Fortitude reaction card

The Örebro playgroup has put their heads together to create a fortitude reaction which will make higher cap samedi/ravnos/gangrel/gangrel anti/daughters decks a bit better. These clans are notoriously bad, mostly because their lack of defense. (Yes, some of them can manage a breed-boon type deck, but they should be left largerly unaffected by this reaction card.) We would like the defense to be comparable with bounce, but of course not as strong. We still want the AUS and DOM clans to stick to their old cards.

Mind of Steel (name is whatever, someone good with lore or words can make this better!)
Reaction
1 blood
[for] Tap this vampire to reduce a bleed against you by X, where X is the number of Methuselahs in the game.
[FOR] As above, but do not tap this vampire.

Its defense will be slightly worse than a bounce card (GTU+conditioning is 6 and it can only reduce 5). It will have no offensive qualities unlike bounce, so it only needs to balanced for its defensive qualities. The X clause makes it stronger in the start of the game, which is normally the critical time to survive to work out a build-up/setup which can then take over as a method for survival. Also it will make it quite useless, but still usable, in the duel (in the same way that bounce is useless in the duel).

The tap/do not tap inferior-superior can be replaced with a cost/no cost inferior-superior, but I prefer the do not tap. It means it will have a fundamental difference to the AUS bounce, additionally it fits thematically with fortitude to be able to be untapped afterwards. Alternatively it could be a younger/any age inferior-superior, but in this high cap meta I'm afraid it would make the card wall-paper, you'd need a sup FOR vampire be untapped to use it once.

The scout youngwood shattering crescendo would have to be addressed, I think, seeing how it could possibly be very strong. I'm aware of this and do not perceive it to be a problem. It might make the archetype tier 2 or even tier 1.5, but I do not see how it could be imbalanced. Compare dom/pot rush with deflections. Dom/pot should be stronger (less moving parts, better vampires, etc, etc) and this archetype is not competitive.

What do you think? To strong/weak? Does it affect the game in some way which we have forgot?

At first glance I think it might be a bit too strong.
It takes those who can use it from being very vulnerable to Bleed to being rather immune, specially in the begging of the game.
Then again, if it is facing the Rautakanki deck, per instance, in turn 4 it might be facing 4 bleeds of 5... and not even this card can save it.
Anyway, as you very well mention, it helps clans that are Bloodlines.
I think there is a consensus that the new expansion should be Sabbat themed. Of course, there is nothing wrong with generic cards that might help other strategies.

And worse of all: I think this would make Gwendolin super strong.

All in all, it might be a good card.

Tiago

There are currently 9 vampires cap 1 or 2 in the game with inferior dominate, the same number for fortitude is 10. I don't think it would be a big problem. If you only include it for defense it would be a better choice to have dominate (since bounce is stronger than reduce). The non-supporting vampires would be the main focus of the deck, and these still won't be as strong (defensively) as an AUS or DOM vampire with Mind of Steel in the game. Yes, it's possible to have another crypt of vampires for a deck which cannot die, but as I always say: "any moron can build a deck which can't die". This fact is still true no matter what you do.

The suggestion with X being the difference in capacity would be too weak, I'm totally sure about. Can't be played reliably and non-reliable defense won't help the clans in question. I like your suggestion with inferior being a wake, it could be a good card. I would like it to have some kind of advantage on superior still, though, something like not costing a blood or not being tapped when playing it.

I absolutely agree that Fortitude needs good bleed defense.

Ankha may be right that a bleed reduction of 5 in the early game by a 2-cap is too strong. However, a 2-cap minion with can bleed for 5 on turn 2, which is also too strong.

I suggest this minor change (with new title from WoD lore):

Stand Against All Foes
Reaction
2 blood
Tap this vampire to reduce a bleed against you by X, where X is the number of Methuselahs in the game.
As above, but do not tap this vampire.

That bleed of 5 from a small-cap on turn 2 costs 2 blood, so so should the equivalent bleed reduction.

Aaron wrote:

I absolutely agree that Fortitude needs good bleed defense.

Weirdest thing I've seen posted here yet. What's the justification?