Alex Shoemark is the 2026 UK champion!
Finalists: Niki, Pedro, Edd, Alex, Norbert
This tournament was played on August 29. Reported by James Freimuller, VEKN National Coordinator of the UK, with comment from the champion:
This year saw UK Nationals located in the lovely Dice Cup Cafe in Nottingham where 25 methuselahs came to duke it out.
Having hosted the nats for a few years now, it's interesting to see the meta shift over time. In the UK's case that's more combat and more allies.
Another welcome addition was several neonates! We had 3 new players join us from our recent recruitment drives (Thanks to Luke Kay for a solid effort there) and 1 return from a long torpor.
Going into the final, the standings were:
1 Norbert Flasko 2 GW 8 VP
2 Edd Phipps 1 GW 4.5 VP
3 Alex Shoemark 1 GW 4 VP
4 Niki Sehmi 1 GW 4 VP
5 Pedro Valentim 1 GW 4 VP
Here is Alex's report:
"Firstly, many thanks to everyone involved for organising such a great event and to everyone I played against for welcoming me to tournament VTES. I've played other CCGs competitively and this community puts them to shame. Special thanks to Mikey and the Liverpool coven for coaching and support; you've obviously taught me a lot in a few months!
Seating was a huge factor in the final. I figured I'd be happiest anywhere but between Banu rush and War Ghouls, so I positioned myself with Pedro's ghouls as my predator, assuming that Edd and Norbert were unlikely to choose to be prey to the only stealth-bleed deck. I suggested to Norbert that he might want me as prey as I have almost no intercept or votes, which worked out very well as Pedro's ghouls got busy bashing Aaradhya et al., leaving me without much pressure.
I also benefited from a dream start of double Zillah's Valley for a turn 2 The unnamed + Anarch Convert as 1st player.
Turn 3 Heart of the City + unlocking into Platinum Protocol began an onslaught of stealthy bleeds for 4+.
Niki bounced several and saddled me with Haven Uncovered, bringing Edd's wrath to bear upon The Unnamed, but he didn't muster enough stikes to torpor, and was low enough on pool that he shifted his attention to pressuring his prey.
Once Niki ran dry on bounce I was able to oust and finally deploy Enkil Cog. From here, Edd managed to sweep Pedro and Norbert, but I could Unleash Hell's Fury for protection and was well set up to chew through his remaining pool.
That I won despite missing 7 of 9 corruption counters from Platinum Protocol is testament to the power of the deck, and my biggest takeaway was that I should consider my words more carefully as I very nearly threw the game with poorly thought out and horrendously timed table talk early on. Sometimes, pointing out what is likely to happen in your turn just makes you seem like a big threat, best to keep quiet and hope nobody is thinking about you!"
Crypt(12 cards)
4x unnamed, The 10 CEL DAI OBF PRE PRO Baali:6
4x Anarch Convert 1 -none- Caitiff:ANY
1x Nonu Dis 8 OBF PRE PRO for Ministry:6
1x Crystal Lynn 6 OBF PRE PRO Ministry:6
1x Doctor Morocco 5 PRO cel obf pre Ministry:6
1x Jenny Silver 5 PRE PRO obf Ministry:6
Library (90 cards)
Master (22; 2 trifle)
7x Zillah's Valley
4x Dabbler
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
2x Rötschreck
1x Anarch Railroad
1x Archon Investigation
1x Barrens, The
1x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Giant's Blood
1x Monastery of Shadows
1x Villein
Action (17)
12x Platinum Protocol, The
2x Unleash Hell's Fury
1x Conceal
1x Entrancement
1x Heart of the City
Retainer (2)
2x Homunculus
Equipment (1)
1x Heart of Nizchetus
Action Modifier (27)
8x Revelation of the Serpent
4x Memory Rift
3x I am Legion
3x Instantaneous Transformation
3x Enchanting Gaze
2x CrimethInc.
2x Enkil Cog
1x Lost in Crowds
1x Monkey Wrench
Action Modifier/Reaction (3)
2x Sense the Sin
1x Form of the Bat
Combat (6)
3x Form of Mist
2x Earth Meld
1x Bollix
Ally (1)
1x Veneficti
Event (1)
1x Narrow Minds
Action Modifier/Combat (3)
3x Swallowed by the Night
Reaction (7)
7x Party Out Of Bounds
Huge congratulations to Alex, this was his first tournament having picked up VTES very recently! I'm very happy to see new people enter our community and feel so supported.
Thanks for this report, and thanks to players and sponsors!
Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter August 2026
Greetings fellow Methuselahs,
Welcome to this newsletter. As has become custom, we start off with an art and card preview. Chave de Braço ("armlock") is a card from the upcoming Noites Brasileiras set, in stores in October. The illustration is by Carlos Diaz, truly great stuff, check out more of his work on his Instagram @shogunkamyu
South American Championship coming up
Welcome to the SAC 2026! The tournament will be played at Utopia Games & Food in Brasilia, Brazil on October 10. A special full art version of Luana do Lago is awarded to all participants. More information is in the VEKN Event Calendar.
The schedule for EC 2026 is ready!
There are only a couple of weeks left now until the largest (?) VTES event of the year, the European Championship in Vilnius, Lithuania. The main event is on weekend, but the "Week of Nightmares" tournaments run daily September 14-17, and new for this year is that the Friday event is a full-fledged three-round Grand Prix tournament! And not only that: all five finalists from Friday automatically qualifiy for EC Day 2 AND the winner qualifies for a seat at the Grand Prix final played on Saturday night! Keep up to date with the latest news on the official EC website.
Heimo Wurzer wins Grand Prix Vienna 2026!
74 players from 16 countries attended this event in Austria on July 18.
Read the full report: Grand Prix Vienna 2026
Joey Theriot wins Grand Prix Biloxi/Gulfport 2026!
This tournament was played with 19 attendees in Gulfport, Mississippi on August 8.
Read the full report: Grand Prix Biloxi/Gulfport 2026
Vladislav Ignatenko is the 2026 champion of Russia!
This tournament was played in Saint Petersburg on August 1 with 16 players.
Read the full report: Russia National Championship 2026
Meet the VEKN: Alexandre Bustros, National Coordinator of Canada
Firstly: BIG thanks to all who volunteer for the VEKN! Without your work this organisation would not function, so we will try to put the spotlight on you, for example in the newsletter.
Hello Alexandre! Let's take it from the beginning: When did you start playing VTES?
I started playing in 1994 ... The first game I played was awful because I was playing with a starter deck which was, back then, a mostly incompatible mix of cards. After a while we all had enough cards to build some playable decks. I had a Malk and a Gangrel deck.
In the first month that my playgroup and I were introduced to the game, we had to figure out the rules without access to the web because in the 90s there was no internet like there is now. There was a typo in the Auspex card Read Intentions; the text was "Dodge" instead of "Strike: Dodge". We assumed that it was free dodge, one that does not require a strike. I remember a game in which Ozmo was in combat against Masika equipped with a Flamethrower. Masika played Blur and Ozmo managed to dodge 3 times with 3 Read Intentions! Epic game :)
I have to admit that, to me, this game is partly nostalgia, partly strategy. I like to play with the old cards from the 90s and early 2000s. In a tournament another player was playing Basilia and Wynn, I had a lot of respect for that - it made my day!
What do you like most about the game?
I like playing the game. It’s challenging! The World of Darkness was a great fictional universe to build a card game on. Aside from that, I think it’s a very balanced game. There is no perfect combo; you always have a flaw. I also enjoy the "full hand" mechanism that makes you redraw when you play a card. Also the multiplayer predator/prey aspect of the game is just well thought out. It's a great game design. And I also have to mention that I like the endless deck-building possibilities of this game.
Do you have an all-time favourite deck?
That’s a tough question. I like to try random mechanics! I still like to play Gangrel and Malkavian both old school and V5. When I want to win, I like to play the new V5 decks. My current favourite is the new Tzimisce with Dominate, Protean and War Ghoul (War Ghoul is a discipline, right?) Aside from that, I have to admit that I like to play Blood Brothers, even if it’s not an easy play. I also built a !Salubri deck as a bet and I enjoy playing it more than I thought.
Anything else you have cooking in the deck workshop right now?
I am trying to build a deck with the new Gilbert Duane and Magnums. I thought after all these years it would be nice if he could have a more functional weapon than a water pistol.
Do you think you have a special style of playing?
I see deck building as a part of the game. I enjoy making decks with an original twist, something that you do not normally see at a table. It’s my pleasure to build decks where I can surprise other players with an unexpected card. That being said, when I want to be more competitive, I like to play tap and bleed.
You are the newly appointed National Coordinator – congratulations on this honourable assignment! What do you currently do, and plan to do, to spread VTES in your country?
I organized the 2024 Canadian National Championship in Montreal and I was happily surprised that 24 players showed up for the event. From then on I realized that there was a lot of interest in the local playgroup.
This year has been a great year for VTES in Canada: there were TWO tournaments on the same day! One in the west in Calgary and one in the east in Montréal. The game is gaining momentum in the Great White North! I hope we have more tournaments in the years to come.
It would be fun to have more Canadian cities organize official tournaments. Perhaps one day we could have a Canadian coast to coast Grand Prix event with an online final.
That sounds like an excellent idea Alexandre, good luck with making that happen, and with everything as the National Coordinator.
We urge all National Coordinators who could endure being interviewed for the newsletter to contact the editor at . If they are too shy to speak up, we perhaps need to talk to Princes instead! :)
Reminder: New Archon and Judges’ Guide
As presented last month, there is a new Archon and also a new VEKN Tournament Conduct & Infraction Guide. Check them out! Because of this, we continue our little article series...
Rule reminder: How to act as a spectator
Sure, VTES is a rather relaxed game with not much but glory at stake, but still: it is a competitive game. At big tournaments, people might have traveled a long way to attend and enjoy their time. So as a spectator, you are generally to keep quiet. Even if you don't understand it yourself, what you say can affect the game, maybe by reminding a player of something, or by distracting or disturbing.
The relevant section in the Tournament Rules is “2.4. Spectator Responsibilities”: "A spectator of a game is defined as any person other than a judge or an organizer who is not playing in that game. A player who is ousted from a game is considered a spectator for the remainder of the round. All spectators are expected to remain silent during the course of a game and are not permitted to communicate with players in any way while a game is in progress. Spectators who believe that they have observed rules violations should inform a judge, but they must not interfere with the game. Players have the right to request that any spectator not observe their game. All such requests must be made through a judge, who may grant or deny the request as he or she sees fit. The judge or organizer may choose to prohibit all spectators at any table(s) or round(s) of the tournament."
The fresh Judges guide states in section 1.1.4 that "Disqualification may also apply to non-players (spectators, staff, etc.) whose behavior compromises the event."
And also in section 3.2 about outside assistance: "A player, spectator, or other tournament participant commits Outside Assistance if, after a game has started, they provide or receive strategic, tactical, or hidden information input that could influence decisions in an ongoing game, or if they reference pre-prepared strategic materials while the round is in progress." That section then goes on with philosophy, examples and guidelines for penalties.
This can of course mean tricky calls for judges, so please help them out by not creating these situations. Please respect these rules and your co-players!
Recruitment exercise: Tablecon Quest 2026, Singapore
On August 1-2, four volunteers ran a demonstration table at Tablecon Quest, the largest dedicated tabletop gaming convention in Singapore. This was a very well-planned and documented event - we highly recommend anyone interested in organising demo games to read the full report from Keith Lee, National Coordinator of Singapore. Goals, preparations, deck designs, key observations, all you need, it's all in there. Great job!
Do you want to help recruit players? Send an email to to see if you can get help with materials!
Reminder: The VEKN Newsletter Contribution Award promo card
To encourage newsletter contributors to send in material on time, a special award card has been produced. This first one is a version of Malkavian Rider Clause, unique with a yellow symbol in the right-side corner.
This card will be printed in very limited numbers, maybe about 50-100 per year. It will be awarded to a) tournament organisers of events at Continental, National or Grand Prix level who e-mail their tournament reports to the editor within 7 days of the event, and b) other contributors of material that has been agreed on with the editor. So no point in sending in random stuff before asking first! Cards will be awarded at the earliest convenient opportunity, maybe at a Continental tournament, otherwise sent to you by registered mail.
We hope this will help motivate volunteers that are already doing heroic deeds for VTES!
Reminder: Please join the World of Darkness Community Map!
Please advertise your VTES playgroup and/or VTES events on the World of Darkness Community Map! This is important to help the game grow. But list only things that happen in public places where anyone is welcome - nothing played at someone's home, and no online events.
Check out the map here: World of Darkness Community Map
Submit here: Map submission form
Black Chantry Summary: August 2026
• News on print-on-demand: One new art version of Rexton “Savage” Abernathy (for everybody) and two National Championship promos (for organisers of such tournaments) have been made available at Gamepod.es, and Drivethrucards soon too.
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• The full content lists for Noites Brasileiras and Secrets of New York are now up on their respective product pages at Blackchantry.com, as is all of the so far revealed cards. Thanks to all the 20 (!) different content creators that have been helping out with the previews. Note that if you have a special interest in the card artwork and the artists, the Black Chantry account on Instagram is worth a check!
• The second round of playtesting of two preconstructed decks for a 2-player variant of VTES started on August 24. The design team is looking forward to the test feedback!
• Design of "Anthology II" and New Blood packs for the four Sabbat paths continues.
• Want to know more about future releases? Dates are a bit off, but the product roadmap article at Blackchantry.com is still relevant.
• The following Black Chantry products are currently available through Gamepod, Drivethrucard
Lost Kindred bundle (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Den of Fiends Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Libertine Ball Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Pact with Nephandi Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Parliament of Shadows Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Anthology I bundle
VTES Card Creator (Drivethrucards only)
25th Anniversary
First Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
VTES Legacy Card Singles (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 3 (For promotion only)
Promo Pack 4 (For promotion only)
VTES "Parity Shift" playmat
VTES card sleeves
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition (Stores only)
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition Latin (Drivethrucards only)
Fifth Edition: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Promo Pack 3 (Event promos only)
Fifth Edition: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Brujah (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
The Fall of London (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Echoes of Gehenna
Shadows of Berlin (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Brujah (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Ravnos (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Salubri (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Tzimisce (Also Spanish, French)
30th Anniversary (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Lasombra (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Hecata (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Hecata (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Lasombra (Also Spanish, French)
Path of Caine (Also Spanish, French)
Path of Cathari (Also Spanish, French)
Path of Death and the Soul (Also Spanish, French)
Path of Power and the Inner Voice (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Ravnos (Also Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese)
New Blood: Salubri (Also Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese)
New Blood: Tzimisce (Also Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese)
Noites Brasileiras (Also Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese) (Upcoming)
Secrets of New York (Also Spanish, French) (Upcoming)
Do you have opinions about or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook, Instagram
Recent news in the World of Darkness
As this is being written, the first round of alpha playtesting of a new edition of Vampire: The Masquerade has just concluded. The results haven't been analysed fully yet, but there was a Dev Diary by Creative Director Jess Lanzillo published on August 24. The most VTES-relevant aspects (like change of clan disciplines AGAIN) is not in focus. Some key things:
• The point of releasing such a rough Alpha was deliberately experimental — throw a lot of new mechanics out to see what sticks and what players reject, rather than designing from the team's own assumptions about what Vampire fans want.
• "Maturing" disciplines seem to be a hit. Pairing them with Blood Surge, which lets you push a power to its next tier at a cost, creates a satisfying choice-and-consequence dynamic, and it reduces cognitive load by letting build-focused players invest early in something while still using the power in the meantime.
• The "Drama" metacurrency seems to be a miss, as it breaks immersion and the game already has dread-generating systems.
An Alpha 2.0 round of playtesting is promised to start sometime in September!
Looking for more World of Darkness in your channel of choice? Check out the Linktree!
Calendar
Major events coming up:
September 5: Grand Prix Sydney, Australia
September 18: Grand Prix Vilnius 2026, Lithuania
September 19: European Championship 2026, Vilnius, Lithuania
October Date TBD: Grand Prix New Orleans, USA
November 7: National Championship Sweden, Stockholm
November 28: National Championship Germany, Herne
December 13: Grand Prix Cearense, Brazil
Tournaments for the coming month (registered at the time of writing) are in:
Australia
Brazil x8
Chile
Czech Republic
Finland
Hungary
Italy x3
Lithuania x8
Poland
Serbia
South Africa
Spain x5
USA x3
For details about these events, see the VEKN Event Calendar. Also, check out the World of Darkness Community Map.
Remember: Online tournaments are possible - just check the box "Online tournament" when you add the event to the calendar!
Contact VEKN
You can contact the VEKN Inner Circle members using the contact forms at VEKN.net. Also follow the official VTES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, the official VEKN X account @VEKN_VTES and the official VTES Discord server.
When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.
Joey Theriot wins Grand Prix Biloxi/Gulfport 2026!
Reported by Kelly Lyons with comment from the winner:
The third leg of the Gulf Coast Roast was held, August 7-9, at Gulfport, Mississippi. Dean Garrison, the prince of Biloxi was the host and he once again delivered a weekend of bleeding and fun in the southern heat.
It all got started on Friday night with Condemnation: Doomed. Brad Cashdollar captured the win with his Tzimisce Deck. It ended on Sunday with Condemnation: Betrayed and a first time win for long time player Justin Shackelford from Lafayette, Louisiana. Justin got his win with a Brujah Anarch Deck. The Sunday win capped off a strong weekend of play from Lafayette players.
That’s because the main event was won by fellow Cajun, Joey Theriot. Joey just got his first win earlier this year in Vidor and now gets his first Grand Prix win as your Gulf Coast Roast III - 3rd Leg - Biloxi/Gulfport Champion.
Standings before the final:
Joey Theriot 2 GW 5.5 VP
Marshall Hogue 2 GW 11.0 VP
Brad Cashdollar 2 GW 8.0 VP
Tom Nichols 1 GW 7.5 VP
Chance Thebeau 1 GW 6.0 VP
Joey shares his thoughts about the final table:
Going into finals, I was placed third. My options were to prey on Tom or on Chance. I knew Chance and I were both running Hecata with similar crypts, so I chose to prey on Chance. Thankfully, Marshall sat behind me, giving me a little bit of buffer from Brad. This position allowed me to play most of my allies and undirected actions with few block attempts.
As the game progressed, Chance and I were able to avoid contestation for most of the match. Marshall was busy setting up his Primogen package, so this freed me to go forward. Neither Chance nor I played an Unmasking, so 1 stealth was all that was needed to get by his blocks. I stalled out midgame due to lacking a much-needed stealth card to oust chance, forcing me to pass turn. However, a well-timed Telepathic Misdirection from Marshall’s +1 stealth bleed sealed Chance’s fate.
Tom was fairly low on pool and had enough cards in his graveyard that I was able to play one Shroud of Decay at superior and supplement with small Servitor and Hecata bleeds to whittle him down. Tom attempted to outpace me by bleeding and burning Brad’s ash heap but ultimately softened Brad up enough for me to oust both, securing the table.
Joey Theriot’s tournament winning deck list: "Hecata Mash 2.0"
Crypt (12 cards)
1x Mora, the Death Seer 7 AUS FOR OBL ani Hecata:6
1x Parijat, the Dark Oracle 7 AUS DOM FOR OBL Hecata:6
1x Tommaso Sforza 7 AUS OBL THA dom for Hecata:6
1x Aitana, The Unholy 6 AUS OBL for tha Hecata:6
1x Lenelle, Mambo of Birmingham 6 FOR OBL aus Hecata:6
1x Monica Giovanni 6 AUS FOR OBL Hecata:6
1x Gebeyehu Abdu 5 AUS OBL for Hecata:6
1x Holliday "Burgundy" Hall 5 FOR OBL aus Hecata:6
1x Hiromitsu Asano 4 aus for obl Hecata:6
1x Alek König 3 OBL Hecata:6
1x Nadezhda 3 aus obl Hecata:6
1x Peter St. John 2 obl Hecata:6
Library (90 cards)
Master (15; 6 trifle)
1x Archon Investigation
1x Biotech Company Hunting Ground
1x Cappadocian Crypt
1x Charisma
1x Direct Intervention
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
6x Family Gathering
1x Giant's Blood
1x Jake Washington
1x Powerbase: Munich
Action (18)
3x Gate of Acheron, The
13x Shroud of Decay
2x Split the Veil
Ally (14)
6x Aggressive Corpse
8x Spectral Servitor
Action Modifier (16)
4x Shadow Cast
4x Shadow Cloak
4x Stygian Shroud
4x Where the Veil Thins
Combat (8)
4x Pass Through Shadow
4x Rolling with the Punches
Reaction (17)
1x Delaying Tactics
3x Eyes of Argus
2x My Enemy's Enemy
3x Shadow Sentinel
5x Telepathic Misdirection
3x Truth in Darkness
Event (2)
2x Unmasking, The
The Gulf Coast Roast III will continue on October 23-25 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The last leg of the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Final will be held in Vidor, Texas during the Danse Macabre IV on December 2-6.
Current GCR III – Top 10 of 31 players so far:
1 Brad Cashdollar 45
1 Chance Thebeau 45
3 Devin Villegas 37
4 Norm Brown 31
5 Joey Theriot 28
6 Darby Keeney 23
6 Chris Franklin 23
8 Mark Figuerola 19
9 Dean Garrison 18
9 B.J. Rice 18
Thanks for the report, and thanks to sponsors, helpers and players!
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