Official VEKN Malkavian Antitribu Newsletter, July 2006
VOLUME V, Issue VII
1. INTRODUCTION
This time I'm going to demonstrate just another insane combo deck with
Mata Hari. If you remember my previous newsletter, you might recall
that my favorite combo with Mata Hari is Infernal Pact for Obeah +
Talons of the Dead + a lot of Anesthetic Touches. Yes, combo decks are
unstable and probably even unplayable in tournaments, but they are very
funny and edifying. After all, a "combo" is a combination of cards that
is much more effective than the separate pieces, and every good player
must recognize the potential "combos" while reading the card texts.
After all, sometimes the combos appear to be very effective - this
usually mean that some ?ards are going to be changed or banned, alas
:)
2. NO VAMPIRES OF THE MONTH...
Unfortunately, I've run out of vampires to review this month. Mata Hari
was a "Vampire of the Month" in June, Eurayle Gelasia Mylonas - in
November 2005, and so on. I could write about the new member of our
clan, White Lily, but I prefer to wait until I'll see all the new
!Malks. Be patient, we'll see them soon! To "compensate" you for the
absence of the vampires, the are SIX "Cards of the Month".
3. CARDS OF THE MONTH
Name: Anesthetic Touch [BL:C1, LoB:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Obeah/Auspex
Only usable at close range.
[aus] Strike: dodge.
[obe] Strike: make a hand strike. Combat ends immediately after the
resolution of this strike.
[OBE] As [obe] above, with First Strike.
First of all, this card is one of the best defensive cards in the
Malkavian combat arsenal - not as effective as Gemini's Mirror, but
still very good. Sometimes you mix your Malks with the other vampires
with Auspex (does anybody doubt than Auspex is one of the most common
used Disciplines nowadays?), and you just want to have some combat
protection for all of them. Primal Instincts has no "close range"
restrictions, but it isn't free.
If you have Obeah, this card looks like "cheating". You end combat with
a hand strike, escaping even the almighty Immortal Grapple. If you have
superior Obeah, you are likely to escape the opposing minion's strike
as well, along with the nasty things that happen "during the normal
strike resolution" like Carrion Crows or Ghoul Retainer's strike. You
are going to make a hand strike as a bonus, but I'm sure that this
wasn't considered a serious deal when the card was designed. The
Salubri are the healers, not the killers, and for a long time there
were no ways of using the card offensively - "hand strike" was just the
default hand strike for 1 damage, nothing else. Now we have Saulot that
strikes for 2 damage, and Mata Hari, which can hit much, much harder!
The main problem of this card is its range restriction. At close range
it makes you nearly invincible, but at long range it doesn't work at
all. Staying at close range is simpler than staying at long, since
close range is the default, but some decks (especially decks with guns)
have a lot of maneuvers or even can set the distance to long. This
could be easily prevented by Drawing Out the Beast, but, unfortunately,
Mata Hari is a very strange Ravnos: she has no Animalism at all. Thus,
we have to use maneuvers from Swallowed by the Night, IR Goggles and
Spirit's Touch (after getting Auspex skill card). If guns are popular
in your metagame, you may want to include Animalism skill cards and
DotBs.
Name: Vitae Block [BL:U2, LoB:R?]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Obeah/Animalism
Play before range is determined. Only usable if the opposing minion is
a vampire. A vampire can play only one Vitae Block each combat.
[ani] Gain 1 optional press this round.
[obe] Put this card in play, and move up to 2 blood from the opposing
vampire to this card. During your untap phase, return the blood
counters to that vampire and burn this card.
[OBE] As [obe] above, but {move} up to 3 blood to this card.
This card is extremely powerful, especially in the intercept decks that
choose their fights themselves. Blood is a resource needed to play
cards, including combat cards, and denying this resource, even
temporarily, can make the opposing vampire much weaker or even
helpless. Gangrels and Tzimisce without blood cannot make their hand
damage aggravated, Ventrue cannot play Superior Mettle or Skin of
Steel, and so on.
Obviously, Vitae Block makes a brilliant combo with Anesthetic Touch if
your vampire has superior Obeah - you don't have to play Mata Hari.
Leave the opposing vampire empty, hit him with Anesthetic Touch - and
you will send him into torpor. Who cares that you will return the
"stolen" blood? Your opponent will spend an action and two blood to
resque the vampire, and you may block that action, too - Salubri are
masters of intercept.
In a combo deck, when your Mata Hari can hit for 3-4 with a hand
strike, and that strike may be aggravated, Vitae Block becomes
completely devastating. Even if the opposing vampire had 5-6 blood, he
will still get into torpor. "Fully equipped" Mata Hari will simply burn
the vampire with less blood!
Name: Infernal Pact [Sabbat:R, BH:PTr]
Cardtype: Master
Clan: Tremere antitribu
Cost: 1 pool
Unique master.
Put this card on a Tremere antitribu you control and choose a
Discipline. The vampire with this card can play cards that require that
Discipline as though he or she has the superior version of that
Discipline.
This is the only viable way of getting superior Obeah for a non-Salubri
vampire (Ian Forestal with Spontaneous Power is another one, but this
works only for him). Just one card, and you have it. This card is
crucial for our combo - without it, Mata Hari will play Anesthetic
Touch only at outferior.
Looks like !Tremeres are masters of versatility: you may have Ian
Forestal, Valerius Maior (adv) and another !Tremere with Infernal Pact,
and all three will play Daimoinon cards, though only Valerius will be
Infernal (and even he can lose the trait after merging). Unfortunately
(or fortunately?) most Daimoinon cards require an infernal vampire, so
we are limited to the few cards, but Conflagration is very powerful.
Name: Talons of the Dead [BH:R2, KMW:P!G]
Cardtype: Master
Clan: Gangrel antitribu
Cost: 2 pool
Unique master.
Put this card on a Gangrel antitribu you control. Damage from this
vampire's hand strikes is aggravated. All directed actions cost this
vampire an additional blood. This vampire's controller may use a master
phase action to burn this card.
Yet another unique card: this is the only way of making the hand damage
permanenly aggravated. It is expensive, for sure, but this card makes
Anesthetic Touch extremely dangerous even for the fatties with a lot of
blood. Combined with Depravity or The Art of Pain, this card enables
burning the opposing vampires.
Funny enough, !Gangrels rarely use this card : it's expensive, and you
have to include Claws anyway. I've seen it in some Enkidu builds,
though, but I suspect that it served mostly as a "fear card" to detract
rushes - "does anybody want to get 3 aggravated damage?". Mata Hari
also uses the card in the same way, though her Vitae Blocks and
Anesthetic Touches make her even more dangerous.
Name: Depravity [AH:V3, FN:PG, KMW:Al]
Cardtype: Master
Cost: 1 pool
Unique master.
Put this card on a ready vampire you control. This vampire gets +1
stealth when attempting a diablerie action and gets +1 strength. He or
she cannot recruit allies or employ retainers.
This card is relatively cheap and very important for our combo.
Increased strength mean that all our Anesthetic Touches are twice more
powerful, and this alone should make the intercept fearful enough.
Besides that, Depravity + Talons of the Dead = 2 aggravated damage that
can burn an empty vampire (and Vitae Block can make the vampire empty).
Depravity is also very good with Disarm, when you need to inflict more
damage, or with Blur/Taste of Vitae.
The second benefit (+1 stealth for diablerie) is also very important,
especially for the "Trophy Hunter" decks that don't have a lot of
stealth. Many Hunters can diablerize safely, due to the vampire ability
(Muaziz) or to the other card (Enkidu + Fueled by Heart's Blood).
Depravity's disadvantage is really huge, especially for Enkidu, who
likes retainers. Mata Hari could recruit most powerful allies in the
game, but the intercept deck we're talking about has no place for them.
So, Depravity is one of the most important cards here.
Name: The Art of Pain [Sabbat:R, SW:R]
Cardtype: Master
Clan: Toreador antitribu
Cost: 2 pool
Unique master.
Put this card on a ready Toreador antitribu. The vampire with this card
gets +2 strength during combat.
This is just a "spare Depravity" if you won't get it, or if it get
countered or contested. Having +2 strength is better that +1, but this
card is more expensive, and you don't get any stealth for diablerie.
Nothing prevents you from playing both cards, if you have the pool, to
get strength of 4. Enkidu should be jealous of this :)
As with Talons of the Dead, !Toreador rarely use this card, since they
prefer elegant shooting to rude fighting with bare hands. Miller
Delmardigan is a notable exception, but this expert fighter can
torporize most enemies even without The Art of Pain - Blur and
Quickness provide 8 damage total.
4. DECK OF THE MONTH
Deck Name: Red List Burns the Red Lists! (or Deck of Four Powerbases,
if you like it more)
Created By: Ilya Ginsburg
Description: Mata Hari enhances her hands and burns/torporizes vampires
as a good anesthesia :)
Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 19, Max: 28, Avg: 6,08)
----------------------------------------------
4 Mata Hari aus for qui CHI OBF 7 Ravnos
2 General Perfidio Dios dem obf AUS 5 !Malk
1 Colonel cel dem obf AUS 5 !Malk
1 Roger Farnsworth aus OBF 4 !Malk
2 Eurayle Gelasia Mylonas for pre AUS OBE 6 Salubri
2 Marie Faucigny dem tha AUS OBF 7 !Malk
Library: (90 cards)
-------------------
Master (16 cards)
1 Ventrue Headquarters
1 Infernal Pact
1 Talons of the Dead
1 Powerbase: Chicago
1 Powerbase: Montreal
1 Powerbase: Tshwane
1 Powerbase: Madrid
1 Auspex
1 Trophy: Domain
1 Trophy: Hunting Ground
1 Depravity
1 Maabara
1 Art of Pain, The
1 Fragment of the Book of Nod
2 Visit from the Capuchin
Action (9 cards)
5 Sibyl`s Tongue
2 Red List
2 Renewed Vigor
Action Modifier (3 cards)
1 Repulsion
2 Rebirth
Reaction (27 cards)
6 Eagle`s Sight
6 Forced Awakening
6 Telepathic Misdirection
4 Enhanced Senses
5 Spirit`s Touch
Combat (21 cards)
15 Anesthetic Touch
6 Vitae Block
Ally (3 cards)
1 Alia, God`s Messenger
1 Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)
1 Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
Equipment (3 cards)
1 Shilmulo Tarot
1 Bowl of Convergence
1 IR Goggles
Event (3 cards)
1 Thirst
1 Anthelios, the Red Star
1 Dragonbound
Combo (5 cards)
5 Swallowed by the Night
This is an intercept deck that require a lot of time to setup. You need
to fetch Infernal Pact for your Mata Hari as soon as possible. It's
hard to say what should be your next target (this depends on the
situation), but you should consider fetching the Auspex skill card,
since you need to play Spirit's Touches and Eagle's Sights at superior,
besides the Mylan Horseed requirements. Having both cards, you will be
able to demonstrate your combat abilities and inspire fear in your
enemies - this should provide enough time to develop further. Just play
cards you've got and have fun!
This deck isn't a "dedicated" Trophy Hunter - it just waits for the
opportunity to get some Trophies. You have four titled non-Red List
vampires to play Red List if there would be no such minions in your
game. When you play Red List, be sure that nobody would try to block
it, since you have just few stealth cards. Once you have a Red List
minion, you can rush him, but it would be better to block him and burn
him in combat or send him into torpor and diablerize later. Mata Hari
can have +1 stealth from Repulsion and +1 more from Depravity, so she's
going to succeed. To avoid blood hunt, you can play Rebirth or use your
vote-providing locations, Ventrue HQ and Powerbase: Madrid. Most of the
time you should hunt for Trophies when you will have one of them in
play, to get both at once. Then you should just discard the unneeded
Red List and Rebirth if you draw them.
This deck contains too many actions for an intercept deck, especially
for a deck without serious stealth, but you can live without them
(though with them you may live better). Most of the time you won't play
all five Sibyl's Tongues - only 2-3 at most. Renewed Vigor is optional,
and you may have no need of them if you have Trophy: Hunting Ground.
Equipment and allies are pretty important, though.
Shilmulo Tarot virtually "increases your hand", which is extremely
advantageous for any deck, especially for a combo deck. You will never
run of of Anesthetic Touches, you will get many useful cards, and you
may keep the unneeded cards on the Tarot, without having to draw and
discard them. Bowl of Convergence is the best source of permanent
intercept, and you need IR Goggles to stay at close range. Mylan
Horseed is obvious, as long as your Mata Hari will get Auspex and
become a 8-cap. Carlton is obvious almost anywhere - at least, you
should be able to contest him to enable diablerie. Alia is very
effective for her cost - she can play most cards of this deck. The
Gehenna cards are needed for Alia and perform different functions:
Thirst is very good against weenies, Anthelios allows you to recycle
that countered Infernal Pact or Talons of the Dead, and Dragonbound...
it's your prime way to win.
Pool gain is limited to Powerbase:Chicago and Powerbase: Montreal, so
you'll need Powerbase:Tshwane to reduce cost of your master cards and
allies.
If you wish to build more stable (but less "funny") deck, you should
exclude the Trophies and their support (Red List, Rebirth), remove both
Maries Faucigny and one General Perfidio Dios, and replace them with
"Auspex weenies" like Martin Franckel and Maldavis. You will need some
weapons for them... Finally, you should end up with a twisted version
of Auspex weenie that can eventually learn to hit hard or even play
Nightmare Curse. But I doubt that you'll get a tournament-winning deck
anyway, so try to get maximum fun in casual play!
That's all for July,
As always, all comments and advices are appreciated.
Yours,
Ector