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!

Miguel Vega wins the Iberian Grand Prix 2024!

Finalists: Ruben Feldman, Ruben Vidaña, Miguel Vega, Jaddou Nasra and Martin Weinmayer.

Reported by Ginés Quiñonero, VEKN Inner Circle:

On Saturday, November 16, 2024, 89 Methuselahs gathered in Palma de Mallorca to participate in the Iberian Grand Prix, held at the Meliá Marina Hotel.

In addition to Spanish Methuselahs, the event also welcomed participants from Austria, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Canada.

Rumor has it that some attendees believed they spotted Gnaeus Aemilius Augustinus, Rinaldo Albizzi, and even the justicar Ian Carfax among the event’s organizers. However, these rumors remain unconfirmed.

Organizers (from left to right): Gaspar Vaquer (judge), Ginés Quiñonero (head judge),
Moisés Ferrer (graphic designer), Carlos Lucas (judge and programmer), José María Prieto
(judge and streamer), Xavier Ortiz (programmer), and Selene Cifre (photographer).

PREPARATIONS

The tournament had a dedicated website, created by Carlos Lucas and Xavier Ortiz, which displayed a countdown to the event, available slots, and allowed players to submit their decklists directly to the organizers. This feature helped expand the archive of tournament decks.

Knowing that some players had evening flights on Saturday, it was crucial for the tournament to start on time and for each round to adhere to the scheduled times.

A common cause of delays in large tournaments is the manual player check-in process, where organizers confirm attendance one by one, often leading to long queues.

For this event, an ad hoc check-in system was implemented using QR codes. Players received a QR code after registering through the website, which they showed upon arrival. The app, developed by Xavier Ortiz and Carlos Lucas, scanned the codes and automatically registered the players into the Archon spread sheet.

To avoid delays between rounds, the seating arrangements for each table were published on the event website, allowing players to quickly locate their table and seating position.


THE TOURNAMENT

Once all the Methuselahs were seated in two conference rooms (one with 14 tables, the other with 4), the battle for victory began. Each Methuselah displayed tactics honed over centuries of practice, making for a fierce competition.

Despite the intensity of the games, the atmosphere remained friendly, filled with camaraderie and humor. After all, it’s best to bare your fangs only when the moment is right.

During each round, one of the games was live-streamed. These recordings are available on YouTube via the following links:

First round: Table 18

Second round: Table 15

Third round: Table 17

After the first two rounds, players took a break to replenish their strength before continuing the struggle.

At the start of the third round, it was announced that winners of this round would receive a special prize. Additionally, Raúl Perfecto (Prince of Zaragoza) shared an emotional announcement about an initiative led by the Spanish player community to raise funds for victims of the torrential rains that hit Valencia on October 29. Copies of a fundraising card were distributed among several Methuselahs to share with players in their respective communities.

Once the third round concluded, the general standings and finalists were announced via the event website. In the larger conference room, prizes were awarded to non-finalist players, followed by a raffle for additional prizes among participants who had not won awards.

While preparations for the final round were underway in the smaller room, many players took the opportunity to play casual games, which continued until the conference rooms officially closed.

 

FINAL

The finalist Methuselahs, in order of ranking, were as follows:

1. Miguel Vega Piniella – 3 GW, 9 VP
2. Ruben Feldman – 2 GW, 9.5 VP
3. Rubén Vidaña – 2 GW, 8.5 VP
4. Martin Weinmayer – 2 GW, 7 VP
5. Jaddou Nasra – 2 GW, 6.5 VP

And the seating order was as follows:

The final was live-streamed and can be watched on YouTube.

Martin Weinmeyer’s comments on the final:

As expected, my position as the 4th seed wasn’t exactly ideal. (Note to self: aim for a higher seed next time you try to win a Grand Prix. 😅) My seating placed me with Matasuntha as my prey and the infamous Ravnos Clown Car as my grandprey.

The problem with the Clown Car deck is that if you don’t shut it down early, it eventually reaches a point where ousting it becomes nearly impossible. To secure the game win, I needed to oust both my prey and the Clown Car. This resulted in a slow, tightrope-like game where I had to let my prey keep the Clown Car in check while carefully managing my own position.

Meanwhile, the top seed, a !Tremere deck, put a lot of pressure on the Ravnos Anarch bleed deck. The latter found itself in trouble against my arsenal of 16 bleed-bounce cards, which made bleeding me a nightmare.

At one point, I offered Rubén (playing the Ravnos Anarch bleed deck) a Life Boon in exchange for his help in ousting my prey. With few other options to shift the table dynamics, he agreed. Unfortunately, Matasuntha proved too strong for our plans, blocking every bleed attempt and sending everyone to torpor. Over the course of the game, Matasuntha generated about 10 pool thanks to her incredible ability, completely frustrating any attempts to break through.

While it was a bit disheartening to lose to her, I was genuinely impressed by the deck’s synergy and the creative card combinations. Both the top seed (!Tremere) and the Matasuntha player are from Asturias, in northern Spain—a fantastic showing for their region.

Congratulations to the winner and all the finalists for an amazing game!

The tournament winning deck: “Lerne & CO” by Miguel Vega

Crypt (12 cards)
4x Lernean 10 AUS CEL DOM THA for pro cardinal Tremere antitribu:4
3x Orlando Oriundus 9 AUS DOM THA obf bishop Tremere antitribu:4
2x Ladislas Toth, The Torch 7 AUS DOM THA for archbishop Tremere antitribu:3
1x Eric Kressida 8 AUS DOM PRO THA cel bishop Tremere antitribu:4
1x Frondator 5 AUS dom tha bishop Tremere antitribu:4
1x Selena 6 AUS DOM THA Tremere antitribu:3

Library (90 cards)
Master (19; 7 trifle)
1x Black Forest Base
1x Coven, The
1x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Erciyes Fragments, The
1x Fortitude
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Jake Washington
1x Monastery of Shadows
1x Sudden Reversal
1x Vessel
4x Villein
1x Wider View
1x Zillah's Valley

Action (17)
1x Abbot
1x Biothaumaturgic Experiment
1x Dominate Kine
1x Far Mastery
7x Govern the Unaligned
1x Magic of the Smith
3x Scouting Mission
2x Under Siege

Political Action (4)
2x Banishment
1x Reinforcements
1x Reins of Power

Ally (2)
1x Carlton Van Wyk
1x Mylan Horseed

Equipment (4)
1x Bowl of Convergence
1x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Ivory Bow
1x Seal of Veddartha

Retainer (1)
1x Mr. Winthrop

Action Modifier (19)
1x Daring the Dawn
1x Enkil Cog
2x Forced March
3x Foreshadowing Destruction
7x Freak Drive
4x Mirror Walk
1x Seduction

Action Modifier/Reaction (1)
1x Murmur of the False Will

Combat (3)
2x Theft of Vitae
1x Wind Dance

Reaction (20)
5x Deflection
5x Eyes of Argus
3x My Enemy's Enemy
2x Obedience
2x On the Qui Vive
1x Redirection
2x Telepathic Misdirection

Many thanks to everyone for coming and making this a memorable event!

Event sponsored by: