Gelsenkirchen VtES League 2011: August 24th

Here I wanted to show you the decks of the Gelsenkirchen VtES League 2011 from the meeting on August 24th, 2011.

Left: Thomas played a classic Ventrue Lawfirm (G4/5). As during the whole year, he suffered from bad seating. Both his predator and prey had more votes than the rest of the table. Although when Kinner (his grand-predator) put his predator's Korah (a priscus) into torpor, it was looking temporarily better, but then Kinner ousted Zille (Thomas predator) quickly, and Thomas' two Ventrue (and his already very low pool) were easy prey for the rushing Animalism weenies/midcaps.



Right: Martin had a somewhat bad start with his Brujah Obf/Pre Vote deck. He put Dimitra in play, and pulled off most of her blood with a Villein. Dimitra then spend some blood and was forced to hunt, which was in turn blocked by Ralf's Magaji (his prey) and put to torpor. This was repeated for a couple of turns, but in the end Martin put more titled Brujah in play and he was able to oust Ralf, especially since he finally drew his stealth cards and Sudden'ed two Villeins Ralf tried to play.



Left: Ralf played a Magaji Animalism Wall deck, who started quite well, since both his predator and prey didn't intercept any of the equip/employ actions. But his prey, Kinner, was a though nut to crack since both were playing Animalism combat, and Kinner had a slight advantage, since all of his vampires had superior Animalism. In the end Ralf weren't able to put enough pressure on his prey and was ousted by Martin as described above.



Right: Kinner played a copy of the Nana Buruki Animalism Rush deck (a.k.a. 12-card-library-deck). After an initial backrush which proved that both combatants have an (almost) equal access to combat mojo, he turned his eyes on his prey. Round after round he hammered down his prey Malkavian antitribu vampires (using Deep Song - Carrion Crows - Aid from Bats) which had no resistance to offer. So eventually Kinner had torporized all of his preys vampires and ousted Zille with ease.


Left: In the first place, Zille and his deck, a Malkavian antitribu Stealth Bleed deck, looked like the first one to gain a VP. But when his minions got torporized again and again (Ralf rescuing a few inbetween), he was only able to put down his prey, Thomas, on one pool.






After both Zille and Ralf had been ousted, Thomas was ousted within two (or three) turns by Kinner by putting the two Ventrue vampires to torpor. So the table timed out, giving Kinner the game win.

Result: Kinner 2.5 VP GW, Martin 1.5 VP

Results French National VtES Championship 2011

On August 28th, 2011 the French National VtES Championship 2011 was held in Angers, France with 38 players attending the final tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and final were as follows:

1. Kamel Senni (FRA) -- Toreador Triple-A
2. Vincent Ripoll (FRA) -- Weenie Dominate/Fortitude
2. Medhi Mazni (FRA) -- Toreador Antitribu Palla Grande
2. Romain Ledur (FRA) -- Toreador Antitribu Palla Grande
2. Romain Ben Amar (FRA) -- Reversal Of Fortunes

Congratulations to Kamel for winning the French National VtES Championship 2011. You can find a tournament report (in french) in the VEKN France forum.

Did you know, that ... (Part 74)

.. that an untapped vampire who attempted to block a political action, but failed and was tapped by a Faceless Night, cannot play a Delaying Tactics?

The reason is that Faceless Night says ".. becomes tapped when the action is resolved", which effectively means "before resolving the action". So when the minion is tapped by Faceless Night, he needs to untap (or play a card that allows him to play a reaction card as untapped), if he wants to play Delaying Tactics (or any similar card that is played during the referendum).

On the other hand, if an untapped vampire is attacked using Bum's Rush, and is tapped before resolving the action (the combat) by Faceless Night, he can play Majesty or Earth Meld and is safely untapped after the combat.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Flab

Other uses for the VtES flab include:

• Power Technology's Variable Torque Enhancement System -- yes, my car needs more power!
• Venous Thromboembolic Events (VTEs) -- no, I don't want experience such ..
  
• Virginia Tech Electric Service -- maybe when/if I am studying at Virgina Tech?!?

So beware what you're buying or looking for when searching for VtES!!

VtES History: Lords of the Night Preview ...

On July 30th, 2007 White Wolf finally published information on the upcoming VtES expansion Lords of the Night. The general information about the expansion had already been spoiled on May 23rd, 2007, when retailers like Potomac Distribution and White Wolf had put the product into their webshops.

Lords of the Night Preview and Launch Event Details
V:TES Lords of the Night to Release September 26th

Now in its 13th year of play, White Wolf celebrates the latest expansion of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (VTES). White Wolf and the Princes of the Elder Kindred Network (VEKN) are promoting a weekend long series of tournaments and special events across the globe. Below is the basic information needed to plan your own tournament:

On the weekend of September 29th, VEKN players and Princes will team up with retailers around the world to organize a launch event for White Wolf's award winning CCG, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle. Coinciding with the launch of Lords of the Night, this event will celebrate the latest expansion of one of the longest running CCGs in the market.

[...]

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle celebrates its thirteenth anniversary this year. Designed by Richard Garfield, designer of Magic: The Gathering®, VTES allows players to pit clans of vampires against one another in a mix of intrigue and action.

---

About White Wolf
Since its entry into the role-playing game market in 1991, White Wolf has maintained an impressive market share. With collective book sales in excess of 5.5 million copies, White Wolf is one of the undisputed leaders worldwide for publishing pen-and-paper role-playing games. Company properties have been licensed for television series, comic books, action figures, console and computer video games, coin-operated arcade games, professional wrestlers, replica props and weapons, interactive media events and myriad merchandise. In November 2006, White Wolf merged with CCP hf to form CCP North America | White Wolf. More information on White Wolf can be found at www.white-wolf.com.

Play VTES Online at http://www.vtesonline.com

Memorable Quotes (Part 122)

"There are twelve freaking cards in this deck. Twelve. Animalism is indeed the strongest non-Dominate discipline now". -- KevinM's response after seeing this tournament winning deck.

Results Finnish EC Qualifier 2011

On July 29th, 2011 the VtES Finnish EC Qualifier was held in Espoo, Finland with 90 players attending the qualifier tournament (during RopeCon 2011). The final standings were as follows:

1. Otso Saariluoma (FIN) -- 3 GW 12 VP -- 1.5 VP -- Weenie Auspex w/ Anarch Tech
2. Ville Kaijasaari (FIN) -- 3 GW 10 VP -- 1.5 VP -- Guruhi Ani/Pot Combat feat. Nana
2. Adam Esbjörnsson (SWE) -- 2 GW 9 VP -- 1 VP -- Tremere/Tremere antitribu Bleed
2. Teemu Sainomaa (FIN) -- 2 GW 10.5 VP -- 0 VP -- Obf/Pre Vote feat. Dmitra
2. Toni Karjalainen (FIN) -- 2 GW 10 VP -- 0 VP -- Lasombra Presence Vote

Congratulations to Otso for his win of the Finnish ECQ 2011. You can find a tournament report, the finalist's decks and the final standings on VEKN.net.

Results "Midsummer Daydream" VtES Tournament in Hilversum, Netherlands

Here are the results of the "Midsummer Daydream" VtES constructed tournament in Hilversum, Netherlands. The tournament was played on August 20th, 2011 with 12 players participating. These are the standings after the three rounds and the final:

1. Ralf L. (GER)-- 1 GW 5 VP -- 3 VP -- Nosferatu G2/3 Royalty Anathema
2. Izaak H. (NED) -- 1 GW 7 VP -- 1 VP -- Lasombra G2/3 Nocturn
2. Jelmer W. (NED) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 1 VP -- Hermana Minor Bruise/Bleed
2. Sahan A. (NED) -- 2 GW 7 VP -- 0 VP -- Al-Muntathir Freakshow Bleed
2. Bart B. (NED) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 0 VP -- Ventrue G4/5 Lawfirm w/ Horrific Countenance

Congratulations to Ralf for his victory in the tournament.

Did you know, that ... (Part 73)

.. Catatonic Fear only deals a damage (after combat) when the combatants were at close range, while Oubliette forces the opposing minion to burn a blood or life also at long range? While Catatonic Fear explicitly states that the damage is only inflicted at close range, Oubliette lacks this limitation in its cardtext. Take note that this lack of limitation in the cardtext applies for Strike: Combat Ends cards for these two cards.

In general this does not apply to damage dealing strikes in combat. For these strikes the default is that strike must explicitly be able to deal damage at long range.

Here's a short overview of strikes and their effectiveness:

• Hand Strike: default; only at close range
• Weapon Strike: depends on the card text (of the weapon)
• Destroy Equipment: depends on the card text
• Steal Equipment: depends on the card text
• Steal Blood/Life: depends on the card text
• Dodge: both at close and long range
  
• Combat Ends: both at close and long range

See also section 6.4.5. Strike Effects of the VtES Rulebook.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Announcement Dutch National VtES Championship 2011

The Dutch National VtES Championship 2011 will take place on September 17th, 2011 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Here are the details regarding the tournament named Valley of Death:

• Date: Saturday, September 17th, 2011
• Place:
  

  Korenbeurs
  Croeselaan 91,
  3521BL Utrecht

• Time Table:
  
  • Registration: 10.00
  • Round 1: 11:00 - 13:00
  • Lunch: 13:00 - 13:30
  • Round 2: 13:30 - 15:30
  • Round 3: 15:45 - 17.45
  • Final 18:15 - 20:15


• Fee: 5,00 EUR
• Format: Constructed (VEKN Tournament Rules)
• Pre-Registration: Please register in advance by sending me a PM to the organizer ("aschere") on VEKN.net or by replying in the relevant post in the Dutch VtES forum. Any questions you might have concerning the tournament can be asked in the same way.
• Remarks:
  
  • Decklists are required
  • Since the location is a restaurant it is not allowed to bring your own food or drinks.
  • Parking space is available and day tickets for that can be bought at the bar for €6,00 EUR

Results Camarilla Conclave 2011 (VtES Tournament)

On August 14th, 2011 the Camarilla Conclave 2011 was held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain with 31 players attending this tournament. The Camarilla Conclave is a tournament held every year in Spain, and in the tournament the top 8 players will be appointed as Justicars. The winner will choose his or her Justicar title and plaque first. The other players ranked 2nd to 8th will receive their titles and plaques at random. On the other hand, the Inner Circle of the Camarilla will not tolerate those who fail, so 3 of the vampires occupying the 5 last places at the tournament will be declared Anathema, and will be included on the Red List, together with the kindred most wanted. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:

1. Carlos Tomás (ESP) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 2,5 VP -- Ani Rush Combat feat. Nana
2. Daniel Padrol (ESP) 2 GW 9 VP -- 1 VP -- Toreador AAA Grandball Vote
2. Claudio Soulié (ESP) 2 GW 6 VP -- 0,5 VP -- Gangrel/Gangrel antribu Wallish Combat feat. Enkidu
2. Juan Gómez (ESP) 2 GW 7 VP -- 0 VP -- Tremere/Tremere antitribu Bruise & Bleed
2. Nicolás Suffo (ESP) 2 GW 8 VP -- 0 VP -- Toreador antitribu Palla Grande/Foundation Exhibit

Congratulations to Carlos for winning the Camarilla Conclave 2011.You can find the final standings as well as the tournament winning deck on the VEKN.net and the Spanish VtES forum also contains links to photos (like the one above) and even some short videos.

Details on the US National VtES Championship 2011

Details on the VtES US National Championships 2011 have been published by the championship organizer, Norman S. Brown. The championship is part of the Grand Masquerade event , which takes place from September 15th to 18th, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The detailed plan for the championship weekend looks as follows:

Friday, September 16th:

• Midnight Run
  
• Time: 7:30 PM to 1:30 AM
• Format: Open Games & Duffin Draft
  
  • Duffin Draft consists of building a deck out of a single booster pack and starting with 12 pool and unlimited transfers.
  • For new players, it is a great way to focus on specific areas of the game.
  • For experienced players, it is great way to take a quick break from the standard game while building your collection.

Saturday, September 17th:

• Cardinal Benediction -- US Championship
  
• Time: 12:00 Noon to 9 PM
• Rounds: 3 Rounds with 2 hour limit. Untimed Finals
• Format: Standard Constructed.
  • 90 card limit.
  • VEKN Tournament Rules.

Sunday, September 18th:

• Border Skirmish -- Draft
  
• Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
• Rounds: 2 Rounds & Final. 2 hour time limit
• Format: Draft
  
  • Drafting starts promptly at 10AM. Drafting and deck construction should last no longer than 30-45 minutes.
  • We will be drafting 7 to 10 packs of boosters.

Memorable Quotes (Part 121)

"There are many combos in the card game that don't make strict sense from a 'real world' point of view. But it is better to have a solid foundation for game play (card text/rules text) than a soft one ('real world justification')." -- LSJ

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Stock Market Crash hits VtES

As a follow-up to the Global Financial Crisis we need this card being introduced to VtES sooner or later:

Stock Market Crash
Event. Transient.
If any player's pool is even during his untap phase, he loses half it to the blood bank. If it is uneven, he adds one pool from the blood bank. Remove this event during this player's next discard phase.

"For the love of money is the root of all evil, .."

Did you know, that ... (Part 72)

.. if one of your minions use a Grenade against an opposing minion in combat and the opposing minion plays a Strike: Combat Ends, the damage is not applied and the Grenade is not burned (i.e. your minion still has the Grenade)? The reason for not burning the Grenade is, that the Grenade would be burned in the Strike Resolution phase, but since the Strike: Combat Ends ends the combat, the damage of the Grenade is not resolved and therefore it is not burned.

A similar situation arises with Burst of Sunlight. When one of combatants is using Burst of Sunlight and the other is using Strike: Combat Ends, neither minion is receiving the damage from Burst of Sunlight for the same reason as above.

Reference: VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

More Madness

In contrast to the latest post on EBay madness about a month ago, this auction for Summon History has 13 bids.

On Wednesday during our weekly VtES gathering I mentioned briefly how peculiar it is how much players are willing to spend on cards of a "dead" trading card game .. apparently I need to continue thinking about this phenomenon.

In contrast to the price of $449.90 for the Enkil Cog offer a month ago, the $61.00 for the current auction (see right), is a real bargain ...

VtES EC 2011 Blog Started

Today I launched a new blog for the upcoming VtES European Championship 2011, which takes places from November 11th to 13th , 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. The blog is there to promote the event a little in the first place, but even more importantly to report from the EC events as soon as the EC has started. As in the past few years there will be tournament results, pictures, and more when I am on site.

So without any further ado, here's the link to the VtES EC 2011 blog. Links to previous blogs of continental championships:

• EC 2010 in Paris, France
• EC 2009 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• NAC 2009 in Atlanta (Georgia), USA

More information on the EC 2011 in general can be found on the official VtES EC 2011 website and the respective site on Facebook.

VtES History: White Wolf Announces Sword of Caine

On December 1st, 2006 the now defunct website Gaming Report reported on White Wolf's plans for the next VtES expansion Sword of Caine (after the Third Edition which was released about three months earlier):

White Wolf Publishing has announced that the next expansion for the Vampire: The Eternal Stuggle collectible card game will be Sword of Caine, a booster-only set scheduled for February release.

Sword of Caine holds close to the Third Edition base set. The 60-card expansion focuses on the same Sabbat clans found in Third Edition, but this time with a special eye on the Black Hand. It introduces more Black Hand vampires, including new Seraphs and an Abomination, to V:TES, as well as new toys for Black Hand vampires and new ways to become Black Hand.

The set also includes cards for other vampires to use (Sabbat or otherwise), including new Discipline-based cards, clan cards, sect cards, and general-use cards. Even Joseph Pander, the "founder" of the Pander clan, puts in an appearance.

Sword of Caine contains no reprints. As with Third Edition boosters, Sword of Caine will feature cards with special draft effects to aid deck construction in draft and sealed play.

In early January 2006 it then become known that the actual release date was moved to March 19th, 2007 by White Wolf.

Sidekicks

According to Wikipedia a "sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies". In VtES you often have sidekicks, too, especially in decks where a star vampire is accompanied by several smaller vampires. They do the dirty work, the bloating & hunting, rescuing their masters from torpor or just throwing themselves before any threat.

But a different detail caught my attention lately. From time to time you see minions in the deck lists (usually the crypt), who don't seem to fit into the deck in terms of clan or disciplines. But their special ability is so good, that the lack of non-conformity is far outweighed.

Examples for these generic sidekicks are:

• Beatrice 'Oracle171' Tremblay -- the built-in +1 bleed for only 3 pool and 1 to 3 Convictions make Beatrice a cheap, effective bleed module.
  
• Andre LeRoux -- the latest sidekick worth of note, he's especially good in beat-down deck with lots of vampires, allowing Andre to bleed for large amounts once the opposing vampires have been subdued. So he's quite comparable to Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers.
• Michael Luther -- one of the first generic sidekick vampires; most often seen in vote decks he alone is able to swing a vote around. For some time now, Arishat and Kateline Nadasdy offer similar abilities, but Michael Luther is still the best of the lot.
  
• Aksinya Daclau -- the only minion with a built-in bleed bounce ability; her capacity makes the sidekick status nearly ludicrous and some players claim that Aksinya is actually the real star in the "Girls will find ..." decks.
  
• Mylan Horseed (Goblin) -- a cheap, yet robust ally who can successfully bleed. Therefore sometimes even seen in Camarilla decks or decks with no vampires with capacity of more than seven.

My question to you, dear readers, is what generic "sidekick" characters do you use or do you see in decks?
Post Scriptum: Wikipedia also has the following information in the same article on Sidekicks:

"One of the earliest recorded sidekicks may be Enkidu, .."

Memorable Quotes (Part 120)

"The most overwhelming strategic problem of the Rush deck is that killing vampires does not directly work towards your goal of ousting your prey. -- Peter Bakija (notorious combat deck player)

Reference: The Rush Combat Deck (ca. 1995)

A Dubious Distinction

As seen on Paizo Publishing website, without any further comment:

Did you know, that ... (Part 71)

.. when you're playing Shattering Crescendo (using Melpominee), you already need the second Shattering Crescendo in your hand? Although the second Shattering Crescendo is the cost of the first card and the cost is only paid for action if (and when) the action successfully resolves, you're only allowed to attempt an action if you're actually able to pay the cost (in whatever form) for it.

For the same reason a vampire with one blood cannot attempt to put an Embrace into play (which costs two blood). For example, if The Coven is play, you need to tap The Coven before the action is announced to give the vampire the blood needed to pay the cost later.

Swedish National VtES Championship 2011

The 3rd Swedish National VtES Championship will be held on October 1st to 2nd, 2011 in Orebro, Sweden. The event is a two-day featuring both a constructed and draft tournament.

• Swedish VtES Nationals 2011
  
  • Location: ABF Örebro, Drottninggatan 38, 702 22 Örebro
  • Date: October 1st, 2011
  • Time: 11:00 – 21:00
  • Fee: 50 SEK
  • Format: Constructed: 3 rounds + final round
  • Organizers: Isak Bjärmark Esbjörnsson
• Swedish VtES Draft Nationals 2011
  
  • Location: ABF Örebro, Drottninggatan 38, 702 22 ÖREBRO
  • Date: October 2nd, 2011
  • Time: 11:00 – 21:00
  • Fee: 220 SEK
  • Format: Draft: 2 rounds + final
  • Organizer: Isak Bjärmark Esbjörnsson


• Travel: The easiest way to get to Sweden is by plane; either to Arland (ARN) or Skavsta (NYO) and then get on a bus/train to Örebro. If you want anymore help with the getting here, send the organizers an email.

E-mail the organizer, Isak Bjärmark Esbjörnsson (national coordinator for VtES in Sweden) at isakbe [att) gmail (dott] com, for more information or where help is necessary. You can find more information in the VEKN.net forum.

Deck of the Month: July 2011: Govern is Weak Sauce

This month's deck is the tournament winning deck "Govern is Weak Sauce" played by Darby Keeney. Darby managed to win two tournaments in the past ten weeks (albeit smaller ones) with this Guruhi Brutal Influence deck. A close second for this month's best deck was the Assamite Auspex deck by Genis Prats, who won one of the Spanish ECQ tournaments with it.

Barby's deck relies mostly on Brutal Influence (for gaining pool as well as bleeding), but also on Exile and Banishment for handling opposing vampires at the table. The deck is not one for the quick oust, but requires quite some patience and an eye for the right moment to lunge for the oust. It requires quite some time to influence out Eze in the first place and putting enough Orun on him (or his buddies). It also lacks significant stealth or block denial, but that's compensates by Eze's special to untap after the first successful non-hunt action. But once up and running the deck becomes fearsome, influencing new vampires quickly and bleeding hard.

The deck also nicely complements another Deck of the Month, namely "Eze Like Sunday Morning", which also relies heavily on Eze, but uses Aye instead of Orun.

Deck Name: Blood Awakening: Govern is Weak Sauce
Author:
Description:
Tournament: Blood Awakening
Location: Denver, CO
Format: Constructed, 3R+F
Players: 10
Winner: Darby Keeney

Guruhi Brutal Influence

First run though with adjustments after the Powerbase LA Win. Eze still runs low on blood. I guess sitting next to the Beast (twice) and Una (finals) might have contributed to that situation.

Crypt (Capacity min=7 max=11 avg=9.42; 12 cards)
===================================================
1x Aren, Priest of Eshu 7 ani obf POT PRE Guruhi:4
5x Eze, The Demon Prince 11 aus ANI NEC POT PRE THA Guruhi:3
2x Iniko, The Black Lion 9 cel ANI OBT POT PRE Guruhi:4
2x Nana Buruku 8 ANI POT PRE Guruhi:4
1x Ubende 7 for obf qui CEL PRE Ishtarri:4
1x Ugadja 10 dom for ABO ANI POT PRE Guruhi:4

Library (73 cards)
=====================
Master (20 cards)
1x Ancestor Spirit
1x Giant's Blood
1x Heidelberg Castle, Germany
1x Monastery of Shadows
12x Orun
3x Villein
1x Wider View

Action (19 cards)
10x Brutal Influence
1x Entrancement
3x Exile
1x Magic of the Smith
2x No Secrets From the Magaji
1x Revelations
1x Rutor's Hand

Political Action (9 cards)
1x Ancient Influence
4x Banishment
1x Disputed Territory
1x Political Stranglehold
1x Reins of Power
1x Rumors of Gehenna

Equipment (3 cards)
1x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Kduva's Mask
1x Nkishi

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

Action Modifier (16 cards)
1x Approximation of Loyalty
2x Call of the Hungry Dead
1x Enkil Cog
2x Iron Glare
2x Mirror Walk
1x Perfect Clarity
4x Perfect Paragon
1x Strange Day
2x Voter Captivation

Combat (3 cards)
3x Majesty

Combo (2 cards)
1x Force of Personality
1x Guruhi Kholo

Created with Secret Library v0.9.3. (Aug 3, 2011 09:36:52)