Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter – Spring 2010
echia...@yahoo.com
Volume 4, Issue 4
By Eric Chiang
Halc...@aol.com
[Legal stuff to the tune of: I wrote all this, so please give credit
where it’s due, etc.]
--------------------------
Contents –
4.1 – Editor’s Note
4.2 – I’m a Slave 4 U: The Slave Mechanic Revisited
4.3 – Tricks with Fustuk: Just the Special Please!
4.4 – Tricks with Fustuk: Unexpected Untapping
4.5 – Battle Lines Storyline
4.6 – Featured Vampire: Fustuk
4.7 – Featured Card: Potio Martyrium
4.8 – Featured Deck: Tupdog by Hugh Angseesing
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[4.1 – Editor’s Note]
Welcome back! This time around the focus is on Gargoyles – our lovable
pets (and slaves). Let’s see what we can do by adding the Gargoyle
angle to our Tremere Antitribu decks.
Since our last issue I have had a few additional stray thoughts on
Heirs. Although Temporis, Maleficia, and Striga are not specifically
Tremere Antitribu focused, our clan is in an excellent position to
take advantage of them.
Many players have been excited over the new Temporis cards (especially
Summon History). Other than the True Brujah, the Tremere Antitribu is
still the best clan to access Temporis, with Infernal Pact, Infernal
Familiar, Ian Forestal, and possibly Nickolai. The !Tremere can also
play Magic of the Smith to quickly equip with the new Amulet of
Temporal Perception, which lets any vampire use basic Temporis cards.
Remember that Maleficia and Striga are not actually disciplines, so
Ian Forestal, Infernal Pact, and Infernal Familiar can’t fulfill that
requirement. However, you can use Valerius Maior and Barbaro Lucchese,
who are both Infernal (and can also use the new Daimoinon cards).
Plus, you can always use Magic of the Smith to grab the Textbook
Damnation, after which you can then lay on the Maleficia and Striga.
Regarding Gargoyle Grouping, right now the trend seems to be about one
Gargoyle of each type per Grouping. Groups 4, 5, and 6 each have one
Tremere Slave. Groups 4 and 5 each have one Tremere Antitribu Slave.
And Groups 4 and 6 each have one non-slave. The problem is that the
three Gargoyle types are largely incompatible with each other. Having
only one Gargoyle in each Group is too harsh and restrictive since any
given Grouping only gives you effectively two Gargoyle options. In
Group 2, Tremere/Gargoyle decks were viable because there were four
distinct choices for Tremere Slaves. Four is probably too much to
maintain over the long term for every grouping, but three seems like a
more reasonable number. Maybe you could alternate with 2 Tremere
Slaves in the Even Groupings and 1 Tremere Slave in the Odd Groupings
while having the reverse for the Tremere Antitribu Slaves – 1 in the
Even Groupings and 2 in the Odd Groupings. That might work out better
in improving deck-building options while still preserving play
balance.
--------------------------
[4.2 – I’m a Slave 4 U: The Slave Mechanic Revisited]
Slave: Some minions are identified as slaves to a specified clan. A
slave cannot take a directed action if his controller doesn’t control
a ready member of the specified clan. Also, if a member of the
specified clan controlled by the same Methuselah is blocked, the
controller can tap the slave to cancel the combat and to untap the
acting vampire and have the slave enter combat with the blocking
minion instead.
[The Basic Rundown]
There are several reasons to utilize the slave rule:
- Get into combat with the slave (beatdown time)
- Protect the acting minion (a weenie or key vampire who you don’t
want to risk in combat)
- Allow the acting minion to take another action
- Tap out the blocker (drawing out Wakes; most useful with Bond with
the Mountain)
Remember that the action is still blocked, meaning that effects like
Millicent Smith, Puritan Vampire Hunter or Condemnation: Doomed still
trigger. In addition, the action reaches resolution so the acting
minion is tainted by NRA.
As the acting player, you have impulse so you can invoke the Slave
rule before the blocking minion can play Obedience or Voice of Madness
against your Tremere Antitribu. And since the Slave is not the acting
vampire, such cards cannot be used to cancel combat with him.
But don’t forget that without a master vampire, your slaves are
limited to just undirected actions. If all your master vampires are in
torpor or have been burned, you’re going to have problems (many a
Tupdog deck has faced such a predicament). As such, you have to
protect your Tremere Antitribu (e.g. Secure Haven).
You also have to find the right ratio between masters and slaves in
your crypt. There are several library cards that can help you with
that – Wider View, Soul Scan, Kaymakli Nightmares, Effective
Management, and Information Highway are all reasonable choices.
If a slave changes his clan to that of his master’s (e.g. Clan
Impersonation), then he fulfills his own requirement to perform
directed actions. Furthermore, if he finds a way to untap during an
action, he can invoke the slave rule on himself. So if your only
minion is Pugfar and he Clan Impersonates into a Tremere Antitribu, he
can now take (D) actions. If he then gets a Zillah’s Tears (or you
somehow get a Rutor’s Hand or CrimethInc. in play), then if he is
blocked, you can untap him with the Tears and use the slave rule on
himself (tapping to untap himself and cancel the block combat and
start a slave combat). The main result is that he remains untapped and
you get into combat while circumventing effects like Obedience.
[Read the Fine Print]
Note that in order to use some Slave cards, you need to have the
Gargoyle match his particular master. Other cards, however, can be
used on Slave Gargoyles even if they are enslaved to another clan.
For example, Armor of Terra [tha], Defender of the Haven, and Soul of
the Earth simply care about the Slave trait (not who the Gargoyle is
enslaved to). Thus, your Tremere Antitribu could play a Soul of the
Earth on Fidus, or a Defender of the Haven on Ublo-Satha. Similarly,
Path of Service benefits all Slave Gargoyles.
On the extreme side, even Toy (a Malkavian Antitribu slave) could
technically benefit from these cards if he becomes a Gargoyle
(although he can’t act and get a Clan Impersonation himself, in a
convoluted scenario you could use Shadow of Taint to move a Clan
Impersonation on to Toy, making him a Malkavian Antitribu Slave
Gargoyle).
In contrast, several of the newer cards like Raw Recruit, Jar of Skin
Eaters and Potio Martyrium have the additional restriction of
requiring a master to whom that Gargoyle is actually enslaved.
[Slave and the Vampire Costing System]
The Slave trait is usually paired up with Flight. Looking at the non-
slave Gargoyles yields insights on how Flight (and therefore Slave) is
costed. In the original Bloodlines set, Obsidian pays a full point for
Flight. But Ferox and Erinyi get it for free (or with only a very mild
disadvantage). Group 4’s Rocia is definitely paying a point for
Flight. But now we have Malachai who is getting it for free. There are
only two non-Gargoyle vampires in the game with Flight. The Kikiyaon
seems to get Flight for free, while Count Vladimir Rustovich pays a
point for it. Toy is the only slave in the game without Flight, but
his other severe limitations make him a poor case for comparison.
While many vampires have an out-of-clan discipline that no other
clanmates have, you can usually combine them with similar vampires
from other clans. The problem is much more severe for Slave Gargoyle
since you essentially have to use them with their masters (who may
also provide minimal support for that discipline). Thus out-of-clan
disciplines are usually less useful to Slave Gargoyles than to most
other vampires.
Generally, I find the Slave penalty to outweigh the Slave benefits and
Flight. Hopefully, future Gargoyles can be designed with that in
consideration. As a Tremere Antitribu player, there’s less to complain
about since both Pugfar and Fustuk are fortunate enough to get minor
specials for free. But that should probably be the rule, rather than
the exception.
--------------------------
[4.3 – Tricks with Fustuk: Just the Special Please!]
One of the major challenges of integrating Gargoyles into a Tremere
Antitribu (or Tremere) deck, is the severe discipline mismatch.
There’s no overlap between the Tremere Antitribu and Gargoyle clan
disciplines, and few vampires can play most of the corresponding cards
for the other side. Many Visceratika cards do have Thaumaturgy
outferiors, but that’s a one-way relationship since most Gargoyles
can’t use any normal Thaumaturgy cards. There is also little overlap
with out-of-clan disciplines.
While figuring out how to use Fustuk, I came upon the idea that in
some decks, you might be better off simply ignoring Fustuk’s
disciplines and just use him for his special ability. Part of this
traces back to my strategy for the Rise of the Imperator. During this
storyline, players had to use decks where 75% of the crypt represented
one of the six Camarilla clans. There was also a communal deck, which
often had lots of political actions. While some purists try to
maintain a 100% clan crypt in storyline events (props to their
commitment), I generally look at it as: let’s choose my 25% out-of-
clan slots first and then build the 75% clan crypt around that theme.
The likely presence of so many Princes and Justicars meant that Parity
Shifts would play a decisive role. So my plan was to use those 25%
slots for minions that could counter political decks. My short list
consisted of Maman Boumba, Michael Luther, Sean Rycek, and T.J. Even
if you weren’t using any of their disciplines, for a few pool you’d
have a potent special ability that could nix a political action.
So, back to Fustuk. One way to use him in conventional Tremere
Antitribu decks is to forget about his Fortitude and Potence. His
Visceratika might be okay if you’re including some VIS cards for their
Thaumaturgy effects (i.e. Crawling Chamber, Bond with the Mountain)
but you can largely ignore that as well. Just use him for his special.
Fustuk’s ability doesn’t require an action or even any blood. So
essentially you just tap him like he’s a permanent in play and don’t
treat him as a minion at all (don’t take actions, don’t block). To
recoup your investment you can siphon blood back from him, or just
bring him out at a discount with Governs. His ability even works when
he’s in torpor. Fustuk then lets one of your Tremere Antitribu take an
additional action each turn (or block an additional time).
Occasionally you may need to protect him if he gets targeted by an
action, but you can also use him as a blocker if push comes to shove.
A similar trick can be employed with Pugfar. Pugfar at least has
inferior Auspex, but his Fortitude and superior Potence are largely
wasted in his Grouping. Ignore his disciplines, and just think of him
as a stack of 5 presses. (If he can safely hunt, that’s even better.
Otherwise you’ll need to recharge him via Blood Dolls or Hunting
Grounds). Presses to end generally aren’t at the top of the priority
list when it comes to combat defense, but if you can survive the first
round (Rego Motus helps), most Potence decks rely too much on the
single press from Immortal Grapple, so generating one or two presses
from Pugfar can be a lifesaver. Even POT decks using CEL are going to
have a rough time generating *five* presses to continue. If you prefer
a violent strategy, then Pugfar provides excellent combat support with
presses to continue. There are several Tremere Antitribu in Group 2/3
who can make pretty awesome combat decks (Goratrix and Reverend
Blackwood are the most obvious choices). Although you still must
counter S:CE, the additional presses from Pugfar can help guarantee
you torporize your foe. Alternatively, with Pugfar you can save your
Apportations for maneuvers, or if you encounter another combat deck
that trumps yours, he can get you out of a jam. Second round THA
combat has never been particularly competitive, but in case you want
to give it another try, Pugfar’s presses are ideal. Finally, Group 2/3
Tremere Antitribu also have a fair amount of Animalism. If you’re
interested in a Carrion Crows + Aid from Bats type of deck (with
Apportation and maybe Weather Control as backup), then Pugfar’s
presses can really pay dividends.
So we’ve seen how you can use Fustuk or Pugfar just for their special
abilities. Of course this principle doesn’t apply to just them. In
fact, there are quite a number of minions who might be worthwhile
additions to your deck, even if you don’t plan to use any of their
disciplines. Weenies generally tend to be the most efficient
investments. After browsing through the available crypt options, I’ve
highlighted some of the most noteworthy candidates:
For a mere 4 pool, Maman Boumba, the Martyr Imbued, gives you reusable
combat defense plus some vote defense. Maman’s ability has far fewer
restrictions than Elysium: The Arboretum, Purchase Pact, or the
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum since it works on all vampires (regardless of
sect) and/or most allies (except mortals and animals). She’s a perfect
complement to many forms of combat defense. Take Obedience for
example. Maman can be used when you’re acting (Obedience is a
reaction). It works on older vampires (Obedience is only usable on
younger) as well as nasty allies such as War Ghouls (Obedience can’t
be used on allies). Or suppose you’re mainly relying on Majesties.
Besides saving you card slots (if you don’t have Majesty in your
hand), Maman’s ability is free (if your minion is empty), is
disciplineless (even an Embrace can benefit), and most importantly
beats Immortal Grapple (since it works before range is determined),
Thoughts Betrayed (not a strike), or Mind of the Wilds (not
technically a S:CE). Maman also works well with the new Momentary
Delay card. Of course she can only tap once until your next untap
phase so you don’t want to rely just on her and smart opponents will
try to target her first. Maman also can effectively provide some vote
defense – offering 3 votes in between each of your turns.
Alternatively, you can use her as a bleeder (bleeding for 2 with
Strike with Conviction or effectively at +1 stealth with Second
Sight). I’m sort of surprised I don’t see her show up more often, but
I guess most people’s antipathy towards Imbued rules out that
possibility.
Andre LeRoux is the poster child for responsible bleed. For 3 pool,
you can significantly reduce the likelihood that you accidentally oust
your grandprey if you’re regularly getting Deflected. Even if there’s
no way you can get Andre’s bleed action through, keeping him untapped
will leave your prey on the defensive, letting you succeed on your
other actions instead. Even better is if you can Cloak/Veil Andre’s
big bleed at the very end.
Michael Luther is the perfect counter against Camarilla vote decks.
Typically, you’re quite likely to see at least one Prince in a game.
Since Michael actually changes the vampire’s votes (not just cancels),
that’s effectively a 4 vote swing (8 vote difference if there’s an
Inner Circle member around). Remember that his ability works during
any referendum, so it’s particularly effective in blood hunts.
An alternative to Michael Luther is Sean Rycek, who offers greater
flexibility since you can use his ability multiple times per turn
(though only once per referendum) and he helps get votes through even
if there are no Camarilla vampires around. You can think of him as
essentially a Ferraille / Ventrue Headquarters / Mausoleum that can be
used by any clan. Let’s compare him to Ferraille. Sean Rycek costs 4
pool, and right off you can use him 5 times (tap him, and then burn 4
blood), for a grand total of 10 votes. If you spend 4 pool on
Ferraille, that’s worth 12 votes. But Sean untaps for free, giving you
an additional 2 votes for every turn you have, making Sean the better
bargain in the long run.
For playgroups where Parity Shift is common, T.J. is an excellent
investment. His ability is far more limited than that of Michael
Luther or Sean Rycek since it only works against titled Camarilla
vampires, but it can guarantee a canceled referendum, regardless of
how many votes are on the table. He can also cancel the referendum at
any point (including after someone has wasted their vote push).
Think of Marciana Giovanni, Investigator, as a 2 pool Rumor Mill who
can also bleed and Deflect if necessary. She’s not as helpful for
Sabbat decks (unless you want to pass out intercept cross-table) and
it can be blood-intensive if she bleeds a lot. But compared to the
traditional media locations, having one that doubles as a minion may
prove helpful on many an occasion.
Some vote decks may want to include minions just for their voting
ability or titles. Consider:
- Orlando Oriundus
- Volker, The Puppet Prince
- Calebros, The Martyr
- Fabrizia Contreraz
- Shawnda Dorrit
- Kisha Bhimji
- Arishat
Some minions have potent + bleed specials that can be included in
unconventional decks:
- Anu Diptinatpa
- Marcus Vitel
- Toby
- The Horde
- Paul Forrest, False Prophet
- Jacob Fermor
Others have useful specials of a defensive nature:
- Serenna the White
- Greta Kircher
- Aksinya Daclau
- Keller Thiel
- Mariel, Lady Thunder
- Randall
And here’s a hodgepodge of other minions with excellent specials you
may use, regardless of their disciplines:
- Mata Hari
- Vidal Jarbeaux
- Maris Streck
- Shalmath
- Lorrie Dunsirn
- Le Dinh Tho
- Angela Preston
- Jennie Cassie247 Orne
- Carlak
- Santaleous
- Khalu
- Agaitas, The Scholar of Antiquities
- Nicomedes
- Jeremy Talbot
- Alan Sovereign (Advanced)
- Jayne Jonestown
- Afifa, The Herald
- Halim Bey
- Rico Loco
Note that this strategy works especially well in Limited events, when
specials are usually more valuable than discipline points. Obviously,
ignoring the discipline spreads completely is on the extreme side.
Even if you can’t use all of the vampire’s disciplines, ideally there
will be at least a little bit of an overlap. But the point is,
sometimes the specials are potent enough that they should be the
focus, rather than the toolbar on the left.
--------------------------
[4.4 – Tricks with Fustuk: Unexpected Untapping]
Our new buddy Fustuk is the inspiration for another article, this one
about untapping unexpectedly. Untapping one of your minions is usually
a strong effect since it lets you get additional mileage out of your
minion.
Many effects are used proactively on your turn (usually as action
modifiers) – these tend to be used offensively since you can then take
another action with that minion (though occasionally you just want to
untap them for defense). The majority of these effects only untap you
during action resolution (Freak Drive, Forced March, Helicopter,
CrimethInc. [pro] or [qui]). There are also a handful of effects that
let you untap at any time during your minion phase (not just at
resolution), such as Firebrand, CrimethInc. [tha], and Rutor’s Hand.
Fustuk, Tattoo Signal, and Zillah’s Tears (on subsequent turns) can
also be used in this fashion. Occasionally, it will be beneficial for
you to unexpectedly untap during an action – it can let you assign
additional points with Revolutionary Council or prevent you from
losing any pool due to Domain Challenge.
On the flipside, there are also cards that let you untap when another
player is acting, so these tend to be more defensive in nature. The
majority of these untap cards require a block attempt (Second
Tradition, Eluding the Arms of Morpheus, Read the Winds, Speak with
Spirits, Black Sunrise, Sense the Savage Way). Guard Dogs and Rat’s
Warning provide an untap without a required block attempt, but are
limited to just bleed actions. Finally, there are a handful of effects
that let you untap at your leisure. Besides Fustuk, Babble and
Savannah Runner can be used to untap another minion (by tapping one of
your minions). Tattoo Signal can be used whenever you want. Zillah’s
Tears can untap the specific vampire it is on and Forced Vigilance can
be used to untap your minions during a (D) action against you. Note
that many cards let you block or play reactions as if untapped (Wake
with Evening’s Freshness, Forced Awakening, On the Qui Vive). For most
purposes the end result is the same, but these cards don’t technically
untap you so you can’t use them with an effect where tapping is a
requirement (rather than an effect).
Now if you’re clever, there are some neat tricks you can utilize with
Fustuk and similar cards. Unexpected untapping can foil a handful of
mean actions. For example, many rush actions can only target you if
you’re tapped (Ambush, Fleetness, Ellen Fence’s special, outferior/
inferior Nose of the Hound, and Harass if you have 4 or more blood).
If another Methuselah targets your tapped minion with one of these
actions, you can cause the entire action to fizzle by untapping the
targeted minion (via Fustuk or Babble) since that minion is no longer
a legal target. So if you have Fustuk untapped, and all your other
minions are Tremere Antitribu, you’re effectively immune to Ambush –
Fustuk is untapped so he’s not a legal target and if any of your
Tremere Antitribu are rushed, you can just tap Fustuk to make that
minion untapped (and therefore an ineligible target). Of course you
still have to watch out if your opponent has a second Ambush (which
can be foiled if you also have a Zillah’s Tears on Fustuk to repeat
the trick).
Besides rush actions, there are some other actions that also target a
tapped minion – Blood of Sandman, Fire on the Mountain, and Principia
Discordia [ser], which you can foil with Fustuk or friends. If the
acting minion meets the conditions for untapping (Tremere Antitribu
for Fustuk, Black Hand for Tattoo Signal, Laibon for Savannah Runner),
you can even cause a Force of Will or Movement of the Slow Body action
to fail because the acting minion does not meet the requirements (of
being tapped) at action resolution. Babble tends to be the most
effective since it works on any acting minion. It’s a great way to
counter that unblockable Force of Will bleed for 7. And it can even
hose Movement of the Slow Body (although the acting minion still
untaps, maybe he really needed the blood gained at superior). Finally,
untapping in the middle of an action is also an excellent way to use
Yawp Court with your big, scary combat monster.
Occasionally, Fustuk and similar cards can be used to great effect by
untapping a minion cross-table who can then serve as a blocker or
Deflecter. Of course that minion would have to meet the clan/sect/
trait requirement (if any) for the untap effect, but if used wisely
you can foil an otherwise imminent oust.
Of course these uses tend to be rather cornercase, and are unlikely to
arise during most games. But if you keep a careful eye out, using one
of these Fustuk tricks can really save your day and ruin your
opponent’s!
--------------------------
[4.5 – Battle Lines Storyline]
A new storyline event unfolds this spring, centered around Lilith and
her attempts to recruit the Bloodlines. Let’s look at the rules and
see how you can incorporate the !Tremere:
#1. “At least 75% (e.g., 9 out of 12) of the minions in a player’s
crypt must be the same clan. Only the 13 bloodlines clans may be
chosen as a player’s primary clan. There are no special restrictions
on the remaining 25% of crypt minions.”
Primary clan possibilities for Tremere Antitribu players:
- Baali (Valerius Maior, Barbaro Lucchese, Textbook Damnation)
- Gargoyles (Ian Forestal, Nickolai, Pugfar/Tupdog/Chaundice/Fustuk)
- Kiasyd (Ayelea the Manipulator, Kij Dansky)
- Nagaraja (AUS/DOM synergy, Marino Reymundo Vasquez, Valerius Maior)
- Salubri (Saulot / Malgorzata, Ian Forestal, Nickolai)
- True Brujah (Magic of the Smith for Amulet of Temporal Perception,
Ian Forestal)
#2. “The grouping rule does not apply for this storyline event. Crypts
may contain minions from any groups.”
Looking at the lineup of Tremere Antitribu (who can only comprise up
to 25% of your crypt), there are some interesting options. If you’re
focusing on Gargoyles and Visceratika, then Ian Forestal and Nickolai
are excellent choices. Since the Grouping rule is relaxed, you can
even include them both. Other good possibilities include Antonio
d’Erlette and maybe Esoara. Infernal Pact and Spontaneous Power lets
you graft on Visceratika, if necessary.
Pugfar can provide some useful press support to Group 4/5 monsters
like Uta Kovacs or Ash Harrison. He can also make friends with
Chaundice and Fustuk.
One fun option might be to combine Alejandro Aguirre with Fustuk.
Using the two together, you can inflict 2 unpreventable damage to your
opponent’s vampires.
Finally, you can combine Chaundice and Ublo-Satha for a lot of innate
damage prevention.
#3. “...Signature storyline characters (basic or advanced versions)
may be included in any crypt. They count as being members of any
bloodline clan for the purposes of meeting the above 75% in-clan
requirement.”
Most of the signature storyline characters have poor synergy with the !
Tremere, but some are worth a look:
- Ambrogino Giovanni. aus DOM THA. Shares Necromancy with Marino
Reymundo Vasquez and Potence with Lucubratio.
- Claudio Severino. AUS DOM THA. Pair his combat special with other
combat monsters.
- Helena. AUS DOM tha. Great for an intercept deck, maybe with
Valerius Maior.
- Lambach. AUS DOM. Utilize his Animalism with Goratrix or his
Vicissitude and Presence with Malgorzata.
- Menele. aus dom THA. Combine him with Malgorzata to influence out
an army. Or use the merged version with Goratrix to steal lots of
blood.
#4. “Slave minions can take directed actions even if there is no ready
member of the enslaving clan.”
The most straightforward idea is to make a ridiculously cheesy Tupdog
deck. With the relaxing of the Slave rule, you don’t even need to
include any Tremere Antitribu masters any more. Just pack as many
copies of Tupdog as you have available, and go with a 100% all Tup,
all Dog, deck. And slap on an amusing name. Some suggestions:
- Every dog has its day
- Who let the dogs out?
- That dog has gone Rabid!
- It’s raining cats and dogs (featuring Rock Cat)
Each turn, you can bring out 4 Tupdogs (more with Information Highway,
Powerbase: Montreal, or Dreams of the Sphinx). Each one can Dive Bomb,
untap with As the Crow, and attack with their special. Combat involves
Brick by Brick to set range to close, Immortal Grapple, biting hard
(with any number of Potence cards) and preventing with Rockheart.
Torporize the whole table. If you want to prevent someone from being
rescued, you can diablerize (though you may lose the Tupdog) or use
Raw Recruit. For defense you could even use a few Voices of the
Castle.
Including some permanent minions (either weenie Tremere Antitribu
masters or other Gargoyles) might be another option. Weenie masters
could take the second action of Raw Recruit to give you even more
permanent minions or perform a Potio Martyrium. Sticking someone with
the Hand of Conrad lets you reuse your Tupdogs.
Slave is generally better than non-slave in this environment since you
still have the minor benefits (access to some additional cards)
without the penalty. For example, Raw Recruit requires a Slave and
normally requires a corresponding master since it’s a (D) action. But
under the storyline rules, the first effect (remove a vampire in
torpor from the game) can be used by any Slave even if you don’t have
a master. But if you want to get the extra minion, you will need the
correct master.
#5. “Infernal minions controlled by Methuselahs aligned with the
Bahari faction untap normally with no pool cost.”
This rule will save you some pool if your deck is centered around
Valerius Maior or Barbaro Lucchese. It also works well if your minion
becomes Infernal with the Textbook Damnation.
#6. “There is no pool cost for moving a scarce minion into your ready
region.”
The Tremere Antitribu are well-suited to working with the Scarce
clans. They share Auspex and Dominate with the Nagaraja. And can
provide decent backup for the Salubri and True Brujah due to their
discipline access, as seen with Ian Forestal, Nickolai, and Infernal
Pact, which can simulate Obeah and Temporis. With the sheer numbers of
Scarce minions that can be in play, you might want to consider adding
a copy of Mistrust as meta.
#7. “The event represents the battle between the servants of Lilith –
the Bahari, and the vampires that oppose them – the Loyalists. At the
start of the event players choose which faction they wish to
represent.”
“Players that choose the Bahari faction begin each game with Lilith’s
Blessing in play. They do not pay the 1 pool cost. They may not
include Guide and Mentor in their decks.”
“Players that choose the Loyalists faction begin each game with Guide
and Mentor in play. They may not include Lilith’s Blessing in their
decks.”
Lilith’s Blessing
1 pool
Master. Put this card in play. As a master phase action, you may tap
this card to search your library for a master: Discipline card and
choose a ready non-Bahari vampire you control who has no blood. That
vampire gains the Discipline card (if any) and 3 blood and becomes
Bahari.
Guide and Mentor
Master. Put this card in play. A vampire you control may search your
library for a master: archetype and move 1 blood from the bank and
that card to himself or herself as a +1 stealth action that costs X
pool where X is the number of copies of that card on minions you
control (requirements and cost apply as normal).
Should you follow Lilith or Caine? Mechanic-wise, I think Lilith is
probably the stronger choice, since she provides blood gain plus a
discipline card (which increases your capacity). Multi-acting decks or
those with star vampires could prefer Guide and Mentor though. In
terms of storyline it’s a toss-up. Due to the infernal connotations of
Lilith, I imagine some players will follow Caine just on principle. I
personally think the !Tremere slaves should obviously follow their
masters, but whether the !Tremere follow Lilith (to learn forgotten
secrets) or Caine (more consistent with Sabbat philosophy), it’s
flexible.
#8. Thoughts on the promo cards:
Lilith’s Blessing
**
This builds on the discipline access theme of the clan and could be
combined well with the Path of Death and the Soul. Alternatively, just
think of it as blood gain – once each game, each of your minions can
gain 3 blood. It saves you from wasting actions hunting. The Blessing
can only be used on empty vampires, but Vessel, Blood Doll, Villein,
and Heidelberg Castle can help you meet that condition.
Lilith’s Blessing works especially well with Create Gargoyle since the
little guy starts with zero blood and can’t act the first turn (i.e.
not forced to hunt). The Created Gargoyle then gets 3 blood plus a
second Discipline card. Or use it with Hatchling by burning your blood
to gain Flight and then filling up with the Blessing. Gargoyles can
use this to get a Fortitude or Potence skill card, or to grab
something that synergizes with their Tremere Antitribu masters (Auspex
for intercept, Dominate for bleed/bounce, Thaumaturgy for added
flexibility of outferiors). You can also use it on master vampires to
give them Fortitude or Potence.
However, remember that this card does NOT work with Spontaneous Power,
since the latter is only a discipline card while it is in play (it’s
the same reason you can’t grab a Spontaneous Power when diablerizing
an older vampire).
Guide and Mentor
**
Most archetypes aren’t that impressive, but there are a few that
shine. Perfectionist is the best blood gaining engine (hunt for two)
while Monster is ideal for combat decks. Heirs offers two new ones
which are worthwhile. Cavalier is nice for multi-acting while Dabbler
lets you choose between untapping or blood gain, as long as you’re
using enough disciplines.
For this storyline, you’re best off playing with a variety of
archetypes so you don’t have to pay any extra pool using Guide and
Mentor. That also gives you added flexibility, depending on the game
state.
Karsh (Advanced)
N/A for Tremere Antitribu (* in general)
While Karsh’s Merged version is okay, his Advanced is very weak. He
gives up two excellent abilities (rush capability and agg conversion)
for two limited specials. Blood Hunt is such a weak card the ability
is barely worth anything. 3 votes in a blood hunt referendum doesn’t
hurt, but it’s still extremely narrow in scope. It’s not enough to
risk using Abactor with your 10-cap. Plus, he gets a minor penalty
(can’t block Infernals). Merged Karsh gets a title, but essentially
it’s just 3 votes. He’s much worse than Tegyrius or Kemintiri who at
least are able to play Justicar cards. My only hope is that card text
is eventually updated or the rules are eventually changed to allow the
Imperator to play Prince/Justicar cards. (There are potential
precedents, such as the accommodations to the Regent title made in
Third Edition). The intercept is merely average because it has nil
synergy with the rest of Karsh.
Claudio Severino
**
Okay. Discipline-wise, he’s a bit bland (carbon copy of Erichtho who
rarely sees play anyway). As the only Tremere with Celerity in Group
5, you’re probably better off with Group 3/4 (Anastasz, Lucas, and
Erichtho) unless you really want Claudio’s special. Obfuscate is
another option since Group 4/5 has a better DOM Govern chain. For the
Tremere, the only major reason to use him is for his special. It’s a
nice ability, but he is paying a ridiculous amount for it (3 to 4
points). His Celerity might be useful when paired with Ash Harrison.
Infamous Insurgent
**
Might be interesting for Infernal Red List vampires, since it provides
a way to untap for free each turn. Maybe it’s time for Valerius to go
Anarch?
--------------------------
[4.6 – Featured Vampire: Fustuk]
Fustuk [HttB:U]
Cardtype: Vampire
Clan: Gargoyle
Group: 5
Capacity: 6
Discipline: obt pot FOR VIS
Sabbat. Tremere antitribu slave: You may tap Fustuk to untap a Tremere
antitribu. Flight [FLIGHT].
Artist: Ed Tadem
While Chaundice seems to get the most attention, I actually think
Fustuk is the more interesting vampire. Chaundice (like Tupdog) is
great for making *Gargoyle* decks, but he’s not as useful in a
*Tremere Antitribu* deck. Fustuk, on the other hand, really shines in
working with his masters. Although Fustuk’s special is more subtle,
with the right finesse it has a much better potential payoff.
As a 6-cap, Fustuk is a !Tremere version of Saxum, with superior
Fortitude and Visceratika, inferior Potence, and an inferior out-of-
clan (Obtenebration instead of Presence). Fustuk also gets an
interesting special which really makes him stand out. Looking at it
another way, Fustuk’s kind of like the opposite of Pugfar. With his
superiors, he can take full advantage of the fun Visceratika toys, has
plenty of damage prevention, and can use Freak Drive most effectively.
But with small fist, Fustuk is more “behind the scenes support” rather
than “HULK SMASH!!!”
Fustuk does have inferior Obtenebration, but it’s pretty useless for
him. Inferior Obtenebration provides lots of stealth, but Fustuk can
already manage with Visceratika and Flight. Bond with the Mountain is
far better than the dodges or S:CE that Obtenebration offers. The only
thing remotely interesting is maybe Black Metamorphosis. More
importantly, Fustuk has absolutely no support for his out-of-clan
discipline. Fustuk is the only Gargoyle in the game with
Obtenebration. And while there are several Tremere Antitribu in Group
2/3 with Obtenebration, there are currently no such Tremere Antitribu
that can be used with Fustuk (Group 4/5). Trying to be the optimist,
at least Fustuk doesn’t need to burn a blood to block a Tenebrous Form
action!
Now Fustuk’s special can be deceptive. On the one hand, it is largely
redundant with the slave rule (half the time, I can already tap my
Slave Gargoyle to untap my Tremere Antitribu *anyway*), which is
probably why he gets the special at a discount. And at first glance,
it looks strictly inferior to the specials of Abdelsobek and Eurayle
Gelasia Mylonas (who also get their specials as a bonus). Both
Abdelsobek and Eurayle can untap a vampire regardless of clan. And
since they both have Fortitude, they can Freak Drive (essentially
giving you an extra action). Though Fustuk has superior FOR, since his
ability is not part of an action he can’t Freak Drive off of it. But
this difference can actually be turned into your advantage.
The Slave rule lets you untap your Tremere Antitribu if your action is
blocked but it doesn’t do much if you’re never blocked in the first
place. But Fustuk can serve as support in a superstar deck by letting
your main vampire take a second action every round, regardless of
blockers. Of course 6 pool is a major investment, and you might be
better off just paying 1 pool for Mylan Horseed, 3 pool for a
Helicopter, or 4 blood for a Rutor’s Hand. The key is that there’s
nothing to prevent you from using Fustuk along with any of the above
mentions. Furthermore, none of those options are particularly good in
an intercept heavy environment. Fustuk doesn’t have that problem. Plus
his ability has fewer restrictions and he’s a minion who can save the
day in case your key minion gets rushed/torporized/Pentex’ed.
Fustuk works quite well with Malgorzata. Malgorzata’s special lets you
bring out Fustuk at a significant discount. And with two actions a
turn, you can make the most out of her ability (Soul Scan +
Malgorzata’s special). Fustuk is also a good underling for Uta Kovacs,
letting her untap (for multi-rush capability) or using Raw Recruit to
clean up after her.
If you want Fustuk to take a more prominent role, then pairing him up
with Nickolai or Antonio d’Erlette is probably the best option due to
their discipline spreads (similar to how they complement Chaundice, as
discussed in the previous issue).
Mr. Gargoyle also has some interesting uses with Valerius Maior, our
Infernal Red List minion. If Fustuk is still untapped after your
predator’s minion phase, you might as well save yourself a pool by
untapping Valerius for free. Or if you’re relying on Rutor’s Hand or
Concordance for the untap, Fustuk can save you several pool during the
first few turns until you get set up (i.e. draw the right card and
succeed with the action).
But where Fustuk really shines is on defense. Abdelsobek and Eurayle
may let you take extra actions, but they aren’t helpful if you want
extra untaps when blocking. Fustuk is great in an intercept deck,
working with Lucubratio, Valerius Maior, Ash Harrison, or anyone you
can give the Bowl of Convergence + Ivory Bow. Don’t forget Fustuk can
block as well. Tool him up with a Defender of the Haven and an Abbot
(+3 intercept against (D) actions) and maybe an Armor of Terra,
Biothaumaturgic Experiment, or Ivory Bow to make him more effective in
combat. Furthermore, his Visceratika and Flight tricks may let him
handle some combat threats that your star vampire can’t deal with
(Brick by Brick or High Ground to stay away from Grapple decks, Bond
with the Mountain to end combat and untap against a lot of other
intimidating minions). Fustuk can be used to untap your superior DOM
minion who can then Deflect all day long. Or if you block with Fustuk
and fail (e.g. Elder Impersonation), you can always play tag team by
untapping one of your Tremere Antitribu to take over the block (and
possibly bounce the bleed if it still gets stealthed past you).
A particularly strong card for Fustuk is Zillah’s Tears since it
allows him to use his ability twice in one turn, which is ideal in a
wall deck. Set up Ash Harrison and Fustuk each with a Zillah’s Tears.
Later on, that means Ash could potentially block 4 times in a single
turn.
In the article on “Unexpected Untapping,” I explored how Fustuk (and
similar cards like Zillah’s Tears) can unexpectedly surprise and hose
your opponents by untapping key vampires at critical moments. Looking
at it from the other side, Fustuk is also effectively immune to a
handful of cards that require an untapped minion to target. Fustuk
merely scoffs at any attempt to play Mind Numb, Art’s Traumatic
Essence, Spirit Marionette (superior), or Principia Discordia [qui] on
him. As long as there’s a Tremere Antitribu on the table, you can
merely tap Fustuk during the action (causing the action to fizzle
since he is no longer a legal target).
Fustuk is rarely forced to hunt if he doesn’t want to. If Fustuk and a
Tremere Antitribu are both empty and you need just one more bleed
action for the oust, you can hunt first with the !Tremere and then
instead of hunting with Fustuk, you tap him to untap that !Tremere.
Other times you may want to untap an already untapped !Tremere (for no
effect) to avoid getting blocked. This might be a clever option if
Fustuk is empty and your predator/prey has an untapped minion ready to
block the (otherwise) mandatory hunt action or if Millicent Smith or
Dr. Marisa Fletcher is in play.
If you want to try something off the beaten path, then use Fustuk in a
Tremere Antitribu Anarch deck. Fustuk’s untapping special can be used
in conjunction with Firebrand and CrimethInc. to effectively
“transfer” the untap effect. Normally, CrimethInc. only works on
Anarchs and Firebrand only untaps younger Anarchs but if you use
Fustuk as an intermediary, you can actually untap non-Anarchs or older
vampires. A Firebranded !Tremere could even untap herself this way.
This also lets you abuse Revolutionary Council quite a bit by
increasing the number of vampires you will have untapped. If you want
added fun, you can even make Valerius Maior go Anarch and become an
Infamous Insurgent for additional fun untapping!
So while Fustuk’s uses may not be obvious, if you’re creative there
are all sorts of ways to utilize his talents. While I’ll always have a
special place in my heart for Pugfar, I do think Fustuk is in
contention for the MVP award for Slave Gargoyle!
--------------------------
[4.7 – Featured Card: Potio Martyrium]
Potio Martyrium [HttB:R]
Cardtype: Action
Clan: Tremere/Tremere antitribu
+1 stealth action.
Put this card on a Gargoyle enslaved to this vampire’s clan. If this
Gargoyle is burned or sent to torpor in combat, he or she burns and
inflicts 3 aggravated damage on the opposing minion and each retainer
in combat. A minion may have only one Potio Martyrium.
Artist: Phillip Hilliker
During the Dark Ages, Goratrix, Malgorzata, and Virstania developed a
variety of magical humors. These could significantly enhance the
capabilities of a Gargoyle, but were balanced with a dire drawback in
accordance with the Law of Equilibrium, a Hermetic principle. A
transfusion process is needed in order to use the humor. Vampiric
vitae is removed from the user, and mixed with the humor. This is then
injected into a mortal vessel who is then drained by the user.
Although most Tremere believed that humors could only be used on
Gargoyles, it is a closely guarded secret that they are equally
effective on other Cainites (though obviously not in VTES). Although
Potio Martyrium is currently the only magical humor represented in
VTES, additional examples can be found in the House of Tremere
sourcebook.
Potio Martyrium is a Level Two humor that allows the user to function
as a suicide bomb. The humor lasts indefinitely, until triggered, and
can be set off with a mere suicidal thought. In VTES though, it
requires a little bit more work to activate. Potio Martyrium was
devised by the glorious Malgorzata. Virstania often objected to the
use of Potio Martyrium due to her love for her Gargoyle creations, but
she was sometimes overruled.
The CCG translation of Potio Martyrium seems pretty accurate to the
source material. It allows you to sacrifice a Gargoyle to inflict a
decent amount of agg to your opponent. Generally I would advise
against using Potio Martyrium with Chaundice, Fustuk, and Pugfar
(unless you’re doing some weird trick with the Soul Gem or Virolax
Facility). These guys are too much of an investment to discard so
recklessly.
Potio Martyrium does work on Tupdogs, but it’s usually not worth the
effort. You waste an action, Tupdogs can usually torporize the
opponent anyway, and by burning the puppy you lose the free crypt card
(which can really hurt your momentum). And since Tupdogs only last for
a single turn, you only have one shot to get it to work. The simplest
option is to hope that combat lasts two rounds (Brick by Brick to set
range to close, Immortal Grapple, press, Immortal Grapple).
Alternatively, you can find a way to burn a blood so that you go to
torpor during the first round. Remember that Tupdogs play all current
Visceratika cards for free, so that won’t help you spend your blood.
Potence (Fists of Death) or Alejandro Aguirre are good choices. If you
feel particularly tricksy, you could even use the Slow Withering.
Raw Recruits are probably the most efficient choices, since you can
use a feedback loop. One Raw Recruit explodes from the Potio Martyrium
to torporize its opponent, who you then turn into a replacement Raw
Recruit (who becomes the next Martyr). Recruits have Fortitude, so if
acting, you could spend your blood on a Day Operation (if it’s a rush
action) or Neutral Guard. The Raw Recruit can spend its blood on
Visceratika cards (though it only has inferior Visceratika) but it’s
still going to be challenging to ensure that your Raw Recruit burns.
But unlike Tupdog, you don’t have as much time pressure.
The final option is Create Gargoyle. These critters normally don’t
have Potence (for Immortal Grapple), but Pounce is an excellent
alternative. S:CE will still foil you, but if you’re empty, a Dodge
will torporize you as easily as hands for 1. I’d say that Thaumaturgy
is the best choice for the discipline card. Not only do you get access
to Weather Control, but you can use Skin of the Chameleon as the
action is announced (at outferior).
Alejandro is great with Potio Martyrium since he can inflict his
damage (and trigger Potio Martyrium) before range is determined. This
counters S:CE effects (and even “end combat before range” like Alpha
Glint or Purchase Pact, if you’re acting).
Finally, take note that Potio Martyrium only activates if your
Gargoyle goes to torpor or is burned during combat. Damage from
Catatonic Fear or Loving Agony takes place outside of combat.
Similarly, your Martyred Gargoyle won’t burn if he is sent to torpor
via Baltimore Purge, Horseshoes, or Sleep of Reason.
--------------------------
[4.8 – Featured Deck: Tupdog by Hugh Angseesing]
Although much of the recent focus has been on Fustuk and Chaundice, we
certainly haven’t forgotten about our lovable little rascal Tupdog! In
homage to this issue’s Gargoyle theme, we now present a Tournament
Winning Tupdog deck:
Tupdog
By Hugh Angseesing (plus Alex Ek & Erik Torstensson)
[CRYPT: 28 cards]
21 x Tupdog (POT VIS, Gargoyle, 1)
1 x Ember Wright (aus dom, !Tremere, 3)
1 x Esoara (aus DOM for pot, !Tremere, 5)
1 x Janine (aus dom tha, !Tremere, 4)
1 x Keith Moody (DOM, !Tremere, 3)
1 x Lectora (aus tha, !Tremere, 3)
1 x Mosfair (cel dom tha, !Tremere, 4, Black Hand)
1 x Saiz (aus dom, !Tremere, 3)
[LIBRARY: 89 cards]
[Master: 13 cards]
3 x Blood Doll
2 x Dreams of the Sphinx
2 x Effective Management
1 x Fame
1 x Information Highway
1 x Powerbase: Montreal
2 x Unnatural Disaster
1 x Yawp Court
[Action: 10 cards]
3 x Govern the Unaligned
7 x Graverobbing
[Action Modifier: 4 cards]
4 x Conditioning
[Combat: 55 cards]
11 x Crawling Chamber
1 x Disarm
13 x Immortal Grapple
10 x Raking Talons
4 x Roll
8 x Stonestrength
8 x Torn Signpost
[Reaction: 7 cards]
5 x Deflection
2 x Delaying Tactics
[How the collaboration came to be]
Hugh:
“The deck came about through MSN discussions and chats with Erik and
Alex. I then went to a Gothcon and we tried it out in a few friendlies
with Alex/Erik before Erik played it in the ECQ (I used an OBF War
Ghoul deck).
Part of why we got together first was lack of cards (I had the Tupdogs
but not the Raking Talons for instance) but we'd often exchange ideas
on other decks to great benefit (e.g. Nephandus).”
[Designing the deck]
Hugh:
“Proportion-wise the combat seemed obvious at the time and I think
still works given the number of rushes you are making. The masters
still seem reasonably strong although a DI/Pentex (for Cailean)
wouldn't go amiss either. I guess Blood Dolls could convert to
Golcondas.
Reactions maybe need some work but the Deflections are key for that
additional forward push when you need it, likewise the Delayings for
that lying voter x-table.
Actions/Action mods are a key part of the deck as the action mods are
your oust and the Graverobs give you options especially with IC
members at the table.
I played the deck over here a few times in casual games first and
exchanged a few more thoughts with Erik and Alex. We didn't think we
were able to optimize it much more than we could at the time (masters
changed a bit – one stage had Golcondas in, aka DBR-style and I think
I added the Disarm for a dropped Graverobbing).
The deck really should have 90 cards in there – the issue at the time
will have been due to me losing a card probably Pentex or a Fame in an
earlier game or the card had to be borrowed by another deck
(Dragonbound).”
[Heirs to the Blood updates?]
Hugh:
“As the Crow - lovely card but limited with the Tupdogs (I guess they
can bleed or rush with a different card or diab etc) but it takes up
room that I'd be hard pressed to decide what to take out especially as
Tupdog is most likely to be hunting.
Dive Bomb is nice in that it's at stealth and has a maneuver but again
takes up a slot where you already have the rush. It'd work well with
As the Crow if you add some damage prevention in I think.
Brick by Brick is great - especially like the setting range in this
day of ANI etc. I'd definitely want to get maybe 4 of these in.
Raw Recruit is nice due to the stealth but I think I prefer Graverob
(as you get to steal titles and vampires with Dominate).
I think there's definitely a Dive Bomb/As the Crow variant in there
but it'd probably involve a slower deck with several rushes in a big
turn.”
[Playing the deck]
Hugh:
“On the tables Erik played on he had some trouble as being the table
threat but the general play style in Sweden at the time was much more
'focus on my own game' so he did ok but suffered from the ability to
survive long enough to get an oust. We met on one table with me using
Jake Washingtons to prevent his rushes and War Ghouls could generally
take 2 rushes at the time.
The blood management with Graverobbing is tricky but I think it's
worthwhile (an early Arika/Anson/etc. can give you the game). That's
probably my main preference of Graverobbing over Raw Recruit.
I mainly used the Blood Dolls to push on to allow Graverobs/bounce/
Governs etc.
I do a lot of bleeding for 1 (Governs are nearly always at superior).
Bleeding through your prey can be a challenge. If they're playing
weenie vamps you're in a lot of trouble as it takes you too long to
get going through their pool. You need to let your first prey get
going a bit as well (slightly different to DBR) otherwise your
grandprey is too strong or has too much pool – so table balance after
hitting your predator initially is good.
The Dreams generally cycle the crypt and hand well (pay 1 to see 1 and
put one on is always good to get a vamp out when you need it).
The Effectives could become Wider Views I guess so you could
permanently cycle the !Tremere out if you weren't likely to need them.
I do get issues with the crypt but I'm not sure what else fits in
there at the moment other than Info Highway/Powerbase/Dreams/Effective
and maybe Widers.
The Unnatural Disasters were mainly for the Gran Madre which had just
been released at the time. It's also for Secure Haven to a lesser
extent. Don't generally need it for anything else specific but it's
pretty good for taking out pool gain (Art Museum, Parthenon, etc.).
Earlier versions had Golconda as my pool gain! Steal a big vampire,
use it as much as possible, and turn it into pool (similar to a
Dragons Breath Rounds deck).
The !Tremere are normally ok anyway as Tupdogs handle any rushes and
there are few other annoying cards (Mind Rape/Sensory Dep) which are
unlikely to be played on you.
The midcap DOM bleed decks are annoying as your predator but you can
wipe them out by burning their vampires if necessary (to reduce them
to 1-2 minions for easy bounce).”
[Vulnerabilities of the deck]
Hugh:
“Key issues the deck has:
Swarms – very bad rushing 2 caps even if you do get to burn them as it
just means you both die.
Cross table voters are never good so you often have to pre-empt rush
them and rob which doesn't go down well...
Mid-cap bleed decks which are your grandpredator (as you neutralize
your predator and then you get 5-6 guys bleeding you with Dominate).
The deck can get stuck on cards especially if the masters/action cards
turn up together or if you end up having no !Tremere or Gargoyles in
your early crypt.”
[Other tweaks]
Hugh:
“Carver's has been in the deck in the past actually and it's really
good for keeping weenie decks under control so I would recommend that
coming in (maybe for an Unnatural Disaster).
As for the 90th card apart from Pentex I'd recommend Uncoiling
(Anthelios cross table is bad as they can gain a lot of pool before
you get there and Scourge of the Enochians kills you).
Definitely going to squeeze a Carver’s in and try some Wider Views.
(Maybe the second Unnatural could become a Secure Haven as well).”
--------------------------
Things to Look Forward to: Revisiting Group 2/3. Training school for
Tupdogs. And hopefully some guest articles, including a feature on the
Hexaped.
Signing out,
Eric Chiang
BobbyDoc
Just one comment on this:
>>
Fustuk does have inferior Obtenebration, but it’s pretty useless for
him
>>
make him an anarch and you can use hell-for-leather. Lam into could be
nice as well.
Then slap a Stone Dog on him and you have a pool-minion-killing
machine.
cheers
Robert