Ahrimanes Newsletter #5 01.09.05 ==================================================== [ AHRIMANES NEWSLETTER ] ==================================================== 1.0 - Editorial 1.1 Word From the Editor 1.2 Pack Alpha Poem 1.3 Next Issue 2.0 - Concepts 2.1 Crypt Card Focus 2.2 Library Card Focus 2.2.1 David Quinonero Santiago's Tournament Winning deck 3.0 - Deck 3.1 Pack of Wolves deck 3.2 Sign Off --[1.1 - Word from the Editor]----------------------- Well once again I have managed to scrape together another newsletter. Hopefully this one will be legible, after last month's trials, I don't know if that was the reason for the lack of feedback, or perhaps the newsletter was just perfection so didn't need any! :) Either way I am sure someone will let me know what I am doing soon. --[1.2 - Poetry Time]--------------------------------- In a change to the usual bloodletting, we have a poem written about the card of the month, so here it is. "The Puppy Poem" to Pack Alpha with Wolves by Fred Scott There's a Setter in your sweater and a Bulldog in your briefs, there are Boxers in your boxers and they never wanna leave. There's a Shih Tzu whose inhabiting your filthy dungarees, and when you drop your drawers there's that nasty Bichon Frise. How 'bout a Schnauzer in your trousers and those Terriers in your togs? And the baying staying playing's from a Chinese Crested Dog. What with foxes in your soxes and the Shar Peis in your shoes, and that Collie in your collar so you're never gonna lose. Know your duds are filled with Pugs, know there's Chow Chows in your chaps, and your sportswear's full of Shorthairs, and there's Huskies in your hats, Akitas in your speedos, Springer Spaniels in your spats, and an Afghan in your caftan, there can't be too much of that. When your neck is on the line and the shit has come to pass, when you realize you're hurting and you need to fix it fast, when you're waiting for a godsend and you want to make it last, just reach down low, make a fist, and pull puppies from your ass. I hope Fred Scott doesn't mind me putting it here - bit late now. --[1.3 -Next Issue]--------------------------------- Well that all depends on time, enthusiasm and caffeine levels - that sort of thing. Anyway I am making this all up as I go along! --[2.1 - Crypt Card Focus]------------- Back to Jyhad for this one, yes it is the return of Bear Paw Clan: Gangrel (group 1) Capacity: 5 Disciplines: ANI for pre pro Camarilla. Rarity: Jyhad:V VTES:V Tenth:B Now Bear Paw may not be female, but he has got the skills, and more importantly lower capacity than last issues Una. This means that you can reduce your average crypt capacity, and hopefully pull out more minions. Other Clans can of course use the various breed cards, but with the Ahrimane Sterility that is not an option. One thing Bear Paw brings is protean, which two of the Ahrimanes share, and gives access to some combat prevention/protection which is usually a problem, especially if you are trying close range combat. Of course he also has fortitude but as only one Ahrimane has that skill, it is more difficult to graft on unless you further diversify the crypt, or use the Seal of Veddartha, which would be quite slow to build up. --[2.2 - Library Card Focus]------------- Pack Alpha. Kindred Most Wanted brought a card that helps to accelerate Animalism decks in the same way as Concealed Weapon does for Gun decks. Pack Alpha Type: Combat Requires: Animalism A vampire may play only one Pack Alpha each round. [ani] Employ an animal retainer from your hand before range is determined. Pay cost as normal. [ANI] Burn an animal retainer employed by this vampire and put this card on this vampire. The minion with this card gets +1 strength. A minion may have only one Pack Alpha. Rarity: KMW:C Currently there are seven animal retainers to choose from; Dog Pack, Jackal, Murder of Crows, Owl Companion, Raptor, Raven Spy & Wolf Companion. Of those only four are worth having multiples of on a single minion, although I assume multiple Jackals would stack if you were bleeding Assamites or Followers of Set. Now the most obvious retainers to employ via Pack Alpha would be Murder of Crows as they do environmental ranged damage, Raven Spy which add permanent intercept (permacept), and Raptor which like Raven Spy adds permacept, but at superior depletes your opponents hand while in combat. Wolf Companion loses out a little; as it is close range only, which although reasonably easy to achieve normally results in taking damage in return. The two options I would go for would be Trap, Carrion Crows, Pack Alpha & Murder of Crows combat, where you would literally peck away at minion's blood. This could be done with Rush Combat, or perhaps as an Animalism Wall, in which case adding Raven Spy to the mix would up the permanent intercept. The other option would be Pack Alpha, Raven Spy & if superior Animalism is available, Song in the Dark, which will punish blocked vampires. Blocking gives the advantage of choosing strikes after the acting minion, so you shouldn't waste the card unnecessarily. Of course grafting on other skills gives different options, as we will see. Now the following deck looks like it would benefit from Pack Alpha, but I can't see what you could actually take out to fit them in - obviously the sign of a well honed deck! This is borne out by the fact that it is a Tournament Winner at a fairly big event. I have played this deck, and while it has caused problems to the other players I have yet to do much with it - different play styles perhaps? An earlier version of this deck appeared in Ahrimane Newsletter # 3. Friday night in Atlanta - SERQ2k4 night before Atlanta, Georgia. May 21st, 2004. 21 players. 2 rounds and a final. Deck Name: Ahrimanes Created By: David Quinonero Santiago Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 19, Max: 31, Avg: 6.33) ---------------------------------------------- 3 Howler ANI obf PRE SPI 8, Ahrimanes:2 3 Siamese ani PRE pro SPI 7, Ahrimanes:2 3 Cynthia Ingold ani for pre SPI 6, Ahrimanes:2 2 Juanita Santiago ani pre spi 4, Ahrimanes:2 1 Nettie Hale ani cel pre pro spi 5, Ahrimanes:2 Library: (90 cards) ------------------- Master (15 cards) 2 Animalism 3 Blood Doll 3 Direct Intervention 2 Guardian Angel 1 Heidelberg Castle, Germany 1 KRCG News Radio 1 Powerbase: Montreal 1 Rack, The 1 Sudden Reversal Action (20 cards) 2 Army of Rats 8 Enchant Kindred 2 Engling Fury 1 Entrancement 2 Legal Manipulations 5 Nose of the Hound Reaction (24 cards) 6 Cats` Guidance 4 Falcon`s Eye 6 Forced Awakening 8 Speak with Spirits Combat (14 cards) 4 Aid from Bats 8 Carrion Crows 2 Majesty Retainer (9 cards) 1 Mr. Winthrop 6 Murder of Crows 2 Raven Spy Equipment (2 cards) 1 Flak Jacket 1 IR Goggles Combo (6 cards) 6 Swiftness of the Stag Something else that could be good in this deck is Neighbourhood Watch Commander, as that will help punish blocked minions. However it would require quite a bit of reworking to get a number of them in there - an idea for next issue I believe! --[3.1 - Deck:]-------------------- Deck Name: Flock of Birds Attritional combat, this is where this deck hopes to succeed. Using the various 'until end of combat' cards, and building up the Murder of Crows you should soon control the table, as you will have permanent intercept and ranged damage. I haven't been able to test this deck yet, so if anyone tries it let me know how it plays. Crypt [13 vampires] Capacity min: 3 max: 7 average: 5.31 3x Siamese, The 7 PRE SPI ani pro Ahrimanes:2 3x Bear Paw 5 ANI for pre pro Gangrel:1 2x Cynthia Ingold 6 SPI ani for pre Ahrimanes:2 2x Nettie Hale 5 ani cel pre pro spi Ahrimanes:2 2x Juanita Santiago 4 ani pre spi Ahrimanes:2 1x Anastasia Grey 3 ani pro Gangrel:1 Library [90 cards] Action [10] 3x Engling Fury 3x Intimidation 4x Nose of the Hound Combat [36] 2x Adaptability 9x Carrion Crows 9x Flesh of Marble 8x Pack Alpha 2x Taste of Vitae 6x Trap Combat/Action Modifier [5] 5x Swiftness of the Stag Master [14] 2x Animalism 4x Blood Doll 2x Fame 1x Haven Uncovered 1x Heidelberg Castle, Germany 1x KRCG News Radio 3x Protean Reaction [15] 2x Cats' Guidance 4x Falcon's Eye 3x Guard Dogs 4x Speak with Spirits 2x Wake with Evening's Freshness Retainer [10] 6x Murder of Crows 4x Raven Spy Probably needs to go in one direction or the other really, as at the moment it can do some combat, and some blocking, but neither very well. However it brings together the ideas of this newsletter quite nicely. --[3.2 - Sign Off]------------- Well by the time I write this for the next letter, there will hopefully be some previews of Legacies of Blood. I would imagine that the previews will focus on the new clans, but we can hope for a tasty, and official tidbit. Meanwhile the potential spoilers on Path of Blood are good, and I am off to enjoy my Birthday! Sam *