[Strategy Event] Wormwood by Emmit Svenson emmitsvenson@hotmail.com Wormwood Gehenna. Do not replace until your next discard phase. Requires at least one other Gehenna card in play. Put 10 counters on this card. Burn 1 counter whenever another Gehenna card is put in play. A vampire whose capacity is greater than X is treated as if his or her capacity is X (minimum of 1), where X is the number of counters on this card. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wormwood is a snowball event, meaning that its effect grows as other Gehenna cards are played. Play order is important: for maximum effect, Wormwood should be the second Gehenna card played. The effects of Wormwood first hit decks that rely on large vampires. Even when it still has ten counters, Wormwood impacts Inner Circle decks, making 11-caps lose a blood as they become controlled and reducing the power of minion-tap-and-voter-cap tactics. Wormwood is therefore a good "magic bullet" for weenie decks that want to put Gehenna events into play to allow or empower other Gehenna cards. It is unlikely to hurt a deck with a crypt of 2- and 3-caps. As counters drop off of Wormwood, cards that favor large vampires devalue. Obedience and Crocodile's Tongue, for example, become less and less useful. The inferior versions of Seduction and Redirection become harder to play, as do the superior versions of Govern the Unaligned, Scouting Mission and Enchant Kindred. Golconda and Legendary Kindred quickly become unplayable. Ancient Influence stops being a bloat card, and Reins of Power starts to be one. Play enough Gehenna events, and Wormwood makes weenie hosing cards astonishingly powerful. At 5 counters, all vampires can use Atonement, and a 5-cap with Atonement won't tap to block any vampire. At 4 counters, Aranthebes the Immortal is your best friend or worst enemy. At 3 counters, Carver's Meat Packing puts a hostage counter on every vampire going to torpor, and there's little blood available to get rid of the counters. Also, Puppeteer, Rabble Razing and Snipe Hunt affect every vampire. A lot of vampires have built-in rush or blocking specials against weenies, and Anisa Marina Lopez would just love to burn Arika as a (D) action. I've put a fairly complete list of cards that are directly affected by Wormwood at the end of this newsletter. It's a long list, so I won't be able to discuss all of them in depth. Instead, I'll focus on the synergy between Wormwood and other Gehenna events. If you want to knock counters off of Wormwood, one event is a no-brainer: Fueled by Heart's Blood. So long as this event is played after Wormwood, it will probably not affect the game other than knocking a counter off of Wormwood and costing you a hand slot for a while. If your deck expects to diablerize other vampires, so much the better: you're more likely to get your full hand size back, and you can play FbHB as your first Gehenna event if you like. Other than FbHB, you have to be careful which events you use to empower Wormwood. Even seemingly harmless cards like the Unmasking and Blood Trade can come back to haunt you if other decks are getting more of a benefit from them than you are. Remember Svenson's Law: All else being equal, it is better to play global effects that hurt the whole table rather than global effects that help the whole table, because you only receive a fraction of the burn or the benefit. That said, your best choice is to pick magic bullet events that won't hurt your deck: The Slow Withering and Blood Weakens for a weenie deck with few discipline cards, for example, or the Conquest of Humanity for a location-free deck. Two events have powerful synergy with Wormwood: Nightmares Upon Nightmares and Thirst. Because these events affect low-capacity vampires initially and higher capacity vampires as more Gehenna events are played, they eventually have a "crossing of the X" with Wormwood, a point where they begin to affect every vampire in play. Without Wormwood, it would require half a dozen or more additional Gehenna events in play for these events to affect vampires of capacity 11 and above. Nightmares Upon Nightmares becomes universal when six Gehenna events have been played, assuming Wormwood was the second. At that point, all vampires and non-mortal allies must be tapped unless their controlling Methuselah burns a card to keep them untapped during the untap phase. This depletes libraries quickly and makes mortal allies powerful in the endgame. A universal NUN deck might include the Unmasking, Gypsies, Couriers, Neighborhood Watch Commanders, Laptops, the Vagabond Mystic, Change of Target and Left for Dead. Thirst becomes universal when seven Gehenna events have been played, assuming Wormwood was the second. At that point, all vampires who did not hunt must burn a blood at the end of their minon phase if they did not hunt. This steady drain keeps the table low on blood. A universal Thirst deck might include Restricted Vitae, Conquest of Humanity (to eliminate hunting grounds), the New Inquisition, Dragonbound, Hesha Rushasde, lots of blood dolls, Gregory Winter and Amam the Devourer. Remember that when you play Wormwood along with other disabling Gehenna events, you can be reasonably sure that someone at the table will be totally screwed. If you've planned carefully, you can be reasonably sure that person won't be you, but you can't be sure he or she will be your prey or predator. For this reason, it is foolish to play Wormwood decks without the means to rearrange and/or rebalance the table to your liking. Dramatic Upheaval and the infrastructure to call and pass it should be a part of every Wormwood deck. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Module: The Thirsty Nun This 13-card module is designed to make the effects of both Thirst and Nightmares Upon Nightmares universal using Wormwood to lower vampires' capacities into the danger zone. For it to work properly, Wormwood must be the second event played. The Thirsty Nun is slow but sure. The other 77 cards in your deck must be dedicated to fast, effective offense and defense for the early and middle stages of the game. In the endgame, however, the Thirsty Nun will hand you the table by draining your opponents' vampires, milling their deck away and leaving them unable to untap their minions. At that point your mortal ally(s) can clean up the table. The module can be inserted into any deck, but shouldn't. It belongs only in decks that can protect a bleeding ally (Change of Target, Concealed Weapon/Flash Grenade, etc.) It will work best in political decks with some seat-switching abilities. Some way of retrieving cards from the ashheap (Waste Management Operation, etc.) would also prove helpful. Masters: 2 Fortschritt Library Events: 1 Nightmares Upon Nightmares 1 Thirst 3 Wormwood 5 Magic Bullets (Conquest of Humanity if you have no locations, etc.) Minion: 1 (or more) Mortal ally with at least 1 bleed (Gypsies, Political Ally, Political Antagonist…even Jake with a laptop.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Deck: Abandon All Hope This is the Nth iteration of my first attempt to make the Thirsty Nun work. This version works reliably, although the limited crypt selection is a drawback and my next Thirsty Nun deck will be much more political. The deck's primary strategy is to punish blockers. Chicago's metagame is heavy on blocking--not heavy intercept so much as heavy wakes. Bring out a Black Hand vampire or two and load them up with Dominion, Corporeal Reservoirs and Perfectionist. The idea is to make them pay each time they block you, then untap with Freak Drive (having prevented all damage in combat) or Change of Target and act again. Since you have a little more bleed than they can be comfortable not blocking, you will run them out of blood and wakes. There's also some solid bleed and vote defense. The secondary strategy is the Thirsty Nun. Use Blackhorse's almighty special to manage your card flow without discarding…the extra copies of Wormwood and Dominion you put on the bottom of your deck will serve to keep minions untapped in the endgame. The Fragment and the Admonitions are useful for unwanted cards you draw from your prey's deck with Agaitas's special, and if others make use of either discard master, they hasten their deck depletion. In the endgame, when you have untap despite NUN via Zillah's Tears, blood on your vamps despite Thirst via Owain and the Reservoirs, and probably a mortal ally, you will mop up the table. The deck is called Abandon All Hope due to the demoralizing effect of the Thirsty Nun on other players. Before any Methuselahs other than your prey consider transferring out due to frustration, be sure to point out to them that they have a good chance at withdrawing. Crypt: (13 cards, Min: 18, Max: 31, Avg: 6.31) ---------------------------------------------- 3 Agaitas AUS for NEC 6, Harbingers of Skulls:2 4 Blackhorse Tanner AUS DOM FOR 7, Ventrue antitribu:3 3 Katherine Stoddard dom for 4, Ventrue antitribu:3 3 Owain Evans cel pre AUS DOM FOR 8, Ventrue antitribu:3 Library: (90 cards) ------------------- Master (27 cards) 1 Admonitions, The 1 Anarch Troublemaker 4 Blood Doll 8 Corporal Reservoir 1 Demonstration 1 Dia de los Muertos 5 Dominion 2 Fortschritt Library 1 Fragment of the Book of Nod 1 Jake Washington (Hunter) 2 Perfectionist Event (10 cards) 1 Blood Trade 1 Conquest of Humanity 1 Fall of the Camarilla 1 Fueled by Heart's Blood 1 Nightmares Upon Nightmares 1 Thirst 1 Unmasking 3 Wormwood Action (7 cards) 2 Pulse of the Canaille 5 Zillah's Tears Action Modifier (22 cards) 7 Change of Target 1 Circumspect Revelation 2 Crocodile's Tongue 4 Foreshadowing Destruction 8 Freak Drive Political Action (2 cards) 1 Dramatic Upheaval 1 Rumors of Gehenna Reaction (14 cards) 6 Deflection 2 Loyalist 6 Wake with Evening's Freshness Combat (7 cards) 2 Hidden Strength 5 Soak Ally (1 cards) 1 Political Antagonist - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thanks for reading this strategy guide to Wormwood. I hope it is helpful in creating decks that are creative, effective and fun. If you have questions, comments, or insights into game strategy involving Wormwood, please post them to alt.games.trading-cards.jyhad for discussion. Thanks again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Appendix: Worm Fodder A mostly-complete list of cards affected by Wormwood. Library Cards: Alpha Glint Anachronism Anathema Ancient Influence Antediluvian Awakening Approximation of Loyalty Aranthebes, The Immortal Atonement Baltimore Purge Banishment Basilisk's Touch Bear-Baiting Black Hand Ritual Bloodbath Brick Laying Brujah Debate Call, the Call the Great Beast Cardinal Benediction Carver's Meat Packing and Storage Chain of Command Chronicle of the Lost Tribe Clandestine Contract Clotho's Gift Concert Tour Condemnation: Betrayed Condemnation: Doomed Condemnation: Languid Contagion Corruption Covenant of Blood Crocodile's Tongue Damned, the Death of My Conscience, the Deed the Heart's Desire Deep Cover Agent Defender of the Haven Denial of Aphrodite's Favor Derange Dive into Madness Emergency Preparations Emissary Enchant Kindred Erciyes Fragments, the (belongs in any make-everyone-a-weenie Wormwood deck) Esgrima Fifth Tradition: Hospitality, The Firebrand Fleecing the Gaje Fourth Tradition: The Accounting Forgery Free States Rant Fueled by Heart's Blood Games of Instinct Gather Giant's Blood Golconda: Inner Peace Govern the Unaligned Grand Temple of Set Honor the Elders Hostile Takeover (also appealing to use in make-everyone-weenies decks) Infernal Familiar Internal Recursion Jones, the Kaymakli Barrier Khabar: Loyalty Khobar Towers, Al-Khubar Kindred Coercion Kindred Manipulation Kindred Society Games Leadership Vacuum Legacy of Caine Legendary Vampire Legion Liberty Club Intrigue Loose Cannon Martial Ritus Masochism Masque of Judas Mesmerize Mind Rape Missing Voice, the Mob Rule Mole, the Mylan Horseed (Goblin) Neutral Guard Nightmare upon Nightmares Nosferatu Performance Art Obedience Of Noble Blood Out of Control Panacea Paragon Patronage Pere Lachaise, France Political Stranglehold Portrait, The Powerbase: Barranquilla Precognizant Mobility Protect Thine Own Provision of the Silsila Psychomachia Puppeteer (Wraith) Pulling Strings Rabble Razing Reality Recalled to the Founder Redirection Reformation Regent Reins of Power Renewed Vigor Restricted Vitae Return to Innocence, The Revelation of the Sire Riddle Phantastique Rise of the Nephtali Rock Cat Sacrifice Sacrificial Lamb Save Face Scouting Mission Seal of Veddartha Seduction Sense the Sin Seraph Shakar Signet of King Saul, The Siphon Sleep of Reason Snipe Hunt Social Ladder Soul Gem of Etrius Soul Stealing Sowing Dissension Stolen Police Cruiser Thirst Tithings Toreador's Bane Torpid Blood Total Insanity Toy Chest Test Triole's Revenge Unburdening the Bestial Soul Under the Skin Venenation Virolax Facility Voice of Madness Crypt Cards: (Note: all crypt cards above 1 cap are potentially affected by Wormwood. The following have specials that are affected by Wormwood.) Aisling Sturbridge Amelia Amisa Angela Preston Anisa Marianna Lopez Barry Barth Basil Calebros, The Martyr Casino Reeds Danny Larkshill David Morgan, The Scourge Delilah Monroe Dr. Julian Stuphen Ebanezer Roush Feo Ramos Ferox, The Rock Lord Fida'i Francois Villon Gabrin Gracis Nostinus Greta Kircher Hanna Redmonds Ignazio Giovanni Jeremy MacNeil (Advanced) Justine, Elder of Dallas Lucina Lucita (Advanced) Matthew Romans Menele Mustafa, the Heir Navar McClaren Quentin King III (Advanced) Roxanne, Rectrix of the 13th Floor Sir Ralph Hamilton Spleen, Georgio Gutterpunk Stravinsky Terrell Harding Theron Tobias Smith Victoria Ash Victorine Lafourcade Yitzak Zayyat, The Sandstorm