Giovanni - Spiritual Guidance

I've played with this deck yesterday but don't have anything substancial to report. It was just one game and I was screwed from the begining. My first vampire (Ignazio) was cross-table stolen with Chameleon. That gave some time for my prey to setup his maleficia. When I was ready to do some actions all important ones were canceled with evil eye. Additionally I didn't draw any rushes (and Ignazio was stolen, so no built-in rush). To sum it up I didn't played a lot of cards. Decks need some more changes in proportions.
As I side note I can add I was happy with spiritual guidance on my first hand together with some other combat cards (including prevents). This gave me some sense of security with war ghouls on my back. But that's for sure not enough to say that spiritual guidance is tournament level card. I will play it some more soon I hope.

after some mods
Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 16, Max: 36, Avg: 6,83)

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1 Almodo Giovanni dom pot 3 Giovanni
1 Baldesar Rossellini aus for nec DOM POT8 Giovanni
2 Benedict Giovanni cel dom FOR nec POT6 Giovanni
1 Don Michael Antonio Giovanni DOM NEC POT 7 Giovanni
4 Ignazio Giovanni obf DOM FOR NEC POT9 Giovanni
1 Lisandro Giovanni DOM FOR NEC POT THN9 Giovanni
1 Nunzio Giovanni nec pot 3 Giovanni
1 Primo Giovanni dom nec pot 4 Giovanni

Library: (90 cards)

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Master (12 cards)
1 Blood Doll
1 Direct Intervention
2 Dreams of the Sphinx
1 Fame
1 Giant`s Blood
2 Monster
1 Pentex(TM) Subversion
1 Powerbase: Cape Verde
2 Villein

Action (21 cards)
2 Ambush
8 Bum`s Rush
8 Govern the Unaligned
3 Sudario Refraction

Action Modifier (7 cards)
2 Conditioning
4 Freak Drive
1 Trochomancy

Reaction (9 cards)
6 Deflection
1 Delaying Tactics
2 On the Qui Vive

Combat (37 cards)
2 Disarm
8 Immortal Grapple
3 Rolling with the Punches
3 Slam
4 Spiritual Guidance
1 Superior Mettle
5 Taste of Vitae
1 Thrown Sewer Lid
8 Torn Signpost
2 Unflinching Persistence

Ally (3 cards)
1 Gianna di Canneto
1 Giulia Giovanni Abruzzina
1 Mylan Horseed (Goblin)

Equipment (1 cards)
1 Heart of Nizchetus

Lemminkäinen wrote:

Ashur wrote:

PetriWessman wrote:

In that case, please elaborate, based on your *actual experiences*, what's wrong with it.

... but of course, you haven't done that.

I have played one hundred million games with the card. No one hundred billion games. One hundred gazillion games. I am also a thinking person, that can draw conclusions based on mathematics and 20 years of playing this game.

You are also wrong.

If you actually tested the card, you might see how wrong you are.

It sucks because it doesn´t do anything early game and not even certain to do something late game (especially if you already have removed cards by playing it earlier). I´d play 1-2 top, but a card that actually do something early game is better.

The fact is that the combat package of the presented deck would be a lot worse if your advice was followed. It is easy to cycle on a Torn Signpost if needed but when actually used it provides you the missing piece from the wide selection of combat cards that this deck uses. A Torn Signpost, an Immortal Grapple, a Taste of Vitae, a maneuver, whatever.

Sorry

i have tested this one few days ago and frankly you both are right.
i played 6 pieces in guileme anarch rush deck.
i did discard one of them at game start pretty soon (2nd or 3rd round)
i did not discard another one as i was having hand size of 11 and it was still increasing, on the other hand if i would play deck that do not increase hand size 'permanently' i would drop at least another 1 copy maybe even 2.
it helped me a lot when i met ANI combat later in game and dig out thrown sewer lid so i get 'press to end combat'
other than that i dig out 2x taste of vitae.

in second game i dropped 3 of them as i was only one playing combat on the table and there was no need for more and/or recycled combat cards (got stuck with almost complete combat card hand for 2 turns)

this recycling definitively affect your deck building and is causing you to rethink what do you include inside. it forced me to really rethink whole combat engine used in deck and work on balance in card counts. need more testing for this one.

i have noticed one really great fact... you can cycle it out of hand right away in first combat you are in... so at least you have some chance to avoid hand jam with them.
torn signpost... spiritual guidance and let's play that same torn signpost again...

I've played one more casual game with this deck yesterday. I manage to get 2-2 split. It's still to early to say something definitely about spiritual guidance but my observations from the games are:
1. it's good in small to medium quantity. I've played 4 copies in 90 cards deck and didn't discard even one. Every time I've played it it was for a good effect.
2. If you're going to play giovanni combat you should include some copies.
3. On the other hand, this card alone is probably not enough to make it worthy to play giovanni combat on serious tournament
4. It's really fun and good to play it in casual games.

As for the deck itself it still needs some tweaks, it's really fun to play but not good enough for big tournaments. Which wasn't a big surprise, it's toolbox combat after all

last version:

Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 16, Max: 36, Avg: 6,83)

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1 Almodo Giovanni dom pot 3 Giovanni
1 Baldesar Rossellini aus for nec DOM POT8 Giovanni
2 Benedict Giovanni cel dom FOR nec POT6 Giovanni
1 Don Michael Antonio Giovanni DOM NEC POT 7 Giovanni
4 Ignazio Giovanni obf DOM FOR NEC POT9 Giovanni
1 Lisandro Giovanni DOM FOR NEC POT THN9 Giovanni
1 Nunzio Giovanni nec pot 3 Giovanni
1 Primo Giovanni dom nec pot 4 Giovanni

Library: (90 cards)

---

Master (13 cards)
1 Direct Intervention
2 Dreams of the Sphinx
1 Fame
1 Giant`s Blood
2 Monster
2 Pentex(TM) Subversion
1 Powerbase: Cape Verde
3 Villein

Action (21 cards)
2 Ambush
8 Bum`s Rush
8 Govern the Unaligned
3 Sudario Refraction

Action Modifier (6 cards)
2 Conditioning
4 Freak Drive

Reaction (9 cards)
6 Deflection
1 Delaying Tactics
2 On the Qui Vive

Combat (37 cards)
2 Disarm
8 Immortal Grapple
3 Rolling with the Punches
2 Slam
4 Spiritual Guidance
1 Superior Mettle
5 Taste of Vitae
2 Thrown Sewer Lid
8 Torn Signpost
2 Unflinching Persistence

Ally (3 cards)
1 Gianna di Canneto
1 Giulia Giovanni Abruzzina
1 Mylan Horseed (Goblin)

Equipment (1 cards)
1 Heart of Nizchetus

alek wrote:

I've played one more casual game with this deck yesterday. I manage to get 2-2 split. It's still to early to say something definitely about spiritual guidance but my observations from the games are:
1. it's good in small to medium quantity. I've played 4 copies in 90 cards deck and didn't discard even one. Every time I've played it it was for a good effect.
2. If you're going to play giovanni combat you should include some copies.
3. On the other hand, this card alone is probably not enough to make it worthy to play giovanni combat on serious tournament
4. It's really fun and good to play it in casual games.

As for the deck itself it still needs some tweaks, it's really fun to play but not good enough for big tournaments. Which wasn't a big surprise, it's toolbox combat after all

I dont ever play strictly Giovanni combat, so I think thats what worries me about this card. Ignazio is a given, then in g3 Earl. G2 has vittorio but also vincent day fits ok, and g4 has benedict, but there are other "auto include" vamps, namely Lorrie Dunsirn. My concern is more than 2 spiritual guidance in a deck of not storyline-cincentration Giovanni means its a liability.
Now, I run specific "rush, bleed, bounce, multiact, prevent damage" plans in giovanni combat, so maybe a more toolboxy, less face crushing approach benefits more? If you pack 8 spiritual intervention, a few lids, an equipment breaker, etc, maybe you like it more. Or Thaum Giovanni could do neat stuff, but again, tremere and lord Vauxall are ideal support out of clan.
Only time will tell, I guess...

Deck looks solid, for what its worth.

(Also, weenies disarming and graverobbing may like this card...)