I’ll not describe here all the tables, and all the casualties, but i prefer to put my deck, and try to analyze a little bit how did it get, and why. What were the main problems, and the solutions to pass them. On the standings i was the second with more ranking at the start of the final (2 GW and 10 VP’s). In the final table, that lasted for more than five hours, I got 2 VP’s and the second place.

Now lets go to the analysis. Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=1 max=5 avg=3.75)
===============================================
1x Angel 2 cel Brujah:1 Before the last modifications to this cript, it was a all CEL, and the only vampire of 3 or less was Sarah Brando. It proved to very usefull the 4 little minions that i’ve put in, and Angel was one of them. Against non combat ends minions, she could do as good as any of the CEL guys.
1x Antoinette DuChamp 1 cel pre Caitiff:2 The same thing as Angel, with the improve of making a lot of bleeds of 3 (specialy when she got a blood doll, because Legal cost all her blood). One of the MVP of this deck on the tournament.
3x Black Cat 5 pot pre CEL Brujah:1 The ability pays off pretty well, and in combat was effective as ever. Its the main motive to maintain me on group 1-2, instead of going to 3-4 because of Lacaenus. But that is another question.
1x Brachah 5 for CEL PRE Brujah:2
1x Felicia Mostrom 5 pre AUS CEL Toreador:1
1x Nik 1 cel Caitiff:1 The MVP on 2 games, he did all for the group, early rushes, with nice efficiency and diableries were is trademark. Got 3 Diabs done on the tournament, last one in final, always of vampires of 8+ cap. And even survived once!
1x Rigby, Crusade Vanguard 5 aus pot CEL PRE !Brujah:2
1x Sarah Brando 3 CEL !Brujah:2
1x Uma Hatch 3 cel pre Brujah:1 It was Antoinet on steroids. She was prolly the vampire that most bled this tournament for me. Nice vampire.
1x Volker, The Puppet Prince 5 pot CEL Brujah:2 One of my favorite vampires in the game, but only got on my crypt once. In this deck is just one more. In this deck!

Library (90 cards)
==================
Master (14)
2x Archon Investigation <- Never used, but was always a threat, and most of the times I discarded one my predators stopped to think twice. Its the right number.
2x Blood Doll <- I have not much space on this deck for more, and 14 masters in a deck that cycles as fast as this, is more than enough. For the cost in this deck never use a Vessel, because it takes 2 turns to get some pool to you, and you never know when you need it. A pool is a pool, and is deck more than any.
4x Frontal Assault <- Was one of the main questions on the days before the tournament. Most of the people said there were too much Frontal, but in play I never missed one. If you use them carefully, and since you need only to kill half of your prey vampires to don’t loss pool, they are pretty safe, and normally poolmakers. I would not take any of them, but putting more is too risky.
1x Heidelberg Castle, Germany <- One of the Most Valued Cards on the tournament for me. It costs 2 pool, but enables to rearrange blood between 2 vampires, and this deck as some blood management problems, and makes you need less one Magnun. In addition with this, you can bring all the Magnuns by Black Cat, making they’re cost more affordable. I’m considering a second copy of the card.

3x Monster <- Well, it is that good. Rush forward with frontal assault, by 3 minions, untap them all, and then each of them bleed for 3 with presence. I did this more than once on the tournament, and it was a vp maker. Monster is good, even on low cap, without any doubt.
1x Secure Haven <- For the contest, and it proved good.
1x Specialization <- The other most valuable card of the final. The poolgain and cycling that it provide, taking out the extra concealed and magnuns from hand was perfect.

Event (1)
1x Narrow Minds <- If you don’t bounce, you want to play this. Some players can say to you that you are beeing bad for the table, but the table is bad for you when they bounce to you or from you. If they do, at least make them pay some more.

Action (16)
3x Big Game
2x Bum’s Rush
4x Harass <- This 9 Rush cards were pretty usefull when I want to back rush, or just do a rush or two in the round. I think its a good number and never get me jammed or in lack of it.
7x Legal Manipulations <- The lack of superior Presence made me put Legal because I have more of it than Public Trust, but after use I think it still better. In this deck you have a lot of time your four vampires of the initial crypt out in play, and you don’t want more, so you have an empty crypt. So the direct pool gain is better than the momentum provided by Public. On the other hand when I put the bleed on the deck, was on the last days of testing, and I didn’t realize how much it costs on blood on a low cap deck, with only 4 taste of vitae. I will not take any Legal out, because they were my VP makers, but I truly need to compensate them with more blood gain.

Equipment (8)

8x .44 Magnum <- The right number. Thanks Matt Morgan for the insistence.

Reaction (4)
1x Delaying Tactics <- Literally saved my ass twice. Got to love it.
3x On the Qui Vive <- A good number. I defend that sometimes a combat deck doesn’t need wakes, but having a small number of them can save you from that big bleed with no stealth.

Combat (44)
2x Blur <- Useful, but I think that in this deck it must be not much numbers.
8x Concealed Weapon <- See ,44 Magnun
5x Flash <- Good number.
10x Psyche! <- Got to love it! It cancels Rothshreck, kills damage prevention and strike combat ends. Its the best combat card in this deck.
9x Pursuit <- I like this card pretty much, but I still consider that maybe taking one or two of them for flash can be good. Press’s are useful too.
6x Sideslip <- Good number, and good use on the tournament. Sometimes dodge that nasty aggravated strike, and sometimes getting one point of damage prevented. The lifesaver of this deck.
4x Taste of Vitae <- Lack of it! With intensive use Legal and Monster, I was always short on blood. This is the part of the deck that needs to be revised.

Combo (3)
3x Resist Earth’s Grasp <- Make me pass a couple of bleed for 3 unexpected, and helped to make surgical rushes, but even then, with the lack of blood of the deck, will probably be converted into Taste of Vitae. But is, and was on the tournament, a pretty strong card.

The main problem of this deck was always the lack of blood. But there is more. When playing a deck like this you must remember that you never want to be with less than 15 poll when ended up putting 2-3 minions and magnums into play. You don’t bounce, and you don’t intercept, so expect some pool loss, and count with it. And them play forward, always forward. Try to destroy your prey vampires fast, and them bleed. If you see that your predator is preparing to take actions on you, threat him. If he seems undecided, rush him once, and threat him again. You have power to destroy him, but its resources that you want to use on your prey, and if you destroy your predator totally, you’ll get a new stronger predator soon. Try to be smart, and cautious. Never forget, you’re a pure combat deck, so you must be aggressive. As I like to say, Hard and Fast, Brujah Way!

See you in Prague!

Tier 1: you will make deck with this card, even if it implies extra setup
Tier 2: if you deck as the requirements, you will use this card as one of the main cards
Tier 3: usable, but not worth of big changes, or just as support
Tier 4: For fun games, or maybe a strange one trick pony.

º <- will be used soon on a deck of mine, that is almost ready

#01: Anarch Manifesto, An [TR:C]
Cardtype: Equipment
Equipment.
The anarch with this equipment gets +1 stealth on actions that require an anarch. Titled non-anarch vampires get +1 strength in combat with this minion. A minion may only have one Anarch Manifesto.
[DRAFT]: As above, and a vampire becomes Anarch when he or she equips with this card.
Artist: Heather Kreiter

Tier 3

#02: Anonymous Freight [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action
+3 stealth equip action. Requires a vampire.
Equip this vampire with a non-location equipment card from your hand (requirements and cost apply as normal).
[DRAFT]: As above, but ignore requirements of the equipment.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 3

#03: Baseball Bat [TR:C]
Cardtype: Equipment
Cost: 1 pool
Melee weapon. Do not replace until the end of the action.
Strength+1 damage each strike. If the action to equip with Baseball Bat is successful, untap the acting minion at the end of the turn.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 3 º

#04: Blade Clot [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action Modifier/Combat.
Requires an anarch.
Only usable when this anarch diablerizes a vampire with a capacity above 6. Put this card in play with three clot counters. When an anarch you control inflicts hand or melee weapon damage, you may move a clot counter from this card to the opposing minion. A minion with a clot counter goes to torpor or is burned during his or her untap phase. If an older vampire rescues the vampire, burn the clot counter.
Artist: Heather Kreiter

Tier 3 º

#05: Blood Turnip [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Unique master. Requires a ready anarch.
Put this card on any minion. When this minion enters combat, he or she moves this card and 1 blood (or life) to the opposing minion. If the opposing minion is an anarch, that anarch can move this card onto any minion instead (but it must move).
Artist: Tom Biondillo

Tier 3 º

#06: Chameleon [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action
Cost: X blood
+1 stealth action. Requires a baron.
(D) Take control of a younger vampire with capacity of X who entered play since your last minion phase. That vampire becomes anarch (and independent).
Artist: Jim Parilec

Tier 2 (but close to 1…)

#07: Club Illusion [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Cost: 1 pool
Master: unique location.
When any anarch vampire declares a bleed action, he or she can 1 blood to get +1 bleed on that action (only usable once each action).
Artist: Tom Biondillo

Tier 2 (but I think that all the Anarchs will use this one) º

#08: Constant Revolution [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action
+1 stealth action. Requires an anarch. Unique.
Put this card in play with 1 counter. During your untap phase, put a counter on this card. During each other Methuselah’s untap phase, he or she must burn X pool and/or cards at random from his or her hand, where X is the number of counters on this card. Any vampire may burn this card as a D-action that costs 1 pool.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 1 (my favorite of the edition, Owain Evans prepare to be anarch soon) º

#09: CrimethInc. [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action Modifier.
Disciplines: Protean/Quietus/Thaumathurgy
Requires an anarch. Play after resolving a successful action that requires an anarch or makes this vampire an anarch.
[pro]: Untap this anarch.
[qui]: Untap another ready anarch.
[tha]: Put this card in play. During your minion phase, you may burn a pool to untap a ready anarch you control.
Artist: John Bridges

Tier 2 (mainly because of tha, but two other great effects) º

#10: Crypt’s Sons [TR:R]
Cardtype: Retainer
Cost: 1 pool
Unique mortal with 3 life. Requires an anarch.
Whenever this anarch is blocked, he or she may burn a life from the Sons to cancel combat and continue this action as if unblocked. The Sons inflict 1R damage each round of combat during normal strike resolution.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 2 (just not 1 because I won’t change a whole deck for it. If not Unique would be Broken) º

#11: Detect Authority [TR:C]
Cardtype: Reaction
Disciplines: Animalism/Serperntis/Thaumaturgy
Requires an anarch.
[ani]: Only usable duringa a (D) action directed at this minion or location you control. The action ends (no cost is paid), unless the acting minion burns 2 blood immediately.
[ser]: +1 intercept.
[tha]: Reduce a bleed against you by 2.
Artist: Peter Bergting

Tier 3

#12: Elixir of Distillation [TR:C]
Cardtype: Equipment
Weapon. Requires an anarch.
Ranged strike: burn 1 blood from the opposing vampire and reduce his or capacity by 1 (capacity cannot be reduced below 1). That reduction last until that vampire’s controller uses a master action to tap that vampire. Burn this weapon after use.
Artist: Tom Biondillo

Tier 4

#13: Exclusion Principle [TR:C]
Cardtype: Political Action
Successful referendum means each methuselah gains 1 pool for each ready independent vampire he or she controls.
Artist: Eric Dechamps

Tier 3

#14: Failsafe [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Master: unique trifle
Put this card in play. If you have fewer than 3 pool, you may use a master phase action to burn this card and gain 4 pool.
Artist: Tom Biondillo

Tier 3 º

#15: Final Loosening [TR:R]
Cardtype: Reaction
Disciplines: Auspex/Dementation/Fortitude
Requires an anarch.
[aus]: Play when an action vampire would gain 1 or more blood. The action vampire and this reacting anarch each gain 1 blood instead.
[dem]: Gain 4 votes.
[for]: Only usable when an ally is acting. The action fails and the ally takes 1 damage. Tap this reacting anarch.
Artist: Peter Bergting

Tier 3 (but I’m truly fond of the aus level)

#16: Framing, The [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action
Cost: 2 blood
+1 stealth action. Requires an anarch.
(D) Put this card on the acting anarch and choose a ready minion. If the anarch with this card is blocked, this card is burned. The blocking minion enters combat with the chosen minion instead of this anarch (or the action ends with no combat of that combat cannot occur).
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 4 (but so much fun)

#17: Garibaldi-Meucci Museum [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Master: unique location
Tap and burn 1 pool during your untap phase to exchange a card in your ash heap that requires an anarch for a card from your hand. Tap before range is determined to end combat between an anarch you control and another anarch.
[DRAFT]: As above, and you may tap this card to make a vampire you control an anarch.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 3

#18: Grey Thorne [TR:R]
Cardtype: Ally
Cost: 2 blood
Unique ghoul with 2 life. 1 strength, 1 bleed. Requires an anarch.
Grey may play cards that require Celerity or Potence as an anarch vampire. During your untap phase, if grey has only 1 life, any ready anarch may burn a blood to add 1 life to him.
Artist: Matt Dixon

Tier 3 (mini Brujah!)

#19: Haven Hunting [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action
+1 stealth action. Requires an anarch.
Put this card in play. At the end of a combat involving an anarch you control, if both combatants are still ready, you may burn this card to have the two combatants begin another combat.
[DRAFT]: (D) Enter combat with a ready minion.
Artist: Matt Dixon

Tier 3

#20: Hell-for-Leather [TR:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Animalism/Celerity/Obtenebration
Requires an Anarch. Only one Hell-for-Leather may be played at a given Discipline each combat.
[ani]: Strike: dodge, with and additional strike.
[cel]: Additional strike (that doesn’t count against the limit).
[obt]: Play if this anarch is ready and the opposing minion is not. The opposing minion’s controller burns 2 pool.
Artist: Peter Bergting

Tier 1 (would be 2 if not the obt)

#21: Keystone Kine [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action
Disciplines: Celerity/Necromancy/Obfuscate
Requires an anarch.
[cel] and/or [nec] and/or [obf] (D) Bleed. If using [cel], he or she gains one blood. If using [nec] the bleed is +1 bleed. If using [obf], you many burn an ally controleld by your prey whose cost is not greater than the bleed amount.
Artist: Peter Bergting

Tier 3

#22: Lam Into [TR:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Disciplines: Fortitude/Potence/Vicissitude
Requires an anarch. Do not replace until after combat. Strike: hand strike or use a melee weapon strike..
[for]: This strike is at +1 damage with an optional maneuver.
[pot]: This strike is at +2 damage.
[vic]: This strike is at +1 damage, with an optional press. If another round of combat occurs, range is automatically close.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 3

#23: Libertas [TR:C]
Cardtype: Master
Cost: 1 pool.
Master.
Requires an anarch. Put this card on an anarch. Allies cannot block this anarch. Cards that require [dom] or [pre] cost other minions an additional blood while this anarch is acting, attempting to block, or in combat.
Artist: Andrew Trabbold

Tier 3 (but the solution for mass bleeder’s) º

#24: Monkey Wrench [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action Modifier.
Cost: X blood.
Requires an anarch.
+X bleed. X must be 1, 2 or 3. You cannot play another action modifier to increase this bleed amount.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 1 (only conditioning and a toreador aire could do the same. And disciplineless…) º

#25: No Confidence [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action Modifier
Play after resolving a successful action that requires an anarch.
Put this card on a titled non-anarch vampire controlled by the target of the action (or by your prey or predator if the action is undirected). A vampire with two No Confidence loses the benefit of his or her title. Burn this card if this acting vampire leaves the ready region.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 4

#26: Open War [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action
+1 stealth action. Requires a baron.
Put this card in play. Anarch vampires can enter combat with any minion as a (D) action. They can burn a location as a (D) action that costs 2 pool. Any Methuselah may use a master phase action to move 1 counter from his or her pool to this card. When this card has 4 pool, burn it and gain 4 pool. Only one Open War may be played in a game.
Artist: John Bridges

Tier 3

#27: Patsy [TR:R]
Cardtype: Political Action
Requires a baron. Only usable if you control the Edge.
Choose a titled non-anarch vampire. Successful referendum means that you burn the edge to remove that vampire’s title and burn 2 pool from his or her controller.
[DRAFT]: Requires any vampire (and the Edge). Sucessful referendum means your prey burns 3 pool.
Artist: Eric Dechamps

Tier 2 (Nergal Baron…)

#28: Piper [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Master. Requires a ready anarch.
A ready untapped anarch you control employs or recruits a retainer or ally from your hand (requirements and cost apply as normal). This is not an action and cannot be blocked. Tap that anarch.
Artist: Andrew Trabbold

Tier 2

#29: Poacher’s Hunting Ground [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Master. Location. Hunting Ground. Derivative.
During your untap phase, choose up to X ready anarchs you control who each gain 1 blood, where X is the number of non-derivative hunting grounds controlled by other Methuselahs. A vampire can gain blood from only one hunting ground card each turn.
Artist: Leif Jones

Tier 3

#30: Power of All [TR:C]
Cardtype: Reaction
Cost: 2 blood.
Requires a ready anarch.
Tap this anarch and one other untapped ready anarch you control to cancel a library card as it is played. Usable even if there is no action.
Not usable during your own turn.
[Draft]: As above, but you do not tap another anarch.
Artist: Eric Deschamps

Tier 3 º

#31: Power of One [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action Modifier
Cost: 1 blood
Disciplines: Obtenebration/Potence/Presence
Requires an anarch.
[obt]: Only usuable when an action is blocked. The blocking minion burns 2 blood or 2 life (before combat if any).
[pot]: +1 bleed.
[pre]: +1 bleed, or +1 bleed and +1 stealth. You cannot play another action modifier to increase this bleed amount.
Artist: Jim Parilec

Tier 3 º

#32: Revolutionary Council [TR:C]
Cardtype: Political Action
Requires a baron.
Choose X, then choose X ready untapped anarchs you control and allocate 2X points among one or more Methuselahs, locations and equipment. Successful referendum means each chosen anarch is tapped, each Methuselah burns one pool for each point assigned, and each location or equipment assigned a point is burned.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 2

#33: Shattering [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action
Cost: 1 blood.
Discipline: Chimerstry/Dementation/Protean
Requires an Anarch.
[chi]: +1 stealth action. Look at another Methuselah’s hand and discard a card from it.
[dem]: +2 stealth action. Burn an event (undirected, no matter who controls the event).
[pro]: (D) Inflict 2 unpreventable damage on a ready minion.
Artist: Becky Jollenstein

Tier 2 (the protein level is a deck center…)

#34: Shoulder Drop [TR:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Grapple.
Play when you sucessfully inflict damage from a hand strike. After strike resolution, if this minion is still readym the opposing minion take 1 additional damage. The opposing minion cannot press this round. A minion play only one Shoulder Drop each strike.
Artist: Efrem Palacios

Tier 3 º

#35: Smear Campaign [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Cost: 1 pool
Unique Master. Requires a ready anarch.
Put this card in play. Tap during your untap phase and choose a tapped non-anarch minion controlled by your predator or prey to burn a card on that minion. Cannot be used to burn an equipment or a retainer. That minion’s controller then takes control of this card.
Artist: Leif Jones

Tier 4

#36: Stealing Years [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action
+1 stealth action. Requires an anarch.
(D) Diablerize an older vampire in torpor and put this card on the acting anarch. Capacity increases by 1. In the resulting blood hunt referendum, each anarch gets an additional vote.
+1 capacity.
Artist: Becky Jollenstein

Tier 3 º

#37: Steely Tenacity [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action/Combat
Cost: 1 blood
Disciplines: Animalism/Dominate/Quietus
Requires an anarch. Do not replace until the end of this action. When you would replace this card, you make take this card from your ash heap instead.
[ani]: Strike: hand strike or use a melee weapon strike. This strike is at +1 damage, with an optional press.
[dom]: (D) Bleed at +1 bleed.
[qui]: +1 stealth action. (D) Enter combat with a ready minion.
Artist: Peter Bergting

Tier 2 (I would say 3, but I’ve seen Gabrin use it!)

#38: Twilight Camp [TR:R]
Cardtype: Master
Master.
Put this card in play with 4 counters. When you put a non-titled, non-anarch vampire in play from your uncontrolled region, you may burn counter a counter from this card to make that vampire anarch (and Independent). You may burn a counter from this card to add a blood to an anarch as a master phase action. Burn this card when it has no counters.
Artist: Leif Jones

Tier 3

#39: World’s a Canvas, The [TR:R]
Cardtype: Action
Cost: 2 blood
Disciplines: Dominate/Obfuscate/Vicissitude
Reqires an anarch
[dom]: (D) Burn half the counters in an uncontrolled minion in your prey’s uncontrolled region (round down).
[obf]: +1 stealth action. (D) Burn a location.
[vic]: (D) Burn 4 blood from a ready, titled, non-anarch vampire.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 3 (in a weenie dom is tier 2)

#40: Zip Line [TR:C]
Cardtype: Action
+2 stealth action.
Put this card on the acting minion. This minion may burn this card to get +1 stealth.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc

Tier 4

The combat

Well, its a combat deck, so in principle you have the ways to kill your enemies in combat, before it kills you. Talking about that in this text would be like water in the rain. But there are a couple of problems that combat decks often get in their combats, specially at tournament level.

- When you go out for combat, you normally need to kill, so Strike Combat Ends, its a real threat, and every  rush combat deck at tournament level have to deal with it. Well, the weenie rush deals with it normally by repeating the target, but that’s the weenie way. There are too types of way getting the kill, the first is to don’t let your opponent fall out of combat, by force. In this way you play cards after the S:CE as entered effect, ignoring its efect, Psyche! and Telepathic tracking are the most common forms of this. It as the advantage of making your opponent waste the S:CE card, but in the other hand you don’t get the efect of your strikes of the first combat. If you are using permanent effects, like aggravated hands, weapons and other stuff, this is the best option normally. And you prevent Röthshreck at the same time. But if you want to kill right away, your best way is to denial the chance of your opponent using S:CE at all. Oliver Thrace has it from itself, but you cannot always make rush decks with him. Permanent cards like Blessing of Chaos, are a good help but only from some types of combat ends. The two main choices for this kind of thing continues to be Immortal Grapple and Thoughts betrayed. When you play one of them, you’re opponent, if not a combat deck itself, have if fate doomed.

- The other thing that you’ll have to think is what to do with the torporized vampires. If you send them into torpor with mass damage, it’s not a hard thing to let them stay on torpor, but in the other end if you send them by trick (like Coma, Entombment), or by aggravated poke, you must do something. If must or diablerize, or make the vampire your own. Graverobbing is an excellent addition. But never let a vampire with blood on torpor alone, because he’ll come back.
The way to get the VP’s

This is the hard part of playing a combat deck. You’ll be killing vampires at your prey because he is your prey. Killing vampires of your predator because its your way of defence. Probably killing some vampires cross table for the control of the table. But what about the thing that gives you victory, getting the VP done?
I think that all the rush combat deck players tasted the frustration of killing a horde of vampires at the table, but in the end getting nothing of it, leaving the table with 0 vp’s. Its hard, but its very common. Some people say that Rush Combat its the harder way of winning in tournament, and I tend to agree. But there are some weapons.

- Fame: Definitively its the best solution to kill using rush, but its not enough normally. Even with the old trick of rescuing the opposite vampire from torpor, and getting him down again, you need more power.

- Tension in the ranks: If you don’t play weenie, or your combat is too risky making you go into torpor a lot, its a good card. But always have the problem that it’s easily destroyed, by discarding 2 master cards. It’s not the most regular card, but is pretty strong.

- Dragonbound: I truly like this card. It’s true that this card have a strong drawback, since you loose one permanent hand size to play it. It can be harsh, and could mean that you have a bigger change of handjam. But it’s a reliable source of damaging a lot of people. You need to think before putting it into play, since it’s almost indestructible once in play, and evaluate all the conditions. Nonetheless it’s a strong card.

- Anarch Revolt: Kill all the vampires your prey has, and are not anarchs, and get multiples copies of anarch revolt. A classic, but still a great choice.

- Bleeding: Well, even without any cards all vampires can bleed. And if your prey doesn’t have vampires to defend itself, it’s a choice. But never forget, this is only a true power strategy if you play weenie. Because 8 bleeds of 1, are a strong bleeding power.

First of all, who’s Una? The picture at the right side show the vampire, as you already see it. At first glance, its a nice Country !Gangrel, with a title and presence, making her a potential good political deck star vampire. And her special is hot from the start, making her able to use freak drive and good damage prevention for free. But then… if she can freak drive for free, why not just giving her all the good equipment and permanent effect actions in one single turn? This is the principle that last year in LA turned a regular player, Matt Wedge, into the most hated player for many people in this game.

He just developed a deck where Una on a single turn can equip a lot of stuff, and blocking all that is a mad issue, because even the most strong wall doesn’t have 45+ wakes, and then rush all the table with the goods he just acquired. The deck get some sucess, mainly because getting the 45+ freak drives the deck needs is not easy, but since the beggining of 2008, it just showed in a number of places at full power. And yes this deck wins a lot.

The last report was from the European Qualifier in France, this saturday, and he just get a second place. But the problem isn’t this. Sometimes a deck shows power, or new power, and get a lot of sucess in the tournament scene. I can recall the quintuple A (Ambulance, Aching Beauty, Alexandra, Anson, Anneke), that have show at full power late 2007 and 2008, and no one said much against it. Why? Because its a regular VtES deck, that is strong, but do the things at the same point that VtES is always played. Una just exploits a gap on VtES, at least is what a lot of people think, just like the Turbo deck’s. The diference is that Una is getting wins at it.

The big question here is: Playing a turn of 30-40 minutes with almost zero interaction with the table, that is the main fun on VtES, is fair? What do you think? Many players around the world think that’s not. Sure that some things can be putted togheter to stop this at organization level. I’m not talking at banning (or even rewrite) Freak Drive, one of the most played cards ever. And even not sure about doing it to Una. If there is any solution, my favorite as to make a limit to the number of actions a vampire can make in a turn. Maybe a number around six or eight, will be fine. The normal decks using freak drive wouldn’t have many troubles with this, and the exploit like Una would be end.

In a talk with some players, I defined a little list of this kind of cards, and hosted a little fast vote. This list, and all the consequent voting is arbitrary, but its a list. Just a little bit of explanation about each one of them.

I asked a little group to make their voting, and this is the final result. Thanks Matt Morgan, Mats Ole, Jussi Hattara and Ben Peal to voting.

6th - Palla Grande

If there is a cardtype that truly get’s this concept out, is Palla Grande. Make a little new vampire or two, get yourself alive by intercepting and deflecting, regular stuff for a deck, not to agressive. Moments later, there come the Palla Grande, and the not so powerfull deck, becomes a killing machine. And its not breakable, and when it goes out, it does nothing bad to the one that as played it. Probably he plays another when he runs out the first one.

5th - Week of Nightmares

The card was always a frightening sight on any table. It is a palla grande that makes all your vampires +1 strength too. And Ravnos have better access to stealth. Sure, you have the drawbacks that Palla doesn’t have, but a more powerful punch, and it’s known to be used only when you have all that you need to go for the kill. Or you’re too desperate.

3th - Smiling Jack

When if first started to go to international forums about VtES, one of them was a Spanish one. There I read a player that as said that Walls are a lie created to protect the Smiling Jack. For sure that is not the only way walls have to oust in a game, but its the most common one. It unleashes a downgrade of power against all the table, except yourself. For sure that when you put in to play the Smiling one, you must have pool gain mechanism set, and a solid way to defend it. But when you do… its a win.

3th - Soul Gem of Etrius

In the same place of Smiling Jack, comes the Soul Gem of Etrius. If one is one card that boosts a traditional VtES deck archetype to a powerful level, the second one is the motivation to create a combo deck in VtES, that is not common. When you see the Soul Gem, you understand that you’re in presence of a turbo deck. If i have a Direct Intervention on hand, and see a Soul Gem, its very likely to get used right on that spot. If the combo starts, its almost unstoppable.

2th - Baltimore Purge

Who likes to see all the vampires at the table, except the ones of one Methuselah, going into torpor, beeing graverobed, striped from their blood and killed? When you see this card going into play, you know that the plan is to do all that stuff, and you’re on bad place. As the other cards on that list, you must unite, or be dead.

1th - Gehena

This is the only “card” in this set, that in the truth its not just one but a set of them. In the first list there was Recalled to the Founder, Wormwood, Blood Weakens, and so many others, but I think that they only are a thread because of the set of them, so they show here together. The concept of getting the vampires useless, or making their actions extremelly costy, makes a lot of people annoyed. And not just Imbued players use this, some decks that use weenies without disciplines, ally’s decks, and other tricks are using it.

The voting:

I may do a new listing, for that I would like to all put this list in the order of their choice, in the comment box below, to see what is the most terrifying Bringer of War.

Cloak of the Abalone

How powerful can it truly be a card that is pure meta against two clans? All right, its not just one clan, and its a meta card to make you unblockable by two classic wall clans. But who will put it in on a tournament level deck? In my opinion, it’s not a card to use.

Convergence

Well, if you try to make a new approach to Pander deck, instead of just using weenies, this can truly be a valid card. you just bring up all the youngers, and after that you can bring Alfred or Matthew. Playable, but not great. I think the weenie approach is still the best way.

Path of the Void

When I first look at this card I thinked, wow! Great Baali card. It was just perfect, you could get the chance of paying 1 to untap, or discarding a master. And getting +1 stealth. But then I read it carefully, -1 bleed. Now it’s a card for a Baali deck that doesn’t need to bleed, but is offensive. So, if you want to go for a political Baali, this is a great card. Otherwise it can have spare use, but not great.

Reliquary: Shango Remains

For me, the best card in this pack. By the cost of 1 pool, and a vampire removed from your uncontrolled, you get a permanent dreams of the sphinx for 1 blood per use? Its a staple for almost all the Assamites decks.

Sound of a Breaking Oath

You can’t steal my minion, because I burn him! And you still take one damage point! Can it be better? For sure. Well, at least I get a new card to put my beer cup over.

Treaty of Laibach

Nice addition. It brings a new deck archetype up, or more. But my first view is for cryptic mission/temptation. With a low crypt is great, with tremere and setites with fortitude, can be great too. What to botter? Good cards, and pretty new decks to show up.

Walks-With-Might

I like it, but I must recognize that it isn’t a good card. The minion in itself its pretty strong. Nice life, nice strenght, and one of the best damage prevention I ever see on a minion. But the counterpart… its too heavy. You can play it on some decks, but in general, its not a top choice.

And for last…

Nergal

The first Nergal was pretty strong, but the new one, its even better. For sure the 2 bleed is powerful, and the card cost reduction (even if just one per turn), its great. But making the other vampires pay more for each reaction that they play? Its just amazing. And the +1 stealth is every time a good addition. Its a must for Baali lovers all around the world.

This blog is the result of my vtes experience, and the fact that I want to improve my English, that, as you at this point must have already been aware, is not great. And in fact as VtES is a small game, with not so many people playing, making a blog in English is the best chance to have somebody really reading it.

Well, and for sure to tell people how great Gwendolyn is.