Gangrel - Protection Racket

Wall deck featuring some new cards from Unbound expansion, with Donnybrook as a main reason to build it. Other new cards are Protection Racket and Field Training. Game plan is to setup with permanent intecepts and build pool. Oust with Smilling Jack, Army of Rats and Enticements in critical moments. Donnybrook, Earth Melds and Hatch the Viper gives this deck a great versatility in combat. Haven't play it yet. What you think of this one?

Deck Name: Gangrel - Protection Racket
Created By: Aleksander Idziak
Description:

Crypt: (13 cards, Min: 4, Max: 30, Avg: 4,07)

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5 Anarch Convert none 1 Caitiff
1 Chandler Hungerford PRO 3 Gangrel
1 Dr. Allan Woodstock PRO ani aus for5 Gangrel
1 Horrock vic ANI PRO 6 Gangrel
2 Mirembe Kabbada ani PRO SER 5 Gangrel
3 Nadima ani aus FOR PRO SER8 Gangrel

Library: (86 cards)

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Master (16 cards)
1 Anarch Free Press, The
1 Backways
2 Blood Doll
2 Ecoterrorists
1 Pentex(TM) Subversion
1 Powerbase: Los Angeles
1 Powerbase: Montreal
1 Rack, The
3 Smiling Jack, The Anarch
3 Vessel

Action (10 cards)
2 Army of Rats
4 Enticement
2 Field Training
1 Form of Corruption
1 Set`s Curse

Reaction (21 cards)
2 Delaying Tactics
4 Detect Authority
5 Forced Awakening
3 On the Qui Vive
5 Protection Racket
2 Wake with Evening`s Freshness

Combat (25 cards)
6 Donnybrook
10 Earth Meld
4 Flesh of Marble
5 Form of Mist

Retainer (13 cards)
5 Hatch the Viper
1 Mr. Winthrop
7 Raven Spy

Equipment (1 cards)
1 Heart of Nizchetus

Hi Alek,

in two months I became an expert in walls, apparently.

Hatch the Viper is one of those "it looks pretty" cards that actually don't work well for you.
You don't have the actions or there are better ones to do.
I would drop the Ecoterrorists for Guardian Angel (if you're worried about taking damage) or Powerbase: Montreal (+1) + Rack, (or Anarch Revolts).

Also, Carlton is a good thing. So is

I would make a more aggressive combat package to use with Donnybrook.
It also works to make people fear blocking your +1 stealth actions, specially if you keep all the retainers.

Don't know how much intercept you can muster constantly (haven't done the math), but IF you can get 3 or 4 regularly you can have something really nice here.

A few comments, take them as you will. (they are a bit all over the place, and for that I apologise).

13 Retainers is far too many. Coupled with the 10 actions and 1 equipment, that is 24 action cards - far far too many for a deck that is supposed to be a wall and is only packing 10 wakes and 10 Earth Meld.

Try ditching a couple of the Retainers, you won't need lots of them anyway.

3x Hatch the Viper
5x Raven Spy

IMO would be better. Also, use Pack Alpha and Piper to get them without having to take an action.

For equipment, I would actually ditch the Heart, the chance of it being contested are too high, and IMO, if you build a good, balanced deck - you won't need it. If you take any equipment, I'd suggest a Camera Phone, Ivory Bow and Book of Going Forth by Night.

I would get rid of Montreal and Los Angeles - you don't want to have to be defending too much stuff. You'll have enough to worry about with the Rack, Rats, Jack and your pool. You need to be very conservative.

You are really lacking in the stealth department as well, so many of your actions - especially the aggressive ones, won't come off. I'd ditch all the Enticements actually since they are at 0 stealth. Chances of you hitting them home are slim. Therefore, I'd ditch the Flesh of Marble for some stealth (granted big punch might be common in your meta, but if it is, 4 Flesh aren't going to save you).

I'm not a fan of WWEF, there is no reason why these wouldn't be Forced Awakening.

With Donnybrook and some free agg hand strikes, there's no reason not to include a couple of Rotschreck.

Anyway, after that rambling nonsense, here is what I came up with as as suggestion:

5 Anarch Convert none 1 Caitiff
1 Chandler Hungerford PRO 3 Gangrel
1 Dr. Allan Woodstock PRO ani aus for5 Gangrel
1 Horrock vic ANI PRO 6 Gangrel
2 Mirembe Kabbada ani PRO SER 5 Gangrel
3 Nadima ani aus FOR PRO SER8 Gangrel

Library: (75 cards)
Master (16 cards)
1 Anarch Free Press, The
1 Backways
1 Ecoterrorists
1 Pentex(TM) Subversion
1 Rack, The
3 Smiling Jack, The Anarch
3 Vessel
3 Piper
2 Rotschreck

Action (5 cards)
1 Army of Rats
2 Field Training
1 Form of Corruption
1 Set`s Curse

Action Modifier (3 cards)
3 Earth Control

Reaction (20 cards)
2 Delaying Tactics
4 Detect Authority
7 Forced Awakening
3 On the Qui Vive
4 Protection Racket

Combat (20 cards)
6 Donnybrook
8 Earth Meld
4 Form of Mist
2 Pack Alpha

Retainer (8 cards)
3 Hatch the Viper
5 Raven Spy

Equipment (3 cards)
1 Camera Phone
1 Book of Going Forth By Night
1 Ivory Bow

Thx for your input. I'm gonna take it into account when changing this deck.
As Grail wrote there is too much actions in the deck. I will ditch some, but probably not the raven spies. I need those permacept cards ASAP.
Not sure about Guardian Angel here. It's most important feature is prevent and I can get it from hatch the viper. It will be good if I ditch them. Not sure about it yet.
I like the idea of pack alpha. This could save me some actions. I'm just not sure if I can get some free slots for them.
I'm not sure about Pipers. They need another card to work (retainer) and tap me anyway, not like in case of pack alpha. Also they use up valuable master slots. Same goes for rotschreck. I don't think there is a place for it.
As for the cards that could be stolen/ destoyed I don't think that there is an important difference between defending one card or many. In the end it's always a D action against you and other players need to spend an action to do this. Having more cards to burn/ stole doesn't make it eaiser or harder. And Montreal is just huuuge in wall decks and Los angeles will give me a lot of free untaps.
With backways and form of mist I don't think that I need more stealth in such a deck. Especially if I would add some pack alphas.

Here is a second iteration of a deck. I've used a lot of your advices. One more time, thx for them.

Crypt: (13 cards, Min: 4, Max: 30, Avg: 4,07)

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5 Anarch Convert none 1 Caitiff
1 Chandler Hungerford PRO 3 Gangrel
1 Dr. Allan Woodstock PRO ani aus for5 Gangrel
1 Horrock vic ANI PRO 6 Gangrel
2 Mirembe Kabbada ani PRO SER 5 Gangrel
3 Nadima ani aus FOR PRO SER8 Gangrel

Library: (90 cards)

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Master (15 cards)
1 Anarch Free Press, The
1 Backways
2 Blood Doll
1 Ecoterrorists
1 Pentex(TM) Subversion
1 Powerbase: Los Angeles
1 Powerbase: Montreal
1 Rack, The
3 Smiling Jack, The Anarch
3 Vessel

Action (5 cards)
2 Army of Rats
1 Constant Revolution
1 Form of Corruption
1 Set`s Curse

Reaction (23 cards)
2 Delaying Tactics
4 Detect Authority
7 Forced Awakening
3 On the Qui Vive
5 Protection Racket
2 Wake with Evening`s Freshness

Combat (29 cards)
7 Donnybrook
10 Earth Meld
4 Flesh of Marble
5 Form of Mist
3 Pack Alpha

Ally (1 cards)
1 Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)

Retainer (12 cards)
3 Hatch the Viper
1 Mr. Winthrop
8 Raven Spy

Equipment (4 cards)
2 Camera Phone
1 Heart of Nizchetus
1 Ivory Bow

Event (1 cards)
1 Narrow Minds

Some more comments:~
(again, take them or leave them as you will )

As for the cards that could be stolen/ destoyed I don't think that there is an important difference between defending one card or many. In the end it's always a D action against you and other players need to spend an action to do this. Having more cards to burn/ stole doesn't make it eaiser or harder. And Montreal is just huuuge in wall decks and Los angeles will give me a lot of free untaps.

This only holds true when they are all out together. Chances of that are not high. With a wall deck, you want to block sparingly, you don't block every action or you will find that you will run out of resources and won't be able to block (or survive the block) later on. Minimising what you need to defend is paramount to ensuring that at the end game, you are able to defend Jack (and your pool). Having to defend Montreal early will be a pain - because everyone generally wants to take it. You don't have that much defense really. Not to be reactive an entire game. So, imo, these cards need to go. Early on - if you play a Jack, let it be burned. You can't defend Jack from early when players have 20+ pool. You also need that defense later when players have 10 pool.

I'm not sure about Pipers. They need another card to work (retainer) and tap me anyway, not like in case of pack alpha. Also they use up valuable master slots.

Pipers are important to get your Hatch the Vipers. You can't get them with Pack Alpha, and currently - you are not playing any stealth except for Backways and some Form of Mist. Even transient intercept will generally stop you getting the Vipers. Piper gets them with only a SR stopping you.

The other advantage to Piper (even though it does tap you), is that you can get those retainers out of your hand. The last thing you want - and it will happen, is to have a handful of retariners, you have too many.

Same goes for rotschreck. I don't think there is a place for it.

Rotschreck is invaluable. It needs to be in this deck. One rotschreck will give you a couple actions of not needing to defend your important cards/pool. Generally, the rotshrecked vamp will be rescued, either by the owner or an ally - this rescue is one less D action your way when Jack is on the table. The rotschrecked vamp also doesn't untap in their untap phase, which is another D action that you don't have to defend.

Also, it gets around S:CE and the incredibly easy to obtain nowadays 1 point of prevent. In wall decks that pack agg, Rotschreck needs to be there.