Official V:EKN Clan Salubri Newsletter Vol.5 No.4 August 2007
Psi
Of interest to Scholars and Slanderers
Editor: Joel Tate
In this issue:
1. Introduction
2. Miscellanea et Demonica - strategy
3. The Dwindling Few - featured vampire(s)
4. The Powers of the Righteous - featured card(s)
5. The Hosts of Heaven - featured deck(s)
6. Conclusion - summary & theme for next issue
---------------------------------------
1. INTRODUCTION
---------------------------------------
Hello everyone and welcome to the forth newsletters for 2007. The
newsletter goes out before the release of the Nights of Reckoning,
which I shall write a mini-newsletter for, if there are useful cards
coming out of the set for the clan.
This month we shall look at one of the more traditional cards in the
Salubri arsenal, Repulsion. This month's featured strategy will
revolve around Twisters, my recent muse of choice. Mata Hari is the
featured vampire of choice for her role in Twister decks.
Thanks goes to Keith Page (builder of the original Pochtli Twister),
Ben Peal and Andy Brown who, either through seeing there decks on-
line, or in actual play, inspired me to start playing Twisters.
---------------------------------------
2. MISCELLANEA ET DEMONICA
---------------------------------------
If we were to do a poll of players to pull put the key strategies for
the Salubri, we would probably see Block, Marionette, Bloat, Saulot
multi-action and then maybe Ally decks as common answers; something we
wouldn't see is Twister anywhere in the list. As a result, over the
last 2-3 months I've spent a bit of time looking to see if it is
possible to build and then play a semi-credible Salubri Twister.
As has been addressed on the news groups, the premise of a Twister
deck is to mill your own deck down until you are left with the ideal
hand for the situation you are in. Then as you need cards, recover
them from your ash heap. Typically you have an actual deck of around
40 cards, and the have burnable cards make up the rest of the deck, so
you can accelerate the process to get the hands you need (as each
Twister is different, you need to choose these to fit as required).
There are a number of library cards which can help the recovery
process, a quick list is below (not exhaustive):
Name Requires Type
Maabara Harbingers of Skulls Master (location)
Waste Management Operation Brujah Antitribu Master (location)
The Sargon Fragment none Equipment
Sudario Refraction Giovanni (more of an exchange) Action
Gear Up Anarch (more of an exchange) Action
Summon Soul Necromancy (superior) Action
Whispers of the Dead Necromancy (more of an exchange)
Action
Anthelios none (more of an exchange) Gehenna (Event)
>From the list, we can see that the Salubri themselves have limited
access to the ability to pull back cards, Matthias being the single
exception to this. As a result, we need to draft in additional stars
to aid the Twisting process, I typically use Mata Hari, simply for
variety, but Harbingers would also aid the process and there are 2
common clan disciplines.
I tend to use Waste Management as a guaranteed way of reclamation,
Maabara combined with The Parthenon, in order to recover a card a turn
to the top of my Library and Sudario Refraction, in order to bring
back 3 cards I need at once. As a side note, the combination of
Sudario Refraction and Gear Up is quite handy to recur between the two
cards, at the same time as pulling back 2 other cards. The rest of the
card selections are chosen depending on the type of Twister employed.
As putting the various bits of the deck can take time, the ability to
tutor (search for cards in the library) and/or speed up the card flow
also helps the style of the deck. Again see a mini list below:
Name Requires Type
Heart of Nizchetus none Equipment
Sibyl`s Tongue Malkavian Antitribu Action
Inconnu Tutelage none Inconnu (Event)
The Heart is very handy for speeding up card flow, so you can get to
the burnables, and useful cards earlier (also when down to 3 cards in
the library). Sibyl's and Inconnu are great for pulling cards quickly
into play, however both have the drawbacks, being blockable and
available to others to use respectively.
>From the decks below, it is apparent that I favour the Heart and
Sibyl's Tongue, admittedly the second is only used because of Mata
Hari, and having a high proportion of Malkavian Antitribu in the
crypt.
Looking at the initial key strategies for the Salubri (see top), we
can discount the Saulot deck as being feasible on the basis of too
much set-up; ditto an intercept-combat deck. There is a potential to
do a Salubri ally deck, maybe with Resurrection, Healing Touch /
Renewed Vigor, Heaven's Gate and either War Ghouls or Renegade Garou's
(may require a number of components to work). The Marionette and bloat
strategies both could work in a Twister environment, however may lack
ousting capability (this type is the 1st example deck I've created in
section 5).
Using the demo deck as an example, there will likely be two vampires
(Mata & Eurayle) who will be able to Marionette, thus 2 Spirit
Marionette have gone in the deck. As Eurayle has an ability to untap
another minion I've included only one Precognizant Mobility, I'd
normally include equal numbers, however the deduction is bearable.
Normal Marionette decks would look at having 5 Fortitude skill cards,
in a Twister this can probably be reduced to 3, likewise Daring the
Dawn to 1-2 (note I've dispensed with this as too many cards).
Infernal Pact has been included in order to have Mata get superior
Obeah early on, if it doesn't arrive, then we tutor for it using
Sibyl's Tongue. As always, at least one Heidelberg Castle is included
for blood and equipment theft. The rest of the cards are relatively
self explanatory.
In conclusion, there are a couple of Salubri strategies which could
migrate to the Twister format; whether this can be migrated to other
clans and/or strategies, I'll leave up to you.
I've included the full descriptions of a couple of the typical cards
used in Twister decks below, as an appendix to the section:
Card appendix:
Waste Management Operation
Type: Master
Cost: 1 pool
Requires: Brujah Antitribu
Master: unique location. Tap during your discard phase to move a card
from your ash heap to the bottom of your library.
Sargon Fragment, The
Type: Equipment
Cost: 1 pool
Unique equipment. The vampire with this equipment has superior
Necromancy [NEC]. This vampire can move a library card from your ash
heap to your hand as an action that costs 1 blood. Discard down to
your hand size afterward.
Sudario Refraction
Type: Action
Requires: Giovanni
+1 stealth action. Choose three cards in you ash heap and move them to
the top of your library. Then discard three cards at random from your
hand (and draw up to your hand size afterward).
---------------------------------------
3. THE DWINDLING FEW
---------------------------------------
Mata Hari
Ravnos (Group 4)
Capacity 7
aus for qui CHI OBF
Independent, Red List: Mata Hari has 2 votes (titled). You and she may
play cards that require a sect and/or clan as if she were of that
required sect or clan.
Mata Hari is one of the most useful vampires in the game. With
superior Obfuscate, a discipline which the Salubri do not possess,
Mata can lend her abilities to ensuring the success of your minions
actions (read Cloak the Gathering and Veil the Legions). Mata's two
votes also gives you a voice in any political games.
The main strength of Mata Hari is to allow you & her to play cards of
other clans/sects. Depending on how Mata fits into your deck, in a
vote deck this ability can bring Demonstration, Framing an Ancient
Grudge and Ventrue Headquarters to decks which may not possess the
necessary Ventrue (Antitribu) to hand. For Twister decks, then it's
Waste Management Operation, Maabara and Sudario Refraction, for
example.
There are two drawbacks of Mata Hari, the primary one is she's Red
List. The typical way to circumvent this flaw is either Secure Haven
(the effectiveness if which has been reduced as a result of Taunt the
Caged Beast) or Chanjelin Ward. Secondly, she lacks one of the three
in-clan Ravnos disciplines, not that it matters to a Salubri mix deck,
where she possesses both Auspex & Fortitude at inferior.
---------------------------------------
4. THE POWERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
---------------------------------------
Repulsion Type: Action Modifier
Requires: Obeah/Presence [pre] Only usable when the acting vampire`s
action is announced. If this action is blocked, the acting vampire
gets 1 optional maneuver, only usable to maneuver to long range,
during the resulting combat.
[obe] +1 stealth
OBE] Put this card on this vampire. This vampire gets +1 stealth. Burn
this card if this vampire goes to torpor. This vampire cannot have or
play another Repulsion.
Repulsion is a nice, cheap way of getting stealth for Salubri actions.
The presence version can only be played by one of the Salubri, however
the maneuver to long range negates Anesthetic Touch, making it
relatively pointless for Salubri. Basic obeah is +1 stealth, bringing
most Salubri actions up to 2 stealth, making them less likely to be
blocked. The superior version is where the card comes into it's own,
where the stealth stays on the minion, which for no cost, is great!
---------------------------------------
5. THE HOSTS OF HEAVEN
---------------------------------------
This month I've done a mini Salubri / Mata Twister deck. Initially the
deck had been played with Fortitude skill cards and Daring the Dawn,
like normal Marionette decks, just I fancied to steal minions for a
change!
Deck Name: Mata-Salubri Twister v1.1
Created By: Joel Tate
Description: Patience is required for this deck and, as it is,
recommended for friendly play. Burn through the cards as quickly as
possible, there is ample card recovery from Waste Management, Maabara
and The Sargon Fragment. Gear Up and Sudario make a good combo once
you've got out the Fragment. The deck aims to bloat with concert tours
until all the pieces are out, then Marionette your prey's vampires,
reduce them to one blood, and if your prey bleeds, get the Form to
kick off.
Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 16, Max: 28, Avg: 5.58)
----------------------------------------------
1 Martin Franckel tha AUS 3 Tremere
1 Maldavis for pre AUS 4 Caitiff
1 Roger Farnsworth aus OBF 4 Malkavian
Antitribu
1 General Perfidio Dios dem obf AUS 5 Malkavian Antitribu
1 Colonel cel dem obf AUS 5 Malkavian Antitribu
3 Eurayle Gelasia Mylonas for pre AUS OBE 6 Salubri
4 Mata Hari aus for qui CHI OBF7 Ravnos
Library: (60 cards)
-------------------
Master (29 cards)
1 Maabara
1 Waste Management Operation
1 Fortitude
1 Heidelberg Castle, Germany
1 Fortune Teller Shop
1 Infernal Pact
1 Parthenon, The
4 Blood Doll
1 Secure Haven
2 Chanjelin Ward
6 Dirty Contract
1 Tabriz Assembly
6 Slaughterhouse, The
1 Dummy Corporation
1 Perfectionist
Action (11 cards)
1 Sibyl`s Tongue
1 Sudario Refraction
2 Spirit Marionette
1 Precognizant Mobility
5 Concert Tour
1 Form of Corruption
1 Gear Up
Action Modifier (6 cards)
2 Repulsion
1 Veil the Legions
1 Lost in Crowds
1 Cloak the Gathering
1 Elder Impersonation
Reaction (6 cards)
3 Telepathic Counter
2 Telepathic Misdirection
1 Confusion of the Eye
Ally (2 cards)
1 Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
1 Eccentric Billionaire
Equipment (4 cards)
1 Heart of Nizchetus
1 Sargon Fragment, The
1 Helicopter
1 Book of Going Forth by Night, The
Event (1 cards)
1 Anthelios, the Red Star
The second deck is my current vote Twister, and while not including
any Salubri, I thought people may find it interesting to try. One
major thing to warn about, Arika.
Deck Name: Mata Twister Vote v1.2
Created By: Joel Tate
Description: Mata Hari, the ability to pull back votes and bloat quite
a bit. A couple of ways to tutor the deck to speed it up, hence
includes the Heart too.
Crypt: (13 cards, Min: 8, Max: 28, Avg: 5)
------------------------------------------
5 Mata Hari aus for qui CHI OBF 7 Ravnos
2 Marie Faucigny dem tha AUS OBF 7 Malkavian Antitribu
1 General Perfidio Dios dem obf AUS 5 Malkavian Antitribu
1 Martin Franckel tha AUS 3 Tremere
1 Old Neddacka obf 2 Nosferatu Antitribu
1 Krid obf 2 Nosferatu
1 Denette Stensen obf 2 Gangrel Antitribu
1 Bloodfeud obf 2 Malkavian Antitribu
Library: (60 cards)
-------------------
Master (34 cards)
3 Blood Doll
1 Brothers Grimm
4 Chanjelin Ward
1 Creepshow Casino
1 Demonstration
5 Dirty Contract
1 Dummy Corporation
1 Effective Management
1 Ferraille
1 Fortune Teller Shop
1 Framing an Ancient Grudge
1 Maabara
1 Parthenon, The
1 Secure Haven
1 Sight Beyond Sight
5 Slaughterhouse, The
2 Tabriz Assembly
1 Ventrue Headquarters
1 Wash
1 Waste Management Operation
Action (4 cards)
2 Concert Tour
1 Sibyl`s Tongue
1 Sudario Refraction
Action Modifier (5 cards)
1 Cloak the Gathering
1 Elder Impersonation
1 Forgotten Labyrinth
1 Lost in Crowds
1 Veil the Legions
Political Action (8 cards)
1 Conservative Agitation
1 Disputed Territory
1 Diversity
1 Kindred Segregation
2 Kine Resources Contested
1 Political Flux
1 Rumors of Gehenna
Reaction (6 cards)
1 Confusion of the Eye
3 Telepathic Counter
2 Telepathic Misdirection
Equipment (1 cards)
1 Heart of Nizchetus
Event (2 cards)
1 Anthelios, the Red Star
1 Inconnu Tutelage
---------------------------------------
6. CONCLUSION
---------------------------------------
Well, that's it for this newsletter, in the next main edition we shall
have a look at some of additions coming out of Kindred Most Wanted.
Depending on the releases in Lords of Night, there may be a special
edition in September. If you have any ideas, comments or additions
please feel free to contact me.
Joel
Cambridge, UK
The Lasombra
> Official V:EKN Clan Salubri Newsletter Vol.5 No.4 (August 2007)
> newsletter goes out before the release of the Nights of Reckoning,
Nights of Reckoning?
Having some time travel issues brought on by the True Brujah?
Lords of the Night is the set coming out at the end of this September
2007.
Psi
Ah, yes, that would be right.
The first of the example decks actually should state 12 action cards,
not 11, however the total deck is still 60. I realised this while
counting the cards last night.
I can re-submit if necessary.
Joel
suolir...@gmail.com
Impersonated Saulot into Giovanni, pushed the Baltimore Purge and
Renewed Vigor through with Neutral Guard and Siphoned the key cards
back.