Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter – February 2010
echia...@yahoo.com
Special Report)
Volume 4, Issue 3
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 –
3.1 – Editor’s Note
3.2 – Heirs to the Blood Evaluation
3.3 – Heirs to the Blood Summary
3.4 – Updated Clan Census
3.5 – Featured Vampire: Chaundice
3.6 – Featured Card: Flames of the Netherworld
3.7 – Featured Deck: Uta Kovacs Eden’s Legacy by Pasi Karjalainen
3.8 – Evolution of a Deck: Wall of ASH by Robyn Tatu
--------------------------
[3.1 – Editor’s Note]
Breaking news from Channel 10 (formerly of New York)! Heirs to the
Blood has arrived and it is taking the VTES world by storm! Invaluable
reprints and amazing new cards make Heirs the most revolutionary set
in recent memory. In many areas, rumored sellouts have led to a frenzy
of purchasing.
While planning for the Spring 2010 Newsletter, there were too many new
strategies to explore and loose ends to tie up. So I took Peter
Bakija’s advice and decided to split it up into two, more manageably
sized newsletters. Don’t fret – this OOT is more like a Wash than a
Sudden Reversal. It won’t take the place of my next newsletter (which
is tentatively planned for a March release).
--------------------------
[3.2 – Heirs to the Blood Evaluation]
Now let’s take a cursory look at the new cards in Heirs to the Blood.
The focus is on the new cards that will be helpful for the Tremere
Antitribu, so mainly Gargoyle stuff, Auspex/Dominate/Thaumaturgy
cards, plus a handful of miscellaneous cards that might prove handy in
some of our decks. We also rate the new cards specifically on how
useful they are to the Tremere Antitribu. Individual cards may be
significantly stronger or weaker in other types of decks. Two stars
(**) is considered average, which is similar to what Ian Lee and
InQuest use (as Ian explains, there are generally a lot of 2’s because
most CCG cards are average in quality/power). So here we go:
[Gargoyle Stuff]
Chaundice
***
All in-clan disciplines with a wonderful combat special. The only
major challenge is that at 8 pool, he’s really expensive and so it’s
harder to fit him into most decks. A more thorough analysis can be
found in the Featured Vampire section.
Fustuk
***
Pretty good. The Obtenebration is wasted (but better than nothing).
Fustuk has a different focus than Pugfar and Tupdog (relying more on
FOR than POT). His special has interesting potential. Overall he makes
a decent support vampire and is perhaps the most utilitarian Gargoyle
Slave for Tremere Antitribu decks.
Malachai
**
Pretty much the same as Group 2’s Obsidian (but with out-of-clan
Presence, though it’s not too useful here). For the Tremere Antitribu,
he’s a cheap source of superior VIS. He’s non-slave, which does make
him easier to integrate since he can take (D) actions inherently. But
Group 6 makes him hard to use for the foreseeable future.
Grotesque
*
Non-unique is nice. But Grotesque is a poor fit for the !Tremere
because of a trio of limitations. In addition to being attached to a
location, they are Tremere slaves, and Group 6.
Rusticus
**
Cheapest superior Visceratika in the game. Rusticus’ disciplines
complement Fustuk’s focus. He’s a cheap and efficient blocker and
though he’s a Tremere Slave, Rusticus makes a good target for
Reindoctrination. Since there are so few Group 5 crypt options for the
Tremere Antitribu right now, Rusticus serves as decent filler material
for Group 4/5 decks.
The Path of Service
*
The Tremere Antitribu don’t have many Gargoyle slaves in the first
place, plus Tupdogs already play all existing Visceratika cards for
free so this card isn’t particularly impressive for them. It might be
okay with weenie Gargoyles playing Bond with the Mountain for free. Or
it may be useful for free stealth (Skin of the Chameleon + Flow Within
the Mountain).
Raw Recruit
**
Raw Recruit provides a way to get more Gargoyles, though you do have
to work through a clunky mechanism to do so. In that sense, it’s kind
of like a more specialized, but weaker, version of Graverobbing.
Alternatively, you can think of it as a way to effectively diablerize
at +1 stealth and without fear of a blood hunt. As a (D) action, you
will generally need to get a !Tremere master out first.
It’s just average for most Tremere Antitribu decks since you have few
minions who can play it, but it really shines (****) in Tupdog decks.
In addition to removing a troublesome vampire from play, it also gives
you permanent minions to supplement the ephemeral Tupdogs.
Jar of Skin Eaters
**
This card has a rather complicated mechanic, requiring two or three
actions to use it. The strike isn’t particularly impressive since it
is easily dodged or prevented. But the action is a decent way to
finish off a Cryptic Mission deck. Maybe build the deck around Create
Gargoyle (fetching Thaumaturgy skill cards).
Potio Martyrium
**
Decent card, though not as great as you might otherwise think.
Exploding Tupdogs is the most obvious idea, but if they burn you don’t
get the free crypt card. Plus, it’s not as if the Tupdogs have that
much trouble torporizing the opposition in the first place. Raw
Recruit is a better choice if you’re worried about rescues. The best
Martyrs are probably Created Gargoyles or Raw Recruits, but that
requires a lot of set up. It does, however, at least make Alejandro
Aguirre much more interesting....
As the Crow
****
Free, though once a turn, making it more akin to Forced March than
Freak Drive. Visceratika and possibly Flight can provide the stealth
to get the action through. It does offer some interesting options,
especially for Gargoyle decks without much Fortitude. Created
Gargoyles and Hatchlings will particularly enjoy it, since they are
otherwise light on disciplines. Extra points if Valerius Maior +
Concordance uses As the Crow. (As an aside, if you’re ever inclined to
make a Vladimir Rustovich deck, this card would be great since the
Count can’t otherwise Freak Drive).
As the Crow is an amazing card (*****) for Tupdog decks since it lets
you get double actions from Tupdogs.
Dive Bomb
***
Stealthed rush is pretty good (plus it can hit any target, unlike
outferior Nose of the Hound which only works on tapped ones). Watch
out if you get blocked though.
The card is a bit stronger with Tupdog decks (****) since it can give
you added stealth to hit high priority targets. More importantly, it
synergizes extremely well with As the Crow since the inherent stealth
makes it harder to block. Have a Tupdog Dive Bomb an annoying vampire,
prevent any damage with Rockheart/Stonestrength, untap with As the
Crow, and then use the innate Tupdog rush to attack yet another
minion.
Brick by Brick (as Visceratika)
***
Inferior is the same as Stone Quills. But the outferior and superior
give it greater flexibility. The superior is strong but hardly
revolutionary. Gargoyles can already set range to long (for free) with
High Ground (except on the rare occasion the opposing minion also has
Flight). Or they can reuse Roll (for a free, permanent maneuver). As a
result, Brick by Brick’s main usage seems to be setting range to
close, which is helpful for POT decks who want to get into Grapple
range.
Brick by Brick is quite good (****) for Tupdog decks who play it for
free and are usually looking to utilize that big fist.
Ensconced
*
Weak and very conditional. It’s only usable with locations and is
further hurt by lacking an outferior use. On the bright side, LSJ
recently revealed that it can be used on locations you don’t control,
but that’s still pretty corner case. It might be okay in a wall deck
but it’s still a disappointing card.
Lead Fist (as Visceratika)
*
Duplicates what Potence already provides. Pounce can also do something
similar while only requiring Flight. The press isn’t that helpful when
you have Immortal Grapple or Crawling Chamber. Might be okay with
Rockheart as an alternative to Trap.
Voices of the Castle (as Visceratika)
***
Pretty decent card. The main problem with Scry the Hearthstone is its
restriction to (D) actions, but Voices of the Castle can be used on
any action. Its flexibility makes it easier to cycle since you can use
it for intercept (if you want to get into combat) or bleed reduction
(if you don’t have good combat or if you’re facing very stealthy
bleeds). In addition, you can either have your Gargoyles gain the
intercept or give it to one of your Tremere/!Tremere masters. In fact,
if you have multiple minions in play, you can gain multiple intercept
from different copies of Voices of the Castle (each minion, including
the blocker, can play one to give your blocker +1 intercept).
[Miscellaneous]
Veejay Vinod
***
Very good Auspex weenie, who can come up with some stealth if needed.
Only problem is that he’s Group 6.
Cavalier
***
A good choice for multi-acting with the clan. There are a number of
useful actions that the Tremere Antitribu can take that cost blood –
Govern the Unaligned, Magic of the Smith, Revelations, Rutor’s Hand,
Soul Scan, and even Defender of the Haven. It could get blood
intensive though, so you’ll have to carefully manage your blood
(Thefts will help).
Dabbler
*
This is a weaker choice for the Tremere Antitribu because they have
fewer opportunities to play all their clan disciplines in a single
action. The only multi-discipline card at their disposal is the very
questionable Sound of a Breaking Oath. Dominate is easy to use, with
plenty of great actions (like Govern) or an easily cycled Seduction.
Thaumaturgy has a handful of useful actions (Magic of the Smith) but
it’s mainly combat focused. And Auspex is mainly reaction based. On
the Gargoyle side, remember that Flight isn’t an actual discipline and
doesn’t count. And most Potence cards are for combat. So Dabbler is a
poor choice for most !Tremere or Gargoyle decks unless you’re playing
heavy combat with a large variety of combat cards. Dabbler might be a
bit better if you’re heavily using an out-of-clan discipline, or with
trick decks (with Ian Forestal or Infernal Familiar).
Hunger Moon
**
Decent card for Cryptic Mission decks, especially when you combine it
with Restricted Vitae. Alternatively, it might have some uses in an
intercept deck along with Dr. Marisa Fletcher, CDC.
Momentary Delay
***
An excellent option for large-capacity Tremere Antitribu decks. Mirror
Walk can provide a little bit of stealth but it may not always be
enough. Momentary Delay is perfect against weenie intercept decks
(weenie Auspex, weenie Animalism). Generally such decks don’t pack
much combat (Movement of the Mind and Rego Motus help make sure you
meet the conditions). Just remember that if you use this card along
with Mirror Walk, you’ll need to play Mirror Walk at inferior (since
the superior would end the action before allowing you to play
Momentary Delay).
Wider View
****
A new card highlighting the Crypt Manipulation mechanic. It’s a very
strong card since it lets you quickly cycle through your crypt to
search for the vampire you need. This is especially useful if your
deck relies on a particular key vampire, or if you have duplicate
copies in your uncontrolled region that you can trade in for a new,
unique minion. It’s also great if you have just one or two specific
vampires who would be ideal for this particular game (i.e. one copy of
Valerius Maior Advanced in your deck, and you’re now facing a heavy
Obfuscate or Chimerstry predator). You do run the risk of exhausting
your crypt prematurely, which could be a problem if the game lasts
longer. But this downside is largely alleviated in Malgorzata, Paul
Cordwood, or Tupdog decks, which commonly utilize larger than normal
crypts.
[Auspex/Dominate/Thaumaturgy Outferiors]
(To keep things in context, these cards are rated compared to other
outferiors. Two stars is average with what they can already do. One
star is much worse than what they already have. Three or more stars
indicates a worthwhile new option for the discipline.)
Diabolic Lure (as Auspex)
**
Unimpressive. Telepathic Counter works just as well (but with a
superior effect as well).
Faerie Wards (as Auspex)
**
Very expensive. Eyes of Argus is clearly better (free, has a superior
version, and no restriction to ally or younger vampire). However, it
still does give you +2 intercept at inferior and could potentially be
combined with Eyes of Argus for +4 intercept with just two cards and
inferior Auspex.
Hide the Heart (as Auspex)
**
Unimpressive. Telepathic Counter works just as well (but with a
superior effect as well).
The Ailing Spirit (as Dominate)
**
Unimpressive. You can get the same with Scouting Mission (but with a
superior option as well) or disciplineless Computer Hacking.
Gremlins (as Dominate)
**
Unimpressive. You can get the same with Scouting Mission (but with a
superior option as well) or disciplineless Computer Hacking.
Brick by Brick (as Thaumaturgy)
***
Decent for inferior Thaumaturgy. Fake Out doesn’t replace immediately.
High Ground is only for long and limited to one per round. Crawling
Chamber is limited to long range. So this one does add a little
something new. Seems mainly useful for Thaumaturgy decks that want to
go to close range (maybe POT/tha decks with only inferior
Thaumaturgy).
Flames of the Netherworld
****
Great card. Even with its limitations, first round ranged aggravated
damage (without the suicidal aspect of Burst of Sunlight) is certainly
a welcome addition to Thaumaturgy. See the Featured Card section for a
more in-depth analysis on its impact.
Lead Fist (as Thaumaturgy)
**
Unimpressive. Slightly better than Lucky Blow because you replace
immediately but it’s nothing to write home about.
Voices of the Castle (as Thaumaturgy)
***
Blood requirement makes it inferior to Auspex intercept, but it is
okay for weenie Thaumaturgy decks.
--------------------------
[3.3 – Heirs to the Blood Summary]
Overall I have mixed feelings about the latest set. While there are a
lot of exciting new cards, I do have concerns about the power level
introduced in Heirs. The Ahrimanes have always been one of the top
bloodlines, and I’m not sure they really needed the power boost they
got. The Daughters of Cacophony are even more troubling, notably with
Lily Prelude, Shattering Crescendo, and unblockable Virtuosas.
Morphean Blow and Loving Agony seem excessively strong for the Salubri
Antitribu. And I am also worried about the True Brujah (Summon History
obviously, as well as combining Outside the Hourglass with Domain of
Evernight). I guess we’ll have to hope that my fears are simply
overblown.
I do like the attempt to make Infernal better. I’ve always felt that
Infernal and Slave were overly prohibitive disadvantages. The extra
point or two from being Infernal is generally outweighed by the
Infernal penalty. And Flight isn’t enough to overcome the problems of
being a Slave. So I like how they’re at least attempting to make
Infernal stronger (with cards like Knotted Cord, and with the addition
of pseudo-disciplines Maleficia and Striga).
Moving on to the Gargoyles, I’m pleased by some improvements with
Heirs, but I’m a bit disappointed that it really wasn’t enough. The
good news is that there are two new !Tremere Gargoyle slaves (a 100%
increase). Individually, the new Gargoyles are all amazing. The only
problem is that there still aren’t enough vampires to provide
sufficient support.
There were some great cards for Flight (among the best printed so far)
but none of the two clan cards were particularly impressive.
Similarly, the Tremere/!Tremere/Gargoyle cards were a bit cornercase
and are unlikely to see play except in trick decks. Visceratika got a
decent boost with Brick by Brick and Voices of the Castle, but Lead
Fist and Ensconced were largely wasted card slots. At the very least,
Thaumaturgy got a few excellent outferiors, so there’s a consolation
prize.
Tupdog decks got a real major boost, but I’m not sure if that’s for
the best in the long run. Tupdog decks are so highly specialized that
I have to wonder if they’re steering Gargoyle players in the wrong
direction.
The Gargoyles got slightly shafted in the set. First of all, they’re
down a clan card from Heirs (apparently it was stolen by the Daughters
of Cacophony). In addition, I was hoping that Heirs would correct
their disadvantaged state in Legacies of Blood. In Legacies, most of
the Bloodlines got 5 new crypt cards (one Group 3 and four Group 4)
but the Gargoyles only got 3 crypt cards (one Group 3 and two Group
4), leaving their Group 4 severely underdeveloped. The fact that most
of their new Heirs vampires are Group 5 or Group 6 puts them at a
significant disadvantage (not to mention how they’re already
subdivided between Tremere slaves, Tremere Antitribu slaves, and non-
slaves). These gaping holes in the Group 4/5 lineup make Gargoyle
decks rather difficult to play with. I’ll delve into this issue more
in the next newsletter.
Looking at the other Bloodlines, most of the minions seem pretty
reasonable. But since they’re primarily Group 6, it will be some time
before our clan can fully explore their uses as allies and pawns. It’s
a bit disappointing that they couldn’t fit anything for the
Abominations into the set. The pseudo-bridge Scarce vampires in Group
5 seem intriguing – maybe something similar could be done for Group 3.
There were some much needed reprints. Players have been waiting
several years for reprints of Shroud of Absence, Blanket of Night, and
Deflection. Seeing multiple copies of Villein, Target Vitals, Eyes of
Argus, and Abbot, were also a welcome surprise. New Gargoyle players
can appreciate Rock Cat, Defender of the Haven, Soul of the Earth,
Hatchling, and Create Gargoyle. But there were some key cards that
were excluded. I think Armor of Terra would have been much more
helpful in the Gargoyles starter, and Bond with the Mountain is still
only available in Bloodlines. Lasombra players were dismayed that
Camarilla Vitae Slave, Shadow Twin, Shadow Body, and Summon the Abyss
are still extremely hard to get. The starters were also ideal places
to reprint multi-discipline cards like Elemental Stoicism (great for
Samedi) and Martyr’s Resilience (perfect for the !Salubri), but
unfortunately this opportunity was missed.
Overall I was extremely impressed with the art in this set. Special
kudos to Aileen Miles for her amazing work as art director. Given the
diverse nature of the Bloodlines, it was fitting that a variety of art
styles were represented. Some players have complained about some of
the reprint art, but I think their concerns are overblown. Considering
how large the set was, they did a fantastic job with the art budget.
There were 168 new cards, all of which required commissioned art. Plus
there were numerous reprints in the starters which required new art as
well. Some of the reprints have really spectacular art (especially the
pieces by Ron Spencer), so I’m okay if maybe they had to skimp on a
few pieces – not everything can be a masterpiece. Finally, there was a
bit of controversy since the new art for Bonding was apparently
“borrowed” from someplace else. But hopefully White Wolf managed to
iron out the IP issues for that.
--------------------------
[3.4 – Updated Clan Census]
In the last issue, we presented a Clan Census that looked at how clans
compare with each other in terms of the number of crypt cards and clan
cards. We focused on just the numbers, since that is a more objective
measure. Attempting to evaluate the quality of the cards would be
significantly more subjective and hotly debated. It is strongly
suggested that you first take a look at the Clan Census from the
Winter 2009 Newsletter, since it explains the methodology and caveats.
Now that Heirs to the Blood has been released, here are the updated
results (for the Bloodlines clans):
[Bloodline Clans]
Typical Number of Crypt Cards: 15
Grouping Distribution: 5-1-5-1-3
Typical Number of Crypt Cards (Scarce): 10
Grouping Distribution (Scarce): 3-0-3-1-3
In Heirs to the Blood, most of the Bloodlines clans got 5 new
vampires. One Group 4 (completing what was started in Legacies of
Blood), one Group 5 bridge vampire, and three Group 6 vampires. Each
of the Scarce clans received one Group 5 vampire and three Group 6
vampires. Note that the Salubri and True Brujah Group 5 vampires add
greater flexibility, but don’t really increase the number of Scarce
vampires you can have in a Grouping (due to their innate burn
clauses). The Group 5 Nagaraja does not have such a clause (which
seems fair since they don’t have a powerful, signature discipline).
18: The Baali get one new Group 5 vampire and four Group 6 vampires,
putting them at a distribution of 5-1-5-2-4, plus Advanced Nergal.
The Blood Brothers get five new vampires (the Kiev Circle), all in
Group 5. Once again, their division into Circles explains their
abnormal numbers.
The Samedi is the only clan to get six new vampires in Heirs to the
Blood (they got an extra Group 5 vampire, though one could argue that
Toy shouldn’t really count). Their distribution is now: 6-1-5-2-3,
plus Advanced Jack Dawson.
17: Gargoyles got the standard allotment in Heirs. That puts their
distribution at: 8-1-3-2-2, plus Advanced Ferox.
15: The Ahrimanes, Daughters of Cacophony, Harbingers of Skulls,
Kiasyd, and Salubri Antitribu all fit the standard pattern.
10: The Nagaraja, Salubri, and True Brujah all fit the standard
pattern for Scarce clans.
4: No new Abominations this set. They still have an atypical 1-1-1-1
distribution.
Typical Number of Clan Cards: 8
Typical Number of Clan Cards (Scarce): 3
In Heirs, most of the clans got 3 new clan cards (the exception were
the Daughters who got 4 and the Gargoyles who got 2). Each of the
Scarce clans (except for Abominations) got 1 new clan card.
10: Daughters of Cacophony have an extra promo card (Ensemble) and
also got an extra clan card in Heirs to the Blood.
9: Baali have an extra card from the time they were featured in
Kindred Most Wanted.
Harbingers of Skulls have an extra promo card (Crematorium).
8: Ahrimanes, Kiasyd, Salubri Antitribu, and Samedi all have the
typical number.
7: Gargoyles got one less clan card in Heirs.
3: Blood Brothers got clan cards for the first time in Heirs.
Nagaraja, Salubri, and True Brujah have the normal number for Scarce
clans.
0: Abominations are the exception, with absolutely no clan cards.
(Though I suppose you could argue that the Abomination card introduced
in Final Nights is sort of a retroactive clan card).
Finally, there’s one minor amendment I should make to the Independent
clan cards. It has recently come to my attention that Contract
(although relatively weak), is essentially an Assamite clan card (it
doesn’t have the traditional clan symbol because you can choose a
torpored Assamite or one controlled by another player). In that
regard, it’s similar to Carnivale (the Toreador clan card in
Anarchs).
[Independent Clan Cards]
26: Assamites and Followers of Set
25: Giovanni
24: Ravnos
--------------------------
[3.5 – Featured Vampire: Chaundice]
Chaundice [HttB:U]
Cardtype: Vampire
Clan: Gargoyle
Group: 4
Capacity: 8
Discipline: vic FOR POT VIS
Sabbat. Tremere antitribu slave: Twice each combat, Chaundice may
prevent up to 2 non-aggravated damage from the opposing minion’s
strikes that round. Flight [FLIGHT].
Artist: Samuel Araya
According to Tremere lore, Chaundice was the first gargoyle. Created
in the stronghold of Ceoris, Chaundice eventually disappeared. Though
some assumed that he was destroyed in battle against the Tzimisce,
others theorized that he had escaped and was the “Rock Lord” who
established a haven for escaped Gargoyles (the Rock Lord title is also
associated sometimes with Ferox). In VTES, it seems Chaundice now
serves his masters in the Sabbat. I suppose it’s sort of fitting since
all three of the creators of the Gargoyles were members of House
Goratrix. Virstania is most famous for her work with the Gargoyles and
though she appears as a Camarilla Tremere in VTES, in the backstory
she was always closely aligned with Goratrix and his followers.
Goratrix and Malgorzata also made significant contributions to the
Gargoyle experiments, and both of them appear as Tremere Antitribu in
the card game (interestingly enough, Chaundice and his three creators
all possess Vicissitude). So perhaps Chaundice’s “disappearance” in
the Dark Ages was just a cover so that he could continue to serve his
true masters (his original creators, not Clan Tremere).
As a Group 4 vampire, Chaundice offers the most options when it comes
to combining him with his Tremere Antitribu masters. Having all in-
clan disciplines at superior is nice but it’s really his damage
prevention special that seems to make players drool. But Chaundice is
a major investment and too expensive to serve as a “support” vampire.
If you’re paying 8 pool for him, then he should probably be the star
of the deck with the Tremere Antitribu serving as support instead, so
you need to think carefully about how to best employ his services.
Chaundice’s closest contemporary is Ublo-Satha (Rocia and Ferox are
non-slaves which is a significant distinction). Both have superior
FOR, POT, and VIS, along with an inferior out-of-clan (Celerity for
Ublo, Vicissitude for Chaundice). Chaundice does not have a
disadvantage (Ublo’s Brujah weakness). And both have damage prevention
specials. Chaundice does have the far better special since it prevents
up to 4 damage each combat. While Ublo can prevent 1 agg, or use his
special on environmental damage, in the long run Chaundice is far more
valuable (which is why he pays twice as much for it, costing you an
extra pool). Ublo’s main advantage is the extra support he gets from
the other Tremere Slaves – you can easily combine him with Saxum,
Luma, and Fidus. In contrast, Chaundice can only be used with either
Tupdogs (Group 3/4) or Fustuk (Group 4/5).
Generally, pairing Chaundice up with a large-capacity Tremere
Antitribu is not such a great idea. Speaking from experience, relying
on two large vampires makes your deck particularly vulnerable. In
addition, there tends to be very little synergy due to a poor
discipline fit. Chaundice doesn’t have Auspex, Dominate, or
Thaumaturgy. Most Tremere Antitribu don’t have Fortitude and Potence,
and none have Visceratika (unless you count Ian Forestal, who is in an
incompatible Group).
The one case where it might make some sense is using Chaundice with
Malgorzata. Looking at Malgorzata and Chaundice may lead one to
consider the Vicissitude angle, but I’d argue that it is a red
herring. Chaundice only has inferior Vicissitude, and it really
doesn’t give him access to anything useful that he can’t already do
(except maybe Changeling’s +1 bleed, if Malgorzata doesn’t need the
card for stealth). The main reason Malgorzata works is because her
special lets you get Chaundice out at a discount. At an 8-capacity,
you can bring him out in one turn by using Malgorzata and then
transferring 4 pool. If you have more time, you can get Chaundice out
for free by using Malgorzata’s ability twice (since 8 divides into 4
nicely, you don’t even need to spend additional transfers adding or
removing extra pool). There’s something poetic about pairing Chaundice
up with one of his creators.
In most situations, the best candidates to work with Chaundice are
Nickolai and Antonio d’Erlette. Nickolai shares Fortitude, Potence,
Vicissitude, and Thaumaturgy (for outferiors). He can also take the
actions to gain FOR, POR, and eventually Visceratika. Antonio has
Fortitude, Potence, and Thaumaturgy (for outferiors) while his special
gets Nephandus support. As mid-caps, Nickolai and Antonio are much
more affordable to use with Chaundice. And since they can play most of
the key cards, they can fend for themselves if necessary.
One other alternative is using a bunch of cheap weenies for support.
The main challenge with this approach is that the Tremere Antitribu
have a pretty wretched selection of weenies (as discussed in my last
newsletter, Winter 2009) and you have only one Chaundice. (After
tapping to use the Slave rule once, the rest of your weenies have no
such protection).
Looking at other Gargoyles, Tupdog isn’t a great fit since most Tupdog
decks are overly specialized. Combining Chaundice with Fustuk offers
more potential, in my personal opinion. Rocia’s probably too expensive
to pair up with Chaundice, while Cedric and Rusticus are Tremere
slaves, which rules them out (unless you’re playing an intercept deck
or are okay with just undirected actions).
Chaundice can shrug off an encounter with a Renegade Garou, War Ghoul,
or Shambling Horde without a scratch. He can easily survive a round or
two of combat with Potence or gun decks. If combat lasts a single
round, he can prevent 4 damage in that one round. If there’s going to
be two rounds of combat, he can prevent 2 damage in each round. In
addition, the 2 points of damage prevention for that round can be
applied to different strikes. Chaundice’s special is very good, but
remember its limitations. He can’t prevent 1 damage in each of 4
rounds of combat (if only 1 point of damage is inflicted during a
round, using his special means that 1 point of prevention is wasted).
More importantly, it is only effective against strike damage (not
environmental) and is useless against agg. If you’re going to be using
Chaundice, you will definitely need to address this vulnerability. You
don’t want your 8 pool investment to be going to torpor at the first
sign of aggravated damage.
The easiest solution is Armor of Terra, which is the perfect card for
Chaundice. It provides an extra point of damage prevention per combat
(but which can be used against aggravated damage or environmental
damage). And lets Chaundice deal with agg by converting it into
normal. Fortitude also offers Repair the Undead Flesh, but Armor of
Terra is much better. Until you get set up with an Armor of Terra,
you’ll probably need to rely on transient damage prevention.
Unfortunately, with no Thaumaturgy, Rego Motus isn’t a viable option
so you need to go with either Visceratika or maybe Fortitude
prevention. Rockheart is probably the best option, since the superior
provides a lingering effect – it can prevent 1 agg every round, or
when combined with Chaundice’s special, you can prevent up to 8 damage
from a single strike if you’re facing some bizarre Potence
monstrosity. In addition, it works on every strike (including
additionals), meaning you can go through two rounds with a Renegade
Garou without taking any damage. If you’re taking more aggravated
damage, you can play an inferior (which prevents the second half when
combined with the superior). Plus, Rockheart has a useful Thaumaturgy
dodge as an outferior. The only downside is that it’s only helpful
against strike damage (if you see a lot of environmental damage, you
might want to try something else). Rolling with the Punches is another
excellent option due to its flexibility. In addition, many of the
traditionally weaker damage prevention cards are more useful
(Stonestrength, Hidden Strength, Indomitability) because they also
provide presses. You should probably avoid Resilience and Soak because
Chaundice can already handle most non-aggravated damage. Another
possibility you should strongly consider is using Spirit Summoning
Chamber to quickly retrieve your Armor of Terra.
Though Chaundice can easily survive multiple rounds of combat, a lot
of the time it might be more efficient to stick to just one or two
rounds (use up his damage prevention and then let combat end, to
conserve blood). Thus getting into combat multiple times (rather than
continuing on for multiple rounds), seems like the best option. As
such, presses are particularly helpful for Chaundice. If you’ve only
had to use his special once during the first round, you might as well
press for a second round since you still have free damage prevention.
If you’ve had to use all 4 points of prevention during the first
round, then a press might be useful to end combat.
With so much innate damage prevention, Chaundice can really make the
most out of Disarm since he can usually prevent all the damage from
the opponent’s strike. A similar principle applies to Street Cred,
which can function as effective pool gain and with Chaundice’s
capacity, you can use it to bring out support in the form of Tremere
Antitribu masters.
Useful permanents to increase Chaundice’s threat potential include
Heroic Might and Preternatural Strength, especially if you intend on
getting into combat a lot. For the same reason, Chaundice makes a good
candidate for a Biothaumaturgic Experiment, though often times, the
permanent maneuver from reusing Roll should suffice.
In combat, Immortal Grapple is likely to be a key card, since it
prevents S:CE and provides a press. Crawling Chamber provides either a
maneuver, a press, or a mini-Crows effect, giving you a lot of control
over the nature of the combat. The environmental damage from Razor
Bats or Stone Dogs is well-suited for multiple rounds or multiple
combats. Lead Fist is actually viable in a Chaundice deck because of
its press (at the cost of a blood). If you want a more aggressive
deck, then you should heavily utilize Potence, as well as including
Raking Talons to make your strike damage aggravated. And if your play
environment includes a lot of maneuvers, you may find Brick by Brick a
better option than Crawling Chamber since you can set the first round
to close (and then continue grappling).
Finally, with Chaundice as your star, you want to take as many actions
as possible with him, while still keeping him untapped to protect his
masters (with the slave rule) or block (for an intercept deck). Freak
Drive and As the Crow are the most immediate answers to multi-acting,
along with the new archetype Cavalier. Unfortunately, you can’t Freak
Drive or As the Crow after using the Slave rule, but Chaundice has a
few additional options up his sleeve. If you have decent combat,
Monster can provide an untap after invoking the Slave rule or
blocking. Alternatively, you can tool up beforehand with Zillah’s
Tears (Freak Driving after the action), which gives you an additional
chance to use the Slave rule or block. If you’re particularly daring,
you could even Inscription out a Rutor’s Hand to Chaundice. An Anarch
deck may find it worthwhile to use CrimethInc. or Firebrand to untap
its Gargoyle Slave.
Chaundice can make a decent intercept deck with some weenie support.
Combine multiple Razor Bats (free with Soul of the Earth) with
Defender of the Haven and Abbot. Voices of the Castle, Patrol, and
Scry the Hearthstone provide transient intercept. Ensconced works well
with Chaundice since he normally doesn’t care about getting into extra
combats. One particularly clever combo is to use Powerbase: Savannah
to protect your acting minions (since Chaundice can only defend one of
them). Stacking several copies of Ensconced on the Powerbase ensures
that no one can steal it from you. Finally, remember that a lot of the
intercept only works on (D) actions, so make sure you have enough
unrestricted intercept that can take on political decks.
A more aggressive rush deck is also do-able. Employing multiple Stone
Dogs (free with Soul of the Earth) gives you extra damage in combat
and additional actions to take with Freak Drive and As the Crow (you
can rush with each of the Stone Dogs in subsequent actions). In
addition to the standard rushes (Bum’s Rush, Ambush, Harass) you’ll
probably appreciate the +1 stealth from Dive Bomb. If you have a spare
action, you can even use Raw Recruit (to preclude rescues).
Chaundice is certainly an intriguing vampire and can definitely form
the center of some fun super star decks. But don’t make the mistake of
thinking of him as a support vampire – he deserves more attention than
that.
--------------------------
[3.6 – Featured Card: Flames of the Netherworld]
Flames of the Netherworld [HttB:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Daimoinon/Thaumaturgy
[tha] Only usable at long range. This vampire burns 1 blood to strike
for 1R aggravated damage.
[dai] Strike: 1 aggravated damage.
[DAI] Strike: 1R aggravated damage.
Artist: Sandra Chang-Adair
The outferior Flames of the Netherworld offers an exciting new option
for Thaumaturgy with some effective first round agg. In the past, THA
combat has only had Walk of Flame and Burst of Sunlight when it comes
to aggravated damage. Walk of Flame requires second round combat,
which means you need to survive the first round, counter any S:CE, and
manage to press as well. Burst of Sunlight can be used during the
first round, but it deals backlash damage to your minion, leading to
lots of trips to torpor or a lot of card slots devoted to working
around the environmental damage (e.g. Flak Jackets, Precognition). But
now Flames of the Netherworld offers a decent alternative. You can
maneuver to long with Crawling Chamber and then strike for 1R
aggravated.
Some players might complain that Flames of the Netherworld is still
worse than what Vicissitude and Quietus can do. Vicissitude can
maneuver to long (with Chiroptean Marauder) and has Breath of the
Dragon (which deals 2R aggravated at superior, can be used at close
range if really necessary, and whose cost can be reduced). Even
Quietus’ Taste of Death is technically better than Flames (Taste of
Death deals 2R aggravated at superior and its cost can be reduced).
Furthermore, Quietus also has a major advantage with Selective Silence
(at inferior it provides a maneuver, while superior provides maneuver-
trumping range setting). Sure, Flames of the Netherworld may not be at
the top of the card heap, but it’s still a major improvement over what
Thaumaturgy currently offers.
Flames of the Netherworld also works quite well with Target Vitals,
which lets you essentially deal 3R aggravated damage if your opponent
can’t counter it. Light Intensifying Goggles lets you reuse the Target
Vitals while also providing the much needed maneuver. Adding
Rotschreck is also a good move, since it provides a counter to S:CE,
dodge, and prevention, while also effectively serving as combat
defense if the opposing minion also has a nasty ranged strike for you.
If you’re playing a rush deck, then you’ll want to use Bum’s Rush or
Ambush over Harass since the maneuver is more important than a press
(but remember you won’t get it if you’re blocked). Even better is
outferior Nose of the Hound, since the rush action is at +1 stealth.
When used with an intercept deck, Spirit’s Touch is your prime choice.
Looking at Thaumaturgy combat, you have Apportation and Movement of
the Mind for maneuvers at superior. If you have a lot of inferior
Thaumaturgy, then you should go with outferior Crawling Chamber or
Brick by Brick. Also, Ruins of Ceoris can pay off by saving you many
card slots.
Unlike most Daimoinon cards, Flames doesn’t require an Infernal
minion. So you can get added utility when using Valerius Maior, Ian
Forestal, Infernal Pact, or Infernal Familiar since you can play it at
the Daimoinon levels.
I can see Flames of the Netherworld replacing Burst of Sunlight in
most decks, but Burst still has its niche. Intercept decks with
superior AUS can use Precognition for prevention. Merrill Molitor and
Konrad Fleischer can inherently convert aggravated damage to normal.
Rotschreck decks might prefer Burst since no blood is required and you
can use it at close range. Decks with disposable THA weenies or lots
of Recure of the Homeland might not mind having minions in torpor.
Overall, Flames of the Netherworld gives a helpful boost to weenie
Thaumaturgy (even Heinrick Schlempt can now be a credible threat) and
provides a solid option for mid-cap intercept (which usually goes to
long and Thefts, but may want to add in some agg). Even if you don’t
plan on using this card, its very existence means that other players
are going to be a little more wary of entering combat with your
Thaumaturgy minions since it’s another possibility they have to
prepare for.
--------------------------
[3.7 – Featured Deck: Uta Kovacs Eden’s Legacy by Pasi Karjalainen]
During our last issue, we examined one of the two winning Tremere
Antitribu decks for the Eden’s Legacy storyline. That deck focused on
Malgorzata and Uta Kovacs. Uta Kovacs must be a popular vampire,
because she was also the star of the other winning Tremere Antitribu
deck. Pasi Karjalainen scored a win for the clan in Finland, so let’s
see what strategies he successfully employed while delving into the
dark heart of Africa.
Uta Kovacs Eden’s Legacy
By Pasi Karjalainen
[CRYPT: 12 cards]
1 x Elena Mendoza Vasquez (AUS dom obt THA, !Tremere, 6)
1 x Frondator (AUS dom tha, !Tremere, 5, Bishop)
1 x Ladislas Toth, The Torch (AUS DOM for THA, !Tremere, 7,
Archbishop)
1 x Selena (AUS DOM THA, !Tremere, 6, Black Hand)
1 x Terrell Harding (AUS cel dom obf THA, !Tremere, 7)
4 x Uta Kovacs (AUS DOM ser THA, !Tremere, 8)
1 x Yasmin the Black (AUS dom pre THA, !Tremere, 6, Black Hand)
1 x Carna, The Princess Witch (AUS DOM THA, Tremere, 7, Primogen)
1 x Eugenio Estevez (AUS dom for THA, Tremere, 6)
Min: 23 Max: 32 Average: 6.833
[LIBRARY: 90 cards]
[Master: 15 cards]
2 x Fame
2 x Spirit Summoning Chamber
1 x Sudden Reversal
4 x Vessel
4 x Villein
2 x Visit from the Capuchin
[Action: 8 cards]
2 x Abbot
6 x Govern the Unaligned
[Action Modifier: 4 cards]
2 x Conditioning
2 x Murmur of the False Will
[Combat: 46 cards]
7 x Apportation
4 x Aura Reading
4 x Blood Fury
4 x Blood Rage
2 x Drain Essence
6 x Rego Motus
8 x Target Vitals
5 x Telepathic Tracking
6 x Theft of Vitae
[Equipment: 1 card]
1 x Bowl of Convergence
[Reaction: 14 cards]
8 x Eyes of Argus
2 x My Enemy’s Enemy
4 x Telepathic Misdirection
[Retainer: 2 cards]
1 x J.S. Simmons, Esq.
1 x Tasha Morgan
[Understanding the deck]
Pasi: “I expected a very combat heavy environment and thus my deck has
a lot of combat. The Drain Essences were way too conditional – I would
swap these to Thefts of Vitae. In "normal," more balanced tournament
environments I would strengthen up the bleed section by adding more
dominate actions and action modifiers (by reducing the combat cards).
The main weakness of the current design is that it has little defense
against votes. It can get decent intercept against directed actions
but undirected actions can cause problems.”
[Experiences with the deck]
Editor: Based on information from Pasi and his local Prince, Ari-Pekka
Alestalo, this is a partial account of what happened during the Eden’s
Legacy storyline event in Jyvaskyla, Finland:
The Finland event had six players [it’s quite common for smaller
storyline events to have to make unconventional accommodations based
on the unique circumstances]. The decks competing for the secrets of
the Edenic Groundskeepers included:
Tremere Antitribu (Uta Kovacs combat), Motivated by Gehenna
Akunanse (Kamiri Advanced combat/mini-toolbox), Motivated by Gehenna
Akunanse (combat/wall), Motivated by Gehenna
Akunanse (weenie Anarchs recruiting with Piper + Gehenna cards),
Motivated by Knowledge
Followers of Set (mid-cap stealth bleed), Motivated by Jyhad
Giovanni (toolbox with Pochtli and Liquidation), Motivated by Secrecy
Pasi: “In the first round, I managed to oust my prey (the Setite
bleeders). I was forced to do back rushes against my Giovanni
predator. The Gehenna events and defensive decks slowed the game down,
resulting in a timeout. I got 1.5 VP’s.”
Ari-Pekka adds: “The Gehenna deck managed to put Anthelios, Blood
Weakens, Unmasking, Veil of Darkness and Blood Trade into play. This
caused considerable aggravation and confusion all around. Only the
Giovanni truly benefited from the Gehenna onslaught by recycling
Personal Involvement and repeatedly bombarding the Tremere Antitribu
with it.”
Pasi: “In the second round, the Giovanni toolbox was my prey and in
the beginning I put decent pressure on him. As the game went on my
Akunanse predator started to bleed and rush me. I fared quite well in
combat due to the Blood Rage + Target Vitals combo, which he couldn't
prevent with fortitude damage prevention. The Gehenna events Blood
Weakens and The Slow Withering made combat very complex. Uta's special
helped a lot because Slow Withering didn't affect me that much. But
then my luck turned – the Akunanse managed to send Uta to torpor with
Kiss of Ra and diablerize her. After that I had to take a defensive
position and I couldn't put any more pressure on my heavy bloating
Giovanni prey. The table timed out and I got 0.5 VP’s.”
Ari-Pekka adds: “The Setite player started by bringing two small
capacity snakes into play and promptly equipped the "neutral" Codex.
He managed to bleed me [the Kamiri deck] with the Codex action. I was
five pool down before Kamiri entered play. This seriously weakened my
chances of influencing reinforcements since the Gehenna deck had
started to pump out Gehenna events at an alarming rate. By the midgame
there were seven Gehenna cards in play (including an early Wormwood)
and all players were feeling the pain. The Setites managed to oust me
by top decking a total of +5 stealth for a finishing bleed. The
Gehenna deck raised the number of Gehenna events to nine before being
ousted by the Giovanni. The four surviving players were so weakened
from the Gehenna madness that anything might have happened. Only a
timeout saved the remaining Akunanse from succumbing to the surviving
Setites.”
Editor: Thanks to Pasi and Ari-Pekka for an exciting retelling of the
events! I’m just glad that the Tremere Antitribu managed to triumph at
the end. Great work Pasi, for bringing victory to the clan!
--------------------------
[3.8 – Evolution of a Deck: Wall of ASH by Robyn Tatu]
The Winter 2009 Newsletter had Ash Harrison as our Featured Vampire,
but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room to include a deck focused
on him. But now we have the opportunity to rectify that.
Recently, Robyn Tatu won a 10-player tournament at Powerbase: Los
Angeles with a Tremere Antitribu Celerity deck centered around Ash
Harrison. This deck can be found in The Lasombra’s Tournament Winning
Deck Archive (TWDA) as “Ash and Other Thau/Cel Buddies.” Since then,
Robyn’s deck has undergone numerous revisions and improvements and in
its most recent incarnation, it is now titled “Wall of ASH.”
This provides a fascinating opportunity to not only observe a deck’s
evolution over time, but to gain a glimpse into the deck-building mind
of the First Lady of VTES.
The original deck:
Ash and Other Thau/Cel Buddies
By Robyn Tatu
[CRYPT: 12 cards]
4 x Ash Harrison (AUS cel dom THA, !Tremere, 7, Black Hand)
1 x Carmen (aus dom THA, !Tremere, 5, Black Hand)
1 x Eric Kressida (AUS cel DOM PRO THA, !Tremere, 8, Bishop)
1 x Lernean (AUS CEL DOM for pro THA, !Tremere, 10, Cardinal)
1 x Mistress Fanchon (AUS CEL DOM OBF THA VIC, Tremere, 11, Inner
Circle)
1 x Muhsin Samir (aus DOM pot THA, Tremere, 6)
2 x Troius (AUS cel DOM THA, 8, Tremere, Prince)
1 x Zane (aus dom THA, 5, Tremere, Primogen)
Min: 23 Max: 37 Average: 7.417
[LIBRARY: 90 cards]
[Master: 10 cards]
1 x Pentex™ Subversion
1 x Rack, The
1 x Rotschreck
2 x Sudden Reversal
2 x Vessel
2 x Villein
1 x Wash
[Action: 18 cards]
1 x Abbot
1 x Biothaumaturgic Experiment
2 x Bum’s Rush
8 x Govern the Unaligned
5 x Magic of the Smith
1 x Rutor’s Hand
[Action Modifier: 10 cards]
1 x Conditioning
9 x Mirror Walk
[Combat: 25 cards]
2 x Apportation
4 x Blur
2 x Crawling Chamber
7 x Pursuit
3 x Rego Motus
6 x Theft of Vitae
1 x Walk of Flame
[Equipment: 7 cards]
1 x Bowl of Convergence
1 x Drum of Xipe Totec
1 x Heart of Nizchetus
1 x Ivory Bow
1 x Palatial Estate
2 x Ruins of Ceoris
[Reaction: 20 cards]
4 x Deflection
2 x Eagle’s Sight
2 x Enhanced Senses
3 x Eyes of Argus
3 x Forced Awakening
4 x On the Qui Vive
2 x Telepathic Misdirection
At the time, Robyn commented that: “I had not tested the deck prior to
playing it in the tournament (it needs some work.....more rush,
specifically...).” So let’s see what the deck looks like in its
updated version:
Wall of ASH
By Robyn Tatu
[CRYPT: 12 cards]
4 x Ash Harrison (AUS cel dom THA, !Tremere, 7, Black Hand)
1 x Carmen (aus dom THA, !Tremere, 5, Black Hand)
1 x Frondator (AUS dom tha, !Tremere, 5, Bishop)
1 x Janine (aus dom tha, !Tremere, 4)
1 x Mosfair (cel dom tha, !Tremere, 4, Black Hand)
4 x Troius (AUS cel DOM THA, 8, Tremere, Prince)
Min: 18 Max: 32 Average: 6.5
[LIBRARY: 90 cards]
[Master: 11 cards]
1 x Celerity
3 x Hand Contract
1 x Rack, The
1 x Rotschreck
2 x Sudden Reversal
3 x Vessel
[Action: 19 cards]
3 x Bum’s Rush
8 x Govern the Unaligned
6 x Magic of the Smith
2 x Nose of the Hound
[Action Modifier: 3 cards]
3 x Mirror Walk
[Combat: 29 cards]
4 x Blur
4 x Crawling Chamber
4 x Flash
5 x Pursuit
4 x Rego Motus
4 x Taste of Vitae
3 x Theft of Vitae
1 x Weather Control
[Equipment: 4 cards]
1 x Bowl of Convergence
1 x Heart of Nizchetus
1 x Ivory Bow
1 x Ruins of Ceoris
[Reaction: 24 cards]
4 x Deflection
3 x Eyes of Argus
3 x Forced Awakening
3 x On the Qui Vive
6 x Quicken Sight
2 x Second Tradition: Domain, The
3 x Telepathic Misdirection
[Understanding the deck]
Robyn:
“Ash and Troius are a great team. You will very likely only have the
two of them for most of the game. I’ve tried just about every other
partner with Ash…but I like this one best. Two Deflectors, two
Misdirectors. Both are comfortable with the Bowl. Two votes, 1 Prince
title, auto-Agg at long range, 1 + hand damage, Black Hand, influence
younger vamps ability, and both are large enough to last through a few
combats.
This deck is not terribly effective at anything. I am happiest on
defense and this deck suits my play style without being a table
dragging Auspex hoard.
The deck is NOT an intercept deck. It was built as an answer to Weenie
Auspex. A small early game demonstration of superior Auspex coupled
with ranged Agg that is always “on” can be worrisome for most
predators so unless they are sure they have your number, you’ll have
several turns of not being bothered until the predator can gather a
great hand in which to come forward.
The initial plan is to be assertive with my prey and try to take an
offensive action with Ash every turn. At first they won’t stop him and
then later they’ll be too weak to. Of course the fall back is to
survive to end game. I end up in a lot of timeouts with one VP. That
is where the deck could improve.
The more I cram celerity in there the more diluted the deck becomes,
but I can’t help myself because THA/CEL is so alluring as a combat
package. It would be more focused and flow better if it was one or the
other.”
[Playing the deck]
Robyn:
“The first Magic of the Smith should be devoted to the Heart of
Nizchetus. If I’m wearing the Heart and then draw the Ruins of Ceoris
on accident before I can use Magic of the Smith to equip it, I can
equip later after putting it on the bottom of my deck.
Never discard the Rotschreck.
Its main weakness is that it’s slow to oust.
Because I sat with a Weenie Auspex deck as Pred or Prey in every
single (16) round I played during the EC, this deck will get some new
attention this year.”
[What’s next?]
Robyn:
“This is the latest permutation. I have another TWD that has Troius
partnered with Gabrielle. He wins my “Best Secondary Vampire” award.
Next... I’d like to try an Ankara on Troius.”
Editor: Thanks Robyn, for your invaluable insights on CEL/THA combat
and playing with Ash, as well as your tips on dealing with weenie
Auspex. We very much look forward to the exciting decks you’ll be
building (and playing) this year!
--------------------------
Things to Look Forward to: Exploring new strategies from Heirs to the
Blood, integrating Gargoyle elements into your Tremere Antitribu
decks, and learning some useful tricks from Fustuk.
Signing out,
Eric Chiang