It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a tournament report, partly because the results have been somewhat demoralising but also because time has been tight. Given a rare positive result tournament wise, I thought it worth posting.
This time round I decided to not change decks at the last minute and play one of the decks I've been playing and honing for some time — with a few tweaks for blood management and combat defense. It’s a fast Setite deck, that typically grabs it’s first VP quickly and then settles down to work through the second and hopefully third.
The deck.
| Deck Name: | Eternal Abuse |
| Created by: | Ke @ http://vtes-consumed.blogspot.com |
| Description: | Switched Legal's to Intimidation for blood management, also added 1x covern and jake - reduced Lilith's to 1x copy as not really needed now. Deck is quite low on stealth, but permastealth and corruption counters offset that. Cagliostro is awesome when paired with Nakhhorheb and the extra discard phase is great to avoid hand jams. Minimal bounce, but having Keith uptapped generally discourages big bleeds. Added extra Majesties and Mental Mazes for UK meta. |
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| 2x Grrr |
Round 1.
Ke (Setites) > Hugh (Girls + !Nos Deep Song) > Matt (!Toreador) > John (Anson Guns) > Boris (Weenie Potence)
Joy, two rush decks either side of me. I got a nice quick start and fended off Boris’s initial rushes fairly well, I stole Jake from Hugh to prevent one rush and was tempted to steal Carlton cross table from Matt to survive (he didn’t really need him as all of Hugh’s attention was focused on me). I didn’t come out of the blocks particularly fast but knew I had to get Hugh before his pool gain kicked in. I managed to get a secure haven on Nakhthorheb and the rest of my minions ended up in torpor (he alone tends to be enough). Hugh had not drawn a Villein and on 1 pool he was tempted to Golconda Nakhthorheb (but the secure haven would’ve ousted him), I washed it when he played on one of his vamps. My next bleed was bounced across the table, I pushed it through for the edge and enticed to oust Hugh. It seemed a waste; 5 pool damage to oust a player on 1 — but heh it was a VP.
John’s Guns were losing out to Boris’s Potence and he was low on pool from Matt’s constant pressure. Matt dropped a
Palla Grande which John hadn’t accounted for, one bleed was blocked the rest ousted. Matt promised not to bleed Boris if he didn’t back rush, Boris bled for 6 with 6 minions. I could survive another round or two of bleeds and went forward. Matt didn’t break the deal and called an anarchist uprising to oust Boris (in effect gaining 2 pool and a VP). Time was getting low and I worked through my turn as fast as possible, I bought out a second minion leaving us both on 5 pool or so. Matt called a
Kine, I took 3 and he took 1, in his turn I bled for 4 with enkil for the oust. With only 2 minutes on the clock it was a very close game (1GW 3VP).
Round 2.
Matt (!Toreador) > Ke (Setites) > Theo + Euro Brujah > Mike (!Malk vote) > Kieran (Lasombra Bruise Bleed Vote)
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Look over there!
(nothing to see here). |
I had seen the damage output that Matt’s deck could do in the last game, between the bleeds at the votes I was worried. I could kinda handle the bleeds, but not the votes — thankfully my cross table had that covered. Again I got a quick start, but did no pool damage to my prey on my first turn, instead I tooled up with Mokole blood and insisted I was in no rush (I am not a threat!). Theo emptied and torpered Mike’s 9 cap priscus, when he did rush backwards Keith took it to the face leaving him empty with Lilith’s in play. I lunged once in a position oust over two turns and survive a rush, leaving my prey on 3 pool. Sure enough he rushed Nakhthorheb with Theo, I DI’d the grapple, Majestied and ousted him the following turn with a bleed for 3 and enticed Mike. Matt had got me quite low on pool, thankfully Kieran’s Lasombra helped with a Political Stranglehold. Kieran ousted Matt and I ousted Mike. By this stage I was low on pool and ousting power, whilst Kieran had free reign to build — he ousted me in two rounds. (2 VP)
Round 3.
Norbert (Nos Bruise and Vote) > Ant (Tupdogs) > Ke (Setites) > John (Anson guns) > Blackhand Animlism
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| 1 pool of pure destruction. |
Meh. That could probably some up this game (well, my roll in it). Norbert and I started transferring and both aimed to get at least two minions in play at the same time, except I’m bled for 7 by Keith and a Tupdog. I had no option but to bring up Nakhthorheb. His +1 strength turned out to be semi useful as after two rushes he’s left 3 blood in torpor (bonus!). He self rescues and is left with 2 blood (Perfectionist). The following turn he’s torpored and grave robbed before I was bled out.
Norbert faired a bit better, he managed to act a turn or so and get the Tupdogs down to 4 pool, he was caught without any extra stealth on the ousting anarch uprising and promptly torpored the next turn. With no minions (bar one with fame bouncing in and out of torpor) Norbert was ousted. The tupdog deck clawed its way back with the powerbase and dreams before catching John off guard with plenty of maneuvers and squeezing a second VP out of the game before almost decking decking. The black hand animalism bled with deep songs to take the game.
Final.
Hugh (Girls + !Nos) > Me (Setites) > Ant (Tupdogs) > Fernando (Classic Lawfirm) > Kieran (Lasombra)
It’s been sometime since I’ve been in a final and I was quite happy to have qualified. I had adjusted to the likelyhood that the tupdogs were likely to wreck me — and was relieved with 2x
Mokole bloods in my opening hand. I bought out Nakhthorheb with 2x
Eternals and my prey influenced out Keith Moody with two Tupdogs. Fernando stayed low and the rest of table influenced without acceleration. On my first and possibly last acting turn I equipped with Mokole Blood and retrieved 2x Enticements and 2x Revelation of Ecstasy, I stole one tupdog preventing one rush and more importantly a new crypt card for my prey. Threats of rushes ensued, thankfully contesting Keith Moody had that covered. From then on I had free reign on the Tupdog deck, quickly working through his pool while doing my best to convince the table that it was a good thing that he went and went quickly (before Fernando gathered too much pace). On the turn the Ant brought another !Tremere into play he was left on 3 pool. Hugh Pentex’d Nakhthorheb and tried to rush Cagliostro, he survived and removed the Pentex with a casual Forgotten Labyrinth. Nakhthorheb tapped the lone !Tremere with
Revelation of Ecstasy and bled for 3. Goodbye Tupdogs.
Fernando’s Lawfirm had taken zero pressure so far and was in a good shape (although lacking vote lock). Kieran looked as comfortable as you can be with a Lawfirm behind you and Hugh was low on pool (this doesn’t tend to mean much). I kept my head down and just kept pecking at the Lawfirm with bleeds of 2 (enkil cog), the Lawfirm parity shifted me twice, leaving me low on pool. After a Villein Giants Blood combo Hugh continued to rush and I kept drawing majesties or rescued with Nakhthorheb’s first action, he was perfect and the Covern was in play.
Fernando played
Slaughtering the Herd on Nakhthorheb which I attempted to block, he then dropped a Daring the Dawn which when resolved burnt the Herd (sweet, although it required a brief rollback after re-reading the card). He next tried to banish Cagliostro (my only other ready minion), thankfully I managed to convinced my grand predator to disallow it as it would probably give Hugh a VP, thankfully he did — as with a third parity shift.
I managed to get the Lawfirm low on pool (5 or so) and had gained enough pool via the edge,
wider view and
eternals to bring Cybele into play (she had been discreting sitting there with 6 transfers for a number of turns). During the Fernado's next turn he lunged. Sending one of Kieran's minions to torpor with Kiss of Ra and in turn giving him the vote lock. He got Kieran down to 3 pool with one action remaining, a kine resources contested which I delayed — he also sat on 3 pool. After checking Fernando’s ash heap I decided to risk bleeding his turn, it was bounced and my prey gained 6 pool (doh!). Hugh triggered an Ashur cycle and managed to dunk Nakhthorheb.
Things are a little fuzzy now. Cybele rescued Nakhthorheb, he gained 2 with the covern and bled hardish reducing Fernando back to 3 pool. During Fernando’s turn he went for the oust again, Hugh delayed one ousting vote, I delayed another. Fernando was left on 3 pool. With an enticement in hand I bled knowing it wouldn’t oust Hugh (on 6). This time no bounce. The Lawfirm goes down.
I entice Hugh, leaving him on 3 pool with his turn to come. Thankfully I draw my final Majesty and survive his rush. With the Opium Den, Monastery of Shadows, and a hand full of stealth I push a bleed through for the win.
A month ago, at Burton I played so badly. I was in the wrong head space, thinking too much, trying too hard and getting to angry. I needed to chill out. I took that advice on board and it served me well in Denmark, and even more this event. Sweet.
Bring on the next tournament in London...
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