Aristeia! - The Rivals - 8-Ball

"YOU KNOW ME; 

I SEE AN OPENING, I GOTTA PLAY BALL."

Showmanship made (panda) flesh, a poet in the medium of randomness, 'Baller' crashes the HexaDome like he crashes a party: unavoidably and unpredictably. He rolls like a powerful opening break, only this ball is calling all the shots. 8-Ball is the pain in any team manager's ass and the life of every party worthy of that name.

He’s the eighth heir to a caste of Aristeia! champions, a beloved media superstar and an outrageous sex-symbol, but he’s always fallen just a little short of snatching the coveted title of Bahadur.

8-Ball hails from Bakunin, the weirdest of the three motherships of the Nomad Nation. If the Bakunin society has one salient trait, it’s a tolerance for all things different and eccentric. A specific borough inside Bakunin, called VaudeVille, is the Human Sphere’s most fertile soil for artistic endeavor, sordid indulgence and extravagant lavishness. One discipline lies at the intersection of all three: body modification. For the right money, you can get panther eyes, live wire hair… or panda fur.

No dark arts are responsible for 8-Ball’s prodigious size and strength; he was always going to be buff and deceptively agile for his massive size. Cheeky, impudent and carefree, at least he has the skills to back up all his bravado. As for his family, from a very early age they enabled his addiction to extreme sports in lieu of training for his rightful destiny: the crown of Aristeia! Bahadur.

Will this be the season 8-Ball finally realizes his legacy?

Like many Tanks, 8-Ball has an excellent overall array of Attributes, even bringing average Movement and low-average Initative. His particularly high Health makes him an excellent candidate for healer support, and his Defense is high-end.

His Brawn and Agility are both particularly strong, which works well with his overall package to offer high levels of control. It is on this end where 8-Ball particularly shines, as a control focused tank.

With a generic Switch allowing him to Displace, which fires off a Block and Special result, 8-Ball is a highly mobile Aristo. Above and beyond his Agility, 8-Ball will seldom get locked down and can often get solid movement in even if Immobilized.

There are three great things which should be noted about his primary Attack, "Eat my Fa Jing!",

1: Low cost, only 2 Action Points
2: Good range, 1-3 ('though requiring LoS)
3: Fantastic Switch, Displace the Target for one Special

This is, unfortunately balanced somewhat by the small dice pool which it draws on, but it does make him an excellent candidate for adding extra Yellow dice (especially through the Focus Status if you can). But as an Attack it can benefit from any enhancement.

Like all of the Core Aristos 8-Ball is built fairly simply, with just one additional element on top of his base Attack. In 8-Balls case it's the Action "Be water, Dude". This is relatively expensive, at 3 AP, but has a reasonable chance of firing and also a good chance of triggering his Switch. This has the potential to allow for repositioning of Allies, as well as excellent control of opponents.

Overall 8-Ball is tough and mobile, with excellent control but only limited damage output. His key issue is a lack of dice in his Actions, making him a good candidate for Support.

8-Ball brings a mix of selfish and generous Tactics. These are very focused on control and mobility, offering only limited additional tanking and clarifies the role 8-Ball fulfills in the team.

The first of these is "Badass-Boom", as this allows you to swap position with the Target, at first glance it can offer some defensive potential. Unfortunately the timing, only during 8-Balls Activation, means that it is somewhat more limited. It can be combined with "Be water, Dude" to move two enemy Aristos out of a Scoring Zone in a single activation (while putting you in) and combined with "Eat my Fa Jing!" you can potentially move up to six hexes.

Second we have "Barrel Through", which at first glance appears to simply be an unrestricted Displace, a useful effect in and of it'self. However the key to this Tactic is in its timing, it can only be played in response to an Aristo who is Displacing. This can be useful to double down on one of your own Displacements, allowing you to shift twice as far without worrying about Disengaging, but it's likely even more effective when targeting a Displacing opponent. With "Barrel Through" you can counter an opponents Displace and push them right back into the hex which they were trying to escape. As most Displacement effects are fairly limited and have restricted repeatability this is often as effective as a "NO!".

Next we have "Block", which is the second generous Tactic which 8-Ball brings to the table. This is one of several Tactics, common to Tanks, which allow you to add two blue dice to any roll. Obviously this is very useful defensively, but it is also particularly powerful for Aristos such as Mushashi and Dart who can Switch Block results for offensive use. With his own Switch drawing on a Special and Block result 8-Ball can make good use of this himself (and Green + 3 Blue is basically as good as any Defense roll is ever going to get).

Last, but not least, we have the second selfish Tactic option which 8-Ball offers team managers. This is "Dance for Me!" which hits two targets within range 1-2 within LoS and swaps their positions. This has a broad range of potential applications, both offensive and defensive. It can obviously be used for scoring purposes, pulling an opponent out of the Scoring Zone and putting one of your Aristos in. Defensively you can also pull out a threatened Aristo (especially a ranged Aristo who is engaged) and replace them, either with an opponent or a melee capable Ally. Offensively you can also pull an opponent in close to the rest of your team (and away from their support) while also putting one of your own offensive options into a better position.

Check out the video above, from Shameless Mayhem. They have an extensive range of videos on YouTube, of which their Aristeia 99 series is designed for newer players. They also regularly stream on Twitch, so be sure to check out one of their matches.

8-Ball can fill two key roles in a Team, as the Tank or a Controller. He is really a hybrid of both roles, and while not quite at the peak of either, does both well and can either enhance another Aristo who is stronger in one of these or allow the team to focus in other areas. His decent range and subtle mobility can make him relatively resistant to States, but his high Health and Defense make him a great choice to back up with a healer. Other Aristos who support by offering Dice ('through Focus, or directly like Hannibal) are also great team-mates for 8-Ball.

In terms of Scenario choice 8-Ball can work well in any Scenario which focuses on positioning over damage output. Although tough he can be an easier target than some other high Health Aristos, which can undermine his value in the likes of Carnage and his low damage output means he won't score Frags himself often. At the same time he does help to enhance melee Aristos with mobility support and thus could add to their output enough to justify a place. However most of his "threat" as a tank comes from his control, so if that's not important then opponents have much less reason to target him and undermines his tanking significantly.

The greatest rival for 8-Ball from the Hyperpower is their answer to the "control Tank", the brilliant rising star Prysm. She brings high Initiative and average Movement. While she is weaker in terms of her Health, the combination of her Defense and first Switch help to make her difficult to put down easily regardless. Although her Brawn and Agility are limited, they both have a reasonable chance of firing her Switch, which helps her to put out the Taunted State.

Thanks to "Pulsing Light", Prysm has nearly perfect control over any opposing Aristo who she can get out a Taunt on. With "Guiding Light" helping ensure that every opponent can attack her, those who are Taunted by her must, at every opportunity and using whatever Attack they have which is in range. This can particularly restrict melee and support Aristos, who will end up using the "Contender" attack.

Like 8-Ball, Prysm's "Gamma Radiation" isn't particularly good in terms of damage output, but it does have an excellent chance of putting out a Taunt on the Target. However damage output isn't what these Aristos are on your team for. They both offer Tanking and a high level of Control.

8-Ball is a great all-rounder, with some damage output, solid defense and control. He can bring a lot to any team and enhances a lot of different Aristos. Particularly benefiting from Support Aristos, more so than many other Team options, 8-Ball is a choice who comes to life when you begin to exploit synergies.

Doubling down on his control, alongside hEXx3r, can make it difficult for any opponent to keep their Team in the Scoring Zone. With Hannibal 8-Ball begins to have high damage output, with a repeatable attack which will begin to score solid Successes. Laxmee, on the other hand, will help to enhance his mobility, allowing him to hit his Switches more often. He also synergizes well with Melee Aristos, who he can help get up and into position at key moments in the game, and pull opposing Aristos into positions where they won't be able to escape, and are exposed to close ranged attacks.

Be sure to check out the In Depth article on 8-Ball from Corvus Belli and let us know what you think about this master of melee!

Is he an Aristo you use regularly?

How does he work in your Teams?

Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or in the Corvus Belli Forums for Aristeia!