Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more

There is no verified, universal “best” Blood Bowl team for beginners. Choose the team whose play style and miniatures appeal to you, then check its current Third Season roster and box contents before buying. Humans and Orcs are familiar options to compare, but the available official material does not rank either as easiest to learn.

What Blood Bowl team should I start with?

Blood Bowl is Games Workshop’s tabletop fantasy-football game, played with teams represented by miniatures. Its overview names Humans, Orcs, Elves, Dwarfs, Ogres and Undead among the available teams (Games Workshop’s Blood Bowl overview).

If you are new, begin with the kind of game you want to learn rather than a supposed beginner ranking. A team with a broad mix of roles may expose you to more of the game; a more specialized team may better suit a specific plan. That is a way to frame your choice, not a claim that any named team is objectively easier.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Humans and Orcs are sensible examples to investigate because Games Workshop names them as teams, and both appear in its 2025 team-tier document. That document is a competitive tier list, not a beginner guide, so its placements do not tell you how difficult a team is to learn (Games Workshop’s 2025 team tiers).

#1 Best Overall
Games Workshop 99120909001 "The Gouged Eye Orc Blood Bowl Team Miniature Game
  • The Gouged Eye Orc Blood Bowl Team
  • This box contains 12 horrible plastic Orc Blood Bowl players 2 blitzers, 2 throwers, 2 Black Orc blockers and 6 linemen
  • plastic miniatures
  • This kit comes unpainted and requires assembly

How do I choose a Blood Bowl team?

Choose the style you want to learn

Ask whether you want to explore a range of actions and roles or would rather build toward a more focused game plan. Neither preference is inherently better for a first team; it determines what kind of decisions you will practice.

Check roster balance and complexity

Before committing, look at the current roster and identify its distinct player roles and special rules. A larger mix of roles can offer variety, but it can also mean more details to manage. Do not rely on a generic label such as “beginner-friendly” unless it is supported by the current roster and rules.

Be honest about how you want to learn from mistakes

Some coaches prefer a plan that gives them room to recover when a turn goes wrong; others are comfortable learning with a more demanding or specialized approach. Whether a particular team is resilient or punishes mistakes depends on its current roster mechanics. The official sources cited here do not provide enough roster detail to make that comparison team by team.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Pick miniatures you will enjoy owning

A retailer’s general advice is to consider both play style and whether the miniatures appeal to you. Treat that as practical selection advice, not as an official Games Workshop difficulty rating. You may spend time assembling, painting and using the models, so visual appeal is a reasonable part of the decision.

Rank #3
Games Workshop Blood Bowl Minotaur Miniature
  • A plastic miniature for Blood Bowl
  • Hire this Big Guy for your Chaos Chosen, Chaos Renegades, and Chaos Dwarf teams
  • Can be assembled to match the look of your Chaos Dwarfs, or with a more universal Chaos aesthetic
  • Includes options for mutated claws, a tentacle, and an optional knuckle-duster
  • This miniature requires assembly and is supplied unpainted

Check Third Season rules and the team box before buying

Use the Third Season rules context for current team advice. Games Workshop’s 2025 event rules direct team drafting to the Third Season Official Rulebook (Games Workshop Blood Bowl downloads). Games Workshop also says the number of roster positionals for the new season will match the contents of the team box (Games Workshop’s roster-change article).

  1. Confirm that the rules or roster advice you are using is for Third Season.
  2. Check the team box contents against the roster you intend to use, especially the positionals.
  3. If you are considering a Blood Bowl Third Season starter set or separate team miniatures, verify the exact listing, edition, contents, seller and availability before purchasing.

A product name alone does not establish that a particular listing is current or available. The official sources above establish the edition context and the relevance of matching roster and box contents; they do not verify any specific retailer listing or price.

Rank #4
Games Workshop Vampire Blood Bowl Team: The Drakfang Thirsters
  • This multipart kit allows you to assemble The Drakfang Thirsters, a Vampire team for use in games of Blood Bowl.
  • The team comprises eight Thrall Linemen, two Vampire Runners, two Vampire Blitzers, and two Vampire Throwers. You'll find alternate heads for each of your Vampire players, and an alternate arm for your Thrower, to help customise your team.
  • Rules for using Vampire teams in your games of Blood Bowl can be found in Spike! Journal 16, which is sold separately.
  • This kit comprises 96 plastic components, and is supplied with 14x Citadel 32mm Round Bases and 1x Vampire Team Transfer Sheet.
  • These miniatures are supplied unpainted and require assembly – we recommend using Citadel Plastic Glue and Citadel Colour paints.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What the available team rankings can—and cannot—tell you

Games Workshop published a team tier list in 2025, but a competitive tier list answers a different question from “Which team is easiest for a first-time coach?” Its existence does not establish a universal beginner pick, a named beginner statistic or a measured difficulty ranking. Likewise, the team names in an overview establish that those teams are options, not how approachable their current Third Season rosters are.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

So treat Humans and Orcs as starting points for comparison, not as a proven first-and-second-place beginner ranking. Review the current roster, consider how much variety or specialization you want, and choose models you like. If you cannot find a reliable current roster comparison, avoid basing the decision on an old edition’s advice or on competitive tier placement.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Games Workshop 99120909001 'The Gouged Eye Orc Blood Bowl Team Miniature Game
Games Workshop 99120909001 "The Gouged Eye Orc Blood Bowl Team Miniature Game
The Gouged Eye Orc Blood Bowl Team; plastic miniatures; This kit comes unpainted and requires assembly
$61.86
Bestseller No. 3
Games Workshop Blood Bowl Minotaur Miniature
Games Workshop Blood Bowl Minotaur Miniature
A plastic miniature for Blood Bowl; Hire this Big Guy for your Chaos Chosen, Chaos Renegades, and Chaos Dwarf teams
$36.98

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.