Not a bad day of VTES.
After talking with Haig and Charlie about using my house as a gaming place yesterday afternoon, I readily accepted, it having been too long since I’d played a good game.
About 15 players made it. And it was a fun-filled afternoon of playing and trading VTES.
My Animalism weenie worked like a charm blasting through with the help of Anarch Revolt, both mine and Danz’. In the second game I used it, it knocked out Arthur before Menele could do damage, and I had too many minions out for Haig and Charlie to take care of. What was nice about the second game was that I didn’t need the Revolt (only one came out), and I didn’t need Danz’ assistance. So, my weenie deck is heading for sleevehood.
The City Gangrel remains clunky, as Ellen Fence controlled the predator, but got Sensory Dep’d by Martin’s Ivan Kreyenko. With Tatel coming out with Gehenna cards left and right, it became difficult to maneuver.
After the three games I played, my head started to swim a little, so I rested, and made some wonderful trades.
From Paul: 3 Immortal Grapples, 6 Tastes of Vitae, and the Hungry Coyote, for Call the Great Beast, Path of Evil Revelations, and Barbaro Luchese
From Troy: 4 Telepathic Misdirections, 2 Precognitions, 1 Anarch Revolt, and Cock Robin for 2nd Tradition, 4th Tradition, and Obedience
From Arthur: Zayyat, the Sandstorm for Count Germaine
Add that to the 5 Immortal Grapples, 2 Iron Glares, 2 Arms Dealers, 1 Psyche!, Jacko, Maxwell, and 1 Hand of Conrad I bought/traded from David the other day, it’s been a very productive two days of trading.
The last of the players left at about 10 pm, tired and happy at the end of the day.
Addendum: My sister just planed in from the US today, and she was able to get me a copy of the Game Trade magazine with the Echo card ... for free! Happy days!
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Current concepts
I've been tinkering around with several concepts in my head the past few weeks.
1. Auspex weenie - Prince Toad used such a deck last year at a tourney, and it was scary. I've slowly been accumulating cards in order to build a fascimile of the deck he used, and I think I'm just a few Telepathic Misdirections away from completing it.
2. cel obf pot Combat - It occured to me that several vampire share these disciplines, and that I could use the Shadow Feint (I love this card) to great effect. One possible way to go is to Shadow Feint at superior (First Strike, undodgeable), Disguise a Flamethrower or some other painful weapon, and immediately torpor the opposing minion. Or, use the Shadow Feint to get my Potence strikes through. Key vampires for me would be Tayshawn Kearns, Antonio Veradas, Count Germaine, and Dr. Streck. And, checking the newsgroups, apparently one of the new vamps, Echo (Nosferatu), a 7-cap, has all three disciplines at superior. I'm going to be watching out for him.
1. Auspex weenie - Prince Toad used such a deck last year at a tourney, and it was scary. I've slowly been accumulating cards in order to build a fascimile of the deck he used, and I think I'm just a few Telepathic Misdirections away from completing it.
2. cel obf pot Combat - It occured to me that several vampire share these disciplines, and that I could use the Shadow Feint (I love this card) to great effect. One possible way to go is to Shadow Feint at superior (First Strike, undodgeable), Disguise a Flamethrower or some other painful weapon, and immediately torpor the opposing minion. Or, use the Shadow Feint to get my Potence strikes through. Key vampires for me would be Tayshawn Kearns, Antonio Veradas, Count Germaine, and Dr. Streck. And, checking the newsgroups, apparently one of the new vamps, Echo (Nosferatu), a 7-cap, has all three disciplines at superior. I'm going to be watching out for him.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Scenes from Merry Christmas, Methuselahs
Louie looks like he's pleased about something. From left: new player (please identify), Bart's brother (Forgot the name, sorry), Louie and Danz
Charlie (the only one facing the camera) looks like she's preparing to block whatever's coming her way. With backs to the camera, from left: Razi and Neil. I don't recognize the person covered by Razi; one of the new players?
Took a better look at the covered guy. Sorry, Pilo, didn't recognize you at first.
Decks/Concepts I Will Never Play
One of the difficulties of playing VTES is that, due to the sheer number of clans and disciplines, it's impossible to play all concepts, unless one has a sizeable bank account. The best recourse is to decide what concepts one wants to play and focus on them.
In my case, there are concepts that I will never play, either due to the difficulty of getting the cards or the cheesiness (from my POV) of playing the concept.
1. Assamite, Ravnos, Tzimisce, Lasombra, Follower of Set - Each of these clans has a specific discipline (Quietus, Chimmerstry, etc) which makes it difficult to build around, as the necessary cards for these clans are difficult to obtain, i.e., Temptation, Skin Trap, Blood of Acid, etc. I could try getting the starter decks, but even the good cards come only 1 to a deck, and if one needs at least 6 to be effective... well, it's too much expense.
2. Immortal Grapple - I don't like this card due to the trump value that it has. Forcing a minion to use hand strikes only? I think that's a little overpowered, and a little cheesy. As a combat player, I'd rather try challenging concepts, like the Samedi's Thanatosis strikes, or my !Brujah baseball pitchers. Besides, it's a little difficult trading for this card.
3. Dominate - I've explained my dislike of this discipline. It's too versatile, and too cheesy. Stealth-Dominate bleeding is insane.
4. Pure stealth-bleed - by this I mean Obfuscate and Dominate/Dementation combination bleeders. I'd rather build my Protean stealth because it's not as cheesy.
5. Anson Master Madness - I truly hate this deck when it hits the table. It's difficult to get into combat, and the Revolts, Awakenings and Smiling Jacks handcuff the table so much I might as well just throw in the towel. Still, it's a deck which I would like to try to win against.
"Never" may be too long a time, but I'll probably stick to what I'm writing here regarding these concepts.
In my case, there are concepts that I will never play, either due to the difficulty of getting the cards or the cheesiness (from my POV) of playing the concept.
1. Assamite, Ravnos, Tzimisce, Lasombra, Follower of Set - Each of these clans has a specific discipline (Quietus, Chimmerstry, etc) which makes it difficult to build around, as the necessary cards for these clans are difficult to obtain, i.e., Temptation, Skin Trap, Blood of Acid, etc. I could try getting the starter decks, but even the good cards come only 1 to a deck, and if one needs at least 6 to be effective... well, it's too much expense.
2. Immortal Grapple - I don't like this card due to the trump value that it has. Forcing a minion to use hand strikes only? I think that's a little overpowered, and a little cheesy. As a combat player, I'd rather try challenging concepts, like the Samedi's Thanatosis strikes, or my !Brujah baseball pitchers. Besides, it's a little difficult trading for this card.
3. Dominate - I've explained my dislike of this discipline. It's too versatile, and too cheesy. Stealth-Dominate bleeding is insane.
4. Pure stealth-bleed - by this I mean Obfuscate and Dominate/Dementation combination bleeders. I'd rather build my Protean stealth because it's not as cheesy.
5. Anson Master Madness - I truly hate this deck when it hits the table. It's difficult to get into combat, and the Revolts, Awakenings and Smiling Jacks handcuff the table so much I might as well just throw in the towel. Still, it's a deck which I would like to try to win against.
"Never" may be too long a time, but I'll probably stick to what I'm writing here regarding these concepts.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
MCM Results
The last tournament of the year was one of the most fun tournaments.
I played all three rounds, and got 1.5 victory points (VPs).
The first table was insane. The seating was Danz (Anson Master)->Johann (!Nosferatu Black Hand)->Troy (!Malkavian stealth-bleed)->me (!Brujah pitch). Plus, to make things livelier, the unopened prophecies from the summer Gehenna League were opened. It should’ve been good for my deck, as the prophecies allowed any minion to rush a vampire of a different sect, and gave everyone free diablerie. However, things turned out differently. The table was soon reeling from Danz’s 3 Anarch Revolts and Antedeluvian Awakening. I was gone within the first 15 minutes of play, and, soon after, Danz did himself in with his own Revolts. By that time, Johann was too weakened to do anything, giving Troy the sweep, and the table win.
In the second table, it was Haig (Wynn rush; what else?) –>me –> Toad (Celerity weenie) –> Dante (Tremere) –> Charlie (!Ventrue wall). This time, the prophecies slowed entire tables down, as they: one, forced everyone to spend one extra blood to play disciplines, and two, allowed players to discard five cards from their hands for every point of bleed they received. Haig, whose combat-intensive deck relied on many discipline cards, was severely hamstrung, as was Toad, whose weenies couldn’t afford the extra cost. Since I was using mid-range vampires for the round, it was easier for me, because some of my combat cards, such as Taste of Vitae, didn’t require extra blood. Since Haig contented himself with bleeding for one at a time, he didn’t pressure me much, which allowed me to go after Toad. I managed to get the VP before time ran out.
In the last table, it was Pilo (Tremere) –> Charlie –> Luigi (Giovanni Dominate bleed) –> David (!Nosferatu vote) –> me. In the last round, the prophecies weren’t too restrictive; in fact, I don’t quite recall what they were. Luigi was bleeding like crazy, and there wasn’t anything David could do, and he soon fell. Pilo and I had to make a pact to try to neutralize the threat, but while Pilo held up his end of the bargain, Luigi still got me.
The last table, though, was a lot of fun. All the while, we were singing all sorts of Christmas and corny songs, all to plague Haig, who was at another table. I think this helped me escape the effects of VTES Head, which is a headache from playing VTES for six straight hours.
On the side, I was able to make some good trades, and made some reservations for future trades. From various players, I got Sela, Ilse, 2 Scorpion Stings (David), and 2 Black Spiral Buddies (Dante), and reserved several of my cards for Charlie, Aurelio, and Karl. I nearly got Zayyat, the Sandstorm (the last Gangrel I’d been looking for) from one of my students, but it turned out that he needed somebody other than Jalan-Aajav.
All in all, it was an enjoyable tournament. Well-attended, too; almost 30 players came to what will be CCHQ’s last hosting of a VTES tournament. Kudos to Louie, Bart, John, and Jay for a wonderful way to end the year, and to close an era in Philippine VTES play.
I played all three rounds, and got 1.5 victory points (VPs).
The first table was insane. The seating was Danz (Anson Master)->Johann (!Nosferatu Black Hand)->Troy (!Malkavian stealth-bleed)->me (!Brujah pitch). Plus, to make things livelier, the unopened prophecies from the summer Gehenna League were opened. It should’ve been good for my deck, as the prophecies allowed any minion to rush a vampire of a different sect, and gave everyone free diablerie. However, things turned out differently. The table was soon reeling from Danz’s 3 Anarch Revolts and Antedeluvian Awakening. I was gone within the first 15 minutes of play, and, soon after, Danz did himself in with his own Revolts. By that time, Johann was too weakened to do anything, giving Troy the sweep, and the table win.
In the second table, it was Haig (Wynn rush; what else?) –>me –> Toad (Celerity weenie) –> Dante (Tremere) –> Charlie (!Ventrue wall). This time, the prophecies slowed entire tables down, as they: one, forced everyone to spend one extra blood to play disciplines, and two, allowed players to discard five cards from their hands for every point of bleed they received. Haig, whose combat-intensive deck relied on many discipline cards, was severely hamstrung, as was Toad, whose weenies couldn’t afford the extra cost. Since I was using mid-range vampires for the round, it was easier for me, because some of my combat cards, such as Taste of Vitae, didn’t require extra blood. Since Haig contented himself with bleeding for one at a time, he didn’t pressure me much, which allowed me to go after Toad. I managed to get the VP before time ran out.
In the last table, it was Pilo (Tremere) –> Charlie –> Luigi (Giovanni Dominate bleed) –> David (!Nosferatu vote) –> me. In the last round, the prophecies weren’t too restrictive; in fact, I don’t quite recall what they were. Luigi was bleeding like crazy, and there wasn’t anything David could do, and he soon fell. Pilo and I had to make a pact to try to neutralize the threat, but while Pilo held up his end of the bargain, Luigi still got me.
The last table, though, was a lot of fun. All the while, we were singing all sorts of Christmas and corny songs, all to plague Haig, who was at another table. I think this helped me escape the effects of VTES Head, which is a headache from playing VTES for six straight hours.
On the side, I was able to make some good trades, and made some reservations for future trades. From various players, I got Sela, Ilse, 2 Scorpion Stings (David), and 2 Black Spiral Buddies (Dante), and reserved several of my cards for Charlie, Aurelio, and Karl. I nearly got Zayyat, the Sandstorm (the last Gangrel I’d been looking for) from one of my students, but it turned out that he needed somebody other than Jalan-Aajav.
All in all, it was an enjoyable tournament. Well-attended, too; almost 30 players came to what will be CCHQ’s last hosting of a VTES tournament. Kudos to Louie, Bart, John, and Jay for a wonderful way to end the year, and to close an era in Philippine VTES play.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Merry Christmas, Methuselahs!
This Saturday will be the last time a tournament will be held at FBR Arcade, with the closing of CCHQ. I'm 100% certain to attend this one. I'm still not yet sure which deck I'll bring to the table, but I'm leaning heavily towards my !Brujah Pitchers deck. I'm out to have some fun, and throwing stuff at people (if I can manage it) will be loads of fun.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Lucky
I went to CCHQ this morning, and, on a whim, decided to get a batch of boosters, 2 Bloodlines and 2 Camarilla. In one of the Camarilla packs was a card that is much sought after: Freak Drive! And in one of the Bloodlines packs: Miriam Benyona! That with a host of useful cards for my decks: Acrobatics, Sideslip, Haven Uncovered, Amaranth, Dodge, Withering, Compress and so on. Of the four packs I got, there was very little in terms of cards that I didn't plan on using, so, all in all, it was a good decision on my part.
Benyona I'll probably trade, unless I can figure out a way to fit her into my decks. I also got Telepathic Vote Counting, which is definitely trade material, since I don't use Auspex.
Ahhh...such a wonderful acquisition.
Benyona I'll probably trade, unless I can figure out a way to fit her into my decks. I also got Telepathic Vote Counting, which is definitely trade material, since I don't use Auspex.
Ahhh...such a wonderful acquisition.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Magic Thoughts (Insert)
Last Friday, I was playing Magic once more with my student during a class night. And I was getting my ass kicked royally. Oh, once in a while, I'd get my student, but the newer decks are just too fast and too powerful for my old retreads.
One win was sweet, though.
I had 2 Crusades out for my white weenies, and I had about 5 creatures out. My student had more than 10 creatures, but he was down to 7 life. He decided to attack while all of my creatures were tapped out, and he would've gotten me, if it weren't for the fact that I had a Martyrdom in my hand, which can redirect the damage to just one creature. Sooo, I shouted, "Take one for the team!" and Martyred my Scarred Veteran. My student was tapped out, and my soldiers, pumped up to 3/3, went storming in for the win.
I only play a few times a year now, but I still enjoy the occasional Magic battle.
One win was sweet, though.
I had 2 Crusades out for my white weenies, and I had about 5 creatures out. My student had more than 10 creatures, but he was down to 7 life. He decided to attack while all of my creatures were tapped out, and he would've gotten me, if it weren't for the fact that I had a Martyrdom in my hand, which can redirect the damage to just one creature. Sooo, I shouted, "Take one for the team!" and Martyred my Scarred Veteran. My student was tapped out, and my soldiers, pumped up to 3/3, went storming in for the win.
I only play a few times a year now, but I still enjoy the occasional Magic battle.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Three Rounds of Fun
Had some of the older players over at the house yesterday, and we had three games of really exciting VTES play.
Some of the highlights:
P's Gehenna/Beckett deck was an awesome creation. I only wish I could try something like it. By the time he won (or was it C?), six (6) Gehenna events were in play, and they put a big hurt on my Animalism weenie deck.
Apparently, Big J is well-known for his bleeding tendencies, as it was with mild shock that we realized that his deck could also fight.
C and I fought to the bitter end in the third game, with her Tremere "Mosquito Coast" version holding my !Brujah pitchers at bay. But, in the final count, I had just too many minions for her to handle, and, after burning Merrill Molitor, my pitchers cleared the way for me to win. By the time we were through, both of us only had less than a fourth of our library left.
It's been a while since I've played a good game, and, yesterday, I was blessed with three such games. I was able to observe different and varied strategies at work, and got a better view of how to manage the table and set it up.
I also learned the capabilities and weaknesses of three of my decks: City Gangrel, Animalism weenie, and !Brujah pitchers. By tweaking them, I should be able to come up with improvements, to be ready for the next round of bleeding.
Some of the highlights:
P's Gehenna/Beckett deck was an awesome creation. I only wish I could try something like it. By the time he won (or was it C?), six (6) Gehenna events were in play, and they put a big hurt on my Animalism weenie deck.
Apparently, Big J is well-known for his bleeding tendencies, as it was with mild shock that we realized that his deck could also fight.
C and I fought to the bitter end in the third game, with her Tremere "Mosquito Coast" version holding my !Brujah pitchers at bay. But, in the final count, I had just too many minions for her to handle, and, after burning Merrill Molitor, my pitchers cleared the way for me to win. By the time we were through, both of us only had less than a fourth of our library left.
It's been a while since I've played a good game, and, yesterday, I was blessed with three such games. I was able to observe different and varied strategies at work, and got a better view of how to manage the table and set it up.
I also learned the capabilities and weaknesses of three of my decks: City Gangrel, Animalism weenie, and !Brujah pitchers. By tweaking them, I should be able to come up with improvements, to be ready for the next round of bleeding.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Trades
It's been a while since I've engineered a good trade. Yesterday I came through with the following cards: Tension in the Ranks (great for combat torpor), Raptor (my third one), Taste of Vitae (for my !Brujahs), Count Germaine, Absimilard's Army, Sela ADV, and Day Operation. I had to give up my Thoughts Betrayed, along with some Thaumaturgy and Auspex combat cards, but all in all, it was worth it.
Today, I got more Crows (2), and Stings (4), along with a Gestalt from grandsire C. I've also set aside an Intimidation and an Adaptability for future considerations.
I miss sitting at the table and going to battle. I hope I get another opportunity soon.
Today, I got more Crows (2), and Stings (4), along with a Gestalt from grandsire C. I've also set aside an Intimidation and an Adaptability for future considerations.
I miss sitting at the table and going to battle. I hope I get another opportunity soon.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Infernal Plague Results
I made it to the final table two weeks ago at the Infernal Plague storyline event, my second finals table at a storyline tourney. Now if only my luck can extend to the sanctioned tournaments...
Anyway, I used my Gangrel combat and bleed, remodified with the Dragonbound event card. In the first round, my prey, R, served me and L up to my predator, which was one of the weirder experiences I've had in tournaments.
In the second round, I was luckier. My Dragonbound came out pretty early, so I was able to torpor L's vampires, and take him out. A Fame on one of D's vamps sealed his fate, and I took the table, which was enough to get me into the finals.
I lasted approximately 3-4 minutes in the finals table, thanks in large part to J's 5 Anarch Revolts. That, and I had made a colossal blunder. Instead of Sophia Watson and Gustavo Morales, I elected to bring out Brunhilde and Omaya. The larger vampires depleted my pool too quickly, and I fell to the infernalists. The rest of the finals match found me testing my City Gangrel deck with the other players.
Anyway, I used my Gangrel combat and bleed, remodified with the Dragonbound event card. In the first round, my prey, R, served me and L up to my predator, which was one of the weirder experiences I've had in tournaments.
In the second round, I was luckier. My Dragonbound came out pretty early, so I was able to torpor L's vampires, and take him out. A Fame on one of D's vamps sealed his fate, and I took the table, which was enough to get me into the finals.
I lasted approximately 3-4 minutes in the finals table, thanks in large part to J's 5 Anarch Revolts. That, and I had made a colossal blunder. Instead of Sophia Watson and Gustavo Morales, I elected to bring out Brunhilde and Omaya. The larger vampires depleted my pool too quickly, and I fell to the infernalists. The rest of the finals match found me testing my City Gangrel deck with the other players.
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