Official VEKN Nosferatu Newsletter for July, 2007
Peter D Bakija
While driving back from Origins (where, lemme tell you, I didnąt do Clan
Nosferatu any favors--my one tournament played with a Nosferatu ANI/POT
Rush deck ended with me getting a powerful .5 VP in two preliminary
rounds...) for 8 hours with my buddy Dave, we spent a lot of time
discussing VTES strategy (as what the hell else do you do while driving
back from Origins for 8 hours?), and one thing I kept wondering was łhow
come I donąt see Confusion of the Eye more often than I do?˛, which is
something Iąll hit on a bit lower on the page, but that kinda morphed
into me reconstructing an old, moderately effective Nosferatu themed
deck, which I have reassembled, put into practice, and have been doing
pretty well with, so it is the new meat for the Newsletter mill.
A kind of toolboxy Stealth/Bleed/Fight deck that is remarkably flexible,
pretty effective at ousting, and primarily, exists to make Lithrac into
a superstar (Lithrac is always near and dear to my Nosferatu heart, as
he was the lynchpin in the original power play that became the Bakija
Gambit...). There are enough Nosferatu included to make playing some of
the stronger Clan Masters possible, and to count as a Nosferatu deck
should it ever win a tournament :-)
łSpy! Spy! Spy! Spy!˛
Crypt:
2x Lithrac (5) OBF
2x Count Ormonde (5) OBF, dom
2x Zebulon (5) OBF, dom
1x Badr al-Budur (5) OBF, dom
1x Grendel-The Worm Eaten (5) OBF
1x Agrippina (4) OBF
1x Laurent de Valois (4) obf, dom
1x Duck (3) obf
1x Dimple (2) obf
Avg. 4.4
Library:
6x Blood Doll
1x Haven Uncovered
1x Fame
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Slum Hunting Ground
1x The Labyrinth
1x The Secret Library of Alexandria
1x Coronerąs Contact
15x Spying Mission
8x Swallowed by the Night
7x Disguised Weapon
4x Lost in Crowds
4x Behind You!
4x Vanish from the Minds Eye
4x Confusion of the Eye
1x Hidden Lurker
8x Deflection
8x Harass
6x On the Qui Vive
6x .44 Magnum
1x Ivory Bow
1x Improvised Flame Thrower
So here you have a OBF based Stealth and Bleed deck the aims to get a
pile of Spying Missions on someone and then sneak through and bleed
someone for 11 in one shot, while packing guns, maneuvers, and Rushes to
cull the weak and once and a while, score a death blow with Fame.
Dominate is restricted simply to enabling the always important bleed
bounce. With fairly cheap minions, you can afford to get out 4 or 5
vampires with a few guns, which makes swarm tactics viable. It is
certainly arguable as to whether or not this deck is going to be more
effective than simply using Dominate for the bleed bonus, but going the
Spying Mission route has a few advantages, in that the Spying Missions
double as stealth when needed, the deck is virtually bleed bounce proof
(if you get bounced the Spying Missions you have donąt go off, and you
can always play another Spying Mission on your new bleed target),
although using Spying Missions to bleed for 7 is just asking to get
Archon Investigated.
In the Master department, there are a lot of Blood Dolls for pool gain
and blood management, a Haven Uncovered and a Fame for the light Rush
angle, some card cycling from Dreams and the Secret Library (which is a
very handy card in any bleed deck that can use it), a Hunting Ground
(good due to the lack of Tastes) and the Labyrinth for perma-stealth,
and a Coronerąs Contact as łgo get Lithrac˛ back up.
The main bulk of the deck consists of stealth as the delivery mechanism
and Spying Missions for bleed bonus. Go bleed for 1, stealth by, and if
you donąt need the Spying Mission for stealth, stack one on for the +2
bleed later on. Feel free to pile them up as that increases the bleed
efficiency (while making the AI risk something to worry about). The
Disguised gun Rush angle works very well with Lithrac (who gets an
inherent +1 stealth on Rush actions) and is useful for killing weak
folks or troublesome opponents--the guns are unlikely to really damage
anyone with significant combat defense, but the press from the Harass
(which will actually work, as there is enough stealth to get your Harass
actions to land on target most of the time) will allow you to wear down
anyone who isnąt really defensive. As noted, being able to play Fame on
some weak minion of your prey and then stealth Rush them into torpor is
often how this deck makes its first oust. It isnąt usually going to get
more than a couple weapons out, so hopefully the cycling Masters will
let you flush unneeded Disguised Weapons and guns out of your hand (make
sure to note how the Secret Library works even if you play Spying
Mission).
The defense of the deck consists of a reasonable amount of Deflection
for the always useful bleed bounce, and then a few Confusions of the
Eye.
And now a public service announcement (with guitars!) about Confusion of
the Eye.
Confusion of the Eye is a *really* good card. To the point that Iąd
think that it would show up far more often than it does. It is a very
strong defensive card that is easily cycleable, has multiple uses,
doesnąt tap you, and can really get your old ladyąs car out of a bad
area. On first look, it screams łIąm a magic bullet against PTO!˛ which,
in and of itself, is probably enough to justify playing the card in a
lot of decks. But then it also foils Parity Shift (which is incredibly
common and tends to be brutal). And Alastor. And Anathema. And Archon.
And a bunch of other votes too (although PTO, Parity Shift, and Anathema
are probably the best ones to foil). And even if your opponent is
calling a non title needing vote, Confusion of the Eye cancels all the
votes of the acting vampire, which means a great deal of the time, the
vote will fail anyway. And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
her. That is one screwed Arika. And if that isnąt enough, it is super
flexible as a bleed reducer if you donąt need it for vote defense--yeah,
the bleeding minion has to be younger or an ally, but it is incredibly
likely that you will, at some point, be bled by someone who fits the
bill for the inferior of Confusion of the Eye. So it is a flexible,
powerful, incredibly handy defense card that costs zero blood and
doesnąt tap you. Why is this card not in every Obfuscate deck ever at
this point? I have no idea. Granted, the illustration is confusing (as
confusing as the eye?)--is it a picture of Oscar Garza doing stand up? I
got nothing. But in any case, everyone out there who isnąt paying
attention to the Confusions of the Eyes in their collection, start using
them. They are fantastic.
Well, thatąs it for now--a reasonably effective, Nosferatu based
bleedy/fighty deck (that makes Lithrac awesome!) and a psychotic rant on
how Confusion of the Eye is pure gold.
-Peter D Bakija
You can check out all of my old Nosferatu Newsletters at:
http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
Peter D Bakija
pd...@lightlink.com
http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
The Lasombra
<pd...@lightlink.com> wrote:
>although using Spying Missions to bleed for 7 is just asking to get
>Archon Investigated.
I must respectfully point out that this is inaccurate.
Your bleed is for one.
It isn't until the bleed resolves that the Spying Missions kick in, at
which time it is too late to play Archon Investigation.
See also:
LSJ Oct 8 2002, 9:30 am
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad/msg/6449c8f27172c7ae
LSJ 1998-01-05
http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/index.php?line=rulings
Archon Investigation cannot be played after a Spying Mission is burned
(for +2 bleed), since the bleed is already resolved at that point.
Carpe noctem.
Lasombra
Your best online source for information about V:TES.
Now also featuring individual card sales and sales
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The Lasombra
<pd...@lightlink.com> wrote:
I would like to edit this sentence before I archive the newsletter.
This:
>It is
>certainly arguable as to whether or not this deck is going to be more
>effective than simply using Dominate for the bleed bonus, but going the
>Spying Mission route has a few advantages, in that the Spying Missions
>double as stealth when needed, the deck is virtually bleed bounce proof
>(if you get bounced the Spying Missions you have donšt go off, and you
>can always play another Spying Mission on your new bleed target),
>although using Spying Missions to bleed for 7 is just asking to get
>Archon Investigated.
Would become:
>It is certainly arguable as to whether or not this deck is going to be more
>effective than simply using Dominate for the bleed bonus, but going the
>Spying Mission route has a few advantages, in that the Spying Missions
>double as stealth when needed and the deck is virtually bleed bounce proof
>(if you get bounced the Spying Missions you have donšt go off, and you
>can always play another Spying Mission on your new bleed target).
What do you think?
Jeroen
>
> ³Spy! Spy! Spy! Spy!²
>
>
> Library:
> 6x Blood Doll
> 1x Haven Uncovered
> 1x Fame
> 1x Dreams of the Sphinx
> 1x Slum Hunting Ground
> 1x The Labyrinth
> 1x The Secret Library of Alexandria
Specialisation?
>
> 15x Spying Mission
> 8x Swallowed by the Night
> 7x Disguised Weapon
> 4x Lost in Crowds
> 4x Behind You!
> 4x Vanish from the Minds Eye
> 4x Confusion of the Eye
> 1x Hidden Lurker
> 8x Deflection
> 8x Harass
> 6x On the Qui Vive
> 6x .44 Magnum
> 1x Ivory Bow
> 1x Improvised Flame Thrower
I would be tempted to add the bleed retainers (permableed is always
good) and a couple of Mask 1k faces. Mask, for obvious reasons, will
leave your prey guessing wich minion to deflect or try to block.
>
> So here you have a OBF based Stealth and Bleed deck the aims to get a
> pile of Spying Missions on someone and then sneak through and bleed
> someone for 11 in one shot, while packing guns, maneuvers, and Rushes to
> cull the weak and once and a while, score a death blow with Fame.
> Dominate is restricted simply to enabling the always important bleed
> bounce. With fairly cheap minions, you can afford to get out 4 or 5
> vampires with a few guns, which makes swarm tactics viable. It is
> certainly arguable as to whether or not this deck is going to be more
> effective than simply using Dominate for the bleed bonus, but going the
> Spying Mission route has a few advantages, in that the Spying Missions
> double as stealth when needed, the deck is virtually bleed bounce proof
> (if you get bounced the Spying Missions you have don¹t go off, and you
> can always play another Spying Mission on your new bleed target),
> although using Spying Missions to bleed for 7 is just asking to get
> Archon Investigated.
As already mentioned: AI cannot get played anymore when Spying
Missions are being burned. AI is played 'when a minion attempts to
bleed' and Spying Missions are burned when the bleed has succesfully
resolved, meaning they are not attempting, but have succeeded. In that
respect it's better than dominate bleed.
>
<snipage>
And now a public service announcement (with guitars!) about Confusion
of
> the Eye.
>
> Confusion of the Eye is a *really* good card.
No kidding. It's great.
>On first look, it screams ³I¹m a magic bullet against PTO!² which,
> in and of itself, is probably enough to justify playing the card in a
> lot of decks. But then it also foils Parity Shift (which is incredibly
> common and tends to be brutal). And Alastor. And Anathema. And Archon.
> And a bunch of other votes too (although PTO, Parity Shift, and Anathema
> are probably the best ones to foil).
yup.
>And even if your opponent is
> calling a non title needing vote, Confusion of the Eye cancels all the
> votes of the acting vampire, which means a great deal of the time, the
> vote will fail anyway. And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
> much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
> horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
> her. That is one screwed Arika.
Indeed.
>And if that isn¹t enough, it is super
> flexible as a bleed reducer if you don¹t need it for vote defense--yeah,
> the bleeding minion has to be younger or an ally, but it is incredibly
> likely that you will, at some point, be bled by someone who fits the
> bill for the inferior of Confusion of the Eye.
This is a slight exageration. This is IMO the exact reason why you
don't see it more often, at least in tournement decks. It's mainly
because Obfuscate is seen in decks that
- already have bleed defence in dom or aus (bounce is better than
reduce, isn't it) and pack delaying tactics and DI
- have minions that are to small to play the inferior
- play camma and don't care about PTO
- are political decks themselves and rely on table votes for vote
defense.
So, in short, it seems that the decks you would put CotE in, are decks
without bounce, with mid-to-large cap vamps who don't have a lot of
votes. This card rules for Setite and Anarch decks and mid cap obf
decks. The rest have more versatile options. Still, a great card.
>So it is a flexible,
> powerful, incredibly handy defense card that costs zero blood and
> doesn¹t tap you. Why is this card not in every Obfuscate deck ever at
> this point? I have no idea. Granted, the illustration is confusing (as
> confusing as the eye?)--is it a picture of Oscar Garza doing stand up? I
> got nothing. But in any case, everyone out there who isn¹t paying
> attention to the Confusions of the Eyes in their collection, start using
> them. They are fantastic.
mmm. Last tourney they save my but twice (setite deck), but in another
one I ended up discarding them (obf-pot deck)
>
> Well, that¹s it for now--a reasonably effective, Nosferatu based
> bleedy/fighty deck (that makes Lithrac awesome!) and a psychotic rant on
> how Confusion of the Eye is pure gold.
Great newsletter, BTW.
ben...@gmail.com
> Confusion of the Eye is a *really* good card. To the point that I¹d
> think that it would show up far more often than it does. It is a very
> strong defensive card that is easily cycleable, has multiple uses,
> area.
She'll take the bus. She's a rock.
- Ben Peal
Peter D Bakija
LSJ <vte...@white-wolf.com> wrote:
> No.
> Secret Library: "each time you successfully bleed your prey"
> Spying Mission: "when a bleed *would be* successful. ... This bleed is not
> successful."
Dag nabit. So the card text has been updated somewhere between Camarilla
and now, which I never noticed. The Camarilla text says "Only useable
when a bleed is successful", which leads to my confusion. But, yeah, the
newer wording makes that much clearer.
Bah.
Peter D Bakija
LSJ <vte...@white-wolf.com> wrote:
> No. It was a clarification, but not a wacky one.
> Google: "AI Spying author:LSJ"
Well, yeah, ok, not so much with the wacky on that clarification.
Peter D Bakija
The Lasombra <TheLa...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:12:37 -0400, Peter D Bakija
> <pd...@lightlink.com> wrote:
>
> >although using Spying Missions to bleed for 7 is just asking to get
> >Archon Investigated.
>
> I must respectfully point out that this is inaccurate.
So noted and I'm glad that got pointed out. Somehow I missed this all
these years.
ben...@gmail.com
> Confusion of the Eye is a *really* good card. To the point that I¹d
> think that it would show up far more often than it does. It is a very
> strong defensive card that is easily cycleable, has multiple uses,
> area.
She'll take the bus. She's a rock.
- Ben Peal
Peter D Bakija
Jeroen <joen...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> As already mentioned: AI cannot get played anymore when Spying
> Missions are being burned. AI is played 'when a minion attempts to
> bleed' and Spying Missions are burned when the bleed has succesfully
> resolved, meaning they are not attempting, but have succeeded. In that
> respect it's better than dominate bleed.
Holy crizap! I totally never noticed that. Was that some wacky
ruling/clarification somewhere?
> So, in short, it seems that the decks you would put CotE in, are decks
> without bounce, with mid-to-large cap vamps who don't have a lot of
> votes. This card rules for Setite and Anarch decks and mid cap obf
> decks. The rest have more versatile options. Still, a great card.
I dunno--a single card answer to Parity Shift that doesn't cost anything
seems like reason alone to pack them. With the PTO and Alastor and
anti-Voter Cap tech coming in close second. I mean, yeah, ok, it could
be a DI instead, but that costs a pool and a MPA and they can call
Parity Shift again.
> Great newsletter, BTW.
Thanks!
Peter D Bakija
The Lasombra <TheLa...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:12:37 -0400, Peter D Bakija
> <pd...@lightlink.com> wrote:
>
> I would like to edit this sentence before I archive the newsletter.
In the sense that you would like to remove the obvious rules error I
didn't notice was a rules error? Yes, please :-)
LSJ
> In article <1184661023....@g37g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,
> Jeroen <joen...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> As already mentioned: AI cannot get played anymore when Spying
>> Missions are being burned. AI is played 'when a minion attempts to
>> bleed' and Spying Missions are burned when the bleed has succesfully
>> resolved, meaning they are not attempting, but have succeeded. In that
>> respect it's better than dominate bleed.
>
> Holy crizap! I totally never noticed that. Was that some wacky
> ruling/clarification somewhere?
No. It was a clarification, but not a wacky one.
Peter D Bakija
The Lasombra <TheLa...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> LSJ 1998-01-05
> http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/index.php?line=rulings
So in just reading these rulings, now I am wondering about the
interaction between Spying Mission and Secret Library--some ruling from
1996 says that when you play Spying Mission, the bleed is considered
"unsucessful"--I have always assumed that there is enough room between
the bleed getting through and being "sucessful" enough to play Spying
Mission to activate the Secret Library before the Spyng Mission is
played. This is correct, correct?
Peter D Bakija
łSpy! Spy! Spy! Spy!˛
Avg. 4.4
double as stealth when needed and the deck is virtually bleed bounce
proof (if you get bounced the Spying Missions you have donąt go off, and
you can always play another Spying Mission on your new bleed target).
In the Master department, there are a lot of Blood Dolls for pool gain
and blood management, a Haven Uncovered and a Fame for the light Rush
angle, some card cycling from Dreams and the Secret Library (which is a
very handy card in any bleed deck that can use it), a Hunting Ground
(good due to the lack of Tastes) and the Labyrinth for perma-stealth,
and a Coronerąs Contact as łgo get Lithrac˛ back up.
The main bulk of the deck consists of stealth as the delivery mechanism
and Spying Missions for bleed bonus. Go bleed for 1, stealth by, and if
you donąt need the Spying Mission for stealth, stack one on for the +2
bleed later on. Feel free to pile them up as that increases the bleed
efficiency. The Disguised gun Rush angle works very well with Lithrac
incredibly flexible as a bleed reducer if you donąt need it for vote
defense--yeah, the bleeding minion has to be younger or an ally, but it
is incredibly likely that you will, at some point, be bled by someone
who fits the bill for the inferior of Confusion of the Eye. So it is a
flexible, powerful, incredibly handy defense card that costs zero blood
and doesnąt tap you. Why is this card not in every Obfuscate deck ever
at this point? I have no idea. Granted, the illustration is confusion
LSJ
> In article <129o93ll0r30seemp...@4ax.com>,
> The Lasombra <TheLa...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> LSJ 1998-01-05
>> http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/index.php?line=rulings
>
> So in just reading these rulings, now I am wondering about the
> interaction between Spying Mission and Secret Library--some ruling from
> 1996 says that when you play Spying Mission, the bleed is considered
> "unsucessful"--I have always assumed that there is enough room between
> the bleed getting through and being "sucessful" enough to play Spying
> Mission to activate the Secret Library before the Spyng Mission is
> played. This is correct, correct?
No.
Secret Library: "each time you successfully bleed your prey"
Spying Mission: "when a bleed *would be* successful. ... This bleed is not
successful."
SM is played before bleed resolution (before removing pool), Secret Library is
used after (after removing pool).
Peter D Bakija
that haunted me, i.e. Spying Mission vs AI and Secret Library vs Spying
Mission...)
łSpy! Spy! Spy! Spy!˛
Avg. 4.4
1x Fragment of the Book of Nod
1x Coronerąs Contact
can always play another Spying Mission on your new bleed target).
In the Master department, there are a lot of Blood Dolls for pool gain
and blood management, a Haven Uncovered and a Fame for the light Rush
angle, some card cycling from Dreams and the Fragment, a Hunting Ground
(good due to the lack of Tastes) and the Labyrinth for perma-stealth,
and a Coronerąs Contact as łgo get Lithrac˛ back up.
The main bulk of the deck consists of stealth as the delivery mechanism
and Spying Missions for bleed bonus. Go bleed for 1, stealth by, and if
you donąt need the Spying Mission for stealth, stack one on for the +2
bleed later on. Feel free to pile them up as that increases the bleed
efficiency. The Disguised gun Rush angle works very well with Lithrac
(who gets an inherent +1 stealth on Rush actions) and is useful for
killing weak folks or troublesome opponents--the guns are unlikely to
really damage anyone with significant combat defense, but the press from
the Harass (which will actually work, as there is enough stealth to get
your Harass actions to land on target most of the time) will allow you
to wear down anyone who isnąt really defensive. As noted, being able to
play Fame on some weak minion of your prey and then stealth Rush them
into torpor is often how this deck makes its first oust. It isnąt
usually going to get more than a couple weapons out, so hopefully the
cycling Masters will let you flush unneeded Disguised Weapons and guns
out of your hand.
The defense of the deck consists of a reasonable amount of Deflection
for the always useful bleed bounce, and then a few Confusions of the
Eye.
And now a public service announcement (with guitars!) about Confusion of
the Eye.
Confusion of the Eye is a *really* good card. To the point that Iąd
think that it would show up far more often than it does. It is a very
strong defensive card that is easily cycleable, has multiple uses,
doesnąt tap you, and can really get your old ladyąs car out of a bad
area. On first look, it screams łIąm a magic bullet against PTO!˛ which,
in and of itself, is probably enough to justify playing the card in a
lot of decks. But then it also foils Parity Shift (which is incredibly
common and tends to be brutal). And Alastor. And Anathema. And Archon.
And a bunch of other votes too (although PTO, Parity Shift, and Anathema
are probably the best ones to foil). And even if your opponent is
calling a non title needing vote, Confusion of the Eye cancels all the
votes of the acting vampire, which means a great deal of the time, the
vote will fail anyway. And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
her. That is one screwed Arika. And if that isnąt enough, it is
incredibly flexible as a bleed reducer if you donąt need it for vote
defense--yeah, the bleeding minion has to be younger or an ally, but it
is incredibly likely that you will, at some point, be bled by someone
who fits the bill for the inferior of Confusion of the Eye. So it is a
flexible, powerful, incredibly handy defense card that costs zero blood
and doesnąt tap you. Why is this card not in every Obfuscate deck ever
at this point? I have no idea. Granted, the illustration is confusion
(as confusing as the eye?)--is it a picture of Oscar Garza doing stand
up? I got nothing. But in any case, everyone out there who isnąt paying
attention to the Confusions of the Eyes in their collection, start using
them. They are fantastic.
Well, thatąs it for now--a reasonably effective, Nosferatu based
bleedy/fighty deck (that makes Lithrac awesome!) and a psychotic rant on
how Confusion of the Eye is pure gold.
-Peter D Bakija
You can check out all of my old Nosferatu Newsletters at:
http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
Peter D Bakija
pd...@lightlink.com
http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
Appolonius
> Peter D Bakija wrote:
>> In article <1184661023....@g37g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,
>> Jeroen <joen...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> As already mentioned: AI cannot get played anymore when Spying
>>> Missions are being burned. AI is played 'when a minion attempts to
>>> bleed' and Spying Missions are burned when the bleed has succesfully
>>> resolved, meaning they are not attempting, but have succeeded.
>>
>> ruling/clarification somewhere?
>
> No. It was a clarification, but not a wacky one.
> Google: "AI Spying author:LSJ"
While we're on the subject, does superior Melange work in the same way?
ie. is the card only burnt when the bleed is about to be successful on
its target, after the bounce/AI window has passed?
Superior Melange (reaction):
As above (+1 intercept), and if you successfully block the acting
minion, put this card on the acting minion; you still control this card.
You may burn this card to get +1 bleed when this reacting vampire bleeds
the controller of the minion with this card.
(I'm suspecting not, due to the notable omission of the word
"successfully", but would like the official word.)
Appolonius.
Kushiel
> And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
> much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
> horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
> her.
Does that work, timing-wise? You need to play CotE before votes are
cast, so I don't think it does.
It's possible to play Awe with your guy before you cast his votes, I
guess, but I usually see Awe and Bewitching Oration played after that
guy's votes have already been cast...
John Eno
Dasein
> pretty effective at ousting, and primarily, exists to make Lithrac into
> a superstar (Lithrac is always near and dear to my Nosferatu heart, as
> he was the lynchpin in the original power play that became the Bakija
> Gambit...). There are enough Nosferatu included to make playing some of
> the stronger Clan Masters possible, and to count as a Nosferatu deck
> should it ever win a tournament :-)
Interesting deck. Possible things to consider:
- a bunch of Computer Hackings (why bleed for 1 when you can bleed for
2? anyone can play it, cycles ridiculously easily, and could greatly
speed your first oust, which is, you know, pretty important, seeing as
you get a vp and 6 pool, and all). Might not have room for them I
guess.
- a few Conditionings; a possible alternative to the above. One bleed
for 3 instead of a couple for 2. Not as discipline or blood efficient
but a smaller card package.
- Graverobbing! If you are finding the deck quite often guns people
down, why not steal them? Especially if you have dom and a bunch of
stealth? Ok at basic its not nearly as good as at super but even
still, its a lot better than nothing. Even if your Nossies can never
be bothered rescuing their new strange buddy, at least your prey/
predator won't get their dude back.
> And now a public service announcement (with guitars!) about Confusion of
> the Eye.
>
> Confusion of the Eye is a *really* good card.
Agreed! It rules! I pack it for smacking down PTO and Parity Shifts,
but has other uses too. And while those are only two cards in the
whole game, they are amongst the most powerful two cards in the whole
game, I'd say.
The best thing about it is its variety. It's a "prayer" / "hoser" /
"magic bullet" etc card against a horrible weapon (PTO mainly), but
its other uses get around the biggest disadvantage of similar magic
bullets, mainly the opportunity cost of putting the card in your deck
and having it be a dead draw (i.e. no vote decks on the table). At
SOME stage you are likely to be bled by SOME minion who is an ally or
a vampire younger than ONE of your guys with at least basic obf. And
you know, reducing a bleed by 1 is no huge thing, but its a hell of a
lot better than nothing. Kinda like gaining a pool, and that ain't too
shabby at all.
Yeah I like it heaps. I have two in my !Tremere Hexaped deck, and I am
thinking of running with one or two more.
coincoi...@hotmail.com
> > horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
> > her. That is one screwed Arika.
>
> Indeed.
>
Seriously... that's very charitable to speak about confusion of the
eye. I play it as a defense in most of my OBF votes deck for the
double defense. But...
have you bothered reading the cardtext before writing the newsletter?
Confusion of the eye does work during the "before any votes are cast"
phase which is before Awe and stuff like that ...
LSJ
Peter D Bakija
coincoi...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Seriously... that's very charitable to speak about confusion of the
> eye. I play it as a defense in most of my OBF votes deck for the
> double defense. But...
> have you bothered reading the cardtext before writing the newsletter?
Ya know, ya'd think I have noticed that. What with it being on the card
and all. But sometimes these things get by.
Peter D Bakija
Kushiel <invisibl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Does that work, timing-wise? You need to play CotE before votes are
> cast, so I don't think it does.
Probably less often than I'd like to think.
Robert Scythe
> And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
> much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
> horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
> her. That is one screwed Arika.
Not exactly, but hopefully the vote won't pass. Confusion must be
played before any votes are cast, so Arika sits on her Awe and keeps
her blood. Doesn't change the fact that CotE is still a very good card
(and sees a good amount of play in L.A.). You'll probably want to
change that sentence as well before The Lasombra archives it.
Emiliano Imeroni
> Official VEKN Nosferatu Newsletter for July, 2007.
Very nice newsletter! I have a question, though...
> And even if your opponent is
> calling a non title needing vote, Confusion of the Eye cancels all the
> votes of the acting vampire, which means a great deal of the time, the
> vote will fail anyway. And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
> much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
> horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
> her. That is one screwed Arika.
Can you play Confusion of the Eye after Awe, given that the card
says "before any votes are cast"?
Cheers,
Emiliano
Kushiel
> And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
> much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
> horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
> her.
I'm not sure that the timing on this works. You need to play CotE
before any votes are cast, and I normally don't see people play Awe/
Bewitching Oration before they cast their votes (though I think they
technically could).
(I tried posting this last night, but it doesn't seem to be showing
up. Sorry in advance if this ends up being a double-post.)
John Eno
Peter D Bakija
Emiliano Imeroni <emiliano...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Can you play Confusion of the Eye after Awe, given that the card
> says "before any votes are cast"
Unlikely. I was just stupid.
Peter D Bakija
Robert Scythe <rob...@exploretalent.com> wrote:
> Not exactly, but hopefully the vote won't pass. Confusion must be
> played before any votes are cast, so Arika sits on her Awe and keeps
> her blood. Doesn't change the fact that CotE is still a very good card
> (and sees a good amount of play in L.A.). You'll probably want to
> change that sentence as well before The Lasombra archives it.
Yes, yes. You are number 10 to point this out. Someone shoot me.
Rehlow
>
> ³Spy! Spy! Spy! Spy!²
>
> Crypt:
> 2x Lithrac (5) OBF
> 2x Count Ormonde (5) OBF, dom
> 2x Zebulon (5) OBF, dom
> 1x Badr al-Budur (5) OBF, dom
> 1x Grendel-The Worm Eaten (5) OBF
> 1x Agrippina (4) OBF
> 1x Laurent de Valois (4) obf, dom
> 1x Duck (3) obf
> 1x Dimple (2) obf
>
> Avg. 4.4
>
> Library:
> 6x Blood Doll
> 1x Haven Uncovered
> 1x Fame
> 1x Dreams of the Sphinx
> 1x Slum Hunting Ground
> 1x The Labyrinth
>
> 15x Spying Mission
> 8x Swallowed by the Night
> 7x Disguised Weapon
> 4x Lost in Crowds
> 4x Behind You!
> 4x Vanish from the Minds Eye
> 4x Confusion of the Eye
> 1x Hidden Lurker
> 8x Deflection
> 8x Harass
> 6x On the Qui Vive
> 6x .44 Magnum
> 1x Ivory Bow
> 1x Improvised Flame Thrower
>
This decklist got me thinking about a Night Moves, Spying Mission,
Marked Path deck. Bleed at +6 stealth, then Spying Mission it and play
a Marked Path. Then do it again and then do a regular bleed for 1 with
the option of getting up to +4 stealth from both Marked Path and land
a bleed for 5. I wish Marked Path wasn't Rare and that I seem to have
traded away my Camarilla Malkavian Starter ones (or just can't find
them). If I do make the deck, I'd definitely include some Confusion of
the Eye though.
Later,
~Rehlow
demonturtle
Yes, I can attest that Spy!x3 can be effective. It makes you scratch
your head when it starts up, but soon its awful purpose becomes
clear. . . . I think that with the way SM works, it is pretty
reasonable.
> The defense of the deck consists of a reasonable amount of Deflection
> for the always useful bleed bounce, and then a few Confusions of the
> Eye.
Curse you, CotE! I can also attest that it makes 11-caps who play Awe
very sad.
> And now a public service announcement (with guitars!) about Confusion of
> the Eye.
>
> Confusion of the Eye is a *really* good card. To the point that I¹d
> think that it would show up far more often than it does. It is a very
> strong defensive card that is easily cycleable, has multiple uses,
> doesn¹t tap you, and can really get your old lady¹s car out of a bad
> area.
I keep thinking about it for three of my decks: weenie Stealth-Bleed
Grenades, Ellison Humboldt Hates. . . , and for my new Julio Martinez
deck. For the first deck, where no one is over a 5-cap, it is hard to
use at basic, and with a deck tightly focused on ousting (25 Computer
Hackings and 18 stealth cards), I have often thought of tossing a few
in there for use at superior, just to screw Arika and other vote
decks, which seems to be the much better use for weenies, esp. against
stuff like Anarchist Uprisings. . . .
I think it could be more useful for Humboldt, since I use small-caps
as his coterie (the next largest vampire after him is honorary Nos
Aren, Priest of Eshu, and the rest all have superior OBF) and I often
don't have a large # of votes on the table. It seems like smarter
anti-vote tech in that situation, and can give me a bit of bleed
defense in crucial moments, in a deck without a lot of defense (are
most Nos decks offensive rather than defensive?).
I am now working on an anti-Nos deck and the inclusion of this card
seems less useful, mostly because I am using anti-Nos with Dominate
(Julio, Tarbaby Jack, Joseph Cambridge, and Josh Duffin's deck pointed
me to Phillipe Rigaud as a possible member). Good ol' Dom Stealth-
Bleed! It might be useful as a tactical response, but aren't there
better ways to defend yourself with Dom? Is it magical enough of a
bullet to warrant displacing a few Deflections?
Great newsletter!
Cheers,
John
>
> Well, that¹s it for now--a reasonably effective, Nosferatu based
> bleedy/fighty deck (that makes Lithrac awesome!) and a psychotic rant on
> how Confusion of the Eye is pure gold.
>
> -Peter D Bakija
>
> You can check out all of my old Nosferatu Newsletters at:
>
> http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
>
> Peter D Bakija
> p...@lightlink.comhttp://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
Robert Scythe
here:
On Jul 17, 8:34 am, Peter D Bakija <p...@lightlink.com> wrote:
> And the Voter Captivation will probably not do
> much also--wait till Arika plays Awe for most of her blood on the
> horrible vote that is going to kill you, and then Confusion of the Eye
> her. That is one screwed Arika.
Not exactly, but hopefully the vote will not pass. CotE is played
before any votes are cast, so Arika sits on her Awe and keeps her
blood. You may want to edit that sentence as well.
wumpus
<heresy>
If I were to build the same deck, I think I'd go more like this:
Deck Name: Peter and the Wolves
Created By: Peter Bakija/Alex Broadhead
Description: Modified (dom +) OBF crypt from one of Peter`s Nosferatu
Newsletter decks.
Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 8, Max: 19, Avg: 3.5)
--------------------------------------------
1 Basil obf 1 Pander
1 Dimple obf 2 Nosferatu
1 Normal obf 2 Malkavian
2 Watenda obf 3 Malkavian
1 Agrippina OBF pot 4 Nosferatu
1 Roland Bishop aus dom obf 4 Malkavian
1 Tansu Bekir cel OBF 4 Assamite
1 Laurent de Valois ani dom obf 4 Nosferatu
1 Badr al-Budur cel dom OBF qui 5 Assamite
1 Count Ormonde dom OBF pre ser 5 Followers of
Set
1 Zebulon aus dom OBF pro 5 Malkavian
Library: (90 cards)
-------------------
Master (15 cards)
1 Asylum Hunting Ground
6 Blood Doll
3 Effective Management
1 Fame
1 Forest of Shadows
3 Haven Uncovered
Action (5 cards)
4 Bum`s Rush
1 Sacrificial Lamb
Action Modifier (23 cards)
3 Elder Impersonation
3 Faceless Night
2 Hidden Lurker
3 Lost in Crowds
12 Spying Mission
Reaction (17 cards)
3 Confusion of the Eye
8 Deflection
6 Wake with Evening`s Freshness
Combat (11 cards)
4 Behind You!
7 Disguised Weapon
Ally (1 cards)
1 Muddled Vampire Hunter
Equipment (10 cards)
3 Cooler
1 Flamethrower
1 Ivory Bow
5 Starshell Grenade Launcher
Combo (8 cards)
8 Swallowed by the Night
This deck was last saved at 11:30:59 AM on 7/18/2007
Of course, I wouldn't be building it for a Nossie Newsletter, so I
wouldn't be trying to push Nosferatu into the crypt, and so I'd leave
out Grendel and Duck for Tansu and Normal. And then I'd put in Roland
and Basil instead of the doubled 5-caps. And, finally, I'd use
Watenda as hitman in place of Lithrac. Which makes it a Malky-ish
deck instead of a Nossie-ish one.
I'd throw in a few Coolers for less action intensive bloat, and,
possibly controversially, go with maneuvers and Starshells instead of
presses and .44/Improvised, though I think that's really just a matter
of taste.
The deck could probably use more masters. I had Clotho's in earlier,
but then I noticed that I had plenty of space for Effective Management
instead. I suppose you could turn this into a real bleed swarm
monster by cutting the combat, upping the Faceless Night instead of
the Swallowed, and upping both the Effectives and putting Clotho's
back in.
Anyway, just thought I'd share.
</heresy>
Thanks for the newsletter!,
Alex
Peter D Bakija
Rehlow <news...@rehlow.com> wrote:
> This decklist got me thinking about a Night Moves, Spying Mission,
> Marked Path deck. Bleed at +6 stealth, then Spying Mission it and play
> a Marked Path.
Yeah, that is some pretty sexy tech, but requires having a lot of cards
all in the right order. Although if you play with enough of them, it is
unlikely to be much of an issue.
Peter D Bakija
Kushiel <invisibl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm not sure that the timing on this works. You need to play CotE
> before any votes are cast, and I normally don't see people play Awe/
> Bewitching Oration before they cast their votes (though I think they
> technically could).
>
> (I tried posting this last night, but it doesn't seem to be showing
> up. Sorry in advance if this ends up being a double-post.)
Not just a double post, but the 11th in a row point out the same thing.
I hang my head in deep, deep shame.
Peter D Bakija
wumpus <wum...@comcast.net> wrote:
> If I were to build the same deck, I think I'd go more like this:
>
> Deck Name: Peter and the Wolves
> Created By: Peter Bakija/Alex Broadhead
> Description: Modified (dom +) OBF crypt from one of Peter`s Nosferatu
> Newsletter decks.
>
>
> Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 8, Max: 19, Avg: 3.5)
> --------------------------------------------
> 1 Basil obf 1 Pander
> 1 Dimple obf 2 Nosferatu
> 1 Normal obf 2 Malkavian
> 2 Watenda obf 3 Malkavian
> 1 Agrippina OBF pot 4 Nosferatu
> 1 Roland Bishop aus dom obf 4 Malkavian
> 1 Tansu Bekir cel OBF 4 Assamite
> 1 Laurent de Valois ani dom obf 4 Nosferatu
> 1 Badr al-Budur cel dom OBF qui 5 Assamite
> 1 Count Ormonde dom OBF pre ser 5 Followers of
> 1 Zebulon aus dom OBF pro 5 Malkavian
Reasonable. More weenies, less OBF, less dom. And zero Lithrac. But
given the plan you present, understandable. But while I realize that
Watenda is awsome and all, why two of him, as opposed to, say, Zebulon?
(and yeah, I'd be using Tansu as well, except for the "I wanted 5
Nosferatu in the Crypt" angle).
> Library: (90 cards)
> -------------------
> Master (15 cards)
> 1 Asylum Hunting Ground
> 6 Blood Doll
> 3 Effective Management
> 1 Fame
> 1 Forest of Shadows
> 3 Haven Uncovered
Forest of Shadows? Interesting--I mean, like, it is a reasonable card,
but with the burn option, I'd figure it would not make the cut.
> Action (5 cards)
> 4 Bum`s Rush
> 1 Sacrificial Lamb
I like the Harass for the press, as the deck comes with plenty of
manuvers, although your version has less of that. Ooh! and Sacrifical
Lamb! Hot!
> Action Modifier (23 cards)
> 3 Elder Impersonation
> 3 Faceless Night
> 2 Hidden Lurker
> 3 Lost in Crowds
> 12 Spying Mission
More stealth diversity is good. I wonder if more Hidden Lurkers is good,
however :-)
> Reaction (17 cards)
> 3 Confusion of the Eye
> 8 Deflection
> 6 Wake with Evening`s Freshness
>
> Combat (11 cards)
> 4 Behind You!
> 7 Disguised Weapon
>
> Ally (1 cards)
> 1 Muddled Vampire Hunter
Always good to have.
> Equipment (10 cards)
> 3 Cooler
> 1 Flamethrower
> 1 Ivory Bow
> 5 Starshell Grenade Launcher
Hmm. I dunno that the "all Starshell Grenade Launcher" is an angle I'd
follow--the only useable once per combat isn't that big of a deal due to
the lack of press combat, but the only at long range could be a
significant problem due to the reduced manuvers (and lack of
premamanuver due to it not being a Magnum). And even if everything goes
well, all you are doing is sending someone to torpor with the same
amount of blood they started out with, which just means they get to pop
out immediately. And I don't think the Starshell defensive option works
with Wake (although clearly, my understanding of the rules is
questionable these days :-). I think Magnums are clearly the way to go
in general, but Improvised Flamethrowers are also good in moderation.
> Combo (8 cards)
> 8 Swallowed by the Night
Always good.
> Of course, I wouldn't be building it for a Nossie Newsletter, so I
> wouldn't be trying to push Nosferatu into the crypt, and so I'd leave
> out Grendel and Duck for Tansu and Normal. And then I'd put in Roland
> and Basil instead of the doubled 5-caps. And, finally, I'd use
> Watenda as hitman in place of Lithrac. Which makes it a Malky-ish
> deck instead of a Nossie-ish one.
Oh, ok. Watenda as hitman, for the "I cancel your Majesty" option. Which
is funny.
> I'd throw in a few Coolers for less action intensive bloat, and,
> possibly controversially, go with maneuvers and Starshells instead of
> presses and .44/Improvised, though I think that's really just a matter
> of taste.
Contriversial indeed! So have you gotten good mileage out of the
Starshells in general?
> Anyway, just thought I'd share.
I like sharing!
> Thanks for the newsletter!,
And thanks for the fun comments that *aren't* picking on my idiocy!
:-)
Peter D Bakija
demonturtle <cranky...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jul 16, 9:12 pm, Peter D Bakija <p...@lightlink.com> wrote:
>
> Yes, I can attest that Spy!x3 can be effective. It makes you scratch
> your head when it starts up, but soon its awful purpose becomes
> clear. . . . I think that with the way SM works, it is pretty
> reasonable.
And apparently, that time I said you can still be Archon Investigated
was incorrect--you can use Spying Mission to bleed for 11 and not be
vulnerable to AI.
> I keep thinking about it for three of my decks: weenie Stealth-Bleed
> Grenades, Ellison Humboldt Hates. . . , and for my new Julio Martinez
> deck. For the first deck, where no one is over a 5-cap, it is hard to
> use at basic, and with a deck tightly focused on ousting (25 Computer
> Hackings and 18 stealth cards), I have often thought of tossing a few
> in there for use at superior, just to screw Arika and other vote
> decks, which seems to be the much better use for weenies, esp. against
> stuff like Anarchist Uprisings. . . .
I think it is good for pretty much everything. I mean, Parity Shift and
PTO alone are reason enough to play it in a general sense.
> I am now working on an anti-Nos deck and the inclusion of this card
> seems less useful, mostly because I am using anti-Nos with Dominate
> (Julio, Tarbaby Jack, Joseph Cambridge, and Josh Duffin's deck pointed
> me to Phillipe Rigaud as a possible member). Good ol' Dom Stealth-
> Bleed! It might be useful as a tactical response, but aren't there
> better ways to defend yourself with Dom? Is it magical enough of a
> bullet to warrant displacing a few Deflections?
I dunno if I'd replace Deflections with Confusion. I'd replace something
else and then keep all the Deflections too.
> Great newsletter!
Thanks!
Peter D Bakija
Robert Scythe <rob...@exploretalent.com> wrote:
> I'm not sure if my earlier post will make it or not, but I'll restate
> here:
Earlier post made it.
> Not exactly, but hopefully the vote will not pass. CotE is played
> before any votes are cast, so Arika sits on her Awe and keeps her
> blood. You may want to edit that sentence as well.
Make the gunfire stop! I surrender!
Ankur Gupta
>> Sorry in advance if this ends up being a double-post.)
>
> Not just a double post, but the 11th in a row point out the same thing.
>
> I hang my head in deep, deep shame.
Deeper. Go. Deeper.
Because. . . .
Hey, did you know that you can't play Confusion of the Eye *after* the
Awe? You have to play it before votes are cast.
Just in case you didn't know.
Ankur
Play. The. Game.
Peter D Bakija
Ankur Gupta <agu...@cs.duke.edu> wrote:
> Deeper. Go. Deeper.
>
> Because. . . .
>
> Hey, did you know that you can't play Confusion of the Eye *after* the
> Awe? You have to play it before votes are cast.
>
> Just in case you didn't know.
And hey--ya know what I heard? I heard that Confusion of the Eye is
played *before* votes are cast. So, like, you can't really play it after
the Awe. Or something like that.
reyda
> In article <1184779701....@d30g2000prg.googlegroups.com>,
> Robert Scythe <rob...@exploretalent.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Not exactly, but hopefully the vote won't pass. Confusion must be
>>played before any votes are cast, so Arika sits on her Awe and keeps
>>her blood. Doesn't change the fact that CotE is still a very good card
>>(and sees a good amount of play in L.A.). You'll probably want to
>>change that sentence as well before The Lasombra archives it.
>
>
> Yes, yes. You are number 10 to point this out. Someone shoot me.
i'll do it if i'm also allowed to shoot Kati Mc Caskill and David day by
your side . So you don't feel too lonely :)
Emiliano Imeroni
Great, this message of mine appeared on Google groups about 24 hours
after I posted it... Ignore it, of course, the point has been raised
by
several others in the meanwhile... :-/
E.
Ankur Gupta
> played *before* votes are cast. So, like, you can't really play it after
> the Awe. Or something like that.
Curious. I'd never heard that before.
Ankur
Kushiel
> Not just a double post, but the 11th in a row point out the same thing.
>
> I hang my head in deep, deep shame.
Ugh. Sorry, man.
John Eno
Peter D Bakija
atomweaver
0BB4CC.172...@news-server.stny.rr.com:
...What is?
DZ
AW
;-)
Peter D Bakija
> Interesting deck. Possible things to consider:
> - a bunch of Computer Hackings (why bleed for 1 when you can bleed for
> 2? anyone can play it, cycles ridiculously easily, and could greatly
> speed your first oust, which is, you know, pretty important, seeing as
> you get a vp and 6 pool, and all). Might not have room for them I
> guess.
The Computer Hackings have anti-synergy with the Spying Missions--you
go to bleed for 2 with the Hack and then either play the Spying
Mission (negating the Hack) or don't play the Spying Mission (negating
the whole deck :-). I mean, yeah, a few certainly couldn't hurt, but
I'd rather have Conditionings instead.
> - a few Conditionings; a possible alternative to the above. One bleed
> for 3 instead of a couple for 2. Not as discipline or blood efficient
> but a smaller card package.
Yeah, I really should have at least 1 Conditioning in here. There is
no excuse for a lack of Conditioning :-)
> - Graverobbing! If you are finding the deck quite often guns people
> down, why not steal them? Especially if you have dom and a bunch of
> stealth? Ok at basic its not nearly as good as at super but even
> still, its a lot better than nothing. Even if your Nossies can never
> be bothered rescuing their new strange buddy, at least your prey/
> predator won't get their dude back.
Graverobbing might be good, but I suspect that Sacrifical Lamb would
probably be better...