Nephandus (Mage): Newark, OH TWD

Nephandus (Mage)
www.vekn.net/event-calendar/event/8950
Newark, OH
August 12, 2018
16 Players 2R + F
1 GW 4 VP + 1.5 VP in finals (won on seeding)

Deck Name: Anarch Diary (Firesale Remix)
Author: Karl Schaefer
Description: Anarch Khazar's Diary Deck

Updated from my Origins version, where I missed the finals on tournament points. I added more cards, dropping most of my stealth for Liquadation and Sudario Refraction. The minimal stealth worked well today, but the key to both rounds that the deck performed well in was to get a Khazar's into play before my predator or prey had any minions to block with.

As I expected it was an ally heavy day with the final having 3 ally decks:
Alex (Garou) 1.5 VP -> Mariya (Anneke/Anson toolbox) 0 VP -> Me 1.5 VP -> Mark (Shamblers and Hookers) 0 VP -> Jeff (Gargoyle Razor Bat wall) 0.5 VP

I actually didn't play The Unmasking in the final because of Mark's allies, though he played it a turn later. Alex had the first oust, but the Diary was primed by that point. I kept whittling Mark down to 1 pool and putting more wraiths into play, hoping to lunge and get both Mark and Jeff in a single turn. As time wound down, I got Mark, but on 5 actions I couldn't get a single wraith bleed to succeed against Jeff. Realizing the with little time remaining my best bet was to turtle up as both my predator and prey ganged up on me and I could do very little against 4 minions with standing intercept. I could have probably lasted only a few more turns, but timed was called.

Thanks to Orpheus for a few tips on the deck.

Crypt (13 cards; Capacity min=1 max=4 avg=2.75)
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1x Francesca Giovanni 4 dom nec pot Giovanni:2
1x Gloria Giovanni 4 nec DOM Giovanni:2
1x Lia Milliner 3 dom nec Giovanni:3
1x Rudolfo Giovanni 3 NEC Giovanni:2
1x Cristofero Giovanni 3 nec pot Giovanni:2
1x Marciana Giovanni, Investigator 2 dom Giovanni:2
1x Paul DiCarlo, The Alpha 2 pot Giovanni:2
6x Anarch Convert 1 -none- Caitiff:ANY

// for certain decks I've upped my Converts from 5/13 to 6/13; proved useful for this deck

Library: 76 cards

Master (20 cards)
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2x Acquired Ventrue Assets // gold as always
1x Anarch Railroad
2x Direct Intervention
3x Jake Washington (Hunter) // with Vessel this is a guaranteed counter on the diary
3x Liquidation // funny, I liquidated my two other Liquations in the final
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
3x Piper // perhaps 1-3 more would be useful; what to remove?
1x Powerbase: Cape Verde
4x Vessel

Action (21 cards)
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5x Embrace, The
1x Abomination // didn't get into play today, but has in the past; could remove
8x Khazar's Diary (Endless Night) // might consider 1 more
1x Soul Feasting // expected to see Legionaires; didn't use, but good in theory
5x Sudario Refraction
1x Chair of Hades // blocked every time I tried to use it, but was great for feints nonetheless; warning does not add a counter to the Diary

Action Modifier (2 cards)
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1x Call of the Hungry Dead
1x Conditioning

Action Modifier/Reaction (1 cards)
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1x Spectral Divination

Combat (2 cards)
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2x Target Vitals // killed a Garou; the surpirse extra damage played out well today

Ally (15 cards)
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2x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)
5x Cry Wolf // the bread and butter of the Anarch Khazar deck
1x Gianna di Canneto // burned a .44 in rounds 1 and 3; perhaps another?
1x Giulia Giovanni Abruzzina
1x Gregory Winter
1x Grey Thorne
1x Ossian // never played him today
1x Repo Man
1x Tye Cooper // so good, but stolen twice!
1x Vivienne Géroux // proved very useful for this deck; she bled for 5 pool, no one would block her

Reaction (12 cards)
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2x Funeral Wake
4x On the Qui Vive
1x Poison Pill
4x Deflection
1x Delaying Tactics

Event (3 cards)
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1x FBI Special Affairs Division
2x Unmasking, The

No Leonardo, Mortician?

I never had blood management issues with 3 Jakes and 2 AVAs. When the finals timed out all 5 of my ready vampires were full on blood.

I actually swapped him out last minute for Vivienne Géroux because of her 2 strength, 1 bleed, and the thought that I might be able to give her to a vote deck to make it easier to block. Her bleed was great (probably because of the 2 strength), but never got a chance to give her away.

Congrats on the win. I was surprised when Jeff told me because I figured Mariya had you dead to rights (blocking/bleeding/voting).

I'm so salty about not being able to play in the finals, though I think the table was pretty crappy for me. Sitting in front of jeff would have been my best case scenario.

It was a shame you had to leave. With the finals timing out, it was ~9:00 PM when everything was said and done. Equally long drive for each of us and I can tell you arriving home a little before midnight felt like I'd been up forever.

There were just too many actions for her to block and she got little help from my prey in keeping me in check. A second turn Khazar's Diary that no one could block (no minions) was lucky. A couple of early Embraces and influencing even more small vampires gave me the minion advantage. So, I was getting 1-3 actions per turn.

It all changed when Alex put Anneke in torpor, with 2 .44s and a Sport Bike, I spent every action I had (six of them) to diablerize. I burned Anson's .44 with Gianna (6th counter) and then ate Anneke to put the 7th counter on the Diary. Lost my Embrace (trade I'd make any day). From there, I had little interference until I encountered Jeff's wall of Razorbats.