Desso Alastor is the 2026 South American champion!

The champion Desso Alastor with Ben Peal of Black Chantry.

Reported by Felipe Gianni:

On Sunday, October 11, the South American Championship (S.A.C.) took place, with 30 players in attendance.

First of all, I would like to thank every player who left home and traveled long distances to be with us in Brasília. The vast majority of the players were Brazilian, but we also had international visitors, including Ben Peal, Black Chantry's Product Director, and the distinguished presence of Rick from RickStock.

The weekend got off to a great start with a pre-South American Championship constructed tournament, which was won by Ben Peal himself, playing a Ravnos deck (a borrowed deck he picked up right there on the spot!). This was followed by a 1v1 tournament, won by Osny Moreira, a local player representing Brasília, piloting a Gangrel deck. Congratulations, Ben! Congratulations, Osny!

The entire concept and planning of the S.A.C. were carefully developed with one goal in mind: to deliver an organized, enjoyable, and memorable event, while also making it a great celebration, worthy of the Brazilian spirit of festivity.

On the second day of the event, we started early. After two very exciting rounds, we took a break for a brief presentation by Ben Peal about Black Chantry's projects for 2027, followed by a few minutes dedicated to questions and answers. The S.A.C. recap video can be watched, as does the full BCP presentation.

After the third round, we reached the grand final. We had the opportunity to watch high-level players compete fiercely for the win while, above all, showing great respect for one another.

The standings before the final were:
1. Desso Alastor (Brazil) — 2 GW / 8,5 VP
2. Cláudio Cruz (Brazil) — 2 GW / 6 VP
3. Kleber Martins (Brazil) — 2 GW / 5,5 VP
4. Osny Moreira (Brazil) — 2 GW / 5 VP
5. Breno Toledo (Brazil) — 1 GW / 6 VP



Throughout the entire game, all five players demonstrated tremendous resistance and resilience. Whenever it seemed that the game was tipping in one direction, the situation would change completely, favoring another player. And so the game went on, with twists and turns and fierce competition right up to the final moments.

When time ran out, no player had been ousted from the table. Desso claimed the title through the tiebreaker, in a difficult, intense game worthy of all five finalists.

And in the words of the S.A.C. champion himself:

"Since I qualified in first place, I was the last one to choose my seat at the final table. I was unsure because of the Gangrel, Nephandus, and Hecata decks, as I hadn't faced any of them in the previous rounds. I chose to sit behind the Hecata player because I really didn't know how his system worked; the others became clearer after the crypts were revealed.

What I hadn't expected was that none of the decks at that table would be as aggressive as the ones I had faced before. It was an entirely new battle: three hours of play, with practically every deck playing pure control. With very little time left, I saw an opportunity to win and attacked my prey with everything I had. They survived with only 1 pool remaining. As the turns went by, nobody could oust their opponent, and the game came to a standstill. In the end, the Shieldmaidens of Kattegat survived and heroically secured this unprecedented title in my journey.

Nobody gave the game away. Everyone played to win and fairly allowed the best player at that moment to emerge as champion. But let me make this clear: everyone at that table deserves the glory. We played the purest and truest JYHAD, down to the last drop of blood."

The tournament-winning deck: "As Escudeiras de Kattegat" by Desso Alastor 

Crypt (12 cards)
3x Brunhilde (ADV)   8 ANI FOR PRO pre   baron   Gangrel:3
9x Valkyrie          4 for pre pro               Gangrel:3

Library (75 cards)
Master (28; 9 trifle)
1x Archon Investigation
9x Ashur Tablets
1x Backways
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Frontal Assault
1x Gangrel Revel
2x Information Highway
2x Parthenon, The
8x Villein
1x Wider View

Action (12)
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
2x Rewilding
9x Thing

Ally (1)
1x Double Deuce

Action Modifier (15)
7x Enchanting Gaze
3x Freak Drive
5x Revelation of the Serpent

Action Modifier/Reaction (3)
3x Form of the Bat

Combat (4)
4x Earth Meld

Reaction (11)
4x Bait and Switch
2x Delaying Tactics
5x Eyes of the Wild

Event (1)
1x Bitter and Sweet Story, The

It was an honor to welcome so many high-level players to our city.

And what was the best part of it all? Without a doubt, sharing this victory with Desso; meeting in person friends I had only known online; seeing so many other friends again; and, above all, having the opportunity to bring Black Chantry even closer to South American players through Ben Peal's visit. It was a memorable experience that will stay with me forever! (at least in my memory).

Thank you to all the players who came to Brasília. Thank you to Black Chantry and Ben for being there. Thank you to Luiz Paulo and Gabriel Góes for the artwork featured on our playmats.

Thank you also to Jean from VTESStore, Gabriel from JoeStock, Toca do Yeti, and Utopia for helping turn ideas into reality.

And I would like to give a very special thank you to everyone who stood by my side and helped make this event happen. Without you, the organizers from the Brasília Playgroup, this dream would never have become a reality.

Thanks for this report Felipe, and thanks to you for organising, thanks to all other helper, sponsors and players!

Roberto Montero is the 2026 champion of Chile!

On September 12th, in the seaside town of El Tabito, Fifth Region of Chile, the latest edition of Twilight Camp took place. This event was especially significant, as it also served as the National Championship.

Twenty-two players gathered to compete for the title through three rounds filled with tension and strategic play. The level of the decks was worthy of the occasion, resulting in tables that were often difficult to close. Fortunately, the tournament ran smoothly and without incidents, reflecting once again the spirit of the community, known for its camaraderie and sense of fun.

Since the venue was a holiday retreat, participants were able to do much more than just play. The facilities offered space for barbecues, overnight stays, and even quick trips to the nearby beach.

The welcome pack was another highlight of the event. The dedication and care shown by VTES Concepción as organizers left a lasting memory for everyone who attended. Cardplanet's sponsorship of the prize support was another major contribution. In addition to the welcome pack, there were table-win prizes between rounds, raffle giveaways, and even a parallel “anti-final” played alongside the championship final.

The three rounds remained competitive until the very last table, producing the following finalists:
• Roberto (Cardplanet), sponsor of the tournament prizes through his store. After receiving training to learn both the game and his deck, this newcomer to VTES, though experienced in other TCGs, reached the final with a Ravnos Kholo deck (1 GW, 5 VP).
• Consuelo, one of the strongest players in the current competitive circuit, surprised many with her Lasombra Bleed with Oblivion deck (1 GW, 5 VP).
• Chelo, who maintained a low profile throughout the event but consistently applied pressure whenever possible with his Ravnos “V5” G6 bleed deck (1 GW, 6 VP).
• Daniel, the National Coordinator, finally playing in an event after many occasions spent judging or organizing tournaments, brought his Barons + Protean deck (2 GW, 7 VP).
• Walbert, who once again dominated the preliminary rounds with his classic Tupdog Nephandus deck (3 GW, 10 VP).

The tension was already palpable during seating selection. The player who took the longest to decide was Walbert. His unusually lengthy consideration only increased the anxiety around the table.

During the opening turns, both the Lasombra and Ravnos V5 players adopted similar strategies. They focused on influencing vampires in order to awaken at least two minions simultaneously. This allowed the Tupdog deck several uncontested turns during which it sent Ravnos Kholo vampires to torpor, while Vivian Vi could only watch in distress as the young Ravnos were systematically dismantled.

By the fourth or fifth turn, the first Lasombra and Ravnos V5 vampires finally entered play. Ravnos Kholo concentrated on converting vampires into Laibon and expanding its board presence through Embraces, while the Barons deck pursued a similar strategy with Childer of the Revolution.

The pace of the game changed dramatically when Ravnos V5 nearly ousted Tupdog through a series of powerful bleeds. This opened opportunities for Consuelo's Lasombra deck, which turned its attention toward bleeding the Barons. The Barons redirected and blocked whenever possible, but like the Ravnos V5 player before them, they eventually found themselves only a card away from victory.

Once all Ravnos V5 vampires had been burned, Tupdog chose to oust the Lasombra player in order to gain pool, especially because Ravnos Kholo had already established a massive swarm. The Barons seemingly had all the tools necessary to remain in the game, but despite repeated attempts to cycle through their library, the intercept cards needed to stop either the Embraces or the Consanguineous Boons never appeared.

A brief ray of hope emerged when the Barons managed to put two Ashur Tablets into play, but Tupdog completed its own set first, eliminating any realistic chance of recovering the limited intercept cards from the ash heap.

Ravnos Kholo then secured its victory point and followed it with an Uncoiling that removed the Nefandos’ Unmasking, leaving them with virtually no capacity to block. The Tupdogs were unable to stop the Ravnos player once Week of Nightmares came into play.

The Barons resisted fiercely, sending the largest Ravnos vampires to torpor and draining blood from the smaller ones in an attempt to minimize the impact of Week of Nightmares. Despite their efforts, time was called, and Chile crowned a new National Champion:

Roberto – 2.5 VP, 1 GW
Walbert – 1 VP
Daniel – 0.5 VP

We would like to thank Roberto, the National Champion, and his store Card Planet for donating the tournament prizes; the El Tabito Cooperative for allowing us to use their facilities; and VTES Concepción together with its Prince, Rolo, for providing one of the most enjoyable tournaments of the last four years.

Twilight Camp has been forever etched into the hearts of Chilean VTES players.

The tournament winning deck:

Crypt (12)
1x Andrei Puxon
1x Ghivran Dalaal, The Dead God
1x Khalil Ravana
1x Anka, Priestess of Thorns
1x Salbatore Bokkengro
1x Sennuwy, The Promoter
1x Ashlesha
1x Lázár Dobrescu
1x Vedel Esbreno
1x Sasha Miklos
1x Spleen, Georgio Gutterpunk
1x Zip

Library (75)
Master (17)
1x Bleeding the Vine
1x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Emergency Preparations
1x Golconda: Inner Peace
1x Jake Washington
2x Pentex™ Subversion
4x Ravnos Carnival
1x The Barrens
1x Wash
2x Week of Nightmares

Action (30)
12x Mozambique Allure
18x The Embrace

Equipment (2)
1x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Shilmulo Tarot

Political Action (10)
10x Consanguineous Boon

Action Modifier (13)
3x Change of Target
10x The Eldest Are Kholo

Reaction (2)
2x Delaying Tactics

Event (1)
1x The Uncoiling

Thanks for this report, and thanks to all sponsors, volunteers and players!