London League — Week six

Unfortunately this this the first opportunity I’ve had to write about these games and the memories are now somewhat faint — also having played a few games online since then doesn’t help...

Game one

Player	Deck	GW	VP	LP
Nikki	Gargoles with dom	0	0.5	2
Ke	Setite Bleed	0	1.5	4
Fernando	Classic Lawfirm	0	1	3
Norbert	!Brujah Unexpected Coalition	0	0	1
Matt	Giovanni Wraiths	0	0.5	2
Mike	Goratrix	0	0.5	2

I drew into no crypt acceleration (7x Eternals in 70 cards) and had to bring Nakhthorheb out the slow way. This would pose a problem as the Lawfirm needs to be pressured hard and early on as once it gets rolling it’s very hard to stop. By the time Nakhthorheb is ready to act the lawfirm has two minions in play and has done plenty of pool damage to Norbert (govern, freak drive kine I think).

Mike fames one of Nikkis minions (Saxum, Master of Slaves) and rushes his predators (Matt) Giovanni del Georgio. Mike decides against torpor him and leaves him on 2 blood. Fernando DI’s my first Venenation and I bring out Catherine De Bois to bounce Nikki bleeds, they then get bounced to Norbert — Norbert has no bounce and begins to suffer.

By this stage Norbert is running low on pool and his first two con boons blocked by Fernando with second tradition — he manages to get two off leaving him on 12 pool or so. Matt sits pretty and recruits a number of wraiths, doing his best not to offend Goratrix.

Nikki govern bleeds me and I ask why he’s trying to oust Norbert? He looks puzzled at first and after some table talk (Norbert was OK with the risk) I decide to bounce the bleed to my prey who promptly bounces it to Norbert. Nakhthorheb bleeds Fernando for 1 which is blocked I play Venenation and Majesty. Catherine bleeds for 1 and is bounced to Norbert, Enticement follows.

The bounced bleed leaves Norbert in range (9 pool or so) and Fernando ousts him leaving his minions tapped out and low on blood. Goratrix rumbles a few of Nikki’s minions and toasts his Razor Bats, but he’s sitting relatively comfortable. I bounce one of his bleeds (for 3) which Fernando copes with too comfortably — Parity Shift perhaps. I play an Externals on Neferu and bleed Fernndo for 6 (3 Nakhthorheb and 3 Catherine) this is followed by an Enticement.  I ensure I’m not in parity shift range and bring out Neferu, leaving me on 1 poll less than Fernando with a Sudden in hand for any master phase shenanigans.

Fernando trys to play a Giants blood on Emerson Bridges which I sudden with a smile. Emerson Bridges is then force to hunt. Fernando, tries a parity shift which is then block by Ambrosius and the Unmasking. He trys another one with his final minion, this time with some table talk beforehand — however Matt is not willing to take the risk and blocks. This leaves Fernando on 7-8 pool or so.

The table kinda accepts that Fernando is going to die, hower Matt and Felix "Fix" Hessian conspire to destroy Nakhthorheb’s secure haven. As Nikki’s turn rolls around I fear and expect a rush, but it never happens, he’s bleeds fairly solidly. I Villein Neferu for 9 and she becomes Bahari. Nakhthorheb bleeds for 5 (Enchant Kindred + Revelation of Desire) and entices to oust Fernando, leaving me on 20 pool or so with not much time on the clock.

Matt does works the Sudario refraction magic to ensure he always has a deflection in hand and Mike gets close to ousting Nikki as the table times...

Game two

Player	Deck	GW	VP	LP
Mike	Lorrie + Eye + Potence	0	0	1
Norbert	Animal Rights	1	4	12
Nikki	Cardano Turbo	0	1	3
Ke	Blood Brothers	0	0	1
Matt	Daughters	0	0	1
Fernando	Classic lawfirm	0	1	3

This was a long and very interesting game with somewhat of anti-climax...

Matt puts a protected resources in play, effectively changing my ousting mechanism to a death of a dozen cuts. Norbert parity shifts Nikki for 5 with his first action.


Nikki does a lot of tooling up and way too much hunting with Cardano he seems to be fishing for a card (I still wonder what) and is dangerously getting low on both blood and pool. Mike back rushes, I bleed just a few times for one and the Daughters bloat whilst working on Fernando with Lily Prelude.

The two Camarilla vote decks support each other as Mike rushes back and forth between predator and prey. Nikki rushes one of my minions as “it’s the only one” he can rush — the minion’s torpored then promptly rescued. I build my small army and continue to ping away at Matt’s pool.

Matt looks to have Fernando in range, with empty minion and low pool. A Giants blood and a parity shift (supported cross table) from his prey soon change that and he’s back in the game. Mike rush and burns Sir Walter Nash.

Who the hell is this?

Norbert goes lite on Nikki who doesn’t seems to be blocking any of his build up actions, governs, fourth traditions etc seem to be going unblocked and Norbert is building strongly with plenty of pool and reasonable heath minions. He bring Etrius into play as a fourth vampire! The roll call is now: Stanislava, Don Cruez, The Idealist, Ingrid Rossa, and Etrius.

I play an Oppugnant Night and torporise Matt’s minions except one and in theory can working my way through his pool on the next turn. He bring’s a new minion in play and sits tight. Fernando Villeins Arika, bleeds Mike and brings out Emerson Bridges. Mike burns Arika.

Nobert works away at Nikki’s pool and it looks likely that he will oust Nikki on the following turn. I’m sitting quite comfortably pool wise and decide to lend a hand by playing another Oppugnant Night and rush Norbert’s minions (trying to weaken him before he gets to me). I leave Stanislava empty, although it proves irrelevant as Norbert has a Lilith’s Blessing lurking in the dark shadows of the table.

So how about it?

The table’s at a point we’re most players are managing a balancing act between ousted and staying alive — with Norbert being the exception. After rushing backwards, I mistakenly thought that Matt would appreciate the space. On his turn he dropped an Anarchist Uprising, his prey and one minion and this would effectively hand the game to Norbert — leaving both his prey (Nikki) and his grand prey (me) low on pool. Nobert pushed the vote through and all our fates were sealed.

Fernando ousts Mike with a bleed for 1, letting the Eye of Hazimere do the rest. Norbert, kinda does the right thing by parity shifting me before ousting Nikki, the only problem is I only have 5 pool and there are still 5 players in the game — 6 pool and 1 VP to my predator! It doesn’t stop him being ousted that turn. Nor does stop Norbert ousting Matt that turn though and he has to wait one more turn to do so. Fernando concedes close to time.

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