The Austrian National Championship 2023, also known as “Middle European Cup” was played with 24 players at Salim’s Cocktailbar Vienna on November 25.

Standings after round 3:
1. Milos Krstic (Serbia)
2. Martin Weinmayer (Austria)
3. Peter Talmacsi (Hungary)
4. Lukáš Simandl (Czech Republic)
5. Arnold Riegler (Austria)

Congratulations Milos Krstic of Serbia, getting 3 victory points in the finals!

Finalist Martin Weinmayers comments: “It was basically decided by me avoiding the combat deck sitting crosstable, and Milos was naturally forced to do the same, sitting as my prey. which left me in a difficult position, but then again, I built that deck to work against stealth decks. It turned out I was a little too overconfident.

I played highly aggressively to deny Giotto any resources while trying to soak or deflect the unnamed deck behind me. Unfortunately, Turn 4 Secure Haven crushed my hopes of getting help from Massasssi. Giotto playing Maris Streck and getting Giants Blood on her kind of sealed my fate in this final. (The intercepts denied me my ousting chance with Legionnaires.) About 1:30h into the game, Ventrue Royality managed to oust Massassi with heavy bleeds. Despite having a decent fight, I finally crumbled under the pressure and got ousted second. Giotto managed to soak up the unnamed bleeds long enough to finally oust the Ventrue royalty. The Unnamed conceded to 8 Legionnaires with 5 minutes on the clock.

Interesting facts:
•    The legionnaire denial was real on this table. They didn't see any relevant play until Giotto swarmed seven of them in the last five minutes of the final.
•    First turns with Secure Haven and Enkil Cog were nearly enough for Lukas to defend his Austrian Champion crown from last year's victory. (playing the same deck)
•    Don't block The Unnamed if you have only one Legionnaire. (Lukas used his two aggravated damages to great effect.)
•    Direct intervention is a game-winner. (used by Milos on Lukas Form of Mist following an Entrancement action to deny his swarm oust)”

Milos Krstics tournament winning deck: “99 Problems”
Creator comment: "Son, do you know why I'm stopping you for? Are you carrying an Ashur Tablets on you, I know a lot of you are?"

Crypt [12]
4x Giotto Verducci 7 DAI OBF for pot pre Baali:2
3x Maris Streck 9 AUS OBF ani dem dom justicar Malkavian:3
2x Rachel Brandywine 10 AUS DEM OBF PRO ani prince Malkavian:3
1x Victoria 5 AUS cel obf Malkavian:2
1x New Blood 2 san Blood Bro:ANY
1x Anarch Convert 1 Caitiff:ANY

Library [90]
Master [31]
1x Archon Investigation
12x Ashur Tablets
1x Asylum Hunting Ground
1x Coven, The
2x Direct Intervention
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Jake Washington
6x Liquidation
1x Madness Network
3x Parthenon, The
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion

Event [2]
2x Unmasking, The

Action [12]
1x Army of Rats
6x Clan Impersonation
1x Contagion
4x Unleash Hell's Fury

Ally [7]
7x Emerald Legionnaire

Equipment [5]
5x Kaymakli Fragment

Retainer [1]
1x Homunculus

Action Modifier [21]
4x Elder Impersonation
1x Enkil Cog
4x Faceless Night
8x Freak Drive
4x Lost in Crowds

Action Modifier/Combat [4]
4x Swallowed by the Night

Reaction [7]
2x Delaying Tactics
5x Telepathic Misdirection

Martin again: “Traditionally, we had a lot of nationalities joining us in Vienna. 24 players hailing from Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Austria. Thank you all for coming and making this such an enjoyable event.

Big thanks to our Artists Noora Hirvonen and Markéta Munduchová and our sponsors Ultra Pro and Arthur Machac.

Last but not least, big thanks to Richard Utner and Arnold Riegler for organising the 4th Middle European Cup. I hope to see some of you at the Milan GP December, 9th. If you are not able to travel, join Igor Beslin and me Online on LackeyCCG in the December League. Let´s keep bleeding!"

The finalists, with champion second from the left.

Played with 20 players in El Club Juegos de Mesa, Mexico City on November 26. Reported by Omael Rangel, National Coordinator of Mexico:

A great event with some old methuselah freshly awakened from torpor, with older decks that shake the metagame. Amazing tables, very intense but at the same time people never stop joking and have fun between them. Incredible plays that define the results of every game and we are very happy for our new champion who right after his journey to the EC in Barcelona came back to claim the big win!

Note the commemorative package which was used to fund the event: playmat, Edge counter and mug, and the presence of artist Alan Mayoral (in the image next to judge Luis).

Standings after the preliminary rounds:
1. Carlos Escobar 2 GW, 6 VP
2. Rodrigo Corona 1 GW, 6 VP
3. Boris Huerta 1 GW, 5 VP
4. Juan Chacón 1 GW, 5 VP
5. Eduardo García 1 GW, 5 VP

Congratulations Eduardo García, with 4 victory points in the final. Rodrigo Corona got 1 point.

Eduardos tournament winning deck: “Nocturnos new age”

Crypt (12)
2x Alicia Cortez       8 CEL DOM OBT      prince  Lasombra:4
2x Conrad Adoula       8 DOM OBT POT ani cel      Lasombra:4
2x Badr, Shadow of Granada  7 DOM OBT POT          Lasombra:5
1x Lord Vauxhall       7 DOM OBT POT THA        Lasombra:4
1x Onaedo          6 DOM OBT aus pot        Lasombra:4
1x Virginie, Prodigy     6 DOM POT obt      bishop  Lasombra:4
1x Andrew Emory       5 OBT aus dom pot    bishop  Lasombra:4
1x Ermenegildo, The Rake   5 DOM OBT pot          Lasombra:4
1x Lucy Markowitz      3 dom obt            Lasombra:4

Library (90)
Master (12; 2 trifle)
1x Anarch Troublemaker
2x Blood Doll
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Elysian Fields
1x Information Highway
2x Path of Night, The
1x Political Hunting Ground
1x Sudden Reversal
2x Vessel

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

Action (13)
1x Far Mastery
12x Govern the Unaligned

Ally (12)
12x Nocturn

Action Modifier (26)
4x Command of the Beast
4x Conditioning
4x Empowering the Puppet King
2x Foreshadowing Destruction
6x Shadow Play
4x Shroud of Absence
2x Tenebrous Form

Combat (8)
2x Entombment
4x Oubliette
2x Shadow Body

Reaction (18)
8x Deflection
1x Delaying Tactics
6x On the Qui Vive
1x Pulling Strings
2x Redirection

Thanks to players and organisers!