Shalmath Wall

I can't recall where I first got the idea of using an untappy-vampire (Masika, Rachel, ..) with Anima Gatherings.
Anyways, here's my commented version of Shalmath the True Brujah wall deck.

Crypt: 12
5 Shalmath 10 POT PRE TEM - Untaps once *PER TURN*, and not once *EACH OF YOUR TURNS* (Nakhthorheb). He untaps once during each Methuselah's turn.
1 Andre Leroux 3 aus - Responsible bleeding. Always reduce when deflected to allies. He can use his ability when tapped to Anima Gathering
1 Gwen Brand 3 aus chi - She gets hot if someone is playing Anthelios.
1 Tyler McGuill 4 AUS - quite a neat abilty (if they burns the edge the way you don't want, you can cancel it, and otherwise, double it).
2 Veejay Vinod 3 AUS - Because Scarce is kool. Cardless stealth is also very strong.
2 Kalila 3 aus obf - obfuscate for Domaain Challenge. Nice ability to get the PB: Montreal


Master - 16
5 Villein - can be used on the smallcaps. If the smallcap has AUS, villein to 1, otherwise, empty the weenie.
1 Smiling Jack, the Anarch
1 Powerabase: Montreal
1 Monastery of Shadows
1 Guardian Angel - permanent prevent
1 Direct Intervention - Arika's Banishment, problematic agg damage, ..
1 Pentex Subversion - keep it for contest
1 The Rack
1 Perfectionist
1 Tabriz Assembly
1 Sudden Reversal - should be used against Pentex or TOGP
1 Wash - as above

Actions / Equipment / Allies / Retainers - 17
{intercept}
1 Mr. Winthrop
1 Sport Bike
1 Aranthebes, the Immortal
{combat}
1 Sniper Rifle - to block Potence / big fists
1 .44 Magnum - for acting stuff
1 Light Intensifying Googles
1 Talbot's Chainsaw
1 Flak Jacket
1 Kevlar Vest
{other stuff}
1 Mylan Horseed
1 Path of the Scortched Heart - awesome vs Deep Songs or Toredor/Ventrues
6 Anima gathering


Action Modifiers 15
1 Momentary Delay - it's always a surprise. If you continue the action, Domain of Evernight is still around, and you might, again, inflict 2 agg before range.
2 Enkil Cog - it's not mandatory, but it does help A LOT
5 Pocket Out of Time - Used for stealth before fully equipped (Chainsaw) or for blood attrition at superior once you have enough prevention
5 Domain of Evernight - Few people can handle 2 agg before range. Can be usede to cycle after a random action to untap.
2 Perfect Paragon - light stealth. Can be cycled if noone is blocking.

Combat - 16
6 Outside the Hourglass - Of course, comboes with inf' Domain of Evernight. Inferior is ALSO a maneuver, if they try to outmaneuver you. Outferior can be used by Kalila.
4 Taste of Vitae. I use it after Domain of Evernight + Outside the Hourglass on a hunt action.
4 Target Vitals - Remember to use the Googles
1 Staredow - in case they DI your early Outside the Hourglass
1 Majesty - As above, but is also used to untap, in case they try to calculate your untaps

Reactions - 6
2 Telepathic Misdirection - to be used by weenies
1 Lost in Translation
1 Rewind Time - Pentex, but also Banishment
2 On the Qui Vive - mainly weenies deflecting, but then, if they count your untaps, this is what may make them fail.


Comments:
Maybe the deck is missing 2 Summon History and 1 Tye Cooper/Ambrosius.

The deck is a combat / bleed / intercept deck. It ousts slowly, and requires some toolup.
It's quite easy to get +2 intercept with Shalmath with an extra prevent per combat. That's really enought to slow a lot of decks enough to be able to finish the toolup.

"Average" turn would consist in a bleed (1/2, depending on if you have the Enkil Cog / a superior Anima Gathering). By the way, Anima Gathering can be played at base, even if you have big eyes, if it has your prey not block it.
Pentex is the key card against this deck, so it has weapons against Pentex: Pentex, Wash, Sudden Reversal, Rewind Time, and two vampires who can get +1 stealth.

1 Momentary Delay - it's always a surprise. If you continue the action, Domain of Evernight is still around, and you might, again, inflict 2 agg before range.

Momentary Delay
Requires a vampire with capacity 7 or more.
Only usable at the end of an action blocked by an ally or a vampire of capacity 5 or less (after any combats). Not usable if more than one round of combat has occurred nor if this vampire has lost 3 or more blood this action or ended combat before the press step. The action continues as if unblocked.

Can you play Momentary Delay after sending someone to torpor with 2 agg before range?

Sure. Nothing restrains you from playing it.

A random Iron Glare maybe ? Sometime it will do a surprise oust, it's free, and it's not too hard to cycle.

Have you ever had deck size problem ? Since you oust rather slowly, potentially need a lot of card in combat, and have not cycling ability, it seem that you can lose well started game simply by lack of card.

Size problem? As in "too many cards"? I only have 70 in there. But then again, a couple of Summon Histories could help.
"Not enough cards" is irrelevent. This deck fully installs. Once you've starting putting stuff in play, it's there for a long time.

Once you get 1 prevention per combat, you're pretty solid against lots of stuff.

The most dangerous part of the game is about the beginning of it. If I indeed get rushed + torpoed, it'll take a LOT of time to get back on the track. Mainly because Villein won't be available.

Minimum investment is about 10 (Shalmath) + 3 (weenie) + 2 (prevention, maneuver, ...), which is 15 in 4 turns.
Lots of decks can do the remaining 15 in 4 turns.


Iron Glare is too much. Bleeding for 4 or more is not something I will do in such a deck. At best, you do it during your prey's turn, so that they can AI you. At worst, they deflect, and you get AI'd in the end.
Keycard here might be Vaticination, as a card that awards someone else a VP in a deal where they would then give you a VP.

Why are there no copies of Revelations? This is possibly the most godly card for a small-cap with . You prepare for the rest of your turn, by looking at your prey's hand and then pitching the thing you think is most useful to them. If there is a little blood gain for the babies, you can really aggravate a prey and slow them down without shutting them down. (i.e. they can get some traction on their prey but won't become unstoppable).