Ahrimanes Newsletter #8 02.12.05
Jazzbeaux
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[ AHRIMANES NEWSLETTER ]
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1.0 - Editorial
1.1 Word From the Editor
1.2 Next Issue
2.0 - Concepts
2.1 New Cards Focus
3.0 - Deck
3.1 - Ahrimanes No Muricia
3.2 Sign Off
--[1.1 - Word from the Editor]----------------------
Well it all seems to be good at the moment, two wins for the Ahrimanes so
far in the Return of Nergal Event, and a load of new cards to play with from
Legacies of Blood. The only problem is getting my hands on some, but soon
enough!
--[1.2 -Next Issue]------------------------------------
Next issue will be a breakdown of the Return of Nergal Storyline event. It
will cover the winning clan decks, and as such the usual format will be
suspended again. At the moment there are two winning decks, but by the time
all the results are gathered there could be more, we will have to see.
--[2.1 - New Cards Focus]--------------------------
Rather than cover one or two of the new cards, I have decided to briefly
cover all of the new cards. This can then be built on in future issues, as
the ideas start to formulate.
Aiyana, The Wolfcatcher
Clan: Ahrimanes (group 4)
Capacity: 3
Disciplines: pre spi
Sabbat: Aiyana gets an optional press each combat when opposing a werewolf,
and she can burn a blood each round to prevent all damage a werewolf
inflicts on her that round. Sterile.
Rarity: LoB:U
A useful small cap, would be nice to have ani, but there is generally enough
of those already. Unusual special, but works together well enough for her to
be able put a dent in most werewolves.
Effie Lowery
Clan: Ahrimanes (group 4)
Capacity: 5
Disciplines: ANI SPI obf
Sabbat: Sterile.
Rarity: LoB:U
The new star! With both ANI and SPI, Effie will feature in a lot of Ahrimane
decks. Also small enough for Atonement, Effie will be a lynchpin of Ahrimane
wall decks.
Maria Stone Advanced
Clan: Ahrimanes (group 3)
Capacity: 5
Disciplines: FOR cel obf pre pro spi
Advanced. Sabbat: -1 strength. Sterile.
[MERGED] Maria doesn't suffer -1 strength from her special text, and she has
superior Spiritus [SPI].
Rarity: LoB:U
Maria is a good anarch, but a poor Ahrimane. No ani, and -1 strength means
that she will struggle in most traditional forms of Ahrimane combat. Plus
unless you can merge her she only has two clan skills at basic, which then
leads to comparisons with Nettie Hale who is better 'out of the box'. She
does add a third pro vamp to group 2/3, which may prove its worth.
Gentha Shale
Clan: Ahrimanes (group 4)
Capacity: 6
Disciplines: ANI PRE pot spi
Sabbat: Gentha gets +1 bleed when bleeding a Methuselah who controls a ready
Follower of Set. Sterile.
Rarity: LoB:U
She is solid, but nothing too exciting. Will fit nicely into Guruhi decks,
and matches nicely with Sobayifa who is mentioned below. Can't imagine
getting much use out of the special, but it is there.
Muricia
Clan: Ahrimanes (group 4)
Capacity: 7
Disciplines: ANI PRE SPI
Sabbat: During your untap phase, a Gangrel antitribu you control may burn 1
blood to become a sterile Ahrimane and gain 1 level of Spiritus. +1
strength. Sterile.
Rarity: LoB:U
Very interesting - she is featured in this month's deck. Also covered in
detail in last month's newsletter.
Honourable mentions go to the Guruhi! With base skills of ANI POT PRE, they
have two overlaps - and good for low cap fillers. Also gives the option to
use Laibon cards, which will be looked at in depth in the future. Special
Star award goes to:
Sobayifa
Clan: Guruhi (group 3)
Capacity: 8
Disciplines: ANI PRE aus pot pro spi
Laibon magaji.
Rarity: LoB:PG2
Who is group 3, so provides a solid bridging vampire - especially compared
with Maria Stone. Sobayifa adds to the potential skill base with protean
being a fourth 'clan dicipline', while still having the core skills. Of
course she can't play any of the Ahrimane cards but as there is only four
the rest is good.
Ahrimane Protectorate
Type: Action
Requires: Ahrimane
+1 stealth action. Unique.
Put this card in play, and this Ahrimane may burn 1 blood to untap at the
end of this action. You may burn this card to cause a (D) action directed at
an ally or location you control to fail. You may burn this card during a (D)
action against you to give an Ahrimane you control +1 intercept.
Rarity: LoB:C
Protect those essential allies/locations, such as Carlton Van Wyck, Mylan
Horseed, Powerbase: Montreal and the various intercept locations. Also has
the built in untap, which can even be used if the action is blocked, so
great for wall decks.
Leapfrog
Type: Combat
Requires: Spiritus/Obfuscate
[obf] Maneuver, only usable to go to long range.
[spi] Maneuver.
[SPI] Strike: combat ends.
Rarity: LoB:C
Not ever so exciting, as both of the options are available in other cards
playable by the Ahrimanes, but could help with a deck focussed on only two
of the three in clan skills.
Ohoyo Hopoksia (Bastet)
Type: Ally
Requires: Ahrimane
Cost: 3 pool
Unique werewolf with 3 life. 3 strength, 0 bleed.
When a minion you control is about to enter combat with an acting minion,
you may tap Ohoyo to cancel that combat; Ohoyo enters combat with the acting
minion instead. She gets an optional maneuver each combat. If she has less
than 3 life during your untap phase, she gains 1 life from the blood bank.
Rarity: LoB:R
Oyoyo is about as good a High Top, in that in the right set up both can be
quite useful, but neither can be just pushed into any Ahrimane deck. She
might prove her worth in wall decks when she can use her special - could
save a vampire or playing cards depending on the situation.
Squirrel Balance
Type: Action Modifier
Requires: Spiritus/Celerity
Cost: 1 blood
[cel] Only usable when the action is announced. If blocked, range in the
first round of the resulting combat is automatically set to long.
[spi] Minions without flight or Spiritus get -1 intercept when attempting to
block this action.
[SPI] As [spi] above, but those minions get -2 intercept.
Rarity: LoB:C
I think this will be useful, as very few minions have flight/Spiritus, with
only 25 out of 986 minions having one or the other. Unfortunately if I am
being successful with these newsletters it will increase the SPI played. I
have plans for a Mark V Ahrimane deck, as it has enough maneuvers to get to
long, so could use this with Suppressing Fire!
Summon Spirit Beast
Type: Combat / Reaction
Requires: Spiritus/Animalism
Cost: X blood
[ani] [COMBAT] Discard X cards.
[spi] [COMBAT][REACTION] Move X animal retainers from your ash heap to this
vampire, with life from the blood bank equal to their starting amounts.
After this minion phase ends, burn those retainers.
[SPI] As [spi] above, but the retainers are not burned until after the end
of your next minion phase.
Rarity: LoB:R
All seems good with this card, as the wording say 'move' so the usual
restrictions do not apply. So you can pull out Dog Pack, Elephant Guardian
and Duma Rafiki! Can also combine with Pack Alpha to 'sacrifice' them back
to your ashheap - what a shame! J Sadly it doesn't work with Wildebeest. You
can of course use the ani part to ditch a chunk of your hand, so will also
allow you to move past any hand jams that can happen.
Vulture's Buffet
Type: Action
Requires: Spiritus/Obfuscate
+1 stealth hunt action. If this hunt is successful, the acting vampire
untaps.
[obf] Remove a minion or retainer in any Methuselah's ash heap from the game
to move 1 blood to this vampire from the blood bank.
[spi] As [obf] above, but move 2 blood.
[SPI] As [spi] above, and you gain 1 pool.
Rarity: LoB:R
Another card to combine with Pack Alpha, as the retainer/minion can be in
ANY players ashheap. Also when retainers burn due to Wildebeest - you can
use them! Perhaps there is something here with Owl Retainer/Pack
Alpha/Wildebeest?
--[3.1 - Deck: Ahrimanes No Muricia ]---------------------------------------
Building on from last months vampire focus, here is a deck that uses Muricia's
special to create feral beasts to attack your prey. Not ever so solid, but
should be able to build up into some fun, and still have an impact in the
game.
Ahrimanes No Muricia (designed on ARDB while LoB was incompatible - hence
the name)
Crypt [13 vampires] Capacity min: 2 max: 7 average: 5.47
4x Muricia 7 ANI PRE SPI Ahrimanes:4
3x Janey Pickman 6 ANI PRO for !Gangrel:4
3x Célèste Lamontagne 5 ANI PRO for !Gangrel:4
2x Jezebelle 4 ani for pro Gangrel:4
1x Zip 2 ani Ravnos:3
Library [90 cards]
Action [18]
2x Army of Rats
6x Nose of the Hound
3x Shadow of the Beast
3x Tier of Souls
4x Wildebeest, The
Action Modifier [2]
2x Aire of Elation
Combat [28]
8x Carrion Crows
8x Flesh of Marble
6x Scorpion Sting
6x Taste of Vitae
Combat/Action Modifier [8]
8x Swiftness of the Stag
Master [16]
5x Blood Doll
1x Carver's Meat Packing and Storage
2x Depravity
3x Fame
1x Feral Spirit
1x Humanitas
1x Hungry Coyote, The
1x KRCG News Radio
1x Sociopath
Reaction [18]
4x Cats' Guidance
4x Falcon's Eye
4x Forced Awakening
2x Guard Dogs
4x Speak with Spirits
Think it is a little weak for tournaments, but with a pinch of luck could be
very good. Having played it I think a few PRO aggravated hand cards would be
useful, to help with Janey's special.
--[3.2 - Sign Off]-------------------------------------
Well the LoB cards are here, and the reaction to them is good. Again it is a
set that will take a while to settle in, as there are various new concepts
to play with - much like the original Bloodlines, but I think most players
will take it to their heart. Of course we are left wondering what the next
set might be, as there was no teaser advert on the rulebook - anyone have
any ideas?
Sam
*
CthuluKitty
>
>Protect those essential allies/locations, such as Carlton Van Wyck, Mylan
>Horseed, Powerbase: Montreal and the various intercept locations. Also has
>the built in untap, which can even be used if the action is blocked, so
>great for wall decks.
Incorrect. The untap is only useable if the action succeeds. All
effects of an action apply upon success, unless otherwise stated.
antero
up, people begin worrying. Which is nice. But when she gets SPI via
Sanguine Instruction, other players begin sweating. So, I would include
some SI's in the meatgrinder-type deck featured in your newsletter
(which gave some ideas already, thanks :)) especially as Janey/Celeste
can teach Muricia Protean in return for her favor.
Muricia w/pro,Depravity and Wildebeest=gotta try it some time...
Jazzbeaux
"antero" <nom...@jippii.fi> wrote in message
news:1133603839....@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Does sound good, will have to look at Sanguine Instruction more closely. Of
course the other option is Spontaneous Power, so it depends on pool cost &
master vs action card.
Sam
>
antero
has a wealth of untap in use, and SI increases the recipient's capacity
which is surprisingly useful in some cases (like, if your predator has
Synesios who likes to play Recurring Contemplation or Muricia steals
Mylan w/Entrancement*) Janey can make Muricia 8-capper.
*it happened a while ago and nice coup it was. Except that Mylan got
himself kille quite quickly by my angered predator.
antero
himself killed quite quickly by my angered predator.
Jazzbeaux
All true, but as I mentioned in a NL, Sanguine Instruction is an action, and
thus blockable. This can be a problem which may be eased by Squirrel
Balance, but prior to that +2 stealth was a good as it got and that isn't
always enough. Spontaneous Power can only be stopped by Sudden Reversal,
and as it costs 2 pool most people would let it happen so there is the pool
loss.
Sam
>