Tournament report: Purity of the Beast, Minneapolis, MN (Nov. 3, 2001)
Xian
eye view of the tournament, and hope that it spurs further commentary.
Early one Saturday morning (or not so early, as it was about 11:30am),
upon entering the local game store where ther tournament was to be
held, I noted with satisfaction that our tournament had attracted
visitors from the east, notably from Madison and Milwaukee (about 250
and 350 miles away, respectively)...these brave souls were Kevin
Mergen, Matt Heslin, Cameron Domer, and the other Matt, whose last
name I won't attempt to spell.
At the last minute, we rounded out the number of participants to 12 as
the local Clingmaster walked in at 5 to noon, shortly before the
announced start time.
I was playing a EuroBrujah Princes deck, which in retrospect, could
have used one more copy of Theo Bell, as with 2, I only drew him in my
starting crypt during one round. With 12 players, we had 3 4-player
tables throughout the preliminary rounds, which made for fast play,
for the most part.
The first table I sat down at, I had a Lasombra bruise-and-bleed deck
as my predator, a pretty standard Tzimisce deck as my prey, and
Cameron cross-table, playing Lasombra vote & Govern. The table stayed
pretty stable throughout the game, as I recall, with all of us
punishing each other pretty equally. When my vampires had blood, they
destroyed the Tzimisce. When they didn't have blood or maneuvers, the
Tzimisce destroyed them. My vampires usually took care of my
predator, but every now and again, he would bleed me for 6 at a shot.
Eventually, Cameron ousted my predator, kept me around for a while,
and then when he decided that I wasn't adding any value, took me out.
I suspect that it might have been in his interests to allow me to
build up and destroy the Tzimisce, as they then proceeded to oust him,
even though the player had run through his library. First table: me
0 VP, Cameron 2, Tzimisce 2.
Second table was the best one of the day for me. I sat down with the
Lasombra bruise-and-bleed across from me, Mark Shanewood as my
predator (one never knows what to expect from him), and the
next-most-fanatical Tremere player in Minneapolis as my prey. Mark
slowly started building a Ravnos Apportation/Trap/Undead
Persistence/Meathook/Mass Reality/Rom Gypsy deck, which he later
stated did best at larger tables, when it has a chance to build up.
My prey was playing pretty standard Malk S&B, which, when I saw it
come out, I had to hold back giggling. The plan was to let the S&B
wear my grand-prey down to about 5 or 6 pool, crush the Malks, then
walk through the rest of the table. It nearly worked. On the fourth
or fifth turn, when I judged it was time to start moving forward...my
grandprey was under 10 pool, my prey brought out Mariel, Lady Thunder.
This threw everything into disarray, and although I torporized her
and Gilbert Duane, his remaining two vampires over the next two turns
were able to oust my grandprey. I then cleaned up the Malks, and with
judicious use of Flashes, was able to prevent the Trap/UP/Meathook
combo from destroying my vampires. The game was over in about an
hour, with 3 VP (and a table win) for me, 1 VP for the Malks.
Third round was one of the most exciting games I've played in a while.
Fun stuff. I sat down with Matt Heslin playing his "We May be Ugly,
but We're Princes, and You're in Torpor" Nosferatu
Princes/Potence/Fortitude/stealth-vote deck. Good stuff. Geoff from
our local playgroup was across the table, playing a final-qualifying
Setite stealth-vote deck...I don't remember all of its tricks right
now, but it's somewhat toolboxy, mostly forward-focused, though. My
predator was the Tzimisce again, which was fine with me, because after
I saw Geoff's deck, I knew the Tzimisce would be busy. Most of the
round was Matt and myself dancing back and forth, with Matt getting
more points for style, but I got more for brutish efficiency,
torporising a few of his vampires, and making Sheldon Anathema, as
well as actually being able to collect on it. Eventually, the Setites
wore through the Tzimisce, and it was down to three. Matt and I made
life hard for the Setites, and Geoff asked if I would let him
withdraw, as he had decked out. The game was down to under half an
hour left, and I wasn't going to do it until I remembered that I a)
could really do with more victory points, and b) Geoff withdrawing
meant that Matt didn't get a VP. On my turn, I put two of Matt's
three minions in torpor, and left Selma with 0 blood. Matt spent his
turn recovering, and Geoff withdrew. With about 15 minutes to go,
Matt and I jockeyed back and forth, and I ousted him with about 2
minutes remaining. Easily one of the best games in a while, as I
mentioned.
The final round was interesting. Participants were (lowest rank to
highest):
Kevin Mergen - Tzimisce Smiling Jack/War Ghoul stuff
Geoff - Setite stealth/vote/tricks
Xian - Brujah Princes
Cameron - Lasombra stealth/vote/Govern
Dave - Malk S&B (from round 2)
Seating order was Kevin -> Cameron -> Xian -> Geoff -> Dave.
I am still amazed at how the round progressed. Kevin went first, and
he had Smiling Jack in his opening draw. This set the pace for the
approximately one-hour final. On my first turn, I brought out Dre,
and had the only minion on the table until Dave whipped out Normal.
Second turn, Dre would have been Brujah Justicar, but my predator and
prey each pulled a vote card and shot it down. Sigh. With Smiling
Jack getting up to 5 or 6 pool eventually, I was sitting in good
shape, as I still somehow had about 19 pool sitting around...I think
there was an Ancient Influence or Political Stranglehold. I had Dre
(turned into an Archon with Closed Session, IIRC), Rake, and Donal
O'Connor. Geoff was sitting on under 10 pool, and his minions were
each at 1 blood. Dave was at around 5 pool, but he had Mariel out and
full on 7. Cameron was doing okay as well, but Kevin was down to 2
pool, and any successful bleed by the Malks would oust him.
Geoff convinced Kevin that Smiling Jack had to go, or he would be
ousted. With the table about to collapse in my favor (Geoff in 1 or 2
turns, Dave soon after, with no combat defense), I was definitely in
favor of keeping Jack, but there was little I could do when Geoff went
to burn it. Dave went for the throat with a bleed at stealth, and
poor defenseless Kevin, who had been asking for cross-table rush for a
while *somehow* managed to find a Telepathic Misdirection. Okay,
okay, I think he had it in his hand since near the start, but I could
be wrong. Cameron was now taking a bleed for 4 or 5. Surprise! The
Lasombra deflect too. Tapped out, and with no 2nds in hand, I had fun
choking down the bleed. Kevin then took some sort of turn, and
Cameron then Govern-bled me with Talley, Gratiano, and Angelica.
Argh. Down from near 20 pool to about 4 or 5 in under a turn. To
punish Cameron for his insolence, I torporized Talley and Gratiano,
but this was pretty much the end of it. I was forced into a defensive
posture, and Geoff was able to bleed out the Malkavians a turn or two
later. I kept hanging on, and made a deal with Cameron that I
wouldn't torporize his remaining vampire as long has he didn't go
forward, which he kept for a turn or two. Eventually, Cameron decided
that it was probably worth his while to try to oust me. I had pulled
up a 2nd by this time, but it was of no use, as he found 3 stealth and
slipped by.
Kevin ousted Cameron pretty quickly after that, as Angelica had next
to no blood, and the 6 pool Cameron got from the oust withered away
quickly with a new Jack hanging around. The War Ghoul soon took care
of the Setites, and Kevin pulled out the win with excellent play.
Ummmm...that's pretty much it. Feel free to add anything if you were
there...
Oh, and Matt Heslin won the prize for the best deck name. :)
Xian
W. Mark Woodhouse
>Since no one else has taken up the banner yet, I'll post my player's
>eye view of the tournament, and hope that it spurs further commentary.
>
I actually started putting together one, then realized I didn't have
(a) the rankings, (b) Kevin's winning deck. I will finish up my
loser's-eye view over the weekend and add it here.
>Early one Saturday morning (or not so early, as it was about 11:30am),
>upon entering the local game store where ther tournament was to be
>held, I noted with satisfaction that our tournament had attracted
>visitors from the east, notably from Madison and Milwaukee (about 250
>and 350 miles away, respectively)...these brave souls were Kevin
>Mergen, Matt Heslin, Cameron Domer, and the other Matt, whose last
>name I won't attempt to spell.
>
Matt Strehlow, who played a vicious Gangrel "I act 4 times every turn,
and one of them is a Force Of Will" deck.
>At the last minute, we rounded out the number of participants to 12 as
>the local Clingmaster walked in at 5 to noon, shortly before the
>announced start time.
>
>I was playing a EuroBrujah Princes deck, which in retrospect, could
>have used one more copy of Theo Bell, as with 2, I only drew him in my
>starting crypt during one round. With 12 players, we had 3 4-player
>tables throughout the preliminary rounds, which made for fast play,
>for the most part.
>
Curses. I metagamed completely wrong for this tournament: I expected
a larger turnout, which meant I built an "endgame deck" with plenty of
permanents and a slow build; I expected a to see a couple of Ally
decks (specifically a Bane Mummy deck that has been fairly effective)
and actually included some anti-ally cards, which I had to keep
discarding; and I expected less combat. Should have played the weenie
POT deck, but I couldn't help trying to give the Ravnos their first
tournament winner. And failing utterly.
>The first table I sat down at, I had a Lasombra bruise-and-bleed deck
>as my predator, a pretty standard Tzimisce deck as my prey, and
>Cameron cross-table, playing Lasombra vote & Govern. The table stayed
>pretty stable throughout the game, as I recall, with all of us
>punishing each other pretty equally. When my vampires had blood, they
>destroyed the Tzimisce. When they didn't have blood or maneuvers, the
>Tzimisce destroyed them. My vampires usually took care of my
>predator, but every now and again, he would bleed me for 6 at a shot.
>Eventually, Cameron ousted my predator, kept me around for a while,
>and then when he decided that I wasn't adding any value, took me out.
>I suspect that it might have been in his interests to allow me to
>build up and destroy the Tzimisce, as they then proceeded to oust him,
>even though the player had run through his library. First table: me
>0 VP, Cameron 2, Tzimisce 2.
>
>Second table was the best one of the day for me. I sat down with the
>Lasombra bruise-and-bleed across from me, Mark Shanewood as my
>predator (one never knows what to expect from him), and the
That's because I suck monkeys, Xian. Or because I can't resist trying
crazy decks even in tournaments. Depending on how generous you want
to be.
>next-most-fanatical Tremere player in Minneapolis as my prey. Mark
>slowly started building a Ravnos Apportation/Trap/Undead
>Persistence/Meathook/Mass Reality/Rom Gypsy deck, which he later
>stated did best at larger tables, when it has a chance to build up.
I would also like to state for the record that I did not see my Week
Of NIghtmares ONCE in three rounds. I need a 2nd one, obviously. And
here I'd thought my problem would be it coming up too EARLY and having
to use Sargon to get it back from the ash heap. Silly me.
>My prey was playing pretty standard Malk S&B, which, when I saw it
>come out, I had to hold back giggling. The plan was to let the S&B
>wear my grand-prey down to about 5 or 6 pool, crush the Malks, then
>walk through the rest of the table. It nearly worked.
Would have worked better if Dax (the Lasombra) had managed to draw
even a LITTLE rush, eh? As it was, he just bled me silly.
>On the fourth or fifth turn, when I judged it was time to start moving forward...my
>grandprey was under 10 pool, my prey brought out Mariel, Lady Thunder.
> This threw everything into disarray, and although I torporized her
>and Gilbert Duane, his remaining two vampires over the next two turns
>were able to oust my grandprey. I then cleaned up the Malks, and with
>judicious use of Flashes, was able to prevent the Trap/UP/Meathook
>combo from destroying my vampires. The game was over in about an
>hour, with 3 VP (and a table win) for me, 1 VP for the Malks.
>
>Third round was one of the most exciting games I've played in a while.
> Fun stuff. I sat down with Matt Heslin playing his "We May be Ugly,
>but We're Princes, and You're in Torpor" Nosferatu
>Princes/Potence/Fortitude/stealth-vote deck. Good stuff. Geoff from
>our local playgroup was across the table, playing a final-qualifying
>Setite stealth-vote deck...I don't remember all of its tricks right
>now, but it's somewhat toolboxy, mostly forward-focused, though. My
It's main thing, actually, is ALARMING pool gain based on MT/Voter
Cap. When the deck is working, it regularly has 30 pool in minions
and another 15-20 pool as pool. The Tzimisce must have really cramped
his style.
This was definitely an example of a table which was teetering on the
edge, and table talk and clever deception pushed it into falling a
completely different direction than expected. Hats off to Kevin and
Geoff for their misdirection skills. Fun to watch the endgame in this
one.
>Ummmm...that's pretty much it. Feel free to add anything if you were
>there...
>
>Oh, and Matt Heslin won the prize for the best deck name. :)
>
>Xian
More when I have deck lists in front of me!
Mark Shanewood
P.S. -- Kevin, can you be sure to email me with the final Archon
results (and a deck list, if you're willing?)
Cameron
> Since no one else has taken up the banner yet, I'll post my player's
> eye view of the tournament, and hope that it spurs further commentary.
I'll see if I can add anything.
> The first table I sat down at, I had a Lasombra bruise-and-bleed deck
> as my predator, a pretty standard Tzimisce deck as my prey, and
> Cameron cross-table, playing Lasombra vote & Govern. The table stayed
> pretty stable throughout the game, as I recall, with all of us
> punishing each other pretty equally. When my vampires had blood, they
> destroyed the Tzimisce. When they didn't have blood or maneuvers, the
> Tzimisce destroyed them. My vampires usually took care of my
> predator, but every now and again, he would bleed me for 6 at a shot.
> Eventually, Cameron ousted my predator, kept me around for a while,
> and then when he decided that I wasn't adding any value, took me out.
> I suspect that it might have been in his interests to allow me to
> build up and destroy the Tzimisce, as they then proceeded to oust him,
> even though the player had run through his library. First table: me
> 0 VP, Cameron 2, Tzimisce 2.
I'd have had the four VP's except that with 6 cards remaining the Tzi
managed to have on telepathic counter (inferior too...) to keep
himself at one pool and then oust me. It made sense to go for it if
he didn't have it.
My second and third were fun, although I got a double dose of Kevin's
Intercept deck. The first time I won the table 3-1, the next Kevin
did 3-1, with the other of us picking up the stray VP. The second
round was good, I preyed on a Assamite deck that didn't manage to keep
out intercept, and I bled him out with my Elysian Fields. Heslin was
my predator, and he managed to keep my votes from being effective.
Ultimaltly I tossed him to Kevin for the roll over, I probably could
have swept, but was feeling conservative after the problem of first
round. In the third round, the table dynamic was messed up. Kevin
let me lifegain, but basically blocked any offence that I had.
Eventually I helped him get three in return for allowing me to
withdraw. Everyone that game was all over the places, and my pred and
grand pred were both forward bleed decks. Ouch.
> The final round was interesting. Participants were (lowest rank to
> highest):
> Kevin Mergen - Tzimisce Smiling Jack/War Ghoul stuff
> Geoff - Setite stealth/vote/tricks
> Xian - Brujah Princes
> Cameron - Lasombra stealth/vote/Govern
More OBT/DOM than lasombra, as I have a few !Ventrue and an !Tremere
as well. The deck is reasonably toolboxy (for me anyway) and I like
it a lot.
> Dave - Malk S&B (from round 2)
>
> Seating order was Kevin -> Cameron -> Xian -> Geoff -> Dave.
>
> I am still amazed at how the round progressed. Kevin went first, and
> he had Smiling Jack in his opening draw. This set the pace for the
> approximately one-hour final. On my first turn, I brought out Dre,
> and had the only minion on the table until Dave whipped out Normal.
> Second turn, Dre would have been Brujah Justicar, but my predator and
> prey each pulled a vote card and shot it down. Sigh.
Sigh my butt, no way we were letting you 2nd that easy. Besides I was
spiteful you didn't kill the Anarch, who did get out of control.
>With Smiling
> Jack getting up to 5 or 6 pool eventually, I was sitting in good
> shape, as I still somehow had about 19 pool sitting around...I think
> there was an Ancient Influence or Political Stranglehold.
A PS... mmm... poolgain
>Dave went for the throat with a bleed at stealth, and
> poor defenseless Kevin, who had been asking for cross-table rush for a
> while *somehow* managed to find a Telepathic Misdirection. Okay,
> okay, I think he had it in his hand since near the start, but I could
> be wrong. Cameron was now taking a bleed for 4 or 5. Surprise! The
> Lasombra deflect too. Tapped out, and with no 2nds in hand, I had fun
> choking down the bleed. Kevin then took some sort of turn, and
> Cameron then Govern-bled me with Talley, Gratiano, and Angelica.
> Argh. Down from near 20 pool to about 4 or 5 in under a turn.
I should have gone for it but I assumed you had the second... doh! the
whole endgame would have been better for me. (I didn't bleed with
Guido I think for lack of a stealth card.) Later I really needed the
Fields to oust you. Oh well. Your retalitation sucked too, I had
some Arms/Entombment waiting for your IGing self.
I then got out, as I couldn't assume a rescue would work, and wasn't
in a position to put pressure forward. So second place for me
> Oh, and Matt Heslin won the prize for the best deck name. :)
Go Matt!!! Also, it was a great tourney, even half-drunk/hungover
from the night before (fun fun fun car ride).
Cameron
PS. Mark, if you need more Weeks' then bring trade to Madison, I've
got three and I don't really need all of them. -cd
Kevin M.
"Xian" <xb...@qwest.net> wrote in message
news:dbc1153.01110...@posting.google.com...
> Since no one else has taken up the banner yet, I'll post my player's
> eye view of the tournament, and hope that it spurs further commentary.
>
> Early one Saturday morning (or not so early, as it was about 11:30am),
> upon entering the local game store where ther tournament was to be
> held,
I must say something about this game store. It is bigger than my parent's
house! They have so many things in there it must be one of the largest comic
book/gaming stores in the Midwest. My group always patronizes these places if
they sponsor space for tournaments, and I think we dropped $150 in there. Man,
it was big!
> I noted with satisfaction that our tournament had attracted
> visitors from the east, notably from Madison and Milwaukee (about 250
> and 350 miles away, respectively)...these brave souls were Kevin
> Mergen, Matt Heslin, Cameron Domer, and the other Matt, whose last
> name I won't attempt to spell.
Matt Strehlow, or 'Rehlow' for short.
> At the last minute, we rounded out the number of participants to 12 as
> the local Clingmaster walked in at 5 to noon, shortly before the
> announced start time.
[snip Xian's rounds]
The first round was pretty worthless for me. One of the guys I came with
(Rehlow) was sitting across from me, and he was friendly to me until he felt he
could oust the whole table. He was playing an interesting Gangrel Force of
Will/Masochism/Movement of the Slow Body/Regeneration/Rapid Healing/Freak Drive
deck whose vampires danced in and out of torpor every turn, and he eventually
swept the table.
My second table had Cameron Domer sitting across the table from me, and Matt
Heslin sat as my prey. Michael Benson, a good guy from Minnesota, playing in
his first tournament, had the unfortunate luck of sitting as Cameron's prey and
eventually fell to Cameron. I was set up fairly well, but with no Jack in play
I couldn't deal with Heslin's deck, so I talked Cameron into letting me live
long enough to give me 1VP (Heslin), and he could then have the other 3VP.
Cameron was OK with this, and it was the beginning of Heslin's frustration.
This ended up working out for both Cameron and I, but it took me about 5 turns
to kill Heslin, with Cameron just stopping everything he tried to do and not
killing me. Heslin, being a stubborn guy and all, refused to give up and just
let us end the table early to go get some lunch. He kept calling me a wimp and
making fun of my worthless deck, until I finally ousted him. Wow, was he
frustrated. :)
The last table found Cameron as my predator, and we both found this amusing.
Cameron was playing large Lasombra & other large OBT vamps that were primarily
Governed out by some big 10-cap fatso, and then he could establish vote control,
start bleeding at stealth, etc., but this was going to be impossible with me
intercepting his early Governs. He would, most likely, die with 1-2 vampires in
his ready region, instead of the 4-5 he usually has. As we sat down, Cameron
gave me a long, hard stare, but said nothing. Really early, about turn 3-4, the
guys across the table started talking out loud about killing Cameron, and my
prey asked his prey for help to deal with me, since I was in the process of
killing him. I turned to Cameron and said, "OK, how about I kill these two guys
and we both withdraw?" Since 1VP is greater than 0VP, Cameron said OK, and we
switched roles from the last game.
This allowed me to get into the finals in 5th place by 30 TPs, squeaking by
Rehlow who got slaughtered his last 2 games for 0VP each. Sweet justice! ;)
I judged the tournament for my good friend who rules Minneapolis, Mark
Woodhouse. Here were the standings going into the finals:
Player# Name City, State VPs TPs
1 David Edwards Burnsville, MN 8 168
2 Cameron Domer Madison, WI 6 162
3 Christian Herro Minneapolis, MN 5 132 (won the coin toss for 3rd place)
4 Geoffrey Benson Minneapolis, MN 5 132
5 Kevin Mergen Madison, WI 4 136
6 Matt Strehlow Madison, WI 4 106
7 Jeff Hohenauer Minneapolis, MN 3 120
8 Matt Heslin Milwaukee, WI 1 84
9 Mark Woodhouse Minneapolis, MN 0 74
10 Michael Benson Minneapolis, MN 0 64
10 Mike Miller Roseville, MN 0 64
12 Dax Johnson Saint Paul 0 54
> The final round was interesting. Participants were (lowest rank to
> highest):
> Kevin Mergen - Tzimisce Smiling Jack/War Ghoul stuff
> Geoff - Setite stealth/vote/tricks
> Xian - Brujah Princes
> Cameron - Lasombra stealth/vote/Govern
> Dave - Malk S&B (from round 2)
>
> Seating order was Kevin -> Cameron -> Xian -> Geoff -> Dave.
The funny thing about this was that Dave, with Malk S&B, decided to sit as my
predator. I'm not sure if he knew what I was playing, since he hadn't sat with
me all day, but I think what he really was doing was specifically sitting away
from Xian.
> I am still amazed at how the round progressed. Kevin went first, and
> he had Smiling Jack in his opening draw. This set the pace for the
> approximately one-hour final.
In retrospect, this is what allowed me to win the finals. I *could* have won,
but the fact that Smiling Jack did 55 points of damage to everyone else's pool
and vampires while doing only 5 to me helped quite a bit. Jack kicks ass! =)
> On my first turn, I brought out Dre,
> and had the only minion on the table until Dave whipped out Normal.
> Second turn, Dre would have been Brujah Justicar, but my predator and
> prey each pulled a vote card and shot it down. Sigh. With Smiling
> Jack getting up to 5 or 6 pool eventually,
Jack got to 5.
> I was sitting in good
> shape, as I still somehow had about 19 pool sitting around...I think
> there was an Ancient Influence or Political Stranglehold. I had Dre
> (turned into an Archon with Closed Session, IIRC), Rake, and Donal
> O'Connor. Geoff was sitting on under 10 pool, and his minions were
> each at 1 blood. Dave was at around 5 pool, but he had Mariel out and
> full on 7. Cameron was doing okay as well, but Kevin was down to 2
> pool, and any successful bleed by the Malks would oust him.
I took a chance and brought out a 5-cap vampire when I was at 7 (going to 2).
When I did this, Xian's jaw dropped and he just said "Wow." I said, "Ya gotta
play to win." I was already alternating taking a bleed and either emptying one
of Dave's Malks or sending it to torpor, and I was drawing intercept after
just-enough-intercept to believe I could survive the Malks.
> Geoff convinced Kevin that Smiling Jack had to go, or he would be
> ousted. With the table about to collapse in my favor (Geoff in 1 or 2
> turns, Dave soon after, with no combat defense), I was definitely in
> favor of keeping Jack, but there was little I could do when Geoff went
> to burn it.
Geoff was right about Jack. It would have killed Cameron, gaining me a VP, but
it would have killed Geoff, too, giving Xian a VP, more pool, and probably (as
Xian says) a second VP, and even more pool, and I don't know if I could have
killed him at that point. So I let Jack go away.
> Dave went for the throat with a bleed at stealth, and
> poor defenseless Kevin, who had been asking for cross-table rush for a
> while *somehow* managed to find a Telepathic Misdirection. Okay,
> okay, I think he had it in his hand since near the start, but I could
> be wrong.
I did. =)
> Cameron was now taking a bleed for 4 or 5. Surprise! The
> Lasombra deflect too. Tapped out, and with no 2nds in hand, I had fun
> choking down the bleed. Kevin then took some sort of turn, and
> Cameron then Govern-bled me with Talley, Gratiano, and Angelica.
> Argh. Down from near 20 pool to about 4 or 5 in under a turn. To
> punish Cameron for his insolence, I torporized Talley and Gratiano,
> but this was pretty much the end of it.
I knew Cameron couldn't oust Xian, and I was counting on Xian beating down
Cameron's vampires in defense, which would make it easier for me to eventually
"win", since Jack would then be coming off their pool because the vamps had been
beaten empty.
> I was forced into a defensive posture, and Geoff was able to bleed
> out the Malkavians a turn or two later.
This was the only VP that I could freely allow to happen, I thought.
> I kept hanging on, and made a deal with Cameron that I
> wouldn't torporize his remaining vampire as long has he didn't go
> forward, which he kept for a turn or two. Eventually, Cameron decided
> that it was probably worth his while to try to oust me. I had pulled
> up a 2nd by this time, but it was of no use, as he found 3 stealth and
> slipped by.
I realized that, even with Cameron getting a VP, I now could kill both the
remaining players and get the table (and tournament) win. I had 2 big fatsos
ready (Little Tailor and Meshenka) along with a War Ghoul, who had been beating
down either my predator's or grand-predator's minions, as needed.
(A side note: getting out a War Ghoul in the future will be referred to by me
as "bringing out Tatu", as the ridiculous power level of the War Ghoul suddenly
makes everyone turn your way and begin to offer you deals, or accept the deals
you are offering. AFAIK, David Tatu is the only player that has this ability
innate.)
> Kevin ousted Cameron pretty quickly after that, as Angelica had next
> to no blood, and the 6 pool Cameron got from the oust withered away
> quickly with a new Jack hanging around. The War Ghoul soon took care
> of the Setites, and Kevin pulled out the win with excellent play.
Here's the winning deck (props to Jay Kristoff for helping me master the
Tzimisce):
Deck Name: Jack's War Ghoul Protection Service
Created by: Kevin J. Mergen
Description: Fairly standard Tzimischeese intercept deck with long-term goals in
mind. Jack's War Ghoul protection service is your key to victory.
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 24, Max: 32, Avg: 7.33]
2 Anton (ANI AUS cel obf vic, Tzimisce, 8)
2 Devin Bisley (ANI AUS vic, Tzimisce, 5)
2 Dragos (ANI AUS vic, Tzimisce, 7)
2 Little Tailor of Prague (ANI AUS dem VIC, Tzimisce, 8)
2 Meshenka (ANI AUS VIC, Tzimisce, 8, Priscus)
2 Sascha Vykos (ani AUS dom THA VIC, Tzimisce, 8, Priscus)
In retrospect, I think I would change this crypt by removing the 2 Dragos for 2
more Little Tailor. Even when I saw Dragos, I never *wanted* to bring him out,
and Little Tailor bringing out Tatu for a total of 2 pool (a free Revenant and a
2-pool Tatu) is simply ridiculous. (Another variant would be 4 Little Tailor, 4
Meshenka, 4 Sascha, although I don't know how this would work. I'm sure it
would be fine.)
Library: (75 cards)
Master (14 cards)
4 Blood Doll
1 Direct Intervention
1 Fame
1 Giant's Blood
1 Rack, The
3 Smiling Jack, The Anarch
3 Sudden Reversal
Action (3 cards)
3 Army of Rats
Note that if you're going to play AoR in a deck like this, you must have 3 (or
more in a larger deck) as you will probably be forced to let it be removed
eventually, but you want to have one around constantly as it and Jack are your
primary sources of damage.
I thought it might be fun to replace one of the AoR with a Judgement: Camarilla
Segregation, as the conditions to remove J:CS are better for your Jack strategy
in the long run, but it will do damage to you as well, and god forbid YOU have
to get rid of it. :)
Reaction (33 cards)
8 Cats' Guidance
8 Eagle's Sight
6 Enhanced Senses
8 Forced Awakening
3 Telepathic Misdirection
I would probably take out 2 Eagle's Sight for an extra Cat's and an extra FA,
since they are so critical to the deck. The power of Big Eye is simply amazing.
Combat (12 cards)
2 Breath of the Dragon
10 Chiropteran Marauder
After I played the first BotD, people kept asking me *every combat* if I had
another BotD. I always told them "Yes, but it doesn't need to be played right
now" and just smiled. When this deck was larger, it had more BotD, but when I
decided the Atlanta deck-building philosophy was the correct and true path, I
had to cut SOMETHING to get to 75, and 6 BotD went bye-bye. You really only
need these for decks like Dave's S&B, who rely on getting away via maneuvers, so
you don't need more than a couple.
Ally (4 cards)
4 War Ghoul (aka Tatu)
I used to think Nephandus or the Renegade Garou was the best ally. I was
mistaken. Tatu wins games.
Retainer (6 cards)
6 Revenant
Equipment (3 cards)
3 Leather Jacket
I thought about taking out the Fame for another Leather Jacket, since Fame
causes *just* too much table imbalance when you have a Jack in play, and LJ is
sooooo good in these kinds of decks.
As you can see, the deck really does only one thing -- get out Smiling Jack, and
protect him until it doesn't matter any more. This is about the 4th version of
this deck I have made, and the first one to almost entirely abandon pool gain.
Several people have made what I call the "pool gain" version of this deck, as
did James Hamblin and I last year after Sabbat War came out. The Gangrel are
also easily played with a deck of this type. Jay Kristoff won an Ohio
tournament with his version (http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#jaykic),
which is more or less a master-heavy "pool gain" version.
In researching an updated version of this deck for use with the new Table Win
condition, I made the decision to abandon EVERYTHING as a primary focus of the
deck with the exception of protecting Smiling Jack. I dropped many of the pool
gain parts of the deck -- the PB: Chicago, PB: Montreal, and the hunting
ground -- so that I would not have to "waste" intercepting actions trying to
protect them, when I really wanted to have those intercepting actions defending
Jack. The Rack is waaaaay too good to get rid of, and I figured if any other
vampire is crazy enough to try to get The Rack away from a Tzimisce, then they
will get blocked and get put in the dirt for their trouble. (In the end, no one
ever tried to get it away from me.) Giant's Blood is (defensively) in the deck
for the same reason the 3 Sudden Reversals are -- to stop pool gain which will
allow your opponents to live longer against Jack damage.
Here are the final standings:
Player# Name City, State VPs (VPs in final) TPs
1 Kevin Mergen Madison, WI 7 (3) 136
2 Cameron Domer Madison, WI 7 (1) 162
3 Geoffrey Benson Minneapolis, MN 6 (1) 132
4 David Edwards Burnsville, MN 8 (0) 168
5 Christian Herro Minneapolis, MN 5 (0) 132
6 Matt Strehlow Madison, WI 4 106
7 Jeff Hohenauer Minneapolis, MN 3 120
8 Matt Heslin Milwaukee, WI 1 84
9 Mark Woodhouse Minneapolis, MN 0 74
10 Michael Benson Minneapolis, MN 0 64
10 Mike Miller Roseville, MN 0 64
12 Dax Johnson Saint Paul 0 54
> Ummmm...that's pretty much it. Feel free to add anything if you were
> there...
It is interesting to note that the standings would have been the same if the
Table Win condition was enforced.
>
> Oh, and Matt Heslin won the prize for the best deck name. :)
I must tell you all, playing Mental Jyhad in the car for almost 2 hours caused
me one of the largest, most painful headaches I have ever had in my life, since
people playing that game force you to follow along with their ridiculous decks,
just to make sure they're playing correctly. Ugh. =)
>
> Xian
Kevin M., Prince of Madison, WI (USA)
"Know your enemy, and know yourself; in one-thousand battles
you shall never be in peril." -- Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*
"Contentment... Complacency... Catastrophe!" -- Joseph Chevalier
Xian
> house! They have so many things in there it must be one of the largest comic
> book/gaming stores in the Midwest. My group always patronizes these places if
> they sponsor space for tournaments, and I think we dropped $150 in there.
The Source is pretty darn big. It's probably twice the size (easily)
of West Side Pegasus (does that store still exist even?) in Madison.
As a side note, I've always liked the staff at another local
comics/game store a little better, but the Source has it all. And
friendly staff, just not necessarily as entertaining as you might find
elsewhere. :)
[Rehlow]
> could oust the whole table. He was playing an interesting Gangrel Force of
> Will/Masochism/Movement of the Slow Body/Regeneration/Rapid Healing/Freak
> Drive deck whose vampires danced in and out of torpor every turn, and he
> eventually swept the table.
So he likes the whole Force of Will thing, I'm gathering. Or is that
just a Madison thing? :) Two tournaments playing with Madison
people, two FoW decks.
> killing me. Heslin, being a stubborn guy and all, refused to give up and just
He's such a troublemaker.
[standings]
> Player# Name City, State VPs TPs
> 1 David Edwards Burnsville, MN 8 168
> 2 Cameron Domer Madison, WI 6 162
> 3 Christian Herro Minneapolis, MN 5 132 (won the coin toss for 3rd place)
> 4 Geoffrey Benson Minneapolis, MN 5 132
> 5 Kevin Mergen Madison, WI 4 136
> 6 Matt Strehlow Madison, WI 4 106
Man, if only we could have kept you out of the finals. : )
[snip seating order]
> The funny thing about this was that Dave, with Malk S&B, decided to sit as my
> predator. I'm not sure if he knew what I was playing, since he hadn't sat
I doubt it. I think he was of the opinion (and from his VPs, it seems
justified) that he could slip past and bleed the crap out of anything
that was in front of him.
> with me all day, but I think what he really was doing was specifically
> sitting away from Xian.
Well, that too. He (rightly) feared my deck, after I destroyed his in
about two turns during the second round. I think it might have
bothered him even more knowing that I could have done it at any point,
but I specifically left him alone for a while. Heck, one turn would
have sufficed without Mariel, Lady Thunder out. But yes, I believe he
was doing his best to not sit next to me.
[Smiling Jack]
> In retrospect, this is what allowed me to win the finals. I *could* have won,
> but the fact that Smiling Jack did 55 points of damage to everyone else's pool
> and vampires while doing only 5 to me helped quite a bit. Jack kicks ass! =)
Yeah, I was pretty happy with Jack out too, actually. Since I could
pretty easily wipe the blood off of my prey's vampires, Jack was
pretty much guaranteed pool damage to my prey as well. I figured I
had a better chance of surviving Jack than anyone else at the table.
> I took a chance and brought out a 5-cap vampire when I was at 7 (going to 2).
> When I did this, Xian's jaw dropped and he just said "Wow." I said, "Ya gotta
> play to win." I was already alternating taking a bleed and either emptying
Yup. I'm always surprised when anyone willingly drops below 10 or so.
Dave did virtually the same thing, and again, I was surprised. I
knew that for you, it was just a gutsy move. For Dave, I wasn't sure
where he was intending to go with it.
> Geoff was right about Jack. It would have killed Cameron, gaining me a VP,
> but it would have killed Geoff, too, giving Xian a VP, more pool, and
Oh yeah, it would have been great for me if Jack stayed in play. I'm
disappointed that you noticed. ;)
> probably (as Xian says) a second VP, and even more pool, and I don't know
Almost certainly. Dave had 3 minions at 1 blood each, Mariel (again)
at full, and 2 pool. I can guarantee that Mariel wouldn't have
survived a round with me, and at 5 or 6, that would definitely oust
him.
> if I could have killed him at that point. So I let Jack go away.
Arrr. Shiver me timbers and curse the luck.
> I knew Cameron couldn't oust Xian, and I was counting on Xian beating down
> Cameron's vampires in defense, which would make it easier for me to eventually
> "win", since Jack would then be coming off their pool because the vamps had
> been beaten empty.
I should have sent Angelica down, but I didn't know how I felt about
having a completely defenseless predator. In retrospect, I probably
should have done it.
> I realized that, even with Cameron getting a VP, I now could kill both the
> remaining players and get the table (and tournament) win. I had 2 big fatsos
> ready (Little Tailor and Meshenka) along with a War Ghoul, who had been
> beating down either my predator's or grand-predator's minions, as needed.
Yeah, with me off the table, the War Ghoul had nothing to fear.
> (A side note: getting out a War Ghoul in the future will be referred to by me
> as "bringing out Tatu", as the ridiculous power level of the War Ghoul
I like. Heh.
[snip deck]
> Jack. The Rack is waaaaay too good to get rid of, and I figured if any other
> vampire is crazy enough to try to get The Rack away from a Tzimisce, then they
You had a Rack out? Shoot. I could have used that. And I coulda
taken ya. Yup. :)
Again, great tournament, it was nice using the multi-judge system and
not actually being called on. I'm looking forward to this weekend's
tournament in Madison. Woo.
Xian
Joshua Duffin
> I thought it might be fun to replace one of the AoR with a Judgement: Camarilla
> Segregation, as the conditions to remove J:CS are better for your Jack strategy
> in the long run, but it will do damage to you as well, and god forbid YOU have
> to get rid of it. :)
Well, you'd have to play an entirely different crypt (eg Gangrel)
to do that, since J:CS requires Prince or Justicar. :-)
> As you can see, the deck really does only one thing -- get out Smiling Jack, and
> protect him until it doesn't matter any more. This is about the 4th version of
> this deck I have made, and the first one to almost entirely abandon pool gain.
> Several people have made what I call the "pool gain" version of this deck, as
> did James Hamblin and I last year after Sabbat War came out. The Gangrel are
> also easily played with a deck of this type. Jay Kristoff won an Ohio
> tournament with his version (http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#jaykic),
> which is more or less a master-heavy "pool gain" version.
Jay's version only has one Smiling Jack! :-) I won a (small)
Philadelphia tournament with my Gangrel version:
http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#joshphiladelphia
which was *very* master-heavy and one-dimensional in the "run-
away intercept" mode.
I imagine the four-player format helped you, too, since you're
less likely to run into time problems without that fifth player.
Grant Garvin won Silent War: Seekonk in July '01 with an !Gangrel
3-Jack 75-card version, with only 16 masters. These appear to
be the only four tourney-winning Smiling Jack decks. (Leather
Jacket appears in quite a few more winning decks. :-)
I also played an Aabbt Kindred version for a while, where Jack
was the *only* way to win (unless you actually got to steal a
vampire that could bleed via Form of Corruption). That was fun,
but kinda slow and lacking in defense against serious stealth.
> I must tell you all, playing Mental Jyhad in the car for almost 2 hours caused
> me one of the largest, most painful headaches I have ever had in my life, since
> people playing that game force you to follow along with their ridiculous decks,
> just to make sure they're playing correctly. Ugh. =)
...Mental Jyhad?
Josh
Kevin M.
"Joshua Duffin" <duff...@bls.gov> wrote in message
news:59b20daa.01111...@posting.google.com...
> "Kevin M." <kjme...@PLEASENOSPAMMEhome.com> wrote in message
news:<bxqH7.134512$My2.78...@news1.mntp1.il.home.com>...
>
> > I thought it might be fun to replace one of the AoR with a Judgement:
Camarilla
> > Segregation, as the conditions to remove J:CS are better for your Jack
strategy
> > in the long run, but it will do damage to you as well, and god forbid YOU
have
> > to get rid of it. :)
>
> Well, you'd have to play an entirely different crypt (eg Gangrel)
> to do that, since J:CS requires Prince or Justicar. :-)
Whoops! Maybe that's why I never put any in? haha! =)
> > As you can see, the deck really does only one thing -- get out Smiling Jack,
and
> > protect him until it doesn't matter any more. This is about the 4th version
of
> > this deck I have made, and the first one to almost entirely abandon pool
gain.
> > Several people have made what I call the "pool gain" version of this deck,
as
> > did James Hamblin and I last year after Sabbat War came out. The Gangrel
are
> > also easily played with a deck of this type. Jay Kristoff won an Ohio
> > tournament with his version
(http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#jaykic),
> > which is more or less a master-heavy "pool gain" version.
>
> Jay's version only has one Smiling Jack! :-) I won a (small)
> Philadelphia tournament with my Gangrel version:
>
> http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#joshphiladelphia
>
> which was *very* master-heavy and one-dimensional in the "run-
> away intercept" mode.
>
> I imagine the four-player format helped you, too, since you're
> less likely to run into time problems without that fifth player.
I thought the 4-player format was better for VP acquisition, but that it would
(and will) suck for Table Win acquisition.
> Grant Garvin won Silent War: Seekonk in July '01 with an !Gangrel
> 3-Jack 75-card version, with only 16 masters. These appear to
> be the only four tourney-winning Smiling Jack decks. (Leather
> Jacket appears in quite a few more winning decks. :-)
Jay's version is just barely a "Smiling Jack version", but I guess if Andrew
will list it as:
4 Smiling Jack
...then we should say they were all "Smiling Jack versions". [HI ANDREW!]
> I also played an Aabbt Kindred version for a while, where Jack
> was the *only* way to win (unless you actually got to steal a
> vampire that could bleed via Form of Corruption). That was fun,
> but kinda slow and lacking in defense against serious stealth.
>
> > I must tell you all, playing Mental Jyhad in the car for almost 2 hours
caused
> > me one of the largest, most painful headaches I have ever had in my life,
since
> > people playing that game force you to follow along with their ridiculous
decks,
> > just to make sure they're playing correctly. Ugh. =)
>
> ...Mental Jyhad?
oh my GOD!
You take all the people in the car, and pretend you are all at a table, in the
order you are sitting in the car. Figure out some way to determine who goes
first (usually involves the loudest guy going first). The first player says OUT
LOUD his transfers, then says OUT LOUD "Go!" etc etc.
Vampires start coming out, things start happening, just like a normal game,
except, since it's "virtual", everyone has to keep track of everything,
especially how many cards are left in each player's library. This also sucks
since one of our guys like to play NEC, which means he is grabbing things from
your (virtual) ash heap. =)
It usually becomes a highly-abnormal game, with ridiculous actions and combats,
and, although it is fun to a certain extent, the bookeeping annoys me. heh!
>
> Josh
Derek Ray
<kjme...@PLEASENOSPAMMEhome.com> wrote:
>> I imagine the four-player format helped you, too, since you're
>> less likely to run into time problems without that fifth player.
>
>I thought the 4-player format was better for VP acquisition, but that it would
>(and will) suck for Table Win acquisition.
Ooo, no. 4-player will be great for table wins; you simply deal with
your Cross Table Buddy(tm) and oust the other two players, then you
fight it out with him for a 3-1 split.
5-player will be a bitch, since a 2-2-1 is no good.
--
Derek
...Vampire Squirrel has come to bite your nuts!
Joshua Duffin
> > I imagine the four-player format helped you, too, since you're
> > less likely to run into time problems without that fifth player.
>
> I thought the 4-player format was better for VP acquisition, but that it would
> (and will) suck for Table Win acquisition.
I'm not sure about that. Like Derek, I think the 4-player is
generally not bad for slow hurt-everyone decks: you can let your
cross-table ally get a VP along with yourself and then fight it
out for the game win. Unlike Derek, I think the 5-player is not
significantly worse in that respect: you can work with one of
your cross-table allies, get each of you a VP, and then fight it
out for the win. Probably better to work with your grandpredator
than your grandprey, since your grandpredator can't get a second
VP without ousting you (and you're not gonna let that happen,
right?). The major problem I see with 5-player tables is that
slow decks are more likely to time out and possibly miss the game
win that way.
> Jay's version is just barely a "Smiling Jack version", but I guess if Andrew
> will list it as:
>
> 4 Smiling Jack
>
> ...then we should say they were all "Smiling Jack versions". [HI ANDREW!]
Andrew? What? 4 Smiling Jack? So confused...
> > ...Mental Jyhad?
>
> oh my GOD!
[...]
> It usually becomes a highly-abnormal game, with ridiculous actions and combats,
> and, although it is fun to a certain extent, the bookeeping annoys me. heh!
Wow, this sounds like fun. We'll have to try it next time we
go on a vtes road trip...
So I assume the "mental" means that you can't do any paper
bookkeeping (which would be easier and more reliable, but
require writing in the car)? And that you always have the
"perfect hand"? (But of course, so does everyone else. I
guess blood available and disciplines becomes the determining
factor. Plus being able to think of the right card at the
right time, of course. And not run out of cards.)
If someone plays Kindred Restructure, do you have to stop the
car and move around? (Or, depending on the foolishness of
the passengers, not stop the car and move around... ;-)
Josh
Kevin M.
"Joshua Duffin" <duff...@bls.gov> wrote in message
news:59b20daa.01111...@posting.google.com...
> "Kevin M." <kjme...@PLEASENOSPAMMEhome.com> wrote in message
news:<AJFI7.145691$My2.85...@news1.mntp1.il.home.com>...
> > "Joshua Duffin" <duff...@bls.gov> wrote in message
> > news:59b20daa.01111...@posting.google.com...
>
> > > I imagine the four-player format helped you, too, since you're
> > > less likely to run into time problems without that fifth player.
> >
> > I thought the 4-player format was better for VP acquisition, but that it
would
> > (and will) suck for Table Win acquisition.
>
> I'm not sure about that. Like Derek, I think the 4-player is
> generally not bad for slow hurt-everyone decks: you can let your
> cross-table ally get a VP along with yourself and then fight it
> out for the game win. Unlike Derek, I think the 5-player is not
> significantly worse in that respect: you can work with one of
> your cross-table allies, get each of you a VP, and then fight it
> out for the win. Probably better to work with your grandpredator
> than your grandprey, since your grandpredator can't get a second
> VP without ousting you (and you're not gonna let that happen,
> right?). The major problem I see with 5-player tables is that
> slow decks are more likely to time out and possibly miss the game
> win that way.
The benefit I see with 5-player tables when Table Wins comes into the rules is
that there are 2 (rather than 1) Meth's you can try to talk into working for
you.
> > Jay's version is just barely a "Smiling Jack version", but I guess if Andrew
> > will list it as:
> >
> > 4 Smiling Jack
> >
> > ...then we should say they were all "Smiling Jack versions". [HI ANDREW!]
>
> Andrew? What? 4 Smiling Jack? So confused...
You know, every so often Andrew starts a thread stating that he's recently
checked the VTES Winning Deck archive and checked the number of decks that use
card X.
> > > ...Mental Jyhad?
> >
> > oh my GOD!
>
> [...]
>
> > It usually becomes a highly-abnormal game, with ridiculous actions and
combats,
> > and, although it is fun to a certain extent, the bookeeping annoys me. heh!
>
> Wow, this sounds like fun. We'll have to try it next time we
> go on a vtes road trip...
>
> So I assume the "mental" means that you can't do any paper
> bookkeeping (which would be easier and more reliable, but
> require writing in the car)? And that you always have the
> "perfect hand"? (But of course, so does everyone else. I
> guess blood available and disciplines becomes the determining
> factor. Plus being able to think of the right card at the
> right time, of course. And not run out of cards.)
>
> If someone plays Kindred Restructure, do you have to stop the
> car and move around? (Or, depending on the foolishness of
> the passengers, not stop the car and move around... ;-)
Aaaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!!!!
Why did you have to mention Kindred Restructure?!?!
<sigh> :(
W. Mark Woodhouse
And here are the other deck lists I have from the event....
Deck Name: All Politicians Are Snakes
Created by: Geoff Benson
Description: Setite politics - played the way Setites were meant to be
played
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 19, Max: 41, Avg: 7.42]
1 Amisa (OBF pre pro SER, Followers of Set,
8, 2 votes)
1 Arika (aus cel DOM FOR OBF PRE, Ventrue,
11, Inner Circle)
1 Hadrian Garrick (obf pre, Followers of Set, 4)
1 Jost Werner (ani AUS PRE, Toreador Antitribu, 6)
1 Kephamos (dom obf pre SER, Followers of Set,
8, 2 votes)
1 Khay'tall (aus DOM OBF PRE SER, Followers of
Set, 9)
1 Nehsi (aus for OBF PRE PRO SER, Followers
of Set, 10, 2 votes)
1 Nepata (obf pre ser, Followers of Set, 4)
1 Qufur am-Heru (cel OBF PRE SER tha, Followers of
Set, 7)
1 Samat Ramal-Ra (OBF pre ser tha, Followers of Set,
6)
1 Sir Marriot D'Urban (aus obf PRE ser, Followers of Set,
5)
1 Sutekh (cel NEC OBF pot PRE SER, Followers
of Set, 11, 2 votes)
Library: (75 cards)
Master (17 cards)
1 Creepshow Casino
2 Dreams of the Sphinx
2 Legendary Vampire
5 Minion Tap
1 Opium Den
1 Temple Hunting Ground
2 Visit from the Capuchin
3 Zillah's Valley
Minion (58 cards)
1 Ancilla Empowerment
4 Awe
4 Bewitching Oration
5 Bribes
2 Cloak the Gathering
1 Consanguineous Boon
1 Disputed Territory
2 Enchant Kindred
1 Entrancement
1 Faceless Night
2 Forgotten Labyrinth
1 Free States Rant
6 Kine Resources Contested
4 Legal Manipulations
2 Lost in Crowds
8 Majesty
1 Political Stranglehold
1 Praxis Seizure: Atlanta
1 Protect Thine Own
1 Reinforcements
1 Swallowed by the Night
3 The Jones
5 Voter Captivation
---------------------------
Deck Name: D3mons33d Duck's L3gions Ov Darkn3ss
Created by: Cameron Domer
Description: 333vil, d00dz!
Crypt: (13 cards) [Min: 25, Max: 39, Avg: 8.23]
1 Alvaro (dom OBT POT pre, Lasombra, 9,
Archbishop)
1 Ambrosio Luis Monçada (aus DOM for OBT POT PRE, Lasombra,
10, Cardinal)
1 Angelica (cel DOM obf OBT POT, Lasombra, 10,
Cardinal)
1 Antonio Delgado (DOM OBT POT tha, Lasombra, 9,
Archbishop)
1 Aurora Van Brande (dom for OBT pot, Lasombra, 6)
1 Ayelea (AUS DOM OBT pre THA, Tremere
Antitribu, 10, Cardinal)
1 Francisco Domingo de Polonia (DOM OBT POT PRE pro, Lasombra, 9,
Archbishop)
2 Gratiano (DOM obf OBT pot, Lasombra, 8,
Priscus)
1 Guido Lucciano (dom obf OBT, Lasombra, 5)
1 Gustav Mallenhous (AUS DOM for obt, Ventrue Antitribu,
8, Priscus)
1 Quentin (AUS cel DOM FOR obt, Ventrue
Antitribu, 9, Bishop)
1 Talley (aus dom OBT POT, Lasombra, 6)
Library: (90 cards)
Master (21 cards)
1 Elysian Fields
1 Festivo dello Estinto
1 Giant's Blood
1 Legendary Vampire
6 Minion Tap
3 Path of Night, The
1 Political Hunting Ground
1 Powerbase: Madrid
1 Sudden Reversal
5 Zillah's Valley
Minion (69 cards)
1 Anarchist Uprising
1 Ancient Influence
5 Arms of the Abyss
1 Arson
3 Consanguineous Boon
4 Conservative Agitation
1 Crusade: Mexico City
1 Crusade: Miami
1 Crusade: Philadelphia
6 Deflection
4 Entombment
14 Govern the Unaligned
7 Kine Resources Contested
1 Palatial Estate
1 Political Stranglehold
4 Shadow Body
9 Shadow Play
1 Shroud of Night
4 Wake with Evening's Freshness
--------------------------------
Deck Name: Eurotrash - The Harder They Fall
Created by: Xian
Description: Brujah Princes... Archon/BloodHunt/Anathema and beat
stuff up
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 19, Max: 32, Avg: 6.42]
2 Anvil (dom CEL POT pre tha, Brujah, 6,
Primogen)
2 Constanza Vinti (CEL DOM POT, Brujah, 8, Prince)
2 Dónal O'Connor (CEL DOM POT, Brujah, 8, Prince)
1 Dre (cel pot, Brujah, 3)
1 Rake (aus cel pot PRE, Brujah, 6, Prince)
2 Theo Bell (cel dom POT pre, Brujah, 7)
2 Volker (CEL pot, Brujah, 5, Prince)
Library: (90 cards)
Master (14 cards)
1 Barrens, The
4 Blood Doll
1 Celerity
2 Dreams of the Sphinx
4 Haven Uncovered
1 Potence
1 Tomb of Rameses III
Minion (76 cards)
3 Anathema
1 Archon
2 Blood Hunt
6 Blur
1 Brujah Justicar
7 Bum's Rush
1 Closed Session
1 Decapitate
5 Disarm
3 Fists of Death
6 Flash
8 Immortal Grapple
2 Parity Shift
1 Rampage
6 Second Tradition: Domain, The
5 Sideslip
2 Stutter-Step
6 Taste of Vitae
10 Torn Signpost
------------------------------
{My personal favorite....}
Deck Name: Mark Woodhouse Is Amazing.dec
Created by: Matt Strehlow
Description: Shameless flattery doesn't win Best Deck Name, eh?
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 9, Max: 21, Avg: 3.92]
1 Badger (ani FOR pot PRO, Gangrel, 6)
2 Camille Devereux (ani FOR PRO, Gangrel, 5)
1 Chandler Hungerford (PRO, Gangrel, 3)
1 Huang (pro, Pander, 1)
1 Ramona (for pro, Gangrel, 4)
2 Raven (ani FOR PRO, Gangrel, 5)
1 Ricki Van Demsi (for pro, Gangrel, 3)
1 Roman Alexander (ani for pro, Gangrel, 4)
1 Sadie (pro, Gangrel Antitribu, 2)
1 Salbatore Bokkengro (CHI for pro, Ravnos, 4)
Library: (90 cards)
Master (9 cards)
1 Backways
1 Barrens, The
5 Fortitude
2 Heidelburg Castle, Germany
Minion (81 cards)
2 Army of Rats
5 Bum's Rush
1 Catacombs
8 Claws of the Dead
1 Concoction of Vitality
4 Day Operation
7 Earth Control
14 Force of Will
7 Freak Drive
1 Inveraray, Scotland
1 J. S. Simmons, Esq.
5 Laptop Computer
7 Masochism
7 Movement of the Slow Body
8 Rapid Healing
2 Regeneration
1 Tasha Morgan
---------------------------
Deck Name: Nightmare Carnival
Created by: Mark Woodhouse
Description: Make lots of Ravnos. Mess with people. Gain pool. Then
go forward, HARD... preferably with the Week Of Nightmares in play.
Your goal is 2 or 3 VP, not a sweep.
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 14, Max: 22, Avg: 4.5]
1 Andrei Puxón (ani cel chi for, Ravnos, 5)
1 Ghivran Dalaal (ani aus chi FOR, Ravnos, 5)
1 Joaquina Amaya (ANI CHI FOR, Ravnos, 6)
2 Khalil Ravanna (ani CHI for pre, Ravnos, 5)
2 Salbatore Bokkengro (CHI for pro, Ravnos, 4)
2 Sennuwy (ani chi for, Ravnos, 4)
1 Vaclav Petalengro (ANI CHI for pot, Ravnos, 6)
2 Vedel Esbreno (chi for, Ravnos, 3)
Library: (90 cards)
Master (24 cards)
1 Barrens, The
6 Chimerstry
1 Fortune Teller Shop
1 Inbase Discotek, Frankfurt
2 Park Hunting Ground
1 Path of Paradox, The
1 Ravnos Cache
4 Ravnos Carnival
2 Storage Annex
4 Tribute to the Master
1 Week of Nightmares
Minion (66 cards)
1 Aaron's Feeding Razor
4 Apparition
1 Cull the Herd
5 Embrace, The
6 Fata Morgana
1 Fleecing the Gaje
1 Guard Duty
5 Ignis Fatuus
1 Imposing Phantasm
1 Lucky Blow
2 Mass Reality
2 Meat Cleaver
4 Meat Hook
1 Mr. Winthrop
1 Orgy of Blood
5 Patshiv
2 Pseudo-Blindness
1 Purity of the Beast {hey, I was running a tournament by that name!}
1 Rom Gypsy
1 Sargon Fragment, The
1 Save Face
2 Sleight of Hand
2 Taste of Vitae
4 Trap
1 Treasured Samadji
5 Undead Persistence
5 Wake with Evening's Freshness
--------------------------------
Deck Name: We May Be Ugly, But We're Princes And You're In Torpor
Created by: Matt Heslin
Description: The name kinda says it all, doesn't it?
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 19, Max: 34, Avg: 6.75]
1 Agatha (obf POT, Nosferatu Antitribu, 4)
1 Calebros the Martyr (ANI obf pot, Nosferatu, 5, Prince)
1 Kendrick (ANI aus obf POT, Nosferatu
Antitribu, 7, Priscus)
1 Murat (OBF POT ser, Nosferatu, 7, Prince)
1 Nigel the Shunned (ANI obf POT, Nosferatu Antitribu, 5)
2 Nikolaus Vermeulen (ani for obf POT, Nosferatu, 7,
Prince)
1 Olivia (OBF POT vic, Nosferatu Antitribu, 5,
Bishop)
2 Selma the Repugnant (ani for OBF POT, Nosferatu, 8,
Prince)
2 Sheldon (ANI AUS for OBF POT, Nosferatu, 9,
Justicar)
Library: (89 cards)
Master (10 cards)
3 Fame
2 Haven Uncovered
5 Minion Tap
Minion (79 cards)
1 Ambush
2 Behind You!
1 Blood Hunt
2 Bum's Rush
1 Conservative Agitation
1 Daring the Dawn
3 Elder Impersonation
5 Fifth Tradition: Hospitality, The
5 Forgotten Labyrinth
4 Fourth Tradition: The Accounting, The
4 Freak Drive
7 Immortal Grapple
1 Indomitability
2 Kine Resources Contested
4 Lost in Crowds
2 Parity Shift
7 Pushing the Limit
4 Second Tradition: Domain, The
4 Skin of Steel
2 Swallowed by the Night
5 Taste of Vitae
3 Thrown Sewer Lid
7 Torn Signpost
2 Unflinching Persistence
---------------------------
Deck Name: Slippery When Bleed
Created by: David Edwards
Description: BON MALK
1...Let It Bleed
2...You Give Blood A Bad Name
3...Livin On A Kine
4...Social Vampiric Disease
5...Wanted Dead Or Burned
6...Raise Your Fangs
7...Without Blood
8...I'd Bleed For You
9...Never Say Torpor
10...Wild In The Asylum
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 11, Max: 32, Avg: 5.5]
1 Dan Murdock (aus obf, Caitiff, 3)
1 Didi Meyers (aus cel DOM obf, Malkavian, 5)
2 Gilbert Duane (AUS DOM OBF, Malkavian, 7, Prince)
1 Greger Anderssen (AUS dom OBF pro, Malkavian, 7,
Prince)
1 Leandro (AUS cel dom OBF PRE, Malkavian, 11,
Inner Circle)
1 Mariel (aus DOM OBF tha, Malkavian, 7)
2 Normal (obf, Malkavian, 2)
1 Ozmo (AUS dom obf, Malkavian, 6)
1 Roland Bishop (aus dom obf, Malkavian, 4)
1 Zebulon (aus dom OBF pro, Malkavian, 5)
Library: (80 cards)
Master (20 cards)
2 Asylum Hunting Ground
3 Blood Doll
3 Dominate
1 Giant's Blood
3 Minion Tap
3 Obfuscate
3 Sudden Reversal
2 Vampiric Disease
Minion (60 cards)
4 Cloak the Gathering
3 Conditioning
5 Deflection
4 Faceless Night
9 Fake Out
9 Govern the Unaligned
9 Lost in Crowds
1 Muddled Vampire Hunter
2 Sacrificial Lamb
5 Telepathic Counter
7 Threats
2 Wake with Evening's Freshness
--------------------------------
Deck Name: Something Goofy
Created by: Michael Benson
Description: Finally down under 90 cards, huh?
Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 19, Max: 37, Avg: 7.08]
1 Abd al-Rashid (CEL obf QUI, Assamite, 5)
1 Al-Ashrad (aus obf CEL QUI THA, Assamite, 9)
2 Anwar (cel obf qui, Assamite, 4)
1 Fatima al-Faqadi (aus CEL for OBF QUI, Assamite, 8)
1 Husamettin (CEL OBF pot pre QUI, Assamite, 8)
2 Jalal Sayad (CEL pot QUI, Assamite, 6)
1 Parnassus (aus CEL QUI tha, Assamite, 7)
2 Qadir ul-Ghani (CEL nec OBF QUI tha, Assamite, 9)
1 Thetmes (CEL dom OBF pot QUI, Assamite, 10, 2
votes)
Library: (90 cards)
Master (13 cards)
4 Blood Doll
1 Fame
1 Inbase Discotek, Frankfurt
1 KRCG News Radio
1 London Evening Star, Tabloid Newspaper
1 Market Square
1 Path of Blood, The
1 Rumor Mill, Tabloid Newspaper, The
1 Underworld Hunting Ground
1 Vulnerability
Minion (77 cards)
2 Acrobatics
2 Ambush
5 Blood Sweat
2 Blur
5 Bum's Rush
5 Clandestine Contract
2 Coagulate Blood
5 Exuding Blood
4 Flash
3 Forced Awakening
3 Hidden Lurker
1 J. S. Simmons, Esq.
4 Laptop Computer
1 Mr. Winthrop
2 Psyche!
6 Pursuit
3 Sideslip
2 Sport Bike
7 Succulent Vitae
4 Swallowed by the Night
4 Taste of Death
5 Wake with Evening's Freshness
---------------------------
Joshua Duffin
> The benefit I see with 5-player tables when Table Wins comes into the rules is
> that there are 2 (rather than 1) Meth's you can try to talk into working for
> you.
Hmm. Fair enough, but will anyone really work for you once you've
played a Smiling Jack? At least, when I've played them, nobody
likes it. Almost as bad as playing multiple Anarch Revolts, in
terms of making you "most hated player". :-)
> You know, every so often Andrew starts a thread stating that he's recently
> checked the VTES Winning Deck archive and checked the number of decks that use
> card X.
Ahh, it all becomes clear.
[mental jyhad]
> Aaaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!!!!
>
> Why did you have to mention Kindred Restructure?!?!
>
> <sigh> :(
heh! does this mean that no one had thought of that in your
previous Mental games (and if so why not? around here it seems
like people are playing them (or at least trying to) every
other (physical) game), or that it brings back painful memories?
;-)
Josh
'do they need my assistance
to purchase their intoxicants
or would they best be served a swift kick'
Xian
> Finally have all the deck lists together in one place, sooo....
I'll add my comments in case anyone is interested. Kevin pointed out
that there have been a lot of Brujah Prince decks in tournaments
recently. I'd say with good reason. There's not a lot they can't do.
> Deck Name: Eurotrash - The Harder They Fall
> Created by: Xian
> Description: Brujah Princes... Archon/BloodHunt/Anathema and beat
> stuff up
>
> Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 19, Max: 32, Avg: 6.42]
> 2 Anvil (dom CEL POT pre tha, Brujah, 6,
> Primogen)
> 2 Constanza Vinti (CEL DOM POT, Brujah, 8, Prince)
> 2 Dónal O'Connor (CEL DOM POT, Brujah, 8, Prince)
> 1 Dre (cel pot, Brujah, 3)
> 1 Rake (aus cel pot PRE, Brujah, 6, Prince)
> 2 Theo Bell (cel dom POT pre, Brujah, 7)
> 2 Volker (CEL pot, Brujah, 5, Prince)
In retrospect, I need another Theo Bell in here, because I only got
him out in one round (out of the 3+final). I don't know who to
remove, though. Probably Dre. Maybe Rake. All in all, though,
pretty standard and effective.
> Library: (90 cards)
> Master (14 cards)
> 1 Barrens, The
> 4 Blood Doll
> 1 Celerity
> 2 Dreams of the Sphinx
> 4 Haven Uncovered
> 1 Potence
> 1 Tomb of Rameses III
Tomb was a last minute thought that never panned out. Probably going
to remove it for something more useful. Like another Archon vote or
something.
> Minion (76 cards)
> 3 Anathema
These worked beautifully every time I got them off. In general,
telling the Tzimisce that they're not coming at them, and keeping that
promise works well. Or waiting until you know the Tzimisce are tapped
out...
> 1 Archon
Had one or two more in, but took them out at the last minute.
> 2 Blood Hunt
Played one the whole tournament. Oh well.
> 6 Blur
> 1 Brujah Justicar
> 7 Bum's Rush
> 1 Closed Session
Last minute addition. Worked well when I drew it. A couple more
wouldn't hurt, but I can't figure out what to trim.
> 1 Decapitate
> 5 Disarm
> 3 Fists of Death
> 6 Flash
> 8 Immortal Grapple
> 2 Parity Shift
> 1 Rampage
> 6 Second Tradition: Domain, The
> 5 Sideslip
> 2 Stutter-Step
Another last minute addition. I don't think they're necessary after
playing with them, but I wanted something from FN to spice up the deck
since I last played it. I might sub a couple more Blur or something
for these.
> 6 Taste of Vitae
> 10 Torn Signpost
That's it. Feel free to offer suggestions...
> --------------------------------
>
> Deck Name: We May Be Ugly, But We're Princes And You're In Torpor
> Created by: Matt Heslin
> Description: The name kinda says it all, doesn't it?
>
> Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 19, Max: 34, Avg: 6.75]
> 1 Agatha (obf POT, Nosferatu Antitribu, 4)
> 1 Calebros the Martyr (ANI obf pot, Nosferatu, 5, Prince)
For some reason, I really want to play another Nosferatu princes deck
and play a Secure Haven on Calebros. That would rule.
> 1 Kendrick (ANI aus obf POT, Nosferatu
> Antitribu, 7, Priscus)
> 1 Murat (OBF POT ser, Nosferatu, 7, Prince)
> 1 Nigel the Shunned (ANI obf POT, Nosferatu Antitribu, 5)
> 2 Nikolaus Vermeulen (ani for obf POT, Nosferatu, 7,
> Prince)
> 1 Olivia (OBF POT vic, Nosferatu Antitribu, 5,
> Bishop)
> 2 Selma the Repugnant (ani for OBF POT, Nosferatu, 8,
> Prince)
> 2 Sheldon (ANI AUS for OBF POT, Nosferatu, 9,
> Justicar)
Not so sure about the Sabbat members. I'd probably just replace them
with Marty Lechtansi and Chester DuBois. They've got for. :)
> Library: (89 cards)
> Master (10 cards)
> 3 Fame
> 2 Haven Uncovered
> 5 Minion Tap
No wonder you didn't play any skill cards. I'd include a couple, and
maybe some cycling stuff...Barrens & Dreams? You seemed to have some
cycling problems there in our game. "Please, get into combat with
me?" ;)
> Minion (79 cards)
> 1 Ambush
> 2 Behind You!
> 1 Blood Hunt
> 2 Bum's Rush
I'd go up to about 6 or 7 total Ambush/Bum's Rush. That's the number
that seems to work best for me in most Princes decks.
> 1 Conservative Agitation
> 1 Daring the Dawn
> 3 Elder Impersonation
> 5 Fifth Tradition: Hospitality, The
> 5 Forgotten Labyrinth
> 4 Fourth Tradition: The Accounting, The
> 4 Freak Drive
No way. How many times did you Freak during that one turn at the end?
Didn't you play 2 or 3 of them then? That was crazy. If you
remember the turn, I'd like to hear what it was again...something like
vote, freak, 5th, freak, bleed or something? It was crazy.
> 7 Immortal Grapple
> 1 Indomitability
> 2 Kine Resources Contested
> 4 Lost in Crowds
> 2 Parity Shift
> 7 Pushing the Limit
I always favor Undead Strength over PtL, but YMMV, I guess.
> 4 Second Tradition: Domain, The
> 4 Skin of Steel
> 2 Swallowed by the Night
> 5 Taste of Vitae
> 3 Thrown Sewer Lid
Stupid Thrown Sewer Lid caught me off-guard.
> 7 Torn Signpost
> 2 Unflinching Persistence
Overall, I'd recommend putting a little more fortitude in there, just
for the heck of it, but that might just be me.
> ---------------------------
>
> Deck Name: Slippery When Bleed
> Created by: David Edwards
> Description: BON MALK
>
> 1...Let It Bleed
> 2...You Give Blood A Bad Name
> 3...Livin On A Kine
> 4...Social Vampiric Disease
> 5...Wanted Dead Or Burned
> 6...Raise Your Fangs
> 7...Without Blood
> 8...I'd Bleed For You
> 9...Never Say Torpor
> 10...Wild In The Asylum
Oh.... So painful.
> Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 11, Max: 32, Avg: 5.5]
> 1 Dan Murdock (aus obf, Caitiff, 3)
> 1 Didi Meyers (aus cel DOM obf, Malkavian, 5)
> 2 Gilbert Duane (AUS DOM OBF, Malkavian, 7, Prince)
> 1 Greger Anderssen (AUS dom OBF pro, Malkavian, 7,
> Prince)
> 1 Leandro (AUS cel dom OBF PRE, Malkavian, 11,
> Inner Circle)
> 1 Mariel (aus DOM OBF tha, Malkavian, 7)
1 Mariel#!!#@$$!#@ And I saw her in both games! Argh.
> 2 Normal (obf, Malkavian, 2)
> 1 Ozmo (AUS dom obf, Malkavian, 6)
> 1 Roland Bishop (aus dom obf, Malkavian, 4)
> 1 Zebulon (aus dom OBF pro, Malkavian, 5)
I'm not so sure about the Normal/Dan Murdock thing. Maybe I'll
mention it to Dave in person. Limited usefulness with the way the
deck goes.
> Library: (80 cards)
> Master (20 cards)
> 2 Asylum Hunting Ground
> 3 Blood Doll
> 3 Dominate
> 1 Giant's Blood
> 3 Minion Tap
> 3 Obfuscate
> 3 Sudden Reversal
> 2 Vampiric Disease
And Master heavy. Wow. Not sure about the obf skill cards, though I
suppose the dom ones are needed. Well, not needed, but...
> Minion (60 cards)
> 4 Cloak the Gathering
> 3 Conditioning
> 5 Deflection
> 4 Faceless Night
> 9 Fake Out
Heh. No real combat defense. Tasty. :)
> 9 Govern the Unaligned
> 9 Lost in Crowds
> 1 Muddled Vampire Hunter
> 2 Sacrificial Lamb
> 5 Telepathic Counter
> 7 Threats
> 2 Wake with Evening's Freshness
Interesting. About what I expected, but the individual card
proportions are not what I expected from what I saw during play.
Standard S&B, but...interesting card choices. Only 19 bleed actions &
mods. 17 stealth mods. I suppose that's about right, but just
seems...off...somehow.
Oh well, that's it from me.
Xian
Cameron
>
> > Aaaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!!!!
> >
> > Why did you have to mention Kindred Restructure?!?!
> >
> > <sigh> :(
>
> heh! does this mean that no one had thought of that in your
> previous Mental games (and if so why not? around here it seems
> like people are playing them (or at least trying to) every
> other (physical) game), or that it brings back painful memories?
> ;-)
Nope, no one thought of that, although in all fairness the game was as
follows:
Me and Matt Strehlow killing each other, and Matt Heslin playing: Get
out anson and a parthenon, minion tap anson, Zillah's the next anson,
golconda anson, transfer out the next anson.... with moments of
effective management in between. The game was rediculous, and funny.
But noone restructured because Strehlow went from a huang/pro bleed
deck to a NEC/SER/DOM deck, and I did sadie, then Wynn. Wynn is great
in mental jyhad, as DotB, IG, claw, SoS with an 11-cap is unbeatable.
(don't forget that obf skill card) It was really funny and I highly
recomend it, should you ever play. For added fun make him Justicar
and 5th too.
Anyway, this was done at like 1-2am, so we weren't really playing,
ummm, tounement decks.
Cameron
Cameron
>
> Tomb was a last minute thought that never panned out. Probably going
> to remove it for something more useful. Like another Archon vote or
> something.
Yeah, like maybe a... a... gosh, 300+ cards just ran through my head.
<grin> Maybe a goven to get out a smaller vamp real quick, it then
doubles as a prayer bleed card to really mess with someone. Of course
having written this negates that, but oh well. Alternatly put in
another closed session. Stupid closed session.
Cameron
Matthew Heslin
>
> Played one the whole tournament. Oh well.
But Blood Hunt is good. The fact that I took 2 out of my deck
while I was writing my decklist was a major reason I couldn't
get into combat. It's also a reason I have the Sabbat mid-caps
in my crypt -- they don't care it's a Camarilla Blood Hunt, they
just wanna break stuff.
> For some reason, I really want to play another Nosferatu princes deck
> and play a Secure Haven on Calebros. That would rule.
> > 3 Fame
> > 2 Haven Uncovered
> > 5 Minion Tap
>
> No wonder you didn't play any skill cards. I'd include a couple, and
> maybe some cycling stuff...Barrens & Dreams? You seemed to have some
> cycling problems there in our game. "Please, get into combat with
> me?" ;)
Oh, hush up, you. First game I had no problems getting
to Rush and Blood Hunt. Third game... ehhhhh.
Skill cards: I'm satisfied with inferior Fortitude on my voters,
since inf. Skin of Steel and inf. Freak Drive (plus OBF) are still good.
They've all got POT and I don't use too much Animalism, so I'm not
convinced I need the skills.
> > 2 Bum's Rush
>
> I'd go up to about 6 or 7 total Ambush/Bum's Rush. That's the number
> that seems to work best for me in most Princes decks.
See above, my whining about Blood Hunt. AKA, I'm a big loser
as a deckbuilder.
> > 4 Freak Drive
>
> No way. How many times did you Freak during that one turn at the end?
> Didn't you play 2 or 3 of them then? That was crazy. If you
> remember the turn, I'd like to hear what it was again...something like
> vote, freak, 5th, freak, bleed or something? It was crazy.
Heh. Selma's my last vamp not burned or torpored. She untaps
with 1 or 2 blood. She Hospitalities herself, Freaks, bleeds at stealth,
Freaks, 4th Trad: the Accouting, Freaks, then either rushed someone
or stayed untapped to try and block things. Weird clump on the Freak
Drives.
> > 7 Pushing the Limit
>
> I always favor Undead Strength over PtL, but YMMV, I guess.
Yeah... my vamps can usually stay loaded on blood, so I don't
mind the additional cost. As long as the Grapple is on, I prefer
the little extra damage -- particularly with all the Disarm I've been
seeing. A small consideration, but notable.
> > 3 Thrown Sewer Lid
>
> Stupid Thrown Sewer Lid caught me off-guard
All hail the underused, unexpected cards!
See you tomorrow at Madison, you troublemaker. : )
--Matt