Results EC 2010: European Championship (Day 1)

Here are the results from the European Championship (Day 1) tournament that was played during the VtES European Championship 2010 on October 30th, 2010 in Paris, France. The tournament is played as a qualifier for the actual EC tournament on the next day. The top 40 players qualify for the next day's tournament. 155 players participated in this EC tournament, the standings after 3 rounds and the final were:

1. Erik Torstensson (SWE) -- 3 GW 11 VP -- 2.5 VP -- Cybele/Aksinya/Inner Circle Master Cards
2. Ben Peal (USA) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0.5 VP -- Kiasyd Stealth/Bleed w/ Nocturns
2. Hugh Angseesing (UK) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0.5 VP -- Ventrue Antribu Grinder
2. Ricardo Marta (POR) -- 2 GW 11 VP -- 0 VP -- OBF/DOM G3/4 Bleed
2. Danilo Torrisi (ITA) -- 2 GW 7,5 VP -- Una Freakshow

Congratulations to Erik (again!) for winning the Day 1 tournament of the EC 2010. Table seating at the final table was Erik --> Ricardo --> Danilo --> Ben --> Hugh. Decklists to follow after the Day 2 tournament. 1 GW 4 VPs (and favourable TPs) were necessary to qualify for the Day 2 tournament on Sunday.

Results EC 2010: Legendary Vampire Invitational

Here are the results from the Legendary Vampire tournament that was played during the VtES European Championship 2010 on October 29th, 2010 in Paris, France. This was an invitational tournament, where 25 of the best VtES players in the world, fight for the victory. 25 players participated in this EC tournament, the standings after 3 rounds and the final were:

1. Erik Torstensen (SWE) -- 2 GW 5 VP -- 2.5 VP -- Cybele/Aksinya/Inner Circle Master Cards
2. Orian Gissler (FRA) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 1 VP -- Nosferatu G1/2 Royalty Vote
2. James Messer (USA) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 0.5 VP -- Ahrimanes G4/5 Wall
2. Patrick Benoit (FRA) -- 1 GW 2.5 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie Potence
2. Marcin Watras (POL) -- 0 GW 5.5 VP -- 0 VP -- Antonio d'Erlette Nephandus

Congratulations to Erik for winning the Legendary Vampire 2010 tournament. Even so (or because?) there were so many good players, there were only 5 game wins in the 3 preliminary rounds (out of 15 possible). On the other hand, the LCQ had 84 game wins (out of 105 possible).

Results EC 2010: Last Chance Qualifier

Here are the results from the Last Chance Qualifier tournament that was played during the VtES European Championship 2010 on October 29th, 2010 in Paris, France. The tournament gives the players the last opportunity to qualify for the European Championship tournaments on the followings days. 172 players participated in this EC tournament, the standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:

1. Csaba Greguss (HUN) -- 3 GW 9 VP -- 5 VP -- Malkavian antitribu Stealth/Bleed w/ Events
2. Christian Chenard (CAN) -- 2 GW 9,5 VP -- 0 VP -- Giovanni Kazaar's Diary
2. Peter Ducai (SVK) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0 VP -- Malkavian G1/2 Vote/Block/Bleed
2. Isak Bjärmark Esbjörnsson (SWE) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0 VP -- Cybele/Aksyna Master Cards
2. Toni Karjalainen (FIN) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 0 VP -- Baali G5/6 Stealth Bleed

Congratulations to Csaba for winning the LCQ of the EC 2010. Of the 172 players, making the tournament one of the biggest in VtES history, actually 58 players qualified for the further championships tournaments during the EC. 1 GW 3.5 VP (plus favourable TPs) were necessary to qualify.

Memorable Quotes (Part 91)

"Risk is the price you pay for opportunity" -- Francis "Frank" Reagan in Blue Bloods

Also true in VtES, you can play it safe for most part of the game, only bleed when you have sufficient stealth, only hunt when you have a dodge or strike: combat ends ... But at some point in the game you have to take the opportunity, to take the risk to oust your prey. Otherwise you might not be ousted, but going home with .5 VPs isn't really much better.

Did you know, that ... (Part 49)

.. that have to play Freak Drive before you replace Bum's Rush (or any other card that is replaced until the end of the action).

The reason is that while Freak Drive is playable at the end of the action, Bum's Rush is only replaced until the end of the action. Thus, by replacing Bum's Rush there's no time window left for playing Freak Drive.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup

ob·tene·bra·tion

ob·tene·bra·tion – noun

• The act of darkening
• the state of being darkened
• darkness

The word obtenebration originates from Latin "obumbratus" meaning darken, conceal or defend.

Quote: "In every megrim or vertigo, there is an obtenebration joined with a semblance of turning round." -- Francis Bacon.

Results "Drink New Blood" VtES Tournament in Bochum, Germany

Here are the results of the "Drink New Blood" VtES Constructed tournament in Bochum, Germany which was played on October 23rd, 2010 with 16 players attending. The tournament was taking place during the Spiel 2010 Game Fair in Essen nearby. The final standings after two rounds and the final were as follows:

1. Jörg A. -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 2 VP -- Vidal & Friends Random Allies
2. Robert M. -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 2 VP -- Lasombra G3/4 Nocturn Bleed
2. Ralf W. -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 1 VP -- Gangrel G4/5 Renegade Garou
2. Maximilian G. -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Gerald Windham & Friends Bleed
2. Thomas K. -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 0 VP -- Ventrue G4/5 Lawfirm

Congratulations to Jörg for his victory in the tournament. The tournament with four 4-player tables was really, really fast (1h 14min for the 1st round; 1h 18min for the second; 1h 08min for the finals): in total the tournament was over in 3 hours 40 minutes!

Memorable Quotes (Part 90)

"Getting trophies in and of themselves is not a victory condition. So building a deck that gives up it's ability to win the game to gain the ability to get trophies is planning to lose." -- XZealot (world's leading Red List/Trophy expert)

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup

Results Czech National VtES Championship 2010

On October 17th, 2010 the Czech National VtES Championship 2010 was held in Prague, Czech Republic with 22 players attending the final tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:

1. Jan Koci (CZE) -- Toreador antitribu Palla Grande
2. Jakub Rypar (CZE) -- Dementation Bleed
2. Karol Magda (CZE) -- Black Hand Aus/Obf Thugee
2. Tomas Sedlon (CZE) -- Ventrue antitribu Grinder
2. Tomas Piling (CZE) -- Omaya Wall

Congratulations to Jan for his win of the Czech Nationals 2010.

Fee Stakes (Up In Here!)

With regards to some some hard to get cards and promos The Lasombra has started the following tournament challenge and special promos offering. There's also a chance that Oscar Garza in his capacity as VtES organized play coordinator will bring some of these cards as promotional material to the EC 2010 in Paris, but the quantities may be rather limited.

This is the best time of year for your local anarchists to come out and seize a Fee Stake or two.

For every tournament announced and played between today and the end of 2010, The Lasombra will provide 10 copies of each of the following cards with any purchase of a booster display box of V:TES cards to be used as prize support:

• Fee Stake: Corte
• Fee Stake: Los Angeles
• Fee Stake: Perth
• Lilith's Blessing
• Infamous Insurgent
• V:EKN Membership Card

Follow these steps to get the free promo cards:

1. Schedule a tournament with the name "Fee Stake": 'Your city' on the White Wolf Calendar. (Ensure 30 days lead time for US addresses and 45 days lead time for non-US addresses.)
2. Email The Lasombra with your purchase request for the booster display boxes of your choice. More on here: Sales details
   
3. Include the following information in your email:
   
   1. The name of your scheduled tournament
   2. The date of your scheduled tournament
   3. The location of your scheduled tournament
   4. The number of expected players in attendance
   5. The number of booster and starter display boxes you wish to purchase
   6. Your delivery address and daytime phone number

The Lasombra will process the requests on a first-scheduled first-shipped basis. There are enough for ~1,000 players, so get your game on!

Results Portuguese National Championship 2010

On October 2nd, 2010 the VtES Portuguese National Championship 2010 was held in Lisbon, Portugal with 13 players attending the tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the finals were as follows:

1. Eliseu Ângelo (POR) -- 0 GW 2 VP -- 4 VP -- Lisboa Palace Hotel (Guillaume)
2. Ricardo Marta (POR) -- 3 GW 13 VP -- 1 VP -- No Brainer Dom&Obf Bleed (G3&4)
2. Nuno Moure (POR) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 0 VP -- !Nossie Bruise (G2&3)
2. Igor Pereira (POR) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 0 VP -- Stanislava S&B
2. Bruno Robalo (POR) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 0 VP -- The Unnamed Maleficia

Congratulations to Eliseu for his win of the Portuguese Nationals 2010. You can find the tournament winning deck in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup and a report in the Domain Lisboa blog.

vi·cis·si·tude

Since I am a non-native English speaker, I was curious what the different VtES disciplines actually mean. Some are easy to interpret like Presence or Dominate, but the meanings of others are quite hard to grasp. Starting with this post I will post on the meaning and origins of the various discipline words, starting with vicissitude, which among other things means:

vi·cis·si·tude [vi-sis-i-tood, -tyood] – noun

• a condition of constant change or alternation
  
• change; mutation; mutability
• regular change or succession of one state or thing to another

The word vicissitude originates from Latin "vicissitudo" meaning change or alteration.

New VtES Storyline coordinator

A new era. A new chapter. A new Storyline Coordinator.

On October 14th, 2010 Ben Swainbank stepped down from his post as VtES Storyline Coordinator. In his stead, Eric Chiang will take be taking on the duties of the VtES Storyline Coordinator and will continue the VtES Storyline tradition.

Many, many thanks to Ben for bringing a number of VtES Storyline to unlife in the past!!

For more information on the past storyline events check the official VtES Storyline website.

Did you know, that ... (Part 48)

... using the +1 bleed ability of Club Illusion is similar to using an action modifier, that is you need to pay the cost (1 blood) for using the ability right away. For the same reason is utilizing the Club Illusion ability is not considered an action that requires being Anarch (e.g. for using CrimethInc. later to untap). This is independent of the requirement that you announce using +1 bleed modifier from Club Illusion when announcing the action.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup

Memorable Quotes (Part 89)

Strategy Advice:

• The Methuselah with no predator (or pressure) is going to win the game.


• Do not try to prevent the death of the first Methuselah, since with four players the games will go faster, and the risk of a time-out is much lower.


• When you're making a deck for a tournament, think about, how you're going to win games with it in two hours or less.

-- Damnans (Spanish VtES Player)

Methuselah Madness

While looking for methods of testing decks in VtES I stumbled across this beauty of a deck (from March 2000). It's a 90 card deck where the library consists only of master cards. The deck is not working anymore, because Anarch Revolt got reworded in the Kindred Most Wanted expansion, but as monument for a "master card only" deck type it's still quite impressive. And at least, when playing this deck your turns are quite short: play 2-3 master cards, take influence (or not) and then possibly discard a card. On the other hand, I think it's incredible boring to play this deck after a little while, since taking actions, blocking or interacting in any other (significant) way with the other players is a huge part of the game.

Deck Name: Methuselah Madness
Author: Rob Grau
Description: The deck gains pool with Minion Taps & Golcondas, does damage to its prey (and the rest of the table) with Anarch Revolts and Antediluvian Awakenings. It will also help out its grand prey and others at the table from being ousted with the Life Boons.

It is not a deck to be played by the weak of will, or those who must act. Two cards played per turn, three when lucky, and then sit around until it is your turn again. Knowing what to discard and will also take quite a while to get the hang of.

Crypt (Capacity min=8 max=11 avg=8.86; 14 cards)

---

1x Angelica, The Canonicus 10 cel obf DOM OBT POT Lasombra:2
7x Anson 8 aus dom CEL PRE Toreador:1
1x Arika 11 aus cel DOM FOR OBF PRE Ventrue:2
1x Cassandra, Magus Prime 10 cel pre AUS DOM THA Tremere:1
3x Ingrid Rossler 9 dom ANI FOR PRO Gangrel:2
1x Ulugh Beg, The Watcher 10 cel for pot AUS DOM THA Tremere:1

Library (90 cards)

---

Master (90 cards)
17x Anarch Revolt
4x Antediluvian Awakening
2x Archon Investigation
1x Art Museum
6x Ascendance
4x Barrens, The
1x Blood Doll
3x Effective Management
3x Elder Library
1x Elysium: The Arboretum
3x Giant's Blood
8x Golconda: Inner Peace
3x Information Highway
6x Life Boon
2x Malkavian Dementia
13x Minion Tap
6x Parthenon, The
2x Protected Resources
5x Sudden Reversal

Created with Secret Library v0.9.3. (Oct 8, 2010 12:14:22)

The deck was later greatly enhanced with non-master cards like Obedience or Anthelios the Red Star, but the foundation of the deck is already here. An example for the enhanced deck is the Anson Master Revolt tournament winning deck played by Kamel Senni (in 2004)

The Lighter Side of ..

Actually there are some good things about the fact that the production of VtES has been stopped (at least for the moment):

• No more Bang Nakhs or Berettas in VtES starter decks.


• The Blood Dimmed Tides expansion for VtES will never see the light of the day.


• There will be no "Strike: Combat Ends" for Quietus. Suck it down, Assamite fanboys!


• Cards you own, like Carlton van Wyk, Enkil Cog, Ashur Tablets, Parity Shift, etc. will be more valuable than ever, since they will never be reprinted.


• Sucky cards like Eyes of the Dead, or Crimson Fury will never get an update, which would make slightly less stupid.


• There will be no foil cards or "mythic rares" in VtES, even though the "CCG market demands it".

Anything that comes to your mind? Please comment ..

Aus! Aus! Aus! Das Spiel ist aus!

Sepp Herberger was a German football manager, most famous for being the manager of the German national team which won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Herberger was noted for his ability to sum up the essence of the game in short phrases, many of which survive to this day in the German football vocabulary. Most of his quotes can be applied easily to VtES as well:

• The game lasts for 120 minutes.
• After your turn is before your turn.
• The next prey is always the toughest one.
• The Edge is round.

The original quotes can be found in the Wikipedia entry on Sepp Herberger.

Memorable Quotes (Part 88)

"I think I'll go hug my cards now." -- Robert Goudie on the greatness of the game (in 1999).

Reference: Masquerade Endangered -- The Los Angeles V:TES Underground Exposed

Results Spanish National VtES Championship 2010

On October 3rd, 2010 the Spanish National VtES Championship 2010 was held in Cordoba, Spain with 30 players attending the final tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:

1. César Ruipérez (ESP) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 4 VP --Ventrue antitribu Grinder feat. Gotsdam
2. Carlos Cordón (ESP) -- 2 GW 5.5 VP -- 1 VP -- Assamite feat. Amaravati Vote
2. Alejandro Pascual (ESP) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Nadima
2. Jesús Hidalgo (ESP) -- 1 GW 8 VP -- 0 VP --Toreador antitribu Palla Grande w/ Target Vitals
2. Rubén Prada (ESP) -- 1 GW 7 VP -- 0 VP -- Brujah feat. Dmitra Vote

Congratulations to César for his win of the Spanish VtES Nationals 2010. Not only did he win this tournament but also the last chance qualifier tournament (with 44 players), that was played the day before too.

Results Swiss EC Qualifier 2010

On September 25th, 2010 the VtES Swiss EC Qualifier was held in Geneva, Switzerland with 15 players attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and finals were as follows:

1. Marius Iscru (FRA) -- 2 GW 5.5 VP -- 3 VP -- Carna Wall(?)
2. Ruben Feldman (SUI) -- 3 GW 10 VP -- 1 VP -- Kindred Spirits Bleed
2. Quentin Zaragori (FRA) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 1 VP -- Weenie Dragon Breath's Rounds
2. Frédéric Dorat (FRA) -- 2 GW 7.5 VP -- 0 VP -- Tremere antitribu & Tupdog
2. Oskar Grindemyr (SWE) -- 1 GW 3 VP -- 0 VP --Tzimisce Presence Vote

Congratulations to Marius for his win of the Swiss ECQ 2009.

Results Italian EC Qualifier 2010

On September 19th, 2010 the Italian VtES ECQ 2010 was held in Florence, Italy with 35 players attending the final tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:

1. Danilo "Son of Malkav" Torrisi (ITA) -- Giovanni Shambling Hordes
2. Alessandro "Nekròs" Donati (ITA) -- DOM/NEC Powerbleed
2. Christian "Canna" Cannizzaro (ITA) -- Weenie Dementation Bleed
2. Miro "The Mairos" Albertazzi (ITA) -- Al Muntaquim Multi-Action/Summon History
2. Paolo "Er-murazor" Teobaldelli (ITA) -- Gerald Winham Multi-Action

Congratulations to Danilo for his win of the Italian ECQ 2010.

VtES European Championship Qualifiers 2010 (Update)

Here's a list of the upcoming continental championship qualifier events for VtES taking place in Europe in 2010, mostly taken from the WW event calendar:

• No more ECQs scheduled ...

... and the list of past ECQs 2010:

• Portuguese Qualifier -- Lisbon, Portugal -- March 13th, 2010 -- Winner: Hugh Angseesing (ENG)
• Swedish Qualifier -- Gothenburg, Sweden -- April 3rd, 2010 -- Winner: Erik Torstensen (SWE)
• Danish Qualifier -- Copenhagen, Denmark -- April 25th, 2010 -- Winner: Adam Esbjörnson (SWE)
• German Qualifier -- Ludwigshafen, Germany -- May 2nd, 2010 -- Winner: Alf Behrends (GER)
• English Qualifier -- Burton-on-Trent, England -- May 15th, 2010 -- Winner: John Best (ENG)
• Belgian Qualifier -- Brussels, Belgium-- May 29th, 2010 -- Winner: Izaak Havelaar (NED)
• Hungarian Qualifier -- Budapest, Hungary-- May 29th, 2010 -- Winner: Adam Horvath (HUN)
• Norwegian Qualifier -- Oslo, Norway -- May 29th, 2010 -- Winner: Patrick Robinsson (NOR)
• Spanish Qualifier I -- Barcelona, Spain -- May 30th, 2010 -- Winner: Yannick Gibert (FRA)
• Polish Qualifier -- Krakow, Poland -- June 12th, 2010 -- Winner: Jakub Serafin (POL)
• French Qualifier (North) -- Paris, France -- June 19th, 2010 -- Winner: Marius Iscru (FRA)
• Dutch Qualifier -- Utrecht, Netherlands -- June 26th, 2010 -- Winner: Izaak Havelaar (NED)
• French Qualifier (South) -- Montpelier, France -- June 26th, 2010 -- Winner: Rodolphe Danac (FRA)
• Finnish Qualifier -- Espoo, Finland -- July 23rd, 2010 -- Winner: Otso Saariluoma (FIN)
• Spanish Qualifier II -- Granada, Spain-- July 3rd, 2010 -- Winner: Jesús María Herruzo López (ESP)
• Scottish Qualifier -- Edinburgh, Scotland -- July 24th, 2010 -- Winner: Erol Ongün (GER)
• Slovak Qualifier -- Bratislava, Slovakia -- August 28th, 2010 -- Winner: Ben Peal (USA)
• Czech Qualifier -- Prague, Czech Republic -- September 19th, 2010 -- Winner: Lubomir Danda (CZE)
  
• Italian Qualifier -- Florence, Italy -- September 19th, 2010 -- Winner: Danilo Torrisi (ITA)
  
• Swiss Qualifier -- Geneva, Switzerland -- September 25th, 2010 -- Winner: Maris Iscru (FRA)
  

All this culminating in the European VtES Championship 2010:

• 2010 European Championship -- Paris, France -- October 29th - 31st, 2010

You can also find a list of qualifier/championship events on White Wolf's VtES Championship webpage.

Did you know, that ... (Part 47)

... a reacting/blocking vampire cannot play Cats' Guidance (to untap) after the acting vampire has played Mirror Walk (at superior Thaumaturgy)?

The reason for this is, that the action ends immediately when the action is blocked (successfully), so there's no opportunity (for both players) to play either action modifier cards (e.g. Freak Drive) nor reactions cards (e.g. Cats' Guidance).

As a side note: As reacting player you cannot play Obedience either, because Obedience requires that your vampire is "about to enter combat", but the combat is canceled via Mirror Walk's card text.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Announcement Swiss National VtES Championship 2010

The Swiss National VtES Championship 2010 will be held on December 4th, 2010 in Geneva , Switzerland.

• Date: December 4th, 2010


• Location: Gnomes Ludiques
  

  Rue Michel Chauvet 22
  Geneva N/A Switzerland
  1201

• Entry fee: 8 Euro (CHF 12)


• Format: 3R + final (2h time limit each)

Exceptional! Challenge the Swiss Methuselahs on their ground and share a giant fondue with them! More information can be found the VtES in Geneva website.

VtES Clan Newsletters in September 2010

One VtES Clan newsletter has been posted in the "rec.trading-cards.jyhad" Usenet Newsgroup this month. Beside using a newsgroup reader, you can also access the newsgroup by Google Groups.

• Daughters of Cacophony 2010.

Deck of the Month: September 2010: Eze like Sunday Morning

The selection of suitable decks this month was a bit thin, too many Dominate/Dementation/Obfuscate/Necromancy bleed decks. I guess the reason for that is the preparation for the continental championships in September and October 2010. This month's deck is the tournament winning deck "Eze like SundayMorning" played by Matt Wedge and initially built by Robert Scythe. The deck is not really new, since it already has an entry in Lasombra's TWDA back from 2007. On the other hand it's a nicely built deck, one of the few decks which really use Aye. Also it shows that vote decks based on big cap vampires even without bleed bounce can really work.

Deck Name: Gateway 2010 Event 1: Eze like Sunday morning
Author:
Description:
Gateway 2010 Event 1
Los Angeles, California
September 4, 2010
14 players
2R + F

Matt Wedge & Robert Scythe Played By Matt Wedge
Rebuilt and updated, because too many cards (Villein)

Crypt (Capacity min=7 max=11 avg=9.33; 12 cards)
===================================================
1x Aren, Priest of Eshu 7 ani obf POT PRE Guruhi:4
4x Eze, The Demon Prince 11 aus ANI NEC POT PRE THA Guruhi:3
1x Iniko, The Black Lion 9 cel ANI OBT POT PRE Guruhi:4
2x Nana Buruku 8 ANI POT PRE Guruhi:4
2x Sobayifa 8 aus pot pro spi ANI PRE Guruhi:3
2x Ugadja 10 dom for ABO ANI POT PRE Guruhi:4

Library (90 cards)
=====================
Master (25 cards)
1x Ancestor Spirit
14x Aye
1x Mbare Market, Harare
1x Monastery of Shadows
1x Sense Vibrations
6x Villein
1x Wider View

Action (5 cards)
4x Founders of the Ebony Kingdom
1x No Secrets From the Magaji

Political Action (19 cards)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancient Influence
1x Ancilla Empowerment
1x Banishment
1x Disputed Territory
7x Kine Resources Contested
1x My Kin Against the World
1x Neonate Breach
1x Political Stranglehold
2x Reinforcements
1x Reins of Power
1x Secret Must Be Kept, The

Equipment (2 cards)
1x Deer Rifle
1x Kduva's Mask

Ally (1 cards)
1x Mylan Horseed (Goblin)

Retainer (2 cards)
1x Raven Spy
1x Shaman

Action Modifier (27 cards)
2x Dusk Work
1x Edge of the World
8x High Aye
6x Iron Glare
2x Perfect Paragon
1x Strange Day
7x Voter Captivation

Combat (8 cards)
8x Majesty

Combo (1 cards)
1x Guruhi Kholo

Created with Secret Library v0.9.3. (Oct 1, 2010 13:03:22)