Contents - Section 1.0 - Welcome Section 1.1 - Talking point Section 1.2 - Vampire of the month Section 1.3 - Card of the Month Section 1.4 - Deck of the Month Section 1.5 - Conclusion -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- Section 1.0 WELCOME Come, brother, sit by my fire and listen to our tales of old. We are Gangrel and we are the beast. Well, it had to happen... in the last couple of months we have seen a huge rise in the amount of combat hitting the UK metagame. Nowadays, if you don't bring the Fortitude, you may as well get ready for an early shower. As such, I will be investigating 2 of the main reasons why Gangrel rush ROCKS this month in the cards of the month, whilst looking at a few tips for surviving if you're using a Gangrel Pot / Pro deck. Hope you enjoy... -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- Section 1.1 TALKING POINT "Rush, rush (honey, honey love come to me...)" - Paula Abdul Basically, the Gangrel are unparalleled at rushing. Nearly all Gangrel have access to the Gangrel's favourite tool for a rush deck - Drawing out the Beast - because so many Gangrel have access to basic animalism. This means that, with the exception of one card (Shadow Step) and one Vampire (Cailean), combat will be at close range. This allows a follow up with one of two things - Immortal Grapple (which 6 Gangrel vampires can play to start with, having basic potence), or (less likely, but still feasible) Thoughts Betrayed at Supererior (which 2 Gangrel vampires can play straight away, and 2 can tool up with). So, you instantly know that combat WILL happen, and on your terms - short range and using fisticuffs. The latter combo (DotB / TB) is actually more potent than the former (DotB / IG) since it means other bruise decks will struggle making an impact without a Torn Signpost / Fists of Death, since they won't be playing Undead Strength or the like. Finally, add a smidgeon of agg damage. That's what you've got protean for, so use it! Prevent any nastiness with fortitude and chalk up another mark on the killometer. Anyone who hadn't worked out that the Gangrel are great for rushing by now should go straight to the back of the class. However, I am about to give you my top 3 tips that may or may not help you with a Gangrel pot/pro rush deck. I have been playing quite heavily my own version of such a deck lately, and have seen the very best of them in action, so can offer the following: 1) Cut back on the Masters. Really, for a rush deck to work, you need to save every available card slot. Most Masters, although useful in the extreme, could be put into your "maybe" pile if you try. Go on, look at it: do you really need that Short Term Investment? Depravity - it's nice, but Unique: it could be contested... Sudden Reversal: it's a prayer card... and so on. All you *really* need are Blood Dolls. Also, going on from Rob Ts comments in the Ventrue propaganda rag, permenants can be vital. However, in the case of the Gangrel pot/pro deck, Ecoterrorists are all you really need. In fact, it is the only Master Location card I would consider putting two of in a rush deck. Everything else is padding. Be ruthless - that's what us Gangrel are like! 2) "Handy" advice = Get a Hand of Conrad. You need potence to power Immortal Grapples. You need the master phase slots for your Ecoterrorists and Blood Dolls. How do you get the potence? Simple - get a Hand of Conrad. This tasty piece of equipment gives you a chance of tooling up with superior POT for the price of an action. Well worth throwing in, since it could save you 2 Master slots. 3) You will get hurt. Pack more damage prevention than you first though. 8 Skin of Steels on their own are not enough - add a few other bits as well. Flesh of Marble will protect you all combat, but still means damage will get through - a nuisance vs Burning Wrath! Add lots of Resilience and Skin of Steel. If all else fails and you are left with a hand of fortitude cards, bleed at 0 stealth an use it to get rid of the damage! COMPETITION If you have a "top 3 tips" for a Gangrel deck, which needn't be a rush deck, why not post up, or let me know and I'll stick it up next month. I'll give a special prize for the best "top 3" submitted to me by email by 31st May 2001. Email details are at the bottom... --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Section 1.2 VAMPIRE OF THE MONTH Wynn Clan: Gangrel Capacity: 10 Title: Primogen Superior Animalism Superior Fortitude Inferior Obfuscate Inferior Potence Superior Protean Ability: Wynn may enter combat with a vampire controlled by your predator or prey. This is a +1 stealth (D) action. Artist: Susan Van Camp Well, you can put you Bums Rushes away, and leave you Ambushes at home, the cavalry's here! Towering above the field like a baleful fist of punishment, Wynn kicks ass. Oh come on, you know this! For gods sake - look at him! PRO/ANI/FOR is nice, pot is great, but the special gets you grinning like a loon. How many times have you influenced this vamp, gangrel-lovers, only to hear two groaning voices either side of you? I'll wager quite a few. However, let's argue the question everyone has considered since Sabbat first hit the streets - who is better: Wynn or Beast? Prepare to add numerous IMOs... In the left corner, Beast "leatherface", hailing from good ole Motor City USA is as ugly as sin with a temperament to match. His hobbies include bodybuilding (+1 strength), violent protest (his "political free" restriction) and strangling animals (no retainers. ever). In the right corner Wynn. Hobbies include owl tickling and writing strong letters to the Times* (primogen). Skillwise, they are fairly similar - both have Potence and Animalism. However, Beast has no fortitude, and only basic, not superior, Celerity. I would vastly prefer one or the other before even considering a vampire for a rush deck. Yes, his +1 Strength and POT means he hits hard, but nowadays you have to be able to avoid the damage the other way. Wynn has the daddy of damage dodgers with FOR so will live to fight another day. He doesn't hit as hard, but he still has the agg damage ability of choice, PRO, making him much deadlier for the masses. Skillwise, Wynn has more disciplines, and is only let down by his limp wrested punches. Beast hits harder, but has to find some means to deal with the bruises... Now let's consider the cost. Wynn costs 10 pool to influence, Beast costs 7. This means you have to wait at least 3 turns to pull him up, unless you get a Tomb in play quickly. Beast is much more likely to come up on turn two, or at worst, turn 3.With a rush deck, that turn can be critical, as you could lose a lot of your pool in that time vs a bleed deck, or get Brainwashed, or see an Inner Circle Member or other such monster crop up elsewhere on the table, and so on. The first 3 turns are the most critical in a game, so any chance of not having a vamp out by then should be really avoided. So Beast is better because he is cheaper? Well, no. One card that is a nightmare for a rush deck, and unfortunately very popular amongst they cowering Ventrue at the moment, is Obedience. As we all know this means that younger vampires cannot enter combat with vampires reacting with Obedience - i.e. the rush fails. Most Vampires worth keeping cost over 7 points, which means there is an increased chance of Beast going home with his tail between his legs. Wynn, costing a huge 10, has less trouble in this category. Let's look at the specials. Beast can rush ANYBODY. As has been proven time and again, a successful rush deck needs to be able to nail ANYBODY - even your ally if a deal has to be cut. Wynn, on the other hand can only go left or right. However, he does so in style - at +1 Stealth. Whereas Beast can easily get intercepted by "suddenly disposable" minions, Wynn has a better chance of hitting his acquired target. Surgical precision in a targeted field, vs wild, uncontrolled bursts. I personally think that although Wynn has probably a nicer special because of the stealth, Beast has a better special - because of pure brutality! However, lest we forget, Wynn can also play Bums Rushes and Ambushes. This makes a world of difference, especially since with some clever Freak Driving, Wynn can do all three in one turn! Beast is stuck to his one trick per turn. Finally, and this really hits the dial on the IMO-omiter, Wynn is a Camerilla Gangrel. This means he is immune to Protect Thine Owns. Yes, this is stirring, but this is a card Beast should be very afraid of, since he is quite often target no.1 for this card. There is no comeback, no arguments, if the vote passes, Beast (if selected) will die. Wynn, however, just writes a note of disgust to the Times. I'm expecting lots of thoughts back saying that it can't happen, wouldn't happen, etc, but you can't deny it is one risk any rush deck would prefer to be without. Overall, I would prefer Wynn to Beast anyday (oh come ON!!! This is the Gangrel newsletter, what were you expecting!). For 3 pool more you get a more comprehensive package which may not be quite as brutal, but has more legs. Moreover, I think his high cost can be one of his best features for the Obedience reason, but also because of his Minion Tappability. Great in a crisis! Wynn rocks whilst Beast spits. (*hurridly*) IMO --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Section 1.3 CARD OF THE MONTH Uncontrollable Rage Type(s): Action Modifier Discipline: Protean Blood Cost: 2 Rarity: Uncommon Artist(s): Pete Venters Set(s): *Ancient Hearts * Set card was introduced Card Text: Only usable when the acting vampire's action is announced. This acting minion's hand strikes are at +1 damage and his or her hand damage is aggravated until the end of this action. SUP: As above, but the minion gets +2 aggravated hand damage. Clarifications and Rulings Uncontrollable Rage modifies the damage that the vampire inflicts with a hand strike. It doesn't modify the vampire's base strength. So, if the vampire strikes with Scorpion Sting, he inflicts 1 (base) + 2 agg (Rage) + 1 (Scorpion) damage, for a total of 2 + 2 agg damage. If the vampire strikes with a Bastard Sword, he inflicts only 1 (base) +1 (Sword) damage, for a total of 2 damage (the Rage doesn't modify the damage, since it is not a hand strike). [LSJ 19980102] Add this to 1 part Wynn. He's big, he's green, he's angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry... 'Nuff said. -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- Section 1.4 DECK OF THE MONTH Deck Name: You only sign when you're wynning... Description: Classic Gangrel potence / protean rush Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 16, Max: 40, Avg: 7.17] 1 Angus the Unruled (ANI cel for pot PRO, Gangrel, 10, Justicar) 2 Badger (ani FOR pot PRO, Gangrel, 6) 1 Camille Devereux (ani FOR PRO, Gangrel, 5) 1 Chandler Hungerford (PRO, Gangrel, 3) 1 Faruq (ANI dom for pot PRO, Gangrel, 8) 1 Raven (ani FOR PRO, Gangrel, 5) 1 Ricki Van Demsi (for pro, Gangrel, 3) 4 Wynn (ANI FOR obf pot PRO, Gangrel, 10, Primogen) Library: (90 cards) Master (12 cards) 4 Blood Doll 1 Depravity 1 Direct Intervention 1 Ecoterrorists 2 Potence 1 Rumor Mill, Tabloid Newspaper, The 1 Sudden Reversal 1 Zoo Hunting Ground Minion (78 cards) 3 Ambush 3 Bone Spur 4 Bum's Rush 3 Carrion Crows 1 Dog Pack 4 Drawing Out the Beast 2 Flesh of Marble 2 Freak Drive 3 Guard Dogs 1 Hand of Conrad 2 Hidden Strength 8 Immortal Grapple 2 Indomitability 3 Pushing the Limit 1 Raven Spy 1 Ritual Challenge 2 Restoration 2 Resilience 2 Skin of Night 2 Skin of Rock 4 Skin of Steel 4 Taste of Vitae 5 Torn Signpost 6 Uncontrollable Rage 2 Unflinching Persistence 3 Wake with Evening's Freshness 3 Wolf Claws This deck is, from an outside viewers point of view, what Jon Coopers prize winning "Wynn / Wynn" deck appear to consist of. I'm not sure of the exact card ratios, or indeed if some are in there at all! However, it's 90 cards and looks about right, so if anyone from the South Coast of England can confirm or deny any of this, it'd be a real thrill. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- Section 1.5 CONCLUSION Thanks for reading. Don't forget the competitions! Entries should be addressed to davecrazy@hotmail.com. Indeed, any comments or ideas, feel free to post, or mail me to the address above. Don't mail any abuse to ghoulsbestfriend@hotmail.com any more, since the account closed - either I'm too good or nobody cares! :/ See y'all David Hammond UGPOW * I always consider the position of primogen to be akin to "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells" - a small political voice, but rarely enough to win a referendum.