Thursday, September 30, 2010

VtES EC 2010 Blog Started

Last weekend I started a new blog for the upcoming VtES European Championship 2010, which takes places from October 29th to 31st, 2010 in Paris, France. Please take note that before the actual EC starts, there are number of events (read: VtES constructed tournaments, drafts, casual games, etc.), also commonly known as Week of Nightmares.

The blog is there to promote the event a little, but even more importantly to report from the EC events as soon as the EC has started. As last year's blog there will be tournament results, pictures, and more.

Here's the link to the VtES EC 2010 blog.

Results Swedish National VtES Championship 2010

On September 11th, 2010 the Swedish National VtES Championship 2010 was held in Örebro, Sweden with 44 players attending the tournament. The final standings after three rounds and final were as follows:
1. Erik Torstensson (SWE) -- 1.5 VP -- Cybele/Aksyna Master Cards
2. Daniel Teige (SWE) -- 1 VP -- Midcap Kindred Spirits Bleed
2. Anders Löf (SWE) -- 0.5 VP -- Dominate/Animalism Toolbox
2. Otto Kukkasniemi (FIN) -- 0.5 VP -- Weenie Auspex
2. Kasper Kristensen (DEN) -- 0 VP -- Ventrue Breed/Boon/KRC
Congratulations to Erik for his win of the 2nd Swedish Nationals. You can find a tournament report and all five finalist's decks in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Results UK National VtES Championship 2010

Copied from http://www.sevenoaksart.co.uk/flags.htmThe UK National VtES Championship 2010 has been played on September 18th, 2010 in Reading, UK with 34 players attending the tournament. The standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:
1. Anthony Coleman (UK) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 2 VP -- Rachel Brandywine Madness Network
2. Sven Helmer (GER) -- 2 GW 7 VP -- 2 VP -- Gangrel Royalty
2. Lukasz Wasylow (POL) -- 2 GW 7.5 VP -- 1 VP -- The Unnamed Maleficia
2. Maceij Bernart (POL) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0 VP -- Pot/For Rush
2. Jon Shonk (UK) -- 2 GW 7.5 VP -- 0 VP --Lasombra Bleed/Vote
Congratulations to Anthony for his win of the UK Nationals 2010. You can find the tournament winning deck and the final standings in the UK VtES Forum.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Memorable Quotes (Part 87)

"(..) VTES needs an investment of time and money to get to grips with, and an interest in complex social game mechanics. It’s not an “instant gratification” game, and never was." -- Orava (Finnish VtES player)

Reference: VTES going into torpor, again

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Results Polish National VtES Championship 2010

Copied from http://www.sevenoaksart.co.uk/flags.htmOn September 25th, 2010 the Polish National VtES Championship 2010 was held in Warsaw, Poland with 20 players attending the tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:
1. Tomasz Izydorczyk (POL) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 4 VP -- Ahrimanes Wall
2. Dominik Piatkowski (POL) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 1 VP -- Setites Tempation/Bleed feat. Rabbat
2. Marcin Watras (POL) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Anson/Volker Cel Gun w/ Ashur Tablets
2. Michal Orowiecki (POL) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- New Brujah Vote
2. Bartlomiej Chrobak (POL) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 0 VP -- Rock Cat
Congratulations to Tomasz for his win of the Polish Nationals 2010. A tournament report and the winner's deck list can be found on warGrim's Blog.

Results SalinenCon 2010 VtES Tournament in Bad Nauheim

Here are the results of the local VtES Constructed tournament during the SalinenCon 2010 in Bad Nauheim, Germany after 2 rounds and the final. The tournament was played on September 25th, 2010 with 16 players participating. Here are the standings after the final round:
1. Ralf L. -- 1 GW 4.5 VP -- 2.5 VP -- Tupdog Rush Combat
2. Joscha D. -- 1 GW 4.5 VP -- 0.5 VP -- Paul Cordwood & Tremere Friends Bleed
2. Marcel V. -- 1 GW 2.5 VP -- 0.5 VP -- Nosferatu antitribu G2/3 Ani/Pot Combat
2. Ralf W. -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 0 VP -- Giovanni G2/3 Powerbleed(?)
2. Erol Ö. -- 1 GW 3.5 VP -- 0 VP -- Ishtarri Vote feat. Dmitra
Congratulations to Ralf for his victory in the tournament. You can find the tournament winning deck in the German VEKN Forum.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Plans for the VtES North American Championship 2011

At the Grand Masquerade event during the VtES North American Championship 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana plans for the NAC 2011 were announced. The NAC 2011 will be held during the Origins Game Fair, which takes places from June 22th to 26th, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio:
Origins Game Fair
June 22-26, 2011
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, Ohio, 43215, USA
If you start planning now, you can attend the fan sponsored NAC in June of 2011 with some of the best players in the world. More details, can be found on the official NAC 2011 website (hosted by The Lasombra). The web site is currently under construction, so expect some changes there.

Results NAC 2010: North American Championship (Day Two)

The results of the VtES North American Championship 2010, which was played on September 24th-26th, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana have been disclosed. 25 players played in the final NAC tournament, and the standings after 3 rounds and the final round were as follows:
1. Matthew Hirsch (USA) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 3 VP -- Malkavian antitribu feat. Hannibal Vote & Bleed
2. Robyn Tatu (USA) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 1 VP -- Malkavian Antitribu Dementation S&B
2. Matt Morgan (USA) -- 2 GW 7 VP -- 1 VP -- Weenie Animalism feat. Nana Buruki
2. Bill Troxel (USA) -- 2 GW 5.5 VP -- 0 VP -- Malkavian '94 Stealth Bleed
2. Kevin Mergen (USA) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Malkavian Antitribu Dementation S&B
Congratulations to Matt for winning the NAC 2010. You can find a tournament report on Mephistopheles' blog Hun Fragment.

Results NAC 2010: First Chance Qualifier

More results from the VtES North American Championship 2010, which was played on September 24th-26th, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana have been announced. The last major tournament was the First Chance Qualifier on Sunday, which gives players a chance to qualify for next year's continental championships. 13 players participated in this NAC tournament, the standings in the finals were (partial results; full information will be given as soon as they are available):
1. Martin Major (HUN) -- 2 GW 5 VP -- 3 VP -- New Brujah Alastor
2. Alex Broadhead (USA) -- x GW y VP -- 2 VP -- Weenie Presence
2. Andy Smith (USA) -- x GW y VP -- 0 VP --Malkavian antitribu S&B
2. Eric Simon (USA) -- x GW y VP -- 0 VP -- True Brujah feat. Lydia
2. Kelly Schultz (USA) -- x GW y VP -- 0 VP -- Daughters of Cacophony Vote
Congratulations to Martin for his win of the NAC FCQ 2010. You can find a report on the tournament and the finals on Mephistopheles' "Hun Fragment" blog.

Results NAC 2010: North American Championship (Day One)

Here are the results of the Day One tournament of the VtES North American Championship 2010, which is played during September 24th-26th, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The qualifier for the NAC finals have been finished on Saturday, with 40 players playing in this tournament of which 25 qualified for the finals. The standings after 3 rounds and the final round were as follows (partial results; full information will be given as soon as they are available):
1. Felipe Fiuza (BRZ) -- x GW y VP -- 2 VP -- Imbued
2. Selen Turkay (USA) -- x GW y VP -- 2 VP -- Weenie Dementation Bleed
2. Ben Peal (USA) -- x GW y VP -- 1 VP -- Kiasyd S&B
2. Ira Fay (USA) -- x GW y VP -- 0 VP -- Big Cap Vote
2. Ferenc Vasadi (HUN) -- x GW y VP -- 0 VP -- Baali Shatter the Gates
Congratulations to Felipe for winning the Day One tournament.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Results NAC 2010: Last Chance Qualifier

The first results of the VtES North American Championship 2010, which is played on September 24th-26th, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana have been announced. The first major tournament was the Last Chance Qualifier on Friday, which gives non-qualified players a last chance to enter the actual NAC tournament on the following day(s). 34 players participated in this NAC tournament, the standings in the finals were (partial results; full information will be given as soon as they are available):
1. Mark Loughman (USA) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 3 VP -- Nakhthorheb Chameleon
2. Ferenc Vasadi (HUN) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 2 VP -- Lucian the Perfect MegaBleed
2. Darby Keeny (USA) -- 2 GW 9 VP -- 0 VP -- Tupdog
2. Alex Harmon (USA) -- 1 GW 7 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie Presence Bleed
2. Adam Hulse (USA) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie/Midcap Auspex Wall
Congratulations to Mark for his win of the NAC LCQ 2010. You can find a report on the tournament and the finals on Mephistopheles' "Hun Fragment" blog.

Friday, September 24, 2010

VtES North American Championship 2010 has started

(c) 2010 by White Wolf/CCPToday (on Friday, September 23rd, 2010) the VtES North American Championship 2010 has just began. This year the continental championship is part of a larger convention, the Grand Masquerade, were not only players of Vampire the Eternal Struggle meet in New Orleans (Louisiana), but also of other White Wolf/CCP games like Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, etc. Expectations are that during the event White Wolf/CCP will present their massive multiplayer online-RPG based on White Wolf's Vampire RPG for the first time to larger audience. More information on the Grand Masquerade convention and the MMORPG can be found in an interview of Shane DeFreest on Flames Rising.

The VtES North American Continental Championship is structured (as usual) in three parts:
  • the Last Chance Qualifier on Friday, September 24th
  • the NAC Day 1 Tournament on Saturday, September 25th
  • the NAC Day 2 Tournament on Sunday, September 26th
You find the full schedule either on the Grand Masquerade website or in an earlier post on this blog. In addition you can follow the events of the Grand Masquerade on Facebook or Twitter.

VtES North American Championship Qualifiers 2010 (Update)

Here's a list of the upcoming continental championship qualifier events for VtES taking place in North America in 2010, mostly taken from the WW event calendar:
  • No more events scheduled ..
And the list for the NACQs already played:
All this culminating in the North American VtES Championship 2010: You can also find a list of qualifier/championship events on White Wolf's VtES Championship webpage.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Results Czech EC Qualifier 2010

On September 19th, 2010 the VtES Czech EC Qualifier was held in Prague, Czech Republic with 20 players attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings were as follows:
1. Lubomir Danda (CZE) -- 2 GW 9 VP -- 5 VP -- Giovanni G2/3 Powerbleed
2. Daniel Gargulak (CZE) -- 2 GW 9 VP -- 0 VP -- Nosferatu Royalty w/ 3rd Traditions
2. Jakub Rypar (CZE) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0 VP -- Malkavian antitribu G2/3 Stealth Bleed
2. Jan Koci (CZE) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Giovanni Powerbleed
2. Jakub Marek (CZE) -- 1 GW 4,5 VP -- 0 VP -- Carna Wall
Congratulations to Lubomir for his win of the Czech ECQ 2010. You can find the tournament winning deck in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

VtES Tournament "Drink New Blood" in Bochum

On the occasion of the annual Essen Games Fair, the playgroup in Bochum will hold the traditional Midnight Tournament on Saturday, October 23rd, 2010. The pub the tournament will be played at, is less 20 km from the Essen fair area.

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle - Mini-QualifierTournament
Drink New Blood
  • Time:
    Saturday, 23 October 2010
    Doors open at 19:00 h
    Start first round at 19:30 h

  • Location:
    Zu den Vier Winden
    Hofsteder Str. 94
    44809 Bochum
    Germany

  • Round system: 2 rounds plus final (time limit: 2h each)

  • Format: VEKN Constructed (Mini-Qualifier)
    In case we have less than 12 players, the Multi-Deck System will be used.
    In case we are 12 or more players, this event will count as a Mini-Qualifier.

  • Entrance fee: 2€

  • Remarks
    • Please note: The location is a pub, so you may not bring your own food and drinks.
      Pre-registration is possible via email to me or a post in the German VEKN web forum in this thread.

  • Contact:
    Gerhard "Hardy" Range
    prinz (/dot/) bochum (/at/) gmx (/dot/) de
    German VtES Forum

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Poll Results: "Will you continue playing VtES?"

Here are the results of the latest poll if the readers of this blog will continue to play VtES although production cessation of the game was official declare by White Wolf on September 10th, 2010. 281 readers of this blog have voted in this poll:
  • Yes, definitely! -- 191 (67%)
  • At least for some time. -- 56 (19%)
  • Maybe .. -- 9 (3%)
  • Nope, that's it for me. -- 8 (2%)
  • I'm still in shock! -- 17 (6%)
A large majority of the readers (67%) is willing to play the game for an extended time, even though no cards will printed for a foreseeable future, and a significant second group (19%) will play at least for some time from now on. Only a small minority (5%) is quitting the game for good or is at least thinking about quitting.

After all: Another sign how faithful to the game VtES players are ..

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Did you know, that ... (Part 46)

.. that when Veil of Darkness is in play, and a minion takes an action (his first) using a discipline which gets canceled by Veil of Darkness (i.e. by turning over a Master card), the minion is not tapped as result. That is because if an action gets canceled as it is played, then the effects of that play including tapping the acting minion do not occur.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Ravenous Nephwrack

I bleed you for one and the Edge,
but what more can I do?


VtES music for the masses.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

VtES Artists from the Old Times

The coverage of the latest Magic: the Gathering Grand Prix shows some of the artists which contributed heavily in the old times of VtES when it was published by Wizards of the Coast.

So take a look at:
and .. oh, at some other person named Richard Garfield, too.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Final Death or just Torpor?

Picture by Beauteous BabeI am still bit under shock of the announcement of end of Vampire: the Eternal Struggle being produced White Wolf. Shock, anger, sadness and bit of frustration hit me when I read the news in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup yesterday evening.

There was the brutal shock that this wonderful game is no longer in production. I was about to write it was a sudden demise, but in fact it wasn't. There were a lot of signs for this on the road ..

The first nail in the coffin was the aquisition of White Wolf by CCP on November 11th, 2006. I am now convinced more than ever that CCP bought White Wolf in 2006 mainly (solely?) with the intent of getting a strong trademark for their next MMORPG with little to no interest of maintaining any of the current pen-and-paper games (including VtES). The most apparent indication was the outright statement by Ryan Dancey in 2009 that CCPs/White Wolf's "legacy table top business is a legacy business".

The lack of support for VtES in many places by White Wolf was appalling in the past few years. The best example for is the VEKN rating system. The whole piece of software was flawed from the start and the efforts to fix it were superficial at best. For example, instead of fixing the "Ranking by City/Country", these features just got turned off. Another example was the lack of updates on the White Wolf website. Often the announcement for new expansions were very late, there were very few news posts each month, and the card list is still not updated with the promotional cards from 2010.

The final nail in that coffin then was the expiration of the license for VtES that White Wolf had acquired some ten years ago. Allegedly, Wizard of the Coast wanted significantly more money that White Wolf had paid before, making it less profitable for White Wolf to produce the game. I don't know how earnestly and thorough the efforts by White Wolf were, but I am willing to say, it was also a quite convenient excuse to shut down this game for good.



A big of my feelings is frustration right now, mostly because for the foreseeable future there seems to be no hope for new official product or even reprints. And with no new expansions and no reprints it will be even harder to attract new players. Hard to convince the new guy with a statement like ".. but I have to admit you're investing your money in dead game"!

Hopefully the abandonment of the game by a game company is only a temporary state, but I have my doubts that history repeats itself as with the sudden resurrection of the game in 2000.



On the other hand, I must thank White Wolf for actually producing the game in all these years, although it was and it is a niche product. And some of their extra efforts like the VtES Players Kit or the Tenth Anniversary Edition were very laudable.

But even more thanks than I am giving to White Wolf, I have give to those individuals supporting this game (almost all of them without being paid for it).
  • LSJ for his design of the game, answering rules questions for 16 years straight, etc., etc.,
  • Oscar Garza for supporting the game, and being the link between company and player community,
  • Robyn Tatu for maintaining the VEKN ranking system,
  • The Lasombra for hosting and maintaining the largest VtES information pool for a long, long time,
  • Ben Swainbank (and his team) for making the Storyline events happen,
  • Balász Kunó Kiss for programming the FELDB,
  • Graham Smith (and his team) for programming the ARDB,
  • all the national coordinators, princes and tournament organizers for countless hours of supporting the game
and of course
  • all the VtES players for playing and enjoying this great game ..
And because of all this non-company, VtES player support I am hopeful that this game will last for at least some time longer ..

Friday, September 10, 2010

V:tES to Cease Production

As reported on the White Wolf website and the VtES Usenet Newsgroup: by Oscar Garza (VtES Organized Play Director), which I quote in full due the importance of this news for the game:
V:TES to Cease Production after 10 years back at White Wolf

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle® Trading Card Game to Cease Production

Atlanta, GA September 10, 2010 -- Vampire: The Eternal Struggle™, the trading card game published since 2000 by White Wolf Publishing Inc., has survived the lifetimes of many Methuselahs, been a terrifying vehicle for their manipulative ways and a true forum for the creation of lifelong friends and bitter enemies since its launch in 1994.

White Wolf has been increasingly unable to continue serving the V:TES community in the way that the game requires. After an exhaustive search for possible alternatives to extend V:TES, one of the oldest collectible card games will be returning to torpor once more. White Wolf sought out many possible licensors to take over the franchise but an accord could not be met. V:TES will finish the year strongly with the North American Championship at The Grand Masquerade in New Orleans and the European Championship in Paris and continue to support tournaments for another year, even in the absence of new expansions or reprints of old sets. The strength of V:TES has always been in its devout following, and White Wolf trusts that while the game may retreat from the light for the foreseeable future, it will never suffer a final death.

Direct Inquiries to:
Oscar Garza, Organized Play Director
White Wolf Publishing
orgplay (/at/) white-wolf (/dot/) com


On a personal note: I've played V:TES for most of my life and have worked with it for 100% of my personal career. My experience is filled with unforgettable memories, unforgettable friends, and few but unforgettable regrets. It is with a heavy heart that we came to the decisions we did regarding V:TES. On the up side, it has been my sincere pleasure to have met and worked with as many of you as I have and I invite everyone that can make it to the Continental Championships to do so I'd like to buy you a drink.
Very, very, very sad news indeed ..

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Memorable Quotes (Part 86)

"'You can DI it!' isn't the way V:TES works for assessing problems, however." -- James Coupe (VtES player)
Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Did you know, that ... (Part 45)

.. that you can still play "Consanguineous Boon" even if the Event "Blood Trade" is in play. "Blood Trade" burns all Boons in play, and in addition prevents Boons from being put into play.

The reason for this is that although "Consanguineous Boon" is a Boon by card text, "Blood Trade" only prevents Boons from being put into play, not from being played to the ash heap, as "Consanguineous Boon" is.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Bochum VtES League 2010: September 3rd

Here are the decks of the Bochum VtES League 2010 from the meeting on September 3rd, 2010 (prey is from left to right, from top to bottom):

Left: Michael choose a copy of the Mono-Potence Prince deck from the State of Play blog.

Right: Hardy played his now well-known Toreador antitribu Breed & Boon deck, that has some nifty Black Hand tech incorporated.

Left: Ralf played his proven Imbued Chainsaw Massacre deck.

Right: Didi played a rather new deck, a vote deck based on actually four disciplines, namely Obfuscate, Celerity, Fortitude and Presence.

Game Summary: This was one of the quicker games in the Bochum VtES League. Although Ralf managed to influence his Imbued quite fast, Hardy was moving his vampires to the controlled region even faster (with the addition of the occasional Embrace). This made Ralf play rather defensively which gave in turn his prey, Didi, time to built-up. So Didi moved three rather big cap vampires (Ayo Igoli, Dmitra & Falhu Shibaba) to the region ready, and with vote lock at the table and some multi-action via Forced Marched, he dominated the table easily. Michael's dilemma was that he played a mono-Potence Prince deck, but neither drew enough rush actions nor enough Second Tradition: Domain to threaten his prey or predator. Long story, short ending: Hardy ousted me with a tiny bit of help of Didi, which in turn ousted Michael and Hardy in rather quick succession after 73 minutes into the game.
  • Fun Fact of the Game: Playing a second turn "Blood Trade" when your predator's playing a Breed & Boon deck.
  • Un-Fun Fact of the Game: Your predator uses the same "Blood Trade" to play "Watchtower: Wolves Feed" a few turns later.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Results VtES Singapore Asian Championship Qualifier 2010

On September 5th, 2010 the VtES Singapore Asian Championship Qualifier 2010 was held in Singapore with 12 players attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and final were as follows:
1. Robin Pong (SGP) -- 1 GW 5.5 VP -- 1 GW 3 VP -- Rachel Brandywine Madness Network
2. Keith Lee (SGP) -- 1 GW 3.5 VP -- 1 VP -- Khazar's Diary
2. Danz Holandez (SGP) -- 1 GW 2.5 VP -- 1 VP -- AAA Toolbox with !Toreador
2. Stephen Sing (SGP) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 0 VP -- G4/5 Ravnos Breed & Bleed
2. Derek Yang (SGP) -- 0 GW 3 VP -- 0 VP -- G3/4 Tremere/!Tremere Bruise Bleed
Congratulations to Robin for his win of the Singapore Qualifier 2010. You can find a tournament report and the tournament winning deck on the Blood Inc. and Singing VtES blogs.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Results DragonCon NAC Qualifier 2010

On September 5th, 2010 the VtES DragonCon NAC Qualifier 2010 was held in Atlanta, Georgia with 12 players attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and final were as follows:
1. Jeffrey Brandon (USA) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 4 VP -- Kiasyd G4/5 Stealth Bleed
2. David Cherryholmes (USA) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie Quietus
2. David Tatu (USA) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Tzimisce Big Cap G2/3 Wall
2. Mattias Kallenberg (USA) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 1 VP -- Brujah Arms Dealer feat. Anu Diptinatpa
2. Simeon Nagel (USA) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie Dementation Bleed
Congratulations to Brandon for his win of the DragonCon Qualifier 2010. You can find a tournament report and the tournament winning deck in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Results French National VtES Championship 2010

On August 29th, 2010 the French National VtES Championship 2010 was held in Lyon, France with 47 players attending the final tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and final were as follows:
1. Pierre "Stone" Van-Tran (FRA) -- 2 GW 6.5 VP -- 1.5 VP -- Ventrue antitribu G3/4 Grinder
2. Orian "TTC Master" Gissler (FRA) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0.5 VP -- Weenie G3/4 Animalism Rush
2. François "Kamiya" Greiner (FRA) -- 2 GW 7 VP -- 0.5 VP -- IC & Friends G4/5 Obf/Dom Bleed
2. Yannick Gibert (FRA) -- 2 GW 6.5 VP -- 0.5 VP -- Lasombra G2/3 Presence Vote
2. Arnaud Baigts (FRA) -- 2 GW 6.5 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie G3/4 Animalism Wall
Congratulations to Stone for winning the French National VtES Championship 2010 (and by the way defending his title from the previous year). You can find all finalist decks and a tournament report (in french) in the VEKN France forum and even more reports on Sabbat in France.

Results New York City NAC Qualifier 2010

On August 28th, 2010 the VtES New York City NAC Qualifier was held in New York City, New York with 10 players attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and final were as follows:
1. Selen Turkay (USA) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 5 VP -- Weenie G4/5 Dementation Speed Bleed
2. Sonam Adinolf (USA) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Ventrue G2/3
2. Peter Kapsalis (USA) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 0 VP -- Kiasyd/Giovanni
2. Ethan Levi (USA) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 0 VP -- Anson & Personal Involvement
2. John Whelan (USA) -- 1 GW 3 VP -- 0 VP -- Enkidu & 1-caps
Congratulations to Selen for her win of the New York City NAC Qualifier 2010. You can find a tournament report in the VtES Usenet newsgroup.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Deck of the Month: August 2010: Tryphosa Stealth/Defense

This month's deck is the tournament winning deck "Tryphosa Stealth/Defense" played by Erol Öngün. The deck helped winning the Scottish ECQ in late July 2010, and immediately spawned a number of copycats, two of which won tournaments in August 2010. I think that's not only because the decktype is actually quite good, but even more because people realized that Lutz is not the only first class Malkavian vampire from the Keepers of Tradition, that Tryphosa is close behind.

Erol's deck is basically a bleed/Vote deck, but since Tryphosa special ability gives every Malkavian stealth when bleeding, there's some room for additional defense and staying power. The average capacity of the crypt is greatly increased when compared with the average Kindred Spirits bleed decks, but that is offset by the ability to defend with Second Tradition: Domain and Obedience.

Scottish EC Qualifier 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland
July 24th, 2010
17 players
3R+F

Deck Name: Scottish ECQ 2010: Tryphosa Stealth/Defense
Author: Erol Öngün
Description: The inherit (but sometimes costly) +1 stealth for all bleed actions via Tryphosa, allows you to have less stealth cards and more space for heavy defense module. It allows you to block your preys pool gaining actions and tapping him out in the process. So bleeding and gaining pool via bleeding is the way to win. Deck has a hard time to sweep, but stays alive long enough to make the table.

Crypt (Capacity min=5 max=10 avg=7.75; 12 cards)
===================================================

1x Assad Salhoum 5 aus dem dom obf Malkavian:4
2x Maris Streck 9 ani dem dom AUS OBF Malkavian:3
1x Morel 6 AUS DEM OBF Malkavian:4
1x Persia, The Beautiful Statue 5 aus obf DEM Malkavian:3
1x Quentin King III 7 obf pre AUS DEM Malkavian:3
1x Ruth McGinley 6 aus cel obf DEM Malkavian:3
1x Tony 6 dom obf AUS DEM Malkavian:3
4x Tryphosa 10 AUS DEM DOM OBF POT Malkavian:4

Library (90 cards)
=====================

Master (15 cards)
1x Coven, The
1x Dark Influences
1x Dementation
4x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Metro Underground
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
2x Vessel
1x Lilith's Blessing

Event (1 cards)
1x Scourge of the Enochians

Action (21 cards)
4x Call, The
1x Far Mastery
1x Fifth Tradition: Hospitality
14x Kindred Spirits
1x Mesmerize

Political Action (1 cards)
1x Parity Shift

Equipment (1 cards)
1x Heart of Nizchetus

Action Modifier (19 cards)
8x Confusion
1x Enkil Cog
4x Faceless Night
6x Lost in Crowds

Reaction (29 cards)
7x Deflection
3x Eyes of Argus
11x Obedience
8x Second Tradition: Domain

Combat (1 cards)
1x Autonomic Mastery

Combo (2 cards)
2x Touch of Clarity