the first half merrily driving it over the opposition, mangling both the bloodspawn and a khorngor in ways that will need a while to recover from. In the second half they finally opted to think about the ball and scored a single touchdown to seal the win.

The Ravens and the Queensguard therefore take the top two positions, with the Renegade Masters currently in fifth. In the next round the Mandalorcians join the fray and we wait to see what will remain of them after they play the Queensguard. The tattered remnants of the Transfusions have a rematch against the Ravens, while the Masters take time off to study their playbooks.

Last but not least, Division Four opened with the Boom Town Rats taking on the Nuln Oilers in a bloody match that started with a trading of casualties and an early touchdown for the Rats, before the Oilers settled into extreme violence with enthusiasm. Perhaps a little too much enthusiasm, in fact, as despite removing a number of opposition players they were unable to prevent the Rats from scoring a second time, and though they pulled one back at the end they still lost the match overall.

Finally, fan favourite gobbo Grak unveiled his new team, the Toofy Leapers, a collection of goblins riding squigs with a few hastily-scrawled notes about Slann tactics. They faced the brand new Norse team, the Iron Price Raiders. The Raiders only had one tactic but it was a powerful one, taking every opportunity to smash gobs off squigs and ensure they couldn't bounce around at will. Their touchdown in the first half was backed by a solid defence that suggests the Raiders will be a team to watch in the coming weeks.

So that puts the Raiders at the top, just above the Boom Town Rats, while Grak and the Toofy Leapers are squashed at the bottom. Next round sees the Saratcens joining the fun, with the Iron Price Raiders more than happy to punch them in the face, while the Toofy Leapers take on the Boom Town Rats and the Nuln Oilers face a lecture on the importance of actually scoring touchdowns in the great game of Blood Bowl.

Round Two is open for play and runs until the 2nd February. Good luck to all out there, especially those hitting the astrogranite for the first time this season!