Roy Opitz is the 2024 Netherlands champion!

This tournament was played in Wijchen on November 24. Reported by Robin Vossen, with comment by the champion:

It was a good event, quite a lot of people I expected to show had other things they had to do but we still managed to get 24 people for the event.

And not only Dutch people, we had the Germans, our friends from the south (Belgium) join us as well. But, a lot less expected we also had a player from Poitiers France!

Nobody ever played VTES at the selected venue and we had a lot of positive comments from both the players and the owners of the venue. Besides the actual event, there was a little side event where people could play a little game when they got ousted early by trying to find all cards hidden in a playmat. Those that found it got a ticket to a raffle where they could win such a playmat.



Quite a lot of different decks, from the more old school decks, to Baba Yaga to 419 Scammers.

Standings before the final:
1. Michael Köper 2 GW, 6,5 VP
2. Roy Opitz 1 GW, 7.5 VP
2. Milan Matthes 1 GW, 6.5 VP
3. Jeroen van Oort 1 GW, 5 VP, 130 TP
4. Jozef Patrnciak 1 GW, 5 VP, 102 TP

The event was won by Roy Opitz, he wrote the following to describe the final.

“All players had a good start in the finals, only the Gangel missed at least one Baron in the starting crypt, but after a few Things he also saw his undead existence at some point.

The Ravnos managed 2-3 good bleeds, but were relentlessly sent into torpor by the Potence weenies.

My Tzimisce bounced off the Gangrel thanks to countless Earth Meld or Deep Ecology.

The Gangrel froze in fear of Baba Yaga and repeatedly negotiated nothing-attack pacts with her. Thus Baba Yaga, supported by Beatrice Tremblay, was able to take out the Ravnos in under an hour and the battle with the weenies began. This grind developed in the direction of Baba Yaga.

As I continued to bounce off the Gangrel, they were able to build up further and, thanks to Things, Villein and many Hunting Grounds, had six vampires with full blood out without ever having made a move forwards.

After Baba was also able to defeat the weenies and began to orientate herself more towards the back, firstly because she wanted to secure victory and secondly because she knew about my Rötschrecks, the Gangrel began to go forward and thanks to Club Illusion and Monkey Wrench removed 14 of Baba Yaga's 22 pools in one turn, but one vampire died thanks to Archon Investigation.

Baba Yaga then took out another vampire with a backrush, which I got on my side thanks to Graverobbing on the one hand and on the other (already prepared for some time) played Adrino, who had also hidden in the Gangrel crypt and was thus contested.

Robbed of three Vampires, Jozef still managed to get around Baba Yaga's Henchmen (Carlton and three Procurers) and oust them two turns later.

With 15 minutes left on the clock, but more minions, I was able to oust the Gangrel myself with the help of Club Illusion and finally aggrevated damage on the Gangrel just before the timeout. Thanks to my higher seed, I was able to decide the victory in my favour.”

Roys tournament winning deck: "Anarch Tzimisce haunting your graves"

Crypt (12 cards)
3x Ángel Guerrero 7 ANI DOM PRO baron Tzimisce:6
2x Adrino Manauara 8 ANI DOM PRO pot baron Tzimisce:6
2x Branimira 6 ANI dom pre pro baron Tzimisce:6
1x Clara Hjortshøj 5 PRO ani aus dom Tzimisce:6
1x Marialena 5 DOM PRO ani Tzimisce:6
1x Neserian 6 ANI DOM cel pro Tzimisce:6
1x Prentis Derby 4 ani dom pro Tzimisce:6
1x Whisper 5 ANI DOM pro Tzimisce:6

Library (90 cards)
Master (16; 5 trifle)
1x Anarch Free Press, The
1x Carfax Abbey
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
2x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Library Hunting Ground
1x Powerbase: Montreal
3x Rötschreck
5x Vessel
1x Wall Street Night, Financial Newspaper

Event (2)
2x Scourge of the Enochians

Action (22)
10x Deep Song
4x Govern the Unaligned
6x Graverobbing
2x Status Perfectus, The

Equipment (4)
1x Ivory Bow
3x Living Manse

Action Modifier (1)
1x Conditioning

Action Modifier/Combat (2)
2x Obedient Flesh

Combat (14)
10x Claws of the Dead
4x Sculpt the Flesh

Reaction (29)
7x Bait and Switch
2x Cats' Guidance
4x Deep Ecology
4x One With the Land
10x Organized Resistance
2x Protection Racket

Hope to see everybody again soon in Wijchen for the next event!

Gonzalo Rojas wins South American Grand Prix Santiago 2024!

Played on November 30. Reported by Daniel Bravo, VEKN Online Prince, with Manu Fuentes, VEKN Prince of Santiago and additional comments by the champion. First Manu Fuentes:

"The distributor approached us with the opportunity to organize the third date of the GP, as the originally chosen store was unable to host the event. With time against us, I took on the responsibility of making this event happen, as someone needed to step up, and I did so with the well-being of the community in mind. I knew we had a tough mission ahead of us due to the precedents set by GP2 and the low attendance.

For this reason, I sought the help of Faroock, our national coordinator, and Daniel Bravo (Backwinder), along with some active members of the community. I am immensely grateful to Marcelo Teke, Maxwell, and Juan Labbé for their collaboration.

First and foremost, we learned from the mistakes made in GP2 and took players' suggestions into account to avoid repeating them. A key issue was the fee, so we decided to set it at a lower price, prioritizing the gameplay experience over the event's profitability. This way, we approached the tournament as an experience by players for players, rather than a store organizing a large tournament.
The distributor sold us the tournament kit, which included a playmat, a promotional card per player, an illustration, and a signed promotional card for each player in the final table.

Additionally, we raffled a Lasombra deck among players who registered for the tournament before November 20, which greatly motivated participants. By the 20th, we already had more than 22 registered players.

We also added store credits for the final table winners, which they could redeem at EntreJuegos, the store where the tournament took place.

However, we didn’t want to reward only the finalists; we also aimed to offer a great experience to all attending players. To achieve this, Faroock and Daniel donated a large number of promotional cards, which allowed us to provide an excellent welcome pack to all participants.

The next step was to think about what else we could offer attendees. Since we had to pay for the tournament kit, we had fewer resources for prizes. That’s when I reached out to Space Fantasy, a role-playing games distributor, who generously donated amazing prizes: a pocket edition of the Vampire manual, dice, and discipline cards. Additionally, Stronghold donated folders and deck holders. All these prizes were raffled off during the tournament rounds, and the players were very pleased with this initiative. We are immensely grateful to Space Fantasy and Stronghold for their generous support, which made it possible for us to offer more prizes and enhance the players’ experience.

Regarding the tournament, we had a total of 34 attendees, a fairly high number for the community in Chile. The tournament went smoothly, and as a final surprise, the participants of the anti-final received a 30th Anniversary deck as a prize for the winner, while the other participants received a New Blood deck of their choice.

Lastly, we witnessed the emotional farewell speech of our national coordinator, Faroock, who stepped down from his position. This was a tough blow for the community, as Faroock was always willing to support, listen to the players, and be an active part of it. Personally, I am grateful for all his support and, above all, his positive attitude. I wish him the best in his future endeavors, and he has set a high standard for whoever succeeds him.

Thus concluded the third date of the GP, with a great turnout and very positive feedback from the community. I want to thank EntreJuegos, Stronghold, Space Fantasy, our outgoing national coordinator Faroock, and all community members for their help and support."

Standings before the final:
1. Lucian Ibarra 3 GW, 12 VP
2. Rodrigo "Zapi" Rojas 3 GW, 11.5 VP
3. Rodrigo "Taz" Cortes 2 GW, 9 VP, 222 TP
4. Wlabert Ibarra 2 GW, 9 VP, 198 TP
5. Sergio Herrera 2 GW, 6 VP

Then some words from the GP Champion, Gonzalo "Zapi" Rojas:

"Facing a 2024 filled with controversies stemming from the change in administration of organized play in Chile and the ripple effects this caused within the community, the 3rd GP date was held with great effort and limited planning time at a store that has always provided a pleasant and comfortable environment for the community.

I celebrate the high attendance and active participation in such a major event. I can’t help but draw a parallel with the Twilight Camp held at the end of August, especially in terms of the festive atmosphere and camaraderie among rivals.

A date crowned by the variety of products available just for participating and the attractive prizes for the winners ended with me as a happy and proud champion, having reached the final alongside great players who made this experience full of laughs and surprises as the game unfolded.

From the start, I felt the intense pressure of my predator, who was playing a bleed-focused Ravnos deck. However, I was able to turn this to my advantage a couple of times through bleed redirection to my prey — a Montano Purge deck — which I was sure would eventually face attacks from the table. What I didn’t expect was that it would happen so early in the game. They received a cross-table attack that left them in a dire position, vulnerable to the bleeding of my vampires, who seized every opportunity to reduce their pool to zero—always with the help of the faithful rats. While they only deal 1 damage, the cumulative effect over several turns is significant, especially for a deck capable of generating occasional stealth and bleed.

When I reached Sergio, piloting a Krenyenko multi-action deck, I encountered a very well-built wall but with strong defense from his prey and little pool remaining. Finally, I faced a Giotto & Arika deck with very strong political control. Fortunately for me, its resources were severely limited, as only a few cards remained in their library. Under my control were several mid-cap vampires with intercept capabilities. The turning point came when I started drawing aggravated damage, which allowed me to deal with the threat, resulting in my joyful victory.

I am deeply grateful and have firsthand knowledge of the short time and dedication the event organizing team invested. I greatly commend their ability to identify what the community needed and deliver it in the best possible way. This resulted in a pleasant and enjoyable day, leaving everyone with a smile and a feeling of wanting to repeat the experience.

It is to be hoped that this event will serve as an example and that such high-level, accessible events will continue to be held. I place my hopes in the new members of the national coordination team, trusting they will continue along this path of progress and success that lies ahead for the future."

The tournament winning deck: “Refugio del Vaivoda” by Gonzalo "Zapi" Rojas

Crypt (12 cards)
2x Adrino Manauara 8 ANI DOM PRO pot baron Tzimisce:6
3x Ángel Guerrero 7 ANI DOM PRO baron Tzimisce:6
2x Branimira 6 ANI dom pre pro baron Tzimisce:6
1x Neserian 6 ANI DOM cel pro Tzimisce:6
1x Clara Hjortshøj 5 PRO ani aus dom Tzimisce:6
1x Marialena 5 DOM PRO ani Tzimisce:6
1x Whisper 5 ANI DOM pro Tzimisce:6
1x Prentis Derby 4 ani dom pro Tzimisce:6

Library (90 cards)
Master (14; 4 trifle)
1x Anarch Free Press, The
1x Carfax Abbey
1x Direct Intervention
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Guardian Angel
1x KRCG News Radio
1x Powerbase: Montreal
2x Protean
1x Rack, The
4x Vessel

Action (10)
4x Army of Rats
6x Govern the Unaligned

Retainer (8)
8x Raven Spy

Action Modifier (10)
4x Conditioning
6x Earth Control

Action Modifier/Reaction (6)
6x Form of the Bat

Combat (16)
4x Bone Spur
10x Earth Meld
2x Form of Mist

Reaction (26)
8x Deflection
4x One With the Land
10x Organized Resistance
4x Protection Racket

Thanks to all organisers, sponsors and players!