RichE wins Grand Prix Auckland 2026!

Reported by RichE:

The Oceania Grand Prix circuit is made up of five tournaments including Auckland (NZ), Perth (WA, Aus), Melbourne (Vic, Aus), Brisbane (Qld, Aus) and Sydney (NSW, Aus). Points are awarded based final standings. The top five face off on day two of the Oceania Continental Championship (OCC) in the Grand Prix Final.

This year, the first tournament was held in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 21.

Leading into this tournament I thought the meta would be combat heavy with the new sets recently released. While this is my preferred archetype, combat v combat is fraught and challenging. I settled on an ally deck based around the Hecata card Bone Shambler.

Thirteen Methuselahs contested the day. I saw three combat Salubri decks, three Gangrel decks, one vote deck, one weenie combat, one Nana combat, one Anarch Brujah debate combat, one Ravnos stealth bleed, and two ally decks (including mine).

Round 1
I was seated first. Hecata Bone Shambler (0.5 VP) > Nana Combat (0.5 VP) > Weenie Oblivion Ally (1.5 VP) > Gangrel defensive combat bleed (0 VP)

A hard first round where combat was quite dangerous for my deck. I hung in for 0.5 VP.

Round 2
I was seated second. Weenie Oblivion Ally (1 VP) > Hecata Bone Shambler (0 VP) > Gangrel tricks with torpor (0.5 VP) > Salubri Combat (1.5 VP) > Ravnos SB (1 VP)

A poor crypt draw (2x7 / 2x8) lead to a quick demise and I was gone in 55 minutes.

I continued to watch, and witnessed a cross table oust with stealth as the Gangrel tricks deck added stealth to a previously failing lunge from the Ravnos SB deck on the Weenie Oblivion Ally deck. Brutal!

Game wins were hard to come by. A GW in round three would be enough.

After round two I was rather low. I quietly spoke to a fellow Melbournite, and mentioned I needed to channel my “inner Bradbury”.

If you don’t know Bradbury, please look up “Bradbury Gold Medal”. 

Round 3
I was seated third. Salubri Combat (0 VP) > Salubri Combat (0 VP) Hecata Bone Shambler (3 VP) > Weenie Potence Combat (1 VP)

This was my worse nightmare! Stuck between two combat decks and another combat deck cross table. I had a good start but then I realised my prey was weenie potence and he was coming to stop me dead. Bone Shamblers died, two of my three vampires in torpor, and just my 2 cap Hecata with two Bone Shamblers remained, dire times.

It was so bleak my predator was happy to watch and contain his predator.

My cross table was then squashed in a combat feast. It was ugly.

Around this time, I drew into a Giants Blood and Unmasking. My predator had been weakened substantially in the combat feast, and his new predator saw an opening.

My two cap rescued my now full capacity seven cap and with Unmasking, I now had some defence. The Bone Shamblers had been on full defence.

The weenie combat deck lunged and binned the last remaining Salubri but failed to oust. This left him open.  All of a sudden, I could see victory. I lunged successfully and with about twenty plus minutes remaining and my new prey on about six pool and all vampires in torpor, he conceded. 

Final
The final standings were Weenie Oblivion Ally (1 GW 6.5 VP), Cockroach Gangrel (1 GW 6 VP), Gangrel tricks with torpor (1 GW 5 VP), Hecata Bone Shambler (1 GW 3.5 VP), Anarch Brujah Debate (0 GW 2.5 VP). There was tie for fifth place. Usually this would be a coin toss, but I just want to acknowledge Simon Reed (Nana Combat) for generously conceding his position and letting a new player have a chance.

I was seated fourth, finally an optimal position for my deck. Gangrel tricks with torpor (0 VP) > Cockroach Gangrel (1.5 VP) > Weenie Oblivion Ally (0 VP) > Hecata Bone Shambler (2.5 VP) > Anarch Brujah Debate (0 VP)

This was a super tight game. Every turn each player pressured their prey and was pressured by their predator. It was noted that at one point twenty-eight minions were on the table. I think I topped out at about nine with four vampires and five Bone Shamblers. With seven minions on my back, I needed to be cautious.

With about thirty minutes remaining, the table was finely balanced. The cockroach deck bled for two which was then flicked into me. I had been sitting on two Telepathic Misdirection’s waiting for this moment. The flick went into my prey whose defence was questionable in my mind. This proved fatal. He let it through going from eight to six pool. I subsequently played a Pentex Subversion I had been holding for a turn and lunged successfully.

I was in a little shock at this point. First oust after the day I had had.

Coming back around, my predator really wounded me. But… My hand was now really bleak. I think there was six masters in my hand at this point.

If my cross-table buddy didn’t oust now, I was gone.

My predator went down to four pool then two pool. Bleed, then flick into me. Direct Intervention. Oust.

The only card I could play had saved me and ousted my predator.

There was about twelve minutes left at this point. With my predator ousted, the numbers game fell in my favour, and I lunged successfully.

Eight minutes remained with two Melbournites jostling it out for the chance of the first non Kiwi to win a VTES Kiwi title.

The cockroaches came hard. It was now or never. I was down to my last pool, but this was enough. With about two minutes left, my hand opened up and the Bone Shamblers finally flourished to hold on.

The tournament winning deck:

Crypt (12 cards)
3x Alek Konig     3 OBL       Hecata:6
1x Gebeyehu Abdu     5 for AUS OBL      Hecata:6
1x Peter St. John     2 obl       Hecata:6
3x Tommaso Sforza       7 dom for AUS OBL THA      Hecata:6
3x Huldu, The Desecrator         8 obf tha AUS FOR OBL      Hecata:6
1x Nadezhda       3 aus obl       Hecata:6

Library: 76 cards

Master (22 cards)
1x Giant's Blood
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
2x Vessel
1x Line, The
1x Biotech Company Hunting Ground
4x Cappadocian Crypt
5x Family Gathering
1x Powerbase: Munich
1x Cursed Abattoir
1x Coven, The
3x Direct Intervention

Ally (16 cards)
15x Bone Shambler
1x Fiorella, Empty One

Action Modifier (14 cards)
2x Shadow Cast
2x Shadow Cloak
6x Stygian Shroud
4x Where the Veil Thins

Combat (8 cards)
4x Pass Through Shadow
4x Dodge

Reaction (13 cards)
4x Eyes of Argus
2x My Enemy's Enemy
2x On the Qui Vive
3x Telepathic Misdirection
2x Shadow Sentinel

Event (3 cards)
3x Unmasking, The

I would like to thank Black Chantry for the playmat sponsorship, Hobby Master for hosting, Ke, TJ and the NZ crew for your amazing hospitality. I would also like to thank the GP organisers, with a special shout out to Rathpex for organising the playmats. It was a great weekend, and I think Auckland’s reputation as the friendliest GP remains the benchmark. Thanks guys!

Thanks for this report! Next up in this circuit is Perth on April 4!

Norman Brown wins Grand Prix Lafayette 2026!

Finalists: Norman (winner), Chance, Brad, Dean and BJ.

These events took place on March 6-8, reported by Kelly Lyons, VEKN Prince of Vidor, with comments by Norman Brown:

The Gulf Coast Roast III kicked off in Lafayette, Louisiana on Friday, March 6 with the Vozhd of Szczecin tournament. It also happened to be Darby Keeney’s birthday. The final table was Joey Theriot, Devin Villegas, Justin Shackelford, Darby Keeney, and Dean Garrison. Norm Brown breaks down the action:

“Joey Theriot scored the first victory point on a vote, damaging every Methuselah on the table. He ousted Devin Villegas with a KRC called by Marcos Belegrad.

Darby Keeney ousted Justin Shackelford next with 2 bleeds for 3 powered by Haqim’s Law Retribution.

Darby has 1vp and Joey has 1 vp at the two hour mark in an untimed finals.

Joey Parity Shifts Darby backwards to put him perilously close to being ousted at 4 pool.

Darby survives a deal between Joey’s votes and Dean’s bleeds by torporing all of Joey’s Toreador princes, but is prevented from ousting Joey by Protected Resources which caps his bleeds at 2.

Darby ousts Joey with Camarilla’s Iron Fist sealing his victory in first seed in the finals.  Dean conceded when a tie would not secure the win because of seeding.”

Darby takes it down with his V5 Banu Haqim deck. Happy Birthday Darby!!!

Sunday was the Vozhd of Juiz de Fora Tournament. The table featured Hall of Famers; Brad Cashdollar, Norm Brown, Darby Keeney, and Kelly Lyons. Lafayette standout, Justin Shackelford took the fifth spot. After it was all said and done it was Brad Cashdollar collecting another tournament victory with a v5 Brujah deck.

The main event of course was held on Saturday, May 7. The Gulf Coast Roast III – Lafayette is the first leg of the GCR III Grand Prix circuit. The finalist were:
1. Norman Brown 2 GW 6 VP
2. Chance Thebeau 1 GW 5 VP
3. B J Rice 1 GW 4 VP 138 TP
4. Dean Garrison 1 GW 4 VP 108 TP
5. Brad Cashdollar 1 GW 4 VP 106 TP

Norm Brown breaks down the action:

“After everyone transferred out their initial vampires, Dean Garrison began to bleed into Norman Brown with his Cathari Gangrel Antribu which he had upgraded with laptop computers using Synner-G and Luke Fellows.

B.J. and Brad made a deal to not contest vampires in the Path of Power and Inner Voice crypt.

Chance bled very heavily into Dean.

Norman recruited Spectral Servitors and Aggressive Corpses. He Villeined his large caps and then played Golconda on them when they ran out of blood.

Chance ousted Dean using Shroud of Decay and Spectral Servitors.

Norman, realizing that he couldn’t stand that much pressure, knocked Chance’s vampires into torpor with Aggressive Corpses.

Brad ousted Chance leaving three players on the table.  B.J. and Brad Cashdollar were contesting one then two vampires.

Once Dean and Chance were ousted, it left the 3-way of Norman bleeding into B.J. bleeding into Brad.

Brad called a Ancilla Uprising which did 12 pool damage to Norman and followed up with another point from the Path of Power and Inner Voice Master, Privileged Position for a total of 13 pool damage leaving Norman on one pool.

Norman rushed and torpored Brad's vampire with multiple Aggressive Corpses. Tye Cooper burned the vampire, leaving Brad with only contested vampires.

Norman spent his turn playing Villein and Golconda on his large cap Hecata, Hel-Blá.  He began to influence out another vampire.

B.J. then called a vote, Empires Fall, trying to back oust Norman, who was on 4 pool. Norman had Golconda'd his nine capacity vampire so there wasn’t a good target for the additional pool damage. Norman then ousted B.J.  and Brad to win the finals with 3 VPs.”

Congratulations to Norm Brown, GCR III – Lafayette Grand Prix winner!!!

Here is his winning deck list: "Popping open some Coldgondas GCR Lafayette"

Crypt (14 cards)
2x Hel-Blá     9 AUS FOR OBL POT obf      Hecata:6
2x Marchesa Liliana      9 ANI AUS FOR OBL dom      Hecata:6
2x "Mother" Anja Giovanni   8 AUS FOR OBL dom pot      Hecata:6
2x Huldu, The Desecrator    8 AUS FOR OBL obf tha      Hecata:6
2x Alek König    3 OBL       Hecata:6
2x Nadezhda     3 aus obl      Hecata:6
2x Peter St. John     2 obl     Hecata:6

Library (90 cards)
Master (23; 16 trifle)
7x Family Gathering
7x Golconda: Inner Peace
7x Villein
2x Wash

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

Action (10)
10x Split the Veil

Ally (23)
10x Aggressive Corpse
1x Ambrosius, The Ferryman
1x Ponticulus
10x Spectral Servitor
1x Tye Cooper

Equipment (1)
1x Talbot's Chainsaw

Action Modifier (22)
6x Freak Drive
4x Paths in Two Worlds
3x Shadow Cast
3x Shadow Cloak
3x Stygian Shroud
3x Where the Veil Thins

Combat (5)
3x Pass Through Shadow
2x Weighted Walking Stick

Reaction (4)
2x Poison Pill
2x Telepathic Misdirection

Next up for the Gulf Coast Roast III is Dallas, Texas, April 10-12.

Thanks Kelly and Norm for this report, and thanks to all participants!