The desert hunter.
Itsa is an intrepid scout and source of wisdom for the Lumberjacks both on and off the pitch, guiding them in honorable and sustainable methods of harvesting lumber.
You can also read about Itsa on the official SFG reveal – LINK
Basically all text here is taken from their blogpost.
The Lumberjacks’ resident daredevil, Itsa brings desert hunter expertise to the Timberlands. With a stride that covers the pitch quicker than a buzzsaw, Itsa’s always where the action is, vaulting obstacles and dancing through rough ground like it’s nothing.
On the pitch, Itsa focuses on providing the lumberjacks with utility and mobility. Itsa brings respectable stats and playbook focused on ball retrieval and scoring goals. A low momentous tackle, 6”/9” movement, and a 3/8″ KICK, along with 5 DEF, allow Itsa to get and score goals when needed. If we peek ahead at the back of his card, we also see Light Footed, allowing him to ignore the movement penalty for rough ground.
However, much of Itsa’s power goes beyond personal output, and to the utility he brings to the team. He brings 3 character plays. Quick Time and Marked for Felling both provide mobility and movement to the team. Itsa can reposition a friendly model back into range of a logpile marker, or extend the threat range of friendly models. Marked for Felling serves an additional unique purpose. With two logpile markers, which are obstructions, along with all of the standard terrain on the pitch, it can become difficult to find efficient charge lanes for models to engage opponents. Itsa allows friendly models to charge over obstructions, providing additional ways for your team to get to where they need to be.
The third character play on Itsa’s card, Reconnaissance, serves a similar role by addressing another limitation of logpile markers. As obstructions, logpile markers grant cover to any model within 1”, including enemy models. Itsa allows the friendly team to ignore that penalty, which if you ignore the differences between the removal of a negative stimulus compared to the addition of a positive one, is effectively a situational TAC bonus aura to the friendly Lumberjacks models.
Lastly, we see how Itsa can benefit from being around logpile markers through his trait Eye of the Sun Father.
First, note the range of 4” here – Itsa can stray a bit farther from the trees than most of his guildmates. This ability allows Itsa to make a pass or use a character play without spending influence, providing Itsa and the team with influence efficiency, and access to ball movement, which can be used in a number of ways – repositioning models, extending threat ranges, and so on.
“The next morning, Mallet and Oak had embarked on a training regime designed to enforce discipline amongst the Lumberjacks, giving Bucker a sense of familiarity to latch onto. From then onwards, he’d obeyed orders from both Mallet and Oak to the letter, taking militaristic pride in doing so.
‘Reminds me of a younger version of myself in some ways.’ Mallet chuckled. ‘I wasn’t so easy to get on with back when we first started out, I’d wager.’
Mallet imagined Greyscales laughing at that.
‘Here’s something that would have got a rise out of you then—the last player, Itsa, used to be a Hunter. Not one of the northern ones from the forest though, like we usually see. A real rarity, a Hunter from the deserts.’ Mallet chuckled. ‘Believe the scuttlebutt, and they hunt dragons out in the wastes. Guess life as a rigger climbing up and down trees is a lot less dangerous, eh?’
“We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The land has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses.
Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life. Now our minds are one.”
– Excerpt, Unknown Indari blessing of gratitude.
