Preview art by Christian Byrne from Fall of London, the
next expansion for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 SUMMARY

FINALLY, after three years of waiting, Helsinki was able to host the EC on July 28-31. The weather was lovely, the organisers excellent and the community of players behaved lovely the whole event. Pure delight!

Above you see the event special promo card awarded to all attendants, with art by Noora Hirvonen of Helsinki, both VTES artist and skilled player.

As usual, everything started out with a “Week of Nightmares” series of smaller tournaments – these were won by Jyri Puhakka, Tommi Hakomaa and Tero Aalto.

On Thursday there was a very nice welcome party at a downtown venue close to the Finnish parliament, with drinks, food, quiz, The Fall of London previews, Black Chantry CEO Hugh Angseesing Q & A and a spectacular, vampire-themed burlesque dance show.

Welcome party.

Welcome party dance show.

Hugh Angseesing, CEO of Black Chantry Productions.

Art by Noora Hirvonen.

Thanks to Marko Saari for most of the photos here. More can be found at vtes.orava.org.

The Friday “Last Chance Qualifier” tournament had 82 players. Nowadays this is not an actual qualifier for EC Day 1, but the five finalists qualify for EC Day 2. Standings after three preliminary rounds:
1. Kim Nilsson 2 GW 8 VP
2. Richard Stefan Utner 2 GW 8 VP
3. Otso Saariluoma 2 GW 7,5 VP
4. Andreas Stjernfelt 2 GW 7 VP
5. Emiliano Imeroni 2 GW 6 VP

Richard, Kim, Otso, Andreas and Emiliano.

Congratulations Otso Saariluma, who took 4 victory points in the final, Andreas took 1. You find the stream at vtes.orava.org, including a winner interview at the end. Yes, Otso also won the Day 2 tournament – he is a great player, and obviously was in top form this weekend.

Otso´s tournament winning deck:
Crypt (12)
3x Enkidu, The Noah   11 for ANI CEL OBF POT PRO     Gangrel antitribu:4
3x Matasuntha         10 ANI AUS CEL FOR PRO         Gangrel:5
1x Andre LeRoux       3 aus                          Toreador:5
1x New Blood          2 san                          Blood Brother:ANY
4x Anarch Convert     1                              Caitiff:ANY

Library (90)
Master (27)
9x Ashur Tablets
1x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Fame
1x Giant's Blood
1x Guardian Angel
1x Monster
2x Parthenon, The
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Powerbase: Montreal
5x Villein
1x Wash
1x Wider View

Event (1)
1x Dragonbound

Retainer (9)
1x Mr. Winthrop
8x Raven Spy

Action Modifier (5)
1x Enkil Cog
2x Forced March
2x Instantaneous Transformation

Combat (30)
1x Claws of the Dead
8x Diversion
4x Drawing Out the Beast
2x Earth Meld
2x Hell-for-Leather
2x Infernal Pursuit
2x Pack Alpha
2x Psyche!
1x Pursuit
6x Taste of Vitae

Reaction (18)
3x Cats' Guidance
4x Forced Awakening
4x On the Qui Vive
7x Sense the Savage Way

EC Day 1 had 99 players, which is a very nice turnout considering everything. The general feeling was that the average skill of players was high, even though the EC is an open tournament these days. Standings after three preliminary rounds:
1. Kari Hyll 2 GW 8,5 VP
2. Randal Rudstam 2 GW 8 VP
3. Bram Van Stappen 2 GW 7,5 VP
4. Kalle Blomgren 1 GW 8 VP
5. Antti Penttilä 1 GW 6,5 VP

Kalle, Randal, Kari, Bran and Antti.

Congratulations Antti Penttilä, winner with 4 victory points in the final (Kalle got 1). Watch the stream via vtes.orava.org.

Antti´s tournament winning deck: Khursidwall
Crypt (12)
3x Khurshid 8 AUS FOR NEC POT Harbinger of Skulls:6
2x Mordechai Ben-Nun 8 ANI AUS FOR NEC Harbinger of Skulls:5
2x Anu Diptinatpa 7 aus vic DOM NEC Nagaraja:6
5x Anarch Convert 1 Caitiff:ANY

Library (90)
Master (21)
3x Direct Intervention
1x Fragment of the Book of Nod
1x Haven Uncovered
6x Liquidation
5x Piper
4x Villein
1x Wider View

Event (3)
1x FBI Special Affairs Division
2x Unmasking, The

Action (6)
4x Gear Up
2x Soul Feasting

Ally (10)
10x Emerald Legionnaire

Retainer (2)
2x Vengeful Spirit

Action Modifier (2)
2x Trochomancy

Combat (19)
3x Aura Reading
6x Hidden Strength
2x Rolling with the Punches
6x Target Vitals
2x Taste of Vitae

Reaction (27)
3x Eluding the Arms of Morpheus
9x Eyes of Argus
5x Guardian Vigil
3x My Enemy's Enemy
7x Telepathic Misdirection

The Grand Prix trophy and ring.

Later on Saturday, after the Day 1 final was over, the European Grand Prix final was played by these beautiful people, the five available GP players with the highest ranking:
1. Tommi Hakomaa: 30 points
2. Noora Hirvonen 28 points
3. Sebastian Fredenberg: 25 points
4. Magnus Söder: 23 points
5. Esa-Matti Smolander: 18 points

Tommi, Magnus, Noora, Esa-Matti and Sebastian.

Congratulations Sebastian Fredenberg, Grand Prix grand champion 2022! He got 1,5 VP in the final (streamable via vtes.orava.org), before it timed out.

Sebastian´s tournament winning deck:
Crypt (12)
1x Farah Sarroub 7 aus obf CEL THA prince Banu Haqim:6
2x Kassandra Tassaki 6 obf CEL THA prince Banu Haqim:6
1x Kalinda 6 tha CEL OBF primogen Banu Haqim:6
1x Khadija Al-Kindi 6 CEL OBF THA primogen Banu Haqim:6
2x Warmaksan 5 cel obf THA prince Banu Haqim:6
1x Asmin Kobane 5 dom obf tha CEL Banu Haqim:6
1x Greg Mazouni 4 cel obf tha  Banu Haqim:6
1x Nayarana 4 cel THA  Banu Haqim:6
1x Bijou 3 cel tha  Banu Haqim:6
1x Alu  2 obf  Banu Haqim:5

Library (90)
Master (19)
2x Alamut
4x Haqim's Law: Retribution
2x Khabar: Community, The
1x Market Square
4x Priority Contract
1x Underworld Hunting Ground
5x Villein

Event (1)
1x Narrow Minds

Action (14)
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
7x Haqim's Law: Leadership
1x Third Tradition: Progeny
5x Web of Knives Recruit

Equipment (1)
1x Ivory Bow

Action Modifier/Combat (11)
3x Resist Earth's Grasp
8x Swallowed by the Night

Combat (35)
3x Blur
3x Flash
6x Hunger of Marduk
4x Psyche!
4x Pursuit
3x Quickness
4x Taste of Vitae
8x Weighted Walking Stick

Reaction (9)
2x Delaying Tactics
7x Second Tradition: Domain

On Sunday two tournaments were played, EC Day 2 and “The best of the rest”. For EC Day 2 the top 40 players from EC Day 1 were qualified, together with the 5 finalists from Friday´s LCQ and the winners of each European Grand Prix tournament this season.

The Best of the rest tournament that was played at the same time as EC Day 2 had 41 players. The top five after three rounds were:
1. Filippo Mengoli 3 GW 9,5 VP
2. Erik Wallgren 2 GW 8 VP
3. Niko Vanhatalo 2 GW 8 VP
4. Zsolt Cziráki 1 GW 6 VP
5. Lasse Pöyry 1 GW 6 VP

Niko, Lasse, Zsolt, Filippo and Erik.

Congratulations Zsolt Cziráki, coming out on top with 2 VP after an unusually violent final with a heads-up against Lasse´s Samedi, who also had 2 VP but lower seed. Filippo got 1 VP. This final was not streamed.

Zsolt´s tournament winning deck: Alab+baron v2
Crypt (12)
4x Alabastrom 7 aus cel for POT VIS Gargoyle:6
4x Handsome Dan 5 aus cel for pot vis Gargoyle:6
4x Leumeah 6 cel for pot PRE Brujah:6

Library: 90
Master (16)
1x Fame
1x Flames of Insurrection
1x Anarch Railroad
1x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Giant's Blood
1x Rack, The
1x Smiling Jack, The Anarch
5x Vessel
1x Carfax Abbey
1x Club Illusion
2x Dreams of the Sphinx

Action (10)
1x Fee Stake: Boston
1x Fee Stake: Los Angeles
1x Heroic Might
2x Armor of Terra
1x Open War
2x Preternatural Strength
2x Line Brawl

Retainer (1)
1x Razor Bat

Equipment (2)
1x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Sniper Rifle

Action Modifier (8)
2x Forced March
2x Monkey Wrench
2x As the Crow
2x Skin of the Chameleon

Combat (23)
2x Lam Into
3x Raking Talons
2x Roll
3x Taste of Vitae
2x Bond with the Mountain
8x Diversion
3x Dust Up

Reaction (30)
6x Guardian Vigil
4x On the Qui Vive
8x Bait and Switch
10x Organized Resistance
2x Delaying Tactics

EC Day 2 is thereby the very best players battling for the most prestigious title of the year. After three preliminary rounds the standings were:
1. Otso Saariluoma 2 GW 7 VP
2. Antti Penttilä 2 GW 6,5 VP
3. Esa-Matti Smolander 2 GW 5,5 VP
4. Matias Frosterus 1 GW 6 VP
5. Héctor Javier Ordóñez 1 GW 5,5 VP

Héctor, Otso, Matias, Esa-Matti and Antti.

Congratulations Otso Saariluoma, for the third time European champion! Stream the game, and read the winner interview below.

Otso’s champion deck: Finnish Politics
Crypt (12)
1x Enkidu, The Noah 11 for ANI CEL OBF POT PRO Gangrel antitribu:4
2x Nangila Were 9 obf ser ANI POT PRE Guruhi:4
1x Black Annis 9 ani pro OBF POT Nosferatu antitribu:4
3x Nana Buruku 8 ANI POT PRE Guruhi:4
1x Andre LeRoux 3 aus Toreador:5
4x Anarch Convert 1 Caitiff:ANY

Library (65)
Master (25)
4x Anarch Revolt
1x Archon Investigation
6x Ashur Tablets
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Fame
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Mbare Market, Harare
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Powerbase: Luanda
1x Powerbase: Montreal
5x Villein
1x Wider View

Event (1)
1x Dragonbound

Action (5)
3x Deep Song
1x Entrancement
1x Well-Marked

Combat (28)
1x Canine Horde
5x Carrion Crows
1x Glancing Blow
6x Immortal Grapple
3x Roundhouse
1x Slam
1x Stunt Cycle
4x Taste of Vitae
2x Thrown Sewer Lid
4x Torn Signpost

Reaction (6)
1x Cats' Guidance
1x Delaying Tactics
2x On the Qui Vive
2x Sense the Savage Way

This was one of the most well organised big VTES events ever - there were barely any delays or other mishaps during the weekend, which was important, because the schedule was tight. The VEKN wants to thank the organisers, judges and all their helpers for their efforts, as well as the sponsors and, of course, the players - hope to see everyone again next year in Barcelona!

INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH: OTSO SAARILUOMA, EUROPEAN CHAMPION 2022

Congratulations Otso! As many might know you won the last EC (2019) too, with a very similar deck (see deck list above). Is it in fact the exact same deck? And why did you go with it again this time?
- I have played basically the same deck on Day 2 of EC in 2018 and 2019 and it has overperformed both times, netting one spot in the finals and one win. I also enjoy playing the deck as it gives a lot of options for the player and it fits well in the grindy meta of EC Day 2. I think I decided quite early on not to change the winning team, maybe even in 2020. Once the Guruhi get their asses handed to them they get to retire.
   I made some small adjustments from 2019, mainly removing one Pentex Subversion due to the new wording of the card and making room for the newly released Roundhouses. I also did cut Mr. Winthrop, which rarely saw play. I considered dropping Glancing Blow, which has really never been super useful, but left it in as a silver bullet anticipating some aggro poke from Protean barons, but I didn’t need it this time either and the card should probably go.

How were your preliminary rounds on Day 2? Any particular problematic tables, or just smooth sailing?
- I can’t say that any of the games were smooth sailing: First round I lost the heads-up to Antti’s fully setup Emerald Legionnaires and got 1 VP from the round. Second round I made a table-split deal with Kamel’s Animalism barons as my predator for GW and 3 VPs. Third round I had already mentally resigned to get 0 VPs, but I did get my Animalism prey to 1 pool, at which point he self-ousted as his prey refused to give him 0,5 VPs had he stayed on the table, and with the luck of the draw I managed to win the heads-up against Sebastian’s Banu Haqim, getting GW and 3 VPs.

About the final, what were your thoughts for the seating? (See table layout in the EC summary above.)
- I ended up being the top seed with my 2 GW 7 VPs. Preparing to choose my seat, I was most of all concerned of Antti’s Legionnaires as I felt I couldn’t handle them should the game go long. My plan was to try to oust Antti or cripple the deck early on. I would have preferred to be Antti’s predator, because ousting people other than your prey is really risky business, especially in the finals. But as Antti chose to be hunted by Matias’ Kiasyd I felt I couldn’t sit between them. I might be able to shut down Antti and prevent the Kiasyd from ousting me, but then Matias’ predator Esku (Esa-Matti, editors note) would probably steamroll over both Matias and me.
    So I ended up sitting between Hector and Esku. I didn’t know the aggressive nature of Hector’s deck and anticipated the more common Gangrel barons wall. I was also hopeful that I would be able to oust Esku as he was playing titled high-cap vampires without any hitback, which is pretty much perfect for me. Sitting down I was pretty happy with my spot and thought the most likely way of me winning would be with 1,5 VPs.

How were you feeling about how the game evolved?
- My initial crypt was horrendous – three copies of Nana Buruku and one Anarch Convert. The next vampires were another Anarch Convert and Andre Leroux. The first vampire with built-in rush was Enkidu as crypt card number seven and he came out with 30 minutes left on the clock. I couldn’t really play my normal game, but chose to try to cripple the Legionnaires early on nevertheless with a cross-table rush.
   I was still hopeful I might be able to oust Esku at some point as his crypt draw was almost as bad as mine. However, when he got the first Villein and a bit later a Secure Haven on Stanislava, I knew I couldn’t oust him anymore. At that point it was only about surviving and trying to help players stay in the game. It’s a boring way to win, but it was the only path available to me at that point. I did have a game plan to win throughout the game, but had to adjust as the game progressed.
    I was pretty sure I had won the game when I survived the lunge turn by Hector thanks to Antti’s interference. My next turn I got to pull back out of ousting range with Villein and also drew my Delaying Tactics for an additional safety measure and meanwhile Hector still had just enough pool and blockers to withstand Antti’s lunge.

What are your thoughts on the future of VTES tournament play? For example, many have ideas about changing MMPA and/or Emerald Legionnaires, both maybe a bit too dominant – how do you feel about that?
- It seemed to me that the newest batch of V5 starters are rather strong. During the weekend we got to see all kinds of Anarch and Banu Haqim decks performing quite well. I believe we will see lots of them in the tournaments and the racking up tournament wins also.
   As for the old boogeyman decks you mention, I think that Emerald Legionnaires are prevalent enough to have already shifted the meta toward playing more pool damage per minion-votes as well as .44 Magnums. The “Girls Will Find” decks are harder to tech against as the archetype is still really robust. The strength of these decks relies on the absence of decent counters to ash heap strategies. I probably wouldn’t mind seeing something that would create a bit more of a battle over ash heaps as a resource as long as it’s somehow dynamic in nature and creates more interplay. Maybe a master that you need to defend until your unlock phase to get to remove cards from an ash heap and gain some benefit?
    But I have to say that I don’t think these decks are necessarily too strong or prevalent for my enjoyment of the game even as is. I think that in this game there will always be decks that require coordination from the other players to prevent them from steamrolling the table, be it Ravnos Clown Car, Legacy of Pander or Madness Network+Reversal of Fortunes decks.

Thanks for the interview Otso, and once again congratulations. Winning with that horrible crypt draw is a really strong achievement!

EC 2023 WILL BE IN BARCELONA, SPAIN

The VEKN are happy to inform you that next year´s European Championship will be held in beautiful Barcelona, Spain! We have to return to you about the exact date, but it will be some time during the autumn, possibly October or November. So we avoid the worst heat and heaviest tourism season. Hope to see you there!

David, Lasse, Sebastian, Tommi and Esa-Matti.

SEBASTIAN FREDENBERG WINS GRAND PRIX MALMÖ!

39 Methuselahs turned up for the last installment in the looong 2019-2022 European Grand Prix circuit. The location was sunny Malmö in southern Sweden, at a big game event called Malmö Game Week which also hosted some huge Magic: The Gathering tournaments.

Standings after three preliminaries:
1. Lasse Agaard 2 GW 8 VP
2. Sebastian Fredenberg 2 GW 7 VP
3. David Luhaæær 2 GW 7 VP
4. Esa-Matti Smolander 2 GW 7 VP
5. Tommi Hakomaa 2 GW 7 VP

Congratulations Sebastian Fredenberg, raking in 4 VP in the final with a rather original deck (Esa-Matti got 1 VP). Are Assamites/Banu Haqim finally a solid winning clan? :)

Sebastians tournament winning deck: “Haqim's Lawmen”
Comment: “Bring out vampires, bloat and put knifes into training to begin with. Then start bleeding once there are 1-2 Haqim Law: Retribution and 4+ vampires out. Don't focus too much on combat, the cards are there to bleed with too. Khabar Commuity is expensive but should be used when there are several vampires that can bleed for a lot each to oust.”

Crypt (12)
2 Kassandra Tassaki
2 Warmaksan
1 Farah Sarroub
1 Kalinda (G6)
1 Khadija Al-Kindi
1 Asmin Kobane
1 Greg Mazouni
1 Nayarana
1 Bijou
1 Alu

Library (84)
Master (18)
5 Villein
4 Haqim's Law: Retribution
3 Priority Contract
2 Alamut
2 Khabar: Community, The
1 Market Square
1 Underworld Hunting Ground

Event (1)
1 Narrow Minds

Action (18)
7 Haqim's Law: Leadership
5 Web of Knives Recruit
3 Hunter's Mark
1 Aranthebes, The Immortal
1 Khabar: Glory
1 Third Tradition: Progeny

9 Action Modifier/Combat
6 Swallowed by the Night
3 Resist Earth's Grasp

Combat (29)
7 Weighted Walking Stick
7 Hunger of Marduk
3 Blur
3 Psyche!
3 Pursuit
2 Fast Hands
2 Flash
2 Quickness

Reaction (9)
7 Second Tradition: Domain
2 Delaying Tactics

Thanks to the organisers Henrik Roos, Samir Arabi-Eter and Marcus Andreasson, other helpers, sponsors Ultra Pro and Black Chantry, and of course the players!

Congratulations Bram Van Stappen, now approaching 15 tournament wins, not counting online results. For some of his thoughts, check out this interview from last year, made after he won the Atlantic Cup with a somewhat similar deck.

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: JULY 2022

• The Fall of London 54-card expansion is at the printer, but some last minute changes mean there is a slight delay. There´s a product page and the preview season is ongoing. Below you see a new Gangrel with art by Christian Byrne. As soon as there´s a shipping date a release date will be set.

• Ginés, Henrik, Hugh and Vincent were present at the EC in Helsinki. Hugh acted as judge at some of the tournaments, and the four were able to have one of those very rare physical company meetings. The wonderful VTES players had a lot of questions (some could be answered!) and opinions that will be taken into account for the future of VTES. A great weekend!

• One current concern is the absence of a playtest coordinator, as Darby Keeney has stepped down after many years of splendid duty. Several candidates have been spoken to, and hopefully one or more of them will meet the requirements and be able to commence work immediately. First, that would be the first round of testing for the next preconstructed decks, and also some testing of an exciting rule change and the nerf of a problematic card.

• Both the German and the Italian translation of the Fifth Edition box contents are completed. Now there´s the question about exactly how and when to publish these.

• Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Drivethrucards.com and other stores:
  Lost Kindred bundle
  Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1
  Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2
  Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1
  Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2
  Den of Fiends Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
  Libertine Ball Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
  Pact with Nephandi Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
  Parliament of Shadows Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
  Anthology I bundle
  VTES Card Creator (Drivethrucards only)
  25th Anniversary
  First Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French)
  First Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French)
  First Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French)
  First Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French)
  First Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French)
  VTES Legacy Card Singles (Drivethrucards only)
  Promo Pack 1 (Drivethrucards only)
  Promo Pack 2 (Event promos 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)
  Fifth Edition: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French)
  Fifth Edition: Toreador (Also Spanish, French)
  Fifth Edition: Tremere (Also Spanish, French)
  Fifth Edition: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French)
  Promo Pack 3 (Event promos only)
  Fifth Edition: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French)
  Fifth Edition: Brujah (Also Spanish, French)
  Fifth Edition: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French)
  Fifth Edition: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French)
  New Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French)
  New Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French)
  New Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French)
  New Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French)
  New Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French)
  The Fall of London (Also Spanish, French)
  
  

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

There´s a brand new Vampire: The Masquerade actual play show! After a long run of "LA by Night", Jason Carl now storytells "New York by Night" with characters of the Gangrel, Ravnos, Tzimisce and Ventrue clans. Well worth a look, and also don´t miss the "Club Auspex" follow-up talk show.

Subscribe to the World of Darkness News show for more news!

CALENDAR

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Brazil x8
Czech Republic
Chile
Germany
Italy
Mexico
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Spain x6
Sweden
United Kingdom
USA x5

For details about these events, see the VEKN Event Calendar.

Remember: Online tournaments are possible - just check the box "Online tournament" when you add the event to the calendar!

CONTACT V:EKN
You can contact the V:EKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at V:EKN.net. Also follow the official V:TES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and the official V:EKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES 

That mountain you've been carrying, you were only suppose to climb.