Ventrue in today's meta

Hello, fellow Kindred!

I would like to ask you for advice. I am a new player coming into the SF East Bay scene which seems to be almost non-existent post-covid. However, I would like to learn the game with a deck that may not be top tier but still viable for potential tournaments.

Based on quizzes, lore, and art, I like Ventrue as my clan. I can see that Ventrue used to play the Lawfirm archetype (vote-bleed-Freak Drive-repeat), and it was very successful, but these glory days were many years ago.

Please share your thoughts on the current Ventrue deck that can be at least Tier 2 in vacuum (I don't know anything about local metagame). I would like to use the most recently printed Vampires, particularly since some of them have obfuscate. What is the most promising deck direction? Or maybe I should switch to a clan with a similar flavor but better cards available?

Morlin wrote:

Hello, fellow Kindred!

I would like to ask you for advice. I am a new player coming into the SF East Bay scene which seems to be almost non-existent post-covid. However, I would like to learn the game with a deck that may not be top tier but still viable for potential tournaments.

Based on quizzes, lore, and art, I like Ventrue as my clan. I can see that Ventrue used to play the Lawfirm archetype (vote-bleed-Freak Drive-repeat), and it was very successful, but these glory days were many years ago.

Please share your thoughts on the current Ventrue deck that can be at least Tier 2 in vacuum (I don't know anything about local metagame). I would like to use the most recently printed Vampires, particularly since some of them have obfuscate. What is the most promising deck direction? Or maybe I should switch to a clan with a similar flavor but better cards available?

If you wish to *win*, then unfortunately you'll have tough time ahead with ventrue. However if you stick with the current underdog and manage to pull things off, each small victory is all the sweeter for it.

I'm going to leave two recent tournament winning deck links that others have piloted with either heavy or full new ventrue setup.

Hopefully they'll inspire you to make something for your own, and if things fail, just remember going left with DOM/FOR while constantly bouncing is perfectly valid. There are old DOM action modifiers that deal large block denial and well placed Kiss of Ra followed by Graverobbing will bring the number of blockers down to where they can be managed.

vdb.im/decks/11151

vdb.im/decks/10300

I'll also toss this here as while it's about new Salubri powerbleed, many things due to DOM/FOR apply for ventrue as well. codex-of-the-damned.org/en/archetypes/new-kids/salubri-powerbleed.html

If you wish for politics with obf-pre route, Forgotten Labyrinths printed in malkavian new blood should help a bit with their +2 stealth. But if we're honest, with the upcoming 30th year anniversary political deck for Toreador, you'll enjoy politics much more with that. Until Sleeping Mind is reprinted the current unlock & attempt to block heavy meta will block enough even with block denial and small obf stealth. So proxy those for ventrue either way or go with upcoming grand ball toreador politics.

But never fear, you can always just toss some funny things you like to play to a deck and still almost get to national finals with it having fun while playing is the point after all...

EDIT: In case you've never used VDB.im before, you can click the individual cards, then hover over the sets to see where they've been printed and in what quantity in more understandable text form, smeeag's contribution for vtes has really become excellent.

Hey Morlin, just thought I'd let you know that there is an SF East Bay VTES group that still gets together for games here and there. Our numbers have dwindled but when we get 4 or 5 players interested we play in Berkeley usually on Friday nights but sometimes on Sundays and there is another new group that recently started in Dublin every other Thursday as well. I'm the Prince of Berkeley and my email address is on the Prince page here: www.vekn.net/vampire-elder-kindred-network/prince-list?country=US&sort=location.

Hit me up if you want to get together sometime and I'll give you details.

Thank you for your responses, they are super helpful. I am sad that the Ventrue seem to be universally hopeless, and maybe it is the time for me to take a look at other clans.

But two variants that I would like to still briefly discuss:

1. Ventrue with Obfuscate. If getting through basic intercept is our genetic problem, what about crypt options like amaranth.vtes.co.nz/cardimagesold/alicechen.jpg?4Alice Chen and amaranth.vtes.co.nz/cardimagesold/queenanne6.jpg?4 Queen Anne from Group 6, plus amaranth.vtes.co.nz/cardimagesold/grahamgottesman.jpg?4Graham Gottesman from Group 5. Use Obfuscate cards and do the Lawfirm thing. How viable can this variant be?

2. Ventrue Powerbleed with block denial in Seduction and Approximation of Loyalty. Thank you, Kilrauko, for pointing me at Salubri powerbleed, why don't Ventrue try something like this? Our Dominate is still fantastic, in a block-heavy meta people don't play Archon Investigation, why don't we just try to lunge for 5-6 with Govern + Conditioning?

Thank you for answers and proving me naive ))