It's playoff season, which of course means Rodder Stewart is here to run the rule over this season's batch of hopefuls
The Big O are sending twelve teams into the fight this time, as they look to secure their first ever REBBL championship. But which of their teams provides the best opportunity? A tough call.
Across the board, the Big O have strong teams and this is arguably their best collection of challengers. Time will tell whether they can get that monkey off their backs...
Drakkar’s Dominators
Coach: DeezMFK
Race: Norse
Star Player: Erik the Red (Berserker: Mighty Blow, Piling On, Tackle, Dodge, +STR, Pro, -MA, Niggle)
Qualified: 1st in Big O Division 1
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 7 (Final), Season 6 (R16)
Rodder Reckons: The Season 7 runners-up make their playoff return after spending most of Season 8 recovering from that famously bloody Superbowl. Much of the attention is focused on Snowballa, REBBL’s greatest Yhetee, but Erik the Red is still knocking around and packing a punch. With the Dominators patched together with little more than the hopes and prayers of Valhalla, can they manage to go one better than they managed two seasons ago?
Rodder’s Rating: 
Doomed Witches
Coach: JapeNZ
Race: Dark Elf
Star Player: Althriorn (Blitzer: Dodge, Sidestep, +AG, Leap, Strip Ball)
Qualified: 2nd in Big O Division 1
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 8 (R16)
Rodder Reckons: Doomed Witches are in very good shape heading into their second playoff run and could well be one of the teams to watch. With seven Blodge players, a couple of Guard and a couple of Mighty Blow, they look to have all the tools required to go far and could very well be the Big O's best hope for glory.
Rodder’s Rating:
Bash Incorporated
Coach: PapaNasty
Race: Orc
Star Player: Ugrnee (Blitzer: Mighty Blow, Tackle, Piling On, Jump Up, Diving Tackle, Stand Firm)
Qualified: 3rd in Big O Division 1
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 7 (R32), Season 6 (Quarter-Final)
Rodder Reckons: The hard-hitting Orcs are back again but this time, there’s a problem. For twelve weeks of the season PapaNasty had very little to worry about but suddenly, having already secured their playoff place, a final week massacre at the hands of TeenageMutantNinjaGoblins claimed the lives of TWO of their five legendary players. Will they be able to recover?
Rodder’s Rating:
Shadowhill Cowboys
Coach: Sandune
Race: Dark Elf
Star Player: Mendar (Blitzer: Dodge, Tackle, Side Step, Dauntless, Diving Tackle)
Qualified: 4th in Big O Division 1
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 6 (Quarter Final), Season 5, Season 4, Season 3 Champions
Rodder Reckons: After two seasons in the wilderness, the Shadowhill Cowboys finally return to where many feel they belong. It's been a long rebuilding job for Sandune who still only has a roster of ten players, but you can be sure that each of them performs a very specific role and makes the team much greater than the sum of it's parts. Do not discount them.
Rodder’s Rating:
The Phobias Reborn
Coach: Werecaster
Race: Undead
Star Player: Trypanophobia (Ghoul: +MA, Block, Sure Hands, Sprint, Sure Feet)
Qualified: 1st in Big O Division 2
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 8 (R32)
Rodder Reckons: To see an Undead team dominate a higher REBBL division quite like The Phobias Reborn did this season is a rare thing indeed. All credit to Werecaster who stamped his authority on a very tough division right from the get-go. Touchdown-hogging Ghoul Trypanophobia is, as you know, named after a fear of needles but that never fails to stop him putting points on the scoreboard.
Rodder’s Rating:
The Arcana
Coach: Tommo
Race: Elven Union
Star Player: The Tower Reversed (Catcher: +MA, Dodge, Block, +AG, Leap)
Qualified: 2nd in Big O Division 2
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 7 (R64)
Rodder Reckons: The Arcana return to the playoffs and will be assuming it couldn’t possibly go as badly as last time, when their Lizardmen opponents Tadpoles in the Big City drew up quite the casualty list. This is an Elven team reliant on a couple of key positionals and it will be imperative that Tommo keeps them alive and functioning if he wants to go far.
Rodder’s Rating:
Capital Rats
Coach: Lynxx
Race: Skaven
Star Player: M Turnbull (Storm Vermin: Mighty Blow, Tackle, Piling On, Dauntless, Claw, +AG)
Qualified: 3rd in Big O Division 2
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 7 (R64)
Rodder Reckons: Sneaking into the playoffs by a single touchdown, Capital Rats are looking to go out in a blaze of glory. Lynxx has confirmed this will be the team's final season, so what better way to bow out than with a run at the Superbowl? They'll fancy themselves against Khemri in the opening round, especially with M Turnbull still knocking around.
Rodder’s Rating:
School of Dance
Coach: Morka
Race: Wood Elf
Star Player: Michael Jackson (Catcher: +AG, Block, +MA, Sure Feet, Sidestep)
Qualified: 1st in GMAN Division 3
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 8 (R32), Season 6, Season 5 (Semi-Final)
Rodder Reckons: Touchdown machine Morka is back again after another insanely strong season with School of Dance. This team run the ball home for fun. Normally you’d expect to see a Wardancer as the star man but Michael Jackson fulfils an important role in this team as both a one-turn threat and indeed an any-other-number-of-turns threat. He’s a threat.
Rodder’s Rating:
Never Swapping
Coach: Djoolyurn
Race: Necromantic
Star Player: Runn (Werewolf: Block, Tackle, Mighty Blow, Dodge, Dauntless)
Qualified: 2nd in Big O Division 3
Previous Playoff Appearances: Season 8 (R64)
Rodder Reckons: Underdeveloped when they arrived in the playoffs last season and subsequently dumped out in a Necro mirror, Never Swapping return with another season of skills under their belts and in considerably better shape for... another Necro mirror. Two identical Werewolves will aim to give Jimmy Burrito the Runn Around.
Rodder’s Rating:
Da Kahoonaz
Coach: AnteaterReborn
Race: Orc
Star Player: Koby (Black Orc: Block, Guard, Stand Firm)
Qualified: 1st in Big O Division 4A
Previous Playoff Appearances: None
Rodder Reckons: Beware the Orc team qualifying for playoffs in their first season. It often ends painfully. Da Kahoonaz will naturally pay no heed to that warning and get themselves psyched up for a crack at the REBBRL Minors Champion. With the Orcs likely to be less skilled than their opponents, Koby will have an important job to do holding the front line.
Rodder’s Rating:
Krakozhors
Coach: kaverne
Race: Orc
Star Player: Gortrak (Blitzer: Dodge, +AG, Fend)
Qualified: 1st in Big O Division 4B
Previous Playoff Appearances: None
Rodder Reckons: A very unusually developed Orc team completes the Greenskin domination of the fresh tiers. kaverne makes his playoff debut against REBBL's favourite Vampires and will be quietly hoping to cause an upset if Bloodsuckers Inc are in a misbehaving mood. Cannot be expected to go too far in an extremely tricky section of the bracket full of Claw.
Rodder’s Rating:
The Way of the Leaf
Coach: Chubberson
Race: Halfling
Star Player: The Dark Root (Treeman: +MA, Break Tackle)
Qualified: 2nd in Stunty Cup (wildcard entry)
Previous Playoff Appearances: None
Rodder Reckons: Larkstar's remarkable victory in REL Division 10E opened up an extra chance for a Stunty team and Chubberson snatched the opportunity with both hands. The Way of the Leaf will look to become the first Stunty team to ever win a playoff match and with two Movement 3 Trees, they may well be best placed to do so! Regardless, they'll enjoy the ride.
Rodder’s Rating: