The War Ghoul Shift

I don't think Charisma is that hard to analyze. Sure, there's some confusion / frustration around the card, because it's harder to get than it needs to be - it's really strange that clan-specific staples like Hunting Grounds were uncommon, when Charisma - a staple for deck categories that cross clan boundaries - is rare.

But, for the sake of analysis, we should ignore rarity. So, what remains? Well, the only thing Charisma is going to do for you is to save you blood or pool. In nearly all circumstances, pool > blood, so it's easier to look at the pool side, as that's where it's likely to be best.

Then, it's simple. If you expect to play X allies while Charisma is in play, it's worth X.

Clearly, if you're only expecting to play one ally, Ascendance is better than Charisma. If you plan to play 2 most of the time, maybe 3, then it's also pretty weak - comparable with stuff like Dummy Corporation and strictly weaker than Dreams of the Sphinx. If you're planning to play 3+, then it starts looking pretty decent - up there with tier 1 stuff like Liquidation and Tend the Flock.

If you plan to play an ally a turn for the rest of the game, it's quite good - like a free Arcane Library.

I think most War Ghoul decks end up in the first couple of categories - either 1-2 ghouls are going to dominate the table, or someone at the table is "ghoul-proof", due to combat permanents etc, and any number isn't going to help you much. Similarly with stuff like Renegade Garou decks - even with Charisma, more than 2 Garou will be really painful to your pool.

The decks where Charisma shines are the ones that play lots of 1-2 pool allies. Like Sebastian Goulet / Shadow Court Satyr decks. Or Escaped Mental Patient decks. Or Black Hand decks that try to swarm with Marijava Thuggees. Or Khazar's Diary decks, that want to drop one each of the cheap unique allies like Carlton, Mylan, etc and gain Diary counters when they go to the ask heap. Or Erictho Outcast Mage decks. For these types of deck, the card is gold.

There's also the issue of when you'll draw the Charisma. If you are running one copy, and it shows up just after you recruited your "workforce" of two War Ghouls, a Dummy Corporation would probably have been a better draw. And if your deck relies on the allies to function, you won't be able to wait for the Charisma to show up. Not to mention that additional copies are also dead draws...

Overrated? Possibly. Played in decks that don't really warrant it? Certainly. A great card in the correct deck? Absolutely!

... if you really want to talk about a card that is overrated and frequently played in the wrong decks, Powerbase: Montreal is a much better target IMHO.

finbury wrote:

I think most War Ghoul decks end up in the first couple of categories - either 1-2 ghouls are going to dominate the table, or someone at the table is "ghoul-proof", due to combat permanents etc, and any number isn't going to help you much. Similarly with stuff like Renegade Garou decks - even with Charisma, more than 2 Garou will be really painful to your pool.

The decks where Charisma shines are the ones that play lots of 1-2 pool allies. Like Sebastian Goulet / Shadow Court Satyr decks. Or Escaped Mental Patient decks. Or Black Hand decks that try to swarm with Marijava Thuggees. Or Khazar's Diary decks, that want to drop one each of the cheap unique allies like Carlton, Mylan, etc and gain Diary counters when they go to the ask heap. Or Erictho Outcast Mage decks. For these types of deck, the card is gold.

I think this is a great point, which I agree with. It's like comparing it to a Black Cat deck, they don't want to get Assault Rifles and Flamethrowers, they usually go for .44 magnums and sport bikes instead. it's about getting a 50% or 100% reduction on cheap cards, rather than a 20%-25% reduction on expensive ones. it's one less pool either way, but in the long run the higher discount means more goodies.

another thing is how Charisma can only affect one vampire, so you'd better do all your recruitment with that one minion. sometimes that's perfect for a star like Sebastian Goulet or Zhenga. but for other decks, if you don't really care who gets the ally in play because everyone meets requirements, then Charisma is not so efficient and reduces your flexibility.