Saturday Night Games

Ray asked to demo Devin and Robb at WarMachine and get in a game of VTES as well. I said that sounded good. Problem is, Ray spends most of his game store time chatting instead of actually playing games. I must just be too focussed on getting the games in.

Eventually we started a 5 player game of VTES, though Robb had to leave.

Me(new school nos royalty)>> Adam(Thucimia swarm bleed)>> Devin(Mission Impossible Anarchs)>> Ray (Petaniqua wall) >> Matt (Nergal wall).

Two blocky Baali decks at the table. Both of them were built by Ray as well. My Nos Royalty deck ignores 2nd tradition in favor of breeding and booning. I got Ben rose and petrodon, and both of them made a third trad early.

Adam, who never has good card luck, didn't get Thucimia in his draw. He got Bertrand, Alu, Sukainah, and Mike Dicarlo instead. He bled without stealth many times per turn.

Devin got Maris Streck, Maldavis, and an Anarch Convert in play. Maldavis was an anarch. She also Pulsed early for +2 bleed.

Ray got Petaniqua and Yvette, who is Hopeless. Yvette proved herself useful by getting a Heart of Cheating on turn two. Ray merged Petie early with an Epiphany.

Matt got Nergal. Then he contested Alu, but yielded the next turn (Adam was on the other side of the table and Matt didn't realize he was already in play). Then he got Lubomira.

The game played strangely. After I Parity Shifted Adam for 5 and got out my 5th minion I was identified as "the table threat", at least by Ray. To be fair, I'd stolen his Rack cross table to keep him honest. When I got up my 5th Nos (Slag), Petaniqua blocked his bleed cross table and made him Infernal and dead (Diabolical Lure and Petaniqua).

Matt then bled me for 5 every turn with Nergal. Nerg got a Bowl of Converging awesome early, but I Concealed it. Then Devin blocked Petaniqua getting the Bowl with Maldavis, which cost Devin his Maldavis. Devin got Maldavis out again, because Ray diablerized with a Rebirth. The Anarch convert had been knocked into torpor as well.

It was a confusing whirlwind of blocking and hitting.
While all of this was going on Adam was busy bleeding for one with all his guys and keeping enough pool to keep me honest. Devin was brought down to like 2 pool, but he Failsafe'd himself back into a reasonable amount.

Ray got Harzomatuili and put himself down to 2.

Nergal kept on me.

I realized that my Nos deck needs more oust. It tends to be Swarm-y, but it lacks lunge power. I drew an Anarchist Uprising and the Minion Tap I needed to survive calling an anarchist uprising, but when I went for it the newly-minted Kamaria hanging out with Nergal played Delaying Tactics.

I bled a bunch and Adam's new Sadjid al Musbah played a lot of Nest of Eagles to make me feel sad about things.

Devin had gotten Thaumatergy on his second Maldavis and now he was reducing bleeds as well with Detect Authority and Telepathic Counter. He actually had quite a racket going with his single anarch. He used the Anarch Museum to pull an Undue Influence or Power of One each turn, play them, and then pull the pool from Undue back to pay for next turn's Museum fish. Then he'd use PB:LA to untap Maldavis and reduce bleeds. It was not bad at all.

But Ray had the Ruins of Evil and PB:M in play, as well as a Vessel to go with his reacquired Rack. Devin bled a bit and Ray staved him off. It was a bit of a stalemate. Ray never bled Nergal at all. Probably because he built both decks.

I called my Anarchist Uprising the next turn without much resistance, and managed to oust Adam and piss off the table some more. Devin lunged at Ray for like the fifth turn running and didn't get the oust. Ray finally bled, and Nergal predictably misdirected the bleed at me, but I played Two Wrongs to cancel the bounce.

Nerg bled for 3. I tried to oust Devin but he Detected Authority and Telepathic Countered my chipping assault. He then left himself untapped after bleeding Ray for a couple. With Two Wrongs and bleed reduction flying, we decided that Robb was here in spirit. Represent.

Ray sat there, but played Smiling Jack. Nergal bled for 3. I ousted Devin with a bleed from Petrodon. Then, not having a lot of stealth, I discarded and ended my turn.

Ray played wall and did nothing. Matt bled for 3.

I decided that if I was gonna do anything, I should just start taking actions with action cards to move them so I could maybe draw stealth. I did have a couple +1 stealth cards, buy Ray was sitting on KRCG and Harzomatuili at this point. I decided to essentially sacrifice my third traditions (named after former drummers of Pearl Jam by Devin's request) by taking actions.

I tapped "Dave Krusen" and declared a Parity Shift. Ray tapped KRCG and announced a block with Harzo, i played a Faceless Night, but Ray backed down after he realized he had less pool than I did. Harzomatuili was now tapped at least. I stole 3 pool from Matt. I had actually drawn a Cloak and an Elder Impersonation now. I tapped Ben Rose and announced another third Tradition ("Jack Irons"). There was no resistance. I tapped "Dave Abburzezze" and announced a Con Boon. Ray tried to block but I cloaked it. I gained six pool. I then had Petrodon call another Con Boon. I used some of my 15 pool to influence Zelios (I'd started last turn) into play.

Matt looked frustrated. Ray said we should play on and that he "had this", but I had a KRC at this point and Ray was down to only a few pool. I probably would have ousted him in the next turn or two.

I say probably because Ray called the game after his untap phase. Devin wanted to see some WarMachine and it was pushing 11 pm at this point, and the store closes at 12.

Ray showed me the 2 Forced Awakening and 2 Eyes of Argus in his hand, so he would have stopped D actions, but my votes were all getting to referendum, and they were all passing as well.

Called due to time, me 2.5 VP, Ray .5 VP, Matt .5 VP. MVP: Benjamin Rose. When I ran out of vote actions he called votes to get my hand size larger. That's some good shit there.

I demoed WarMachine using the Cygnar Battlebox for Devin's battlegroup and an identical 'jack lineup with a different 'caster for me.

He was playing Stryker and I was a dude named Alister Caine. Good name at least. Caine will get a more in-depth entry later, but suffice to say he's a two-gun wieldin', flapping trenchcoat wearin', hard drinkin' warcaster straight out of a John Woo movie.









I explained the basic rules and Devin and I went back and forth a bit. Caine managed to completely mangle Devin's Charger with only a couple shots from his pistols. I was impressed.

Devin went for a spell assassination with Stryker, and as Stryker has weak spells he fell a bit short. Caine finished him off with a couple gunshots to the face, but Devin was playing well. He used Stryker's Blur upkeep spell on the Douche himself, making him defense 19 against ranged attacks. Caine's a damn good shot at RAT 8, but he still needed 11s to hit! I had to boost all Caine's attacks to hit, but I did every time (lucky; average roll on 3d6 is 10.5) and managed to kill Stryker. Devin was looking at a different faction (Protectorate of Menoth) but as he's an artist he might paint some good looking' models.


-Merlin out

Edit: my decklist per Brandonsantacruz' request.

Crypt 12 doodz:

4 x Petrodon (+1 bleed is good w Warsaw Station in play)
2 x Baron Dieudonne (more untap, Prince)
2 x Ben Rose (Prince, good votey special for hand jam)
1 x Zelios
1 x Slag
1 x Jeremy Wyx (+1 bleed is still good)
1 x Ruxandra

The crypt is good; I nearly always get a Prince, Alonso, and a support weasel (or Zelios). If the game is going well I might want to dig for more guys.

Regarding the library, there are a lot of ways to make a good Nos Royalty deck. I decided to go breed and boon and didn't add any Second Traditions, because then I could try to avoid combat cards altogether. Cock Robin an his punchiness are better for the second trads IMO.

Master cards (21 but I probably won't play the skills):
4 Obf skills (third trads are better with basic black)
3 minion tap
1 blood doll
2 Two Wrongs
1 Direct Intervention (it's never bad, I don't play competitively without them anymore, and I've been testing this one for tourneys)
Parity Shift enablers:
Slum hunting ground
2 Warsaw Station
Monastery of Shadows
Labyrinth
Papillon
Bleeding the Vine
Accelerators:
2 Zillah's Valley
Info Highway

Votes:
I told the guys during the game that I "wasn't playing a Parity Shift deck". Clearly this was a lie, but since I hadn't looked at the deck in 6 months I'd forgotten what a filthy bastard I am. Helpful.

3 random praxis seizure
1 Nos justicar (for Alonso to use to enable cryptic rider or for a title if I don't get him
2 cryptic rider
6 con boon (should be more)
1 can't take it with you (I'm playing around w this and shift)
1 kindred segregation (prayer tech)
1 ancient influence
1 anarchist uprising
3 Krc
4 Parity Shift (all my jyhad-backed copies)

Prolly needs another 2 Ps and another 2 con boon. Could use a Reins of Power.

27 Stealth cards (whichever you like?)

1 Conceal
2 Old Friends

6 Third Tradition (may be all that I own)
3 Fourth trad (in case I have extra actions or need speed, might be able to drop)
1 Shreknet

That's it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Flint, MI