First Post: Random VTES Games

I met some fellows in Flint for VTES last night. It was Devin, Ray, Sean, and myself. We tried to conscript a fifth from the more casual players who wander the store like game-zombies, but we were unsuccessful. Alas.

We played two games.

Game 1:
In game one seating and decks were Me (Jessica Art of Pain/Shadow Strike combat toolbox)--> Sean(Nos Royalty with Sniper Rifles)--> Devin(Goratrix Hexaped bleed)--> Ray(Cailean Wall).

I started out with a mediocre crypt draw, pulling three of my four Jessica and Nic Chang. Sean pulled out a massive Cock (Robin) and got Nik Vermuelen soon after. Devin got Hannigan and Goratrix (base, natch). Ray pulled Basil, Cailean, and eventually Christianus, the Chronicler who is Mad.

Adam was nearby at the last, and cried "Hunter S. Thompson!" There was mirth at this.

Sean had played Powerbase: Montreal on the first or second turn. I decided that my prey didn't need that, so I stole it as soon as possible with Jessica. Cock Robin wasn't really afraid of Jessica, but was tapped the turn I stole it, I think.

Devin's deck did what it does well: It got a Rutor's on Goratix early, and then Goratrix found a Hexaped each turn. Hannigan also got Hexapeds, and there was enough Govern in the deck to either get more minions or bleed for four at one stealth with a link counter and a Govern. It seemed pretty solid.

Ray sat like a turd for most of the early game. He took no forward actions for a while, wait. . . he took no forward actions, period. Basil went for a Laptop eventually, but by then I'd gotten out Julia Prima (thanks for the Powerbase!) and she kicked his ass for trying.

After getting out Julia and kicking Basil's ass, I started bleeding about as heavily as my deck bleeds, which is for one (two with Julia) with most of my guys. I play a lot of untap and reaction cards, so I can tap out most turns and get away with it. Cock Robin decided he'd had enough of Jessica's shit, and he blocked my bleed for one. This precipitated the demise of Sean. For alas, my deck plays a lot of Shadow Strike and Telepathic Tracking, and I happened to have two of each in hand. Because I have those cards, I put two Ahriman's Demense in the deck, which is really quite a rude card if I can actually play it. I had one of those as well as an Aura Reading to see if I could land it.

I looked at Sean's hand with Aura reading and saw his doom. By now the Cock had a Sniper Rifle, and the Cock targeted Jess's vitals with it, but I had enough combat cards to spare. It cost Jessica most of her seven blood and most of the combat cards in my hand, but Cock was burned at the hands of the Toreader Antitribu.

Sean's deck respirates well, so he still got out Judah with a dozen pool to spare, but it was only a matter of time before I brought him low.

On the other side of the table, Goratrix bled heavy each turn, and when Cailean could block it Ray did alright. When he couldn't things got hairy for him. Ray finally got a Raven Spy on the big guy and Bobby Carter on Christianus, but Jessica took exception to the latter and Nose of the Hounded Hunter Thompson, Striking his Carter with Shadows at long range.

Things broke at the four player the way they often do: Devin and I, as crosstable allies, had good games. Sean and Ray did not. I ousted Sean, who tenaciously kept blocking Devin's actions with Nik and a Sniper Rifle (probably because Nik could survive against Devin's minions and not mine.), at around the same time Devin ousted Ray. Cailean had finally become Eternally Vigilant, but Goratrix did the unthinkable and Seduced an elder Nosferatu for the oust.

In the heads-up game, I had a huge minion advantage thanks to the Powerbase and a trio of Wider View, which had given me Quira the Bitch Queen (who is dope) pre-oust and Elena Mendoza Vasquez post-oust. Devin had finally gotten his Research to Develop, but even drawing the precise cards he needed he couldn't stop me from running him over. It seems that his deck actually lacks reaction cards aside from On the Qui Vive, and Hexapeds don't do well against Jessica after she's artfully painful. A Fame on Hannigan and a Nose of the Hound rush sealed the deal.

Me 3Vp and a GW, Devin 1VP.

Game MVP: Sean's Powerbase:Montreal.

Game 2:

Seating and decks were similar, as we randomly got the same positions. Sean played the same deck, even. Me(Represent! Nocturn/War Ghoul machine)--> Sean(Nos Royalty Sniper Rifle)-->Devin (Trujah prerange agg damage bully bleed)-->Ray (!Salubri block/Trarmor of Train's Trury).

I got to take several unmolested actions due to Ray not drawing intercept and Sean going for Harrod first, even though he went second (so turn four flip). This was strange play, I thought. My deck failed to get the Agent of Power necessary for my weenie Tzimmies to get thr Nocturns in my hand, but i did draw my Assambonsonjellopuddin'pops "Cosby Ghouls", which are damn useful in a pinch. Charismatic Terrence and Elizabeth Wescott got me two Cosby Ghouls and Terry made one a War Ghoul early on. I drew and played the Unmasking early as well.

Sean popped Harrod late, but then revealed his master plan by Villein/Giant's Blooding him the next turn, which was really good for him. He pulled the Cock out a few turns later. Devin got Nehemiah and a Powerbase:Montreal, and Nehemiah (via Enchant Kindred) and the Powerbase got him Ibn Khaldun cheap and early. Ray popped up Aredhel, Rashiel, and Uriel.

Ray blocked less than I thought he would, but then I made a habit of blocking his Blessin' in the Name Of with my Cosby Ghouls whenever I couldn't make him promise not to block me with them. Ray seemed to be stockpiling arms against Devin, who was playing a Domain-for-aggs Outside the Hourglass prerange agg combo. Turns out that Ablative skin and Trarmor of Train's Trury is bad for Trujah doing that trick. Truly. Ray's big play of the game was to diablerize a Heart of the City-havin' Nehemiah with Aredhel after an epic fight. Devin ran out of Outside the Hourglass, but Ray didn't run out of Trap presses or Sense Deaths.

Ray and Sean decided that Aredhel should live.

I decided that Sean needed to go around this time. Harrod became Famous, despite (or perhaps because of) owning a sweet Leather Jacket crafted by Timothy Bradstreet though the art for Nigel the Shunned is clearly the same dude in the same pose. I then rushed with my Dub-G, and trapped Sean's Cock for Cock-blocking. His Cock wound up in the dirt, and Piotr Andreikov, the nasty boy that he is, ate that Cock right up.

Sean's gonna have to stop playing that deck if I post here regularly.

Piotr didn't make it through the blood Hunt. Harrod lived another day, but my War Ghoul, Fluffy, was still at 2 life and raring to go again. I managed to get a Nocturn/2nd War Ghoul around this time, which was universally reviled by the table. My ready region had 8 minions at one point, with 2 Cosby Ghouls, 2 Dub-Gs, an unmolested Nocturn and 3 wee Tzimisce.

Things were going well. I rushed and torpered Harrod even with Calebos running interference, and Sean's game ended. Ray was bazooka-bled by Ibn Khaldun for 6 or 7 at one go, and that ended his game.

In the head's up I stole Devin's Powerbase and then used my minion advantage to live while gaining pool from Terry the Vessel, Wider View, the Edge, Dreams, and the Powerbase. I even got The Rose up. Ibn put up a hell of a fight, gaining blood through the Tabriz Assembly and Perfefctionist every turn, but I think Devin made a mistake Decaptitating Wendy Wade in the late game. Ibn never realy had more than a few blood on him from that moment on. He killed two War Ghouls (who had Trapped him!) with Outside the Hourglass for damage, maneuvers, and a Stunt Cycle he had lying around, but the third and fourth War Ghoul overran him, and the fact that he actually wasn't playing a lot of stealth meant I could sacrifice minions to keep the edge and with that pool get another minion (Charismatic, Taxicab havin' Terrence got Greg Winter, two Nocturns, Carlon Van Wyk, and two War Ghouls in last four turns).

It took about five turns, since I was having difficulty torporing now-Famous Ibn, but I eventually got through Devin's fifteen-odd pool after he ousted Ray. Dub-G number three took Ibn to the bin after several fruitless rushes and blocks.

Me 3VP and 1GW, Devin 1VP.

Game MVP: I want to say Devin's Powerbase:Montreal so that I can make a point about playing this card willynilly. But the Cosby Ghouls were probably the best thing for me. They could block !Salubri without me losing a bleeder, they could block Ibn Khaldun and hit him at close (he was fleeing to range with OtH), and they could be turned into War Ghouls when my tricksy plans weren't working. The Unmasking was also clutch, as it allowed my Allies to stop Ibn Khaldun from doing anything but make me discard a card with Vaticination or spend all his blood to bleed me for three unblockably.

So, Powerbase: Montreal. It's a tricky card, I feel. I don't put it in many decks. The decks that I do put it in generally have one of several features; I want to be able do one of the following:

1) Have so many vampires that I can have a reasonably reliable chance at getting the powerbase back.
2) Have enough untap/intercept/trumpy permanent combat (say, a Carna deck) to block attempts to steal it or otherwise bully those who I've leant it to to let me take it back.
3) Have enough stealth to make sure I can get it back.

Sean's deck had enough obfuscate and Freak Drive to maybe manage a PB:M, but I felt that Devin's deck was a little lacking in that regard. Yes, Devin was playing a deck that says "block me and I torp a guy, maybe worse," but I'm not sure that's great policy for PB:M inclusion. Of course, he's playing an all-Trujah crypt (because he's clinically insane and/or depressed), so maybe any poolgain is good poolgain, even in the short term.

-Merlin out