Tech for the Single Discipline Deck

Continuing on the discussion on using midcap, single discipline decks, it's necessary to take a look at the tech one has to add in order for the deck to be able to deal with different threats. When one is focused on using a single discipline in the deck, one can overlook what is needed to survive on the table. Here are a few staples which I like to add to whatever midcap deck I'm using.

Permanent Intercept, or as some players call it, "permacept."

Depending on the environment, one may have to deal with blocking actions which involve stealth. This means that one has to counter it with intercept. This isn't a problem for players using Animalism (ANI) or Auspex (AUS), but, even for those who aren't playing disciplines with intercept, there are a number of options one can resort to in order to gain intercept.

 The master card Guardian Angel offers +1 intercept against bleed actions, and prevents 1 damage when your minion is in combat.

Locations, such as KRCG News Radio and WMRH Talk Radio, allow a measure of intercept. Of course, one has to be ready to contest such unique locations, especially the two above, so a Methuselah may be forced to resort to the less effective Rumor Mill or Channel 10. Club Zombie, while expensive, has the additional ability to allow minions to gain blood if it isn't locked.

Sport Bikes offer an uncontestable alternative, but they're not stackable, giving you only +1 intercept. In a stealth-heavy environment, that will not be enough. Still, it's better than nothing.

Then, there's Mr. Winthrop, a retainer who gives the minion +1 intercept, also another possibility.

Generally speaking, one may need around 2-3 intercept to deal with most actions comfortably, so a mix and match of the disciplineless intercept cards is in order.

Equipment (Combat)

A number of  disciplines which have options to end combat as a strike, but I prefer to be more pro-active in my combat options. As such, when one is not using a combat discipline deck, I tend to prefer guns such as the .44 Magnum or the Sniper Rifle. The former does 2 damage per strike, and the latter has the additional advantage of setting the range to long in the first round of combat. Combine it with a Target: Vitals, and your minion does 4 points of damage in one strike.

Given the combat-heavy metagame of Metro Manila, if I'm not planning on mixing it up in combat, I tend to use equipment that allow me to get away, e.g. fight at long range, hence, the two types of guns, plus IR Goggles for the additional maneuver. Combine them with Concealed Weapon, and you get a free equip action in the middle of combat (you still pay the cost, though). I'm not too keen on using ammo cards, though; they take up space, and, unless you also pack Magazines, they're one use.

Damage prevention without Fortitude is a little trickier, with your best options being Leather Jacket, Flak Jacket or Kevlar Vest. While the Bundi and the Nightstick can also prevent damage, the Bundi only prevents melee weapon damage, and both are melee weapons. The thing is, if your opponent is playing Potence or other strength related strikes (Blood Fury), your best bet would be to get away, not close the range.

Bleed modifiers/Ousting tech
  
If you're not using a bleed-oriented discipline, such as Dominate or Presence,  then Computer Hacking, Laptop Computers, and Tasha Morgan, are your best bets to push the bleed on your opponent. Other options are Pentex Loves You (for Sabbat) or the Stolen Police Cruiser (for anarchs).

For other forms of pressure, there's Anarch Revolt and Antedeluvian Awakening, which both force Methuselahs to burn one pool per turn, although having an anarch minion protects one from the Revolt.

Then, of course, there's Smiling Jack, although, if you take this path, you'd better make sure you have a surefire way of paying for its cost and defending it. To summarize, each turn, you move a pool onto Smiling Jack, and then every other Methuselah has to burn the equivalent number of counters on the Jack from either his/her pool or from his minions. Paying for it means you have enough pool to keep from getting ousted; there are a number of ways for pool gain, but that's for another article.

The main challenge for the Jack is defending it. For one, it can be canceled by Sudden Reversal or Wash straight off the bat. Then, if you manage to get it through, be prepared to deal with the whole table. Playing the Jack is announcing that you're a threat, and other players will often ignore predator-prey relationships until the threat is removed. That means that the Jack is removed (via directed action), or you are ousted. Still, while there is risk involved, playing the Jack can be fruitful against a table unprepared to deal with it.

While playing a single discipline deck can be dangerous due to the weaknesses of each discipline, there are a number of cards which, when added to your deck, help bolster and strengthen your deck.

Stealth Mission: The OBF Deck

So, it was a start, and then, a long absence. So much for posting regularly. At any rate, let's pick up where we left off, and maybe, I can manage some regularity.

In my last post, I was exploring my shift from weenie to midcap play. Below is one of the results of my efforts.

Obfuscate (OBF) is one of the more useful Disciplines, mainly because of the stealth factor. Play enough stealth, and your opponent would not be able to block it, even if his/her deck was built to intercept. Some of the OBF stealth cards, such as Faceless Night and Elder Impersonation, added some extra oomph by respectively keeping blocking minions locked or preventing further blocks.

In combat, using Disguised Weapon to surprise opponents with .44 Magnums or Flamethrowers makes them think carefully about getting into combat. While Celerity has the edge in determining combat range, with OBF, getting away from close combat is facilitated by Behind You! and Swallowed by the Night maneuvers. Thus, the dedicated OBF deck can fight, to a certain extent.

The ousting mechanism for the deck is the Night Moves+Spying Mission combo. While not as potent as Dominate or Presence bleeds, using the Mission to bleed for 3 is fairly effective, if a little slow.

Thus, after some tweaking, below is the deck list for the OBF deck.

On further thought, I could focus it on particular vamps with special abilities, such as Synner-G or Luc, but I tend to work with whatever I have handy. That's also the reason for the Blood Dolls, which I would swap with Vessels if I had any spare ones.

Deck Name:   OBF Midcap Spying Mission
Created By: 

Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 15, Max: 20, Avg: 4.58)
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  1  Antoine                            aus cel dem OBF    5  Malkavian                 
  1  Florentina Lengauer        aus OBF                  4  Malkavian                  
  1  Frank Litzpar                   ani for pot OBF      5  Nosferatu Antitribu       
  1  Jeffrey Mullins                cel OBF                  4  Gangrel Antitribu         
  1  Layla bint-Nadr               qui CEL OBF         5  Assamite                    
  1  Lubomira Hradok            OBF                        3  Nosferatu Antitribu       
  1  Luc                                  dem vic OBF           5  Malkavian Antitribu       
  1  Petra                                aus ANI OBF          5  Nosferatu                 
  1  Renenet                           ser OBF PRE           5  Follower of Set          
  1  Ruxandra                         ani aus OBF            5  Nosferatu                 
  1  Skulk                               ani OBF                   4  Nosferatu Antitribu      
  1  Synner-G                         pro CEL OBF          5  Gangrel Antitribu          

Library: (80 cards)
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Master (14 cards)
  1  Archon Investigation
  4  Blood Doll
  1  Direct Intervention
  2  Effective Management
  1  Heidelberg Castle, Germany
  1  KRCG News Radio
  1  Vast Wealth
  1  WMRH Talk Radio
  2  Wash

Action (16 cards)
  8  Computer Hacking
  8  Night Moves

Action Modifier (18 cards)
  4  Cloak the Gathering
  4  Faceless Night
  2  Lost in Crowds
  8  Spying Mission

Reaction (4 cards)
  4  Forced Awakening

Combat (13 cards)
  6  Behind You!
  4  Disguised Weapon
  3  No Trace

Retainer (3 cards)
  1  J. S. Simmons, Esq.
  1  Mr. Winthrop
  1  Tasha Morgan

Equipment (10 cards)
  4  .44 Magnum
  2  Flamethrower
  2  Laptop Computer
  2  Sport Bike

Combo (2 cards)
  2  Swallowed by the Night