Avoiding combat

Around here we have, from what I understand from reading stuff online, a slightly "strange" metagame. It is -very- combat-heavy. Both intercept-combat, rush-combat, bruise-bleed etc...

This generally makes it hard to play things like politics or decks with not that much stealth since I can almost be sure that I'll end up with a predator running immortal grapple (destroying my chances at combat ends) or similiar very annoying combat cards (or for that manner, plenty of tremere second round agg-damage...damn I hate uta kovacs).

From what I can see on decks online, other playgroups don't seem to be that combat-heavy which leads me to believe that combat isn't really the best way of winning. However I'm having quite the sore taste in my mouth from all of the torporized vampires I keep getting (and you can't win without vampires).

What is the optimal anti-combat tech in your opinion?

Is there any deck-type that especially excels at handling combat-decks that I could focus on in order to mess with the copious amounts of combat around here?

Marconius with obediences and faerie wards. Practically immune to vampire combat , unless it is Hardestadt or Enkidu rushing you. I have stood in front of 6 ANI minions with Nana Buruku alone with Marconius, and none did pass .

Option #1
Aus + Dom + For Big-caps. Basically a Ventrue-Anti Teflon deck.

Block everything happening around you... Anyone you block gets Obedience played on them... any bleeds your Predator makes gets flicked and if you somehow get busted doing something, you get out of it with Fortitude.

Option #2
For + Pro
Bleed with Prevent and Agg-Poke. If you get busted by someone, hold a pile of prevent and Agg-Poke to torporise them more often than you.

Option #3
Trapparition + S&B Ravnos
Trap + Apparition to do maximum damage for minimum card-use. The rest of the deck should be S&B.

Option #4
Block'em and Bin'em Ravnos
Animalism Retainers & Trapparition
(can be adjusted into the Zip Gun w/ Mass Reality trick)
8+ Draba, Apparition, Trap, Raven Spy/Raptor... bleed them over the sleeping torpored vampires.

Ah, the days when it felt sensible to include 30 foritude cards in an otherwise ordinary !Ventrue deck, and it cycled, too...

Tremere boredom prince deck with obediences should handle combat pretty well.

Imbued also handle many styles of combat p. well since they don't burn in the same way as vampires, are immune to aggravated damage, hit back and you can't taste of vitae off them.

But basically, there's nothing wrong with just S:CE. What happens when a combat deck doesn't draw Immortal Grapple? He's going to cry because he knows he loses roughly 6 pool because of the failed rush.

I think combat decks often fail because playing them isn't as easy as playing a straightforward prey damager deck.

Option #3
Trapparition + S&B Ravnos
Trap + Apparition to do maximum damage for minimum card-use. The rest of the deck should be S&B.

You know, I've seen this tactic mentioned before but I have never understood how it actually works.
Trap just provides presses to continue, and Apparition prevents 1 or 2 damage per round of combat for 1 blood. How does this "counter" combat-heavy decks? Torn Signpost + Immortal Grapple + Slam is 5 damage and usually the combat-deck wants to continue fighting so Trap would only be in his favour. Apparition would let me prevent 2 of those 5 (which - of course - isn't a bad deal), but it would still hurt pretty badly.

Exaclty how does trapparition work? Am I missing something here?

wastaz wrote:

Exaclty how does trapparition work? Am I missing something here?

You are missing that you can play Apparition multiple times in a combat. So with just two prevention cards you prevent up to four damage per round. That is insanely good. Combined with Carrion Crows a Trap becomes highly threatening for other decks.

Regarding avoiding combat: What about Alpha Glint with big caps like Stanislava? Combat Ends without fearing Immortal Grapple is very nice. It doesn't protect you from Psyche! though, but also from Thoughts Betrayed.