TWD and report - Ropecon 2026 "30 Years of VTES" Grand Prix (July 25th, Finland)
31 Jul 2026 09:59 - 31 Jul 2026 10:14 #117489
by PetriWessman
TWD and report - Ropecon 2026 "30 Years of VTES" Grand Prix (July 25th, Finland) was created by PetriWessman
Ropecon 2026 "30 Years of VTES" Grand Prix
Ropecon 2026 gaming convention, Messukeskus, Helsinki, Finland
Saturday July 25th, 2026
3R+F
48 players
Bram Van Stappen
www.vekn.net/event-calendar/event/13382
(see end of this post for the deck lists of the other finalists)
The Ropecon 2026 VTES tournament was a Grand Prix event this year, and with the label "30 Years of VTES" it also marked the 30th year we've run VTES tournaments at Ropecon -- a nice milestone. We got a total of 48 players this year, from 6 different nationalities, battling it out over the long day to determine the GP winner.
To celebrate the "party like it's '94!" theme we actually had two players with all-Jyhad decks (both with Malk '94 variants), very nice! In addition to those, we had a grand total of 11 Gangrel decks, a totally ridiculous percentage -- 7 were anarch Gangrel, most of the rest were Stanislava decks. The rest of the decks had very nice variance, with all sorts of deck types represented, both old known archetypes and new V5 shenanigans.
The final round featured three pure vote decks, one anarch Gangrel deck, and one (Quietus!) Assamite/Banu bleed deck with guns. Bram managed to pilot his weenie Toreador voter to decisive victory, with about 9 minutes left on the game clock. See below for a condensed transcript of the final round.
The finalists were as follows:
Final table order was: Jani → Otso → Teemu → Bram → Tommi.
The following is a (very) condensed summary based on my quick notes (which may or may not be accurate). I've only included main events and left out most blood gain stuff (Villeins etc), combat details, vote details, most block attempt/stealth stuff, etc.
-Petri "Orava" Wessman
Round 1:
Jani plays Ashur, Bran brings out Mateo Garcia, Tommi brings out Nathan Turner.
Round 2:
Jani brings out Abd al Rashid, Otso brings out Diana Iadanza, Teemu plays Giant's Blood on Abd. Bram plays a Praxis Seizure on Mateo (passes), brings out Maila. Tommi plays a Thing and brings out Kuyen.
Round 3:
Jani plays Priority Contract on Diana and Haqim's Law: Retribution. Abd rushes Diana, no effect (attempt to get .44 DI'ed by Otso). Diana calls Parity Shift from Teemu (passes). Teemu brings out Juliet Parr. Bram plays Coven, Maila calls Camarilla's Iron Fist (4-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Mateo calls CIF (same terms, passes). Bram brings out Bret Stryker. Tommi plays Papillon, Kuyen plays Thing, bring out Andre the Manipulator.
Round 4:
Jani plays Haqim's Law:R, Abd rushes Diana but gets Majesty. Bring out Jalal Sayad. Otso plays Camarilla Conclave, brings out Flavio Goncalves. Teemu's Juliet plays Scouting Mission superior, bring out Belinde. Bram's Bret calls Praxis Seizure (passes), Maila calls CIF (4-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Mateo calls Con Boon (passes), bring out Massimo Falconi. Tommi plays Garibaldi and a Thing, Kyuen gets Heart of Nizchetus, Andre goes Anarch.
Round 5:
Jani plays Ashur, Abd rushes Diana again and gets a .44, this time Diana goes to torpor and Priority Contract is burned. Bleed for 2, bring out Zahir, Hand of the Silsila. Otso plays Ashur, Flavio rescues Diana, Diana calla CIF (4-1 this time on Tommi-Teemu due to table agreements), bring out Mkhokheli. Teemu's Juliet bleeds. Bram plays Creepshow Casino, Bret calls CIF (4-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Mateo calls KRC (3-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Massimo calls Con Boon (passes), bring out Silvian Popescu. Tommi plays Ennoia's Theater, Andre plays Fee Stake.
Round 6:
Jani plays a new Priority Contract on Diana and a Haqim's Law:R. Abd rushed Diana again, Diana goes to torpor and PC burns. Zahir rushes Flavio into torpor, Jalal gets a .44. Otso plays Ashur, Mkhokheli rescues Diana, Flavio leaves torpor. Teemo's Belinde bleeds. Bram plays Art Museum, Mateo calls Con Boon (fails), Maila calls KRC (2-2), Tommi is ousted (with 1:03 left on clock).
Round 7:
Jani plays 3rd Ashur, Abd rushes Diana into torpor, Jalal bleeds for 4, Zahir does same. Otso plays Parthenon and Dreams, Mkhokheli rescues Diana (again), Diana hunts with Forced March and calls CIF (4-1 Teemu-Jani, passes). Teemu's Juliet calls Parity Shift from Otso (fails). Bram plays Ashur, Con Boon is called (passes), Silvian calls Praxis Seizure (fails), some bleeds of 1 happen, bring out Valentina Osako.
Round 8:
Jani plays Ashur, Abd bleeds for 4, Zahir does the same. Otso plays Bleeding the Vine, Mkhokheli calls KRC (3-1 Teemu-Jani), Teemu is ousted (0:39 left on clock). Flavio calls Parity Shift from Bram (passes), Diana does the same. Bram plays Ashur, Valentina calls Toreador Justicar (passes, contested title), some bleeds for 1 happen.
Round 9:
Jani plays Ashur, Jalal rushes Mkhokheli into torpor, Abd rushes Diana into torpor, Zahir bleeds for 2. Otso's Flavio calls Banishment on Valentina (passes), bring out Modius. Bram bleeds for 1 with some minions, Silvian calls Praxis Seizure (passes), bring Valentina back.
Round 10:
Jani's Jalal rushes Flavio, blocked by Modius who ends up in torpor. Abd bleed for 4, burns to Archon Investigation from Otso. Zahir bleeds but is blocked. Otso plays Ashur, Flavio rescues Modius and plays Forced March. Bram bleeds for 1 with some minions, Maila calls KRC (3-1, passes), Jani is ousted (0:09 left on clock). Otso concedes the game.
Finalist Decklists
(Bram's deck is at start of this post)
Jani Malmi
Teemu Pulkkinen
Otso Saariluoma
Tommi Hakomaa
Ropecon 2026 gaming convention, Messukeskus, Helsinki, Finland
Saturday July 25th, 2026
3R+F
48 players
Bram Van Stappen
www.vekn.net/event-calendar/event/13382
Deck Name: Antti's woodchopping and blueberries selecting practice
Author: Gotcha
Crypt (13 cards, min=12 max=24 avg=4.54)
========================================
4x Maila 6 AUS PRE cel primogen Toreador:6
1x Mkhokheli 6 PRE aus cel for prince Toreador:6
1x Regina Blake 5 AUS PRE Toreador:6
1x Bret Stryker 4 CEL PRE Toreador:6
1x Massimo Falconi 4 aus cel pre Toreador:6
1x Rose Abawi 4 aus obf pre Toreador:6
1x Silvian Popescu 4 PRE cel Toreador:7
1x Nik Sikko 3 cel pre Toreador:6
1x Valentina Osako 3 PRE Toreador:7
1x Mateo García 2 pre Toreador:6
Library (65 cards)
==================
Master (14; 5 trifle)
----------------------
1x Art Museum
6x Ashur Tablets
1x Coven, The
1x Creepshow Casino
1x Powerbase: Montreal
3x Villein
1x Wider View
Action (3)
-----------
3x Soul Scan
Political Action (26)
----------------------
5x Camarilla's Iron Fist
5x Consanguineous Boon
5x Kine Resources Contested
1x Praxis Seizure: Boston
1x Praxis Seizure: Chicago
1x Praxis Seizure: Cleveland
1x Praxis Seizure: Dallas
1x Praxis Seizure: Dublin
1x Praxis Seizure: Frankfurt
1x Praxis Seizure: Monaco
1x Praxis Seizure: Paris
3x Toreador Justicar
Action Modifier (17)
---------------------
4x Bewitching Oration
5x Loup
3x Perfect Paragon
5x Voter Captivation
Combat (5)
-----------
4x Majesty
1x Staredown(see end of this post for the deck lists of the other finalists)
The Ropecon 2026 VTES tournament was a Grand Prix event this year, and with the label "30 Years of VTES" it also marked the 30th year we've run VTES tournaments at Ropecon -- a nice milestone. We got a total of 48 players this year, from 6 different nationalities, battling it out over the long day to determine the GP winner.
To celebrate the "party like it's '94!" theme we actually had two players with all-Jyhad decks (both with Malk '94 variants), very nice! In addition to those, we had a grand total of 11 Gangrel decks, a totally ridiculous percentage -- 7 were anarch Gangrel, most of the rest were Stanislava decks. The rest of the decks had very nice variance, with all sorts of deck types represented, both old known archetypes and new V5 shenanigans.
The final round featured three pure vote decks, one anarch Gangrel deck, and one (Quietus!) Assamite/Banu bleed deck with guns. Bram managed to pilot his weenie Toreador voter to decisive victory, with about 9 minutes left on the game clock. See below for a condensed transcript of the final round.
The finalists were as follows:
- Jani Malmi (2 GW, 7.5 VP) - G2 Quietus Banu Haqim bleed with guns
- Teemu Pulkkinen (2 GW, 7 VP) - Malkavian vote starring Juliet Parr
- Otso Saariluoma (2 GW, 7 VP) - Toreador vote starring Diana Iadanza
- Tommi Hakomaa (2 GW, 6.5 VP) - Anarch Gangrel toolbox
- Bram Van Stappen (1 GW, 6 VP) - Weenie Toreador vote starring Maila
Final table order was: Jani → Otso → Teemu → Bram → Tommi.
The following is a (very) condensed summary based on my quick notes (which may or may not be accurate). I've only included main events and left out most blood gain stuff (Villeins etc), combat details, vote details, most block attempt/stealth stuff, etc.
-Petri "Orava" Wessman
Round 1:
Jani plays Ashur, Bran brings out Mateo Garcia, Tommi brings out Nathan Turner.
Round 2:
Jani brings out Abd al Rashid, Otso brings out Diana Iadanza, Teemu plays Giant's Blood on Abd. Bram plays a Praxis Seizure on Mateo (passes), brings out Maila. Tommi plays a Thing and brings out Kuyen.
Round 3:
Jani plays Priority Contract on Diana and Haqim's Law: Retribution. Abd rushes Diana, no effect (attempt to get .44 DI'ed by Otso). Diana calls Parity Shift from Teemu (passes). Teemu brings out Juliet Parr. Bram plays Coven, Maila calls Camarilla's Iron Fist (4-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Mateo calls CIF (same terms, passes). Bram brings out Bret Stryker. Tommi plays Papillon, Kuyen plays Thing, bring out Andre the Manipulator.
Round 4:
Jani plays Haqim's Law:R, Abd rushes Diana but gets Majesty. Bring out Jalal Sayad. Otso plays Camarilla Conclave, brings out Flavio Goncalves. Teemu's Juliet plays Scouting Mission superior, bring out Belinde. Bram's Bret calls Praxis Seizure (passes), Maila calls CIF (4-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Mateo calls Con Boon (passes), bring out Massimo Falconi. Tommi plays Garibaldi and a Thing, Kyuen gets Heart of Nizchetus, Andre goes Anarch.
Round 5:
Jani plays Ashur, Abd rushes Diana again and gets a .44, this time Diana goes to torpor and Priority Contract is burned. Bleed for 2, bring out Zahir, Hand of the Silsila. Otso plays Ashur, Flavio rescues Diana, Diana calla CIF (4-1 this time on Tommi-Teemu due to table agreements), bring out Mkhokheli. Teemu's Juliet bleeds. Bram plays Creepshow Casino, Bret calls CIF (4-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Mateo calls KRC (3-1 Tommi-Teemu, passes), Massimo calls Con Boon (passes), bring out Silvian Popescu. Tommi plays Ennoia's Theater, Andre plays Fee Stake.
Round 6:
Jani plays a new Priority Contract on Diana and a Haqim's Law:R. Abd rushed Diana again, Diana goes to torpor and PC burns. Zahir rushes Flavio into torpor, Jalal gets a .44. Otso plays Ashur, Mkhokheli rescues Diana, Flavio leaves torpor. Teemo's Belinde bleeds. Bram plays Art Museum, Mateo calls Con Boon (fails), Maila calls KRC (2-2), Tommi is ousted (with 1:03 left on clock).
Round 7:
Jani plays 3rd Ashur, Abd rushes Diana into torpor, Jalal bleeds for 4, Zahir does same. Otso plays Parthenon and Dreams, Mkhokheli rescues Diana (again), Diana hunts with Forced March and calls CIF (4-1 Teemu-Jani, passes). Teemu's Juliet calls Parity Shift from Otso (fails). Bram plays Ashur, Con Boon is called (passes), Silvian calls Praxis Seizure (fails), some bleeds of 1 happen, bring out Valentina Osako.
Round 8:
Jani plays Ashur, Abd bleeds for 4, Zahir does the same. Otso plays Bleeding the Vine, Mkhokheli calls KRC (3-1 Teemu-Jani), Teemu is ousted (0:39 left on clock). Flavio calls Parity Shift from Bram (passes), Diana does the same. Bram plays Ashur, Valentina calls Toreador Justicar (passes, contested title), some bleeds for 1 happen.
Round 9:
Jani plays Ashur, Jalal rushes Mkhokheli into torpor, Abd rushes Diana into torpor, Zahir bleeds for 2. Otso's Flavio calls Banishment on Valentina (passes), bring out Modius. Bram bleeds for 1 with some minions, Silvian calls Praxis Seizure (passes), bring Valentina back.
Round 10:
Jani's Jalal rushes Flavio, blocked by Modius who ends up in torpor. Abd bleed for 4, burns to Archon Investigation from Otso. Zahir bleeds but is blocked. Otso plays Ashur, Flavio rescues Modius and plays Forced March. Bram bleeds for 1 with some minions, Maila calls KRC (3-1, passes), Jani is ousted (0:09 left on clock). Otso concedes the game.
Finalist Decklists
(Bram's deck is at start of this post)
Jani Malmi
Deck Name: Bang of Speed
Description: Assamite Bleeder with Magnums
Crypt (12 cards, min=15 max=24 avg=5)
-------------------------------------
3x Jalal Sayad 6 CEL QUI pot Banu Haqim:2
2x Abd al-Rashid 5 CEL QUI obf Banu Haqim:2
2x Parmenides 4 CEL qui Banu Haqim:2
2x Yusuf, Scribe of Alamut 5 CEL aus obf qui Banu Haqim:2
1x Kalinda 6 CEL OBF tha Banu Haqim:2
1x Kanya Akhtar 2 cel Banu Haqim:2
1x Zahir, Hand of the Silsila 6 CEL OBF qui tha Banu Haqim:2
Library (80 cards)
Master (24; 6 trifle)
12x Ashur Tablets
5x Haqim's Law: Retribution
1x Khabar: Community, The
6x Priority Contract
Action (6)
6x Fleetness
Equipment (8)
8x .44 Magnum
Action Modifier/Combat (4)
2x Resist Earth's Grasp
2x Swallowed by the Night
Combat (38)
6x Concealed Weapon
3x Dam the Heart's River
3x Focus the Blood
5x Infernal Pursuit
9x Psyche!
8x Pursuit
4x Taste of DeathTeemu Pulkkinen
Deck Name: Parrity Shift
Author: Teemu Pulkkinen
Description: Fun with Juliet. This is based on an old Petra Resonance deck where I ditched all the big cap Ventrue and Nosferatu friends that she had.
Crypt (12 cards, min=24 max=36 avg=7.67)
========================================
5x Juliet Parr 9 AUS DOM OBF cel pot justicar Malkavian:7
2x Alexander Silverson 8 AUS DOM OBF pre prince Malkavian:6
1x Jason "Son" Newberry 7 AUS DOM OBF pre primogen Malkavian:6
2x Andi Liu 6 DOM aus obf pre prince Malkavian:6
1x Belinde 6 OBF ani aus pot prince Nosferatu:6
1x Donny Kowalczyk 6 AUS cel dom obf prince Malkavian:6
Library (90 cards)
==================
Master (15; 7 trifle)
----------------------
1x Asylum Hunting Ground
3x Camarilla Conclave
1x Coven, The
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Giant's Blood
1x Secure Haven
4x Villein
2x Wider View
Action (13)
------------
8x Govern the Unaligned
3x Judgment: Camarilla Segregation
2x Scouting Mission
Political Action (18)
----------------------
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancilla Empowerment
5x Camarilla's Iron Fist
1x Expulsion
4x Kine Resources Contested
5x Parity Shift
1x Sabbat Threat
Action Modifier (21)
---------------------
2x Cloak the Gathering
3x Elder Impersonation
3x Faceless Night
3x Forgotten Labyrinth
5x Lost in Crowds
3x Old Friends
2x Seduction
Reaction (18)
--------------
8x Deflection
4x Eyes of Argus
6x Second Tradition: Domain
Combat (5)
-----------
5x No TraceOtso Saariluoma
Deck Name: Rose Council
Author: Otso
Crypt (12 cards, min=27 max=36 avg=7.92)
========================================
4x Diana Iadanza 9 AUS CEL FOR PRE justicar Toreador:7
3x Modius 8 AUS CEL PRE obf prince Toreador:7
1x Catalina Vega 8 AUS CEL PRE for prince Toreador:6
1x Marcos Belegrad 8 AUS CEL PRE ani prince Toreador:7
1x Flávio Gonçalves 7 CEL PRE aus for prince Toreador:6
1x Maila 6 AUS PRE cel primogen Toreador:6
1x Mkhokheli 6 PRE aus cel for prince Toreador:6
Library (78 cards)
==================
Master (37; 10 trifle)
-----------------------
1x Archon Investigation
6x Ashur Tablets
1x Bleeding the Vine
2x Camarilla Conclave
1x Coven, The
1x Creepshow Casino
1x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Elysium: The Palace of Versailles
1x Giant's Blood
2x Information Highway
2x Monastery of Shadows
1x Papillon
3x Parthenon, The
7x Villein
2x Wider View
3x Zillah's Valley
Political Action (16)
----------------------
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancilla Empowerment
3x Banishment
2x Camarilla's Iron Fist
2x Kine Resources Contested
5x Parity Shift
1x Political Stranglehold
1x Rumors of Gehenna
Equipment (1)
--------------
1x Heart of Nizchetus
Action Modifier (11)
---------------------
1x Aire of Elation
1x Bewitching Oration
2x Forced March
4x Loup
1x Perfect Paragon
2x Voter Captivation
Action Modifier/Combat (1)
---------------------------
1x Resist Earth's Grasp
Action Modifier/Reaction (1)
-----------------------------
1x Scalpel Tongue
Reaction (7)
-------------
2x Eyes of Argus
1x Second Tradition: Domain
4x Telepathic Misdirection
Combat (4)
-----------
1x Charismatic Aura
3x MajestyTommi Hakomaa
Deck Name: Martin´s Gangrels
Description: Martin Weinmayer
Crypt (12 cards, min=12 max=25 avg=5)
=====================================
1x Massimiliano 7 ANI FOR pro baron Gangrel:6
2x Casey Snyder 6 PRO ani cel for baron Gangrel:6
2x Kuyén 6 ANI PRO baron Gangrel:6
1x André the Manipulator 6 FOR PRO Gangrel:5
1x Martina Srnankova 6 FOR PRO ani Gangrel:6
1x Kamile Paukstys 5 PRO ani for Gangrel:6
1x Nathan Turner 4 PRO ani Gangrel:6
1x Indira 3 PRO Gangrel:6
1x Joaquín de Cádiz 3 for pro Gangrel:6
1x Ruslan Fedorenko 2 pro Gangrel:6
Library (90 cards)
==================
Master (22; 4 trifle)
----------------------
1x Anarch Free Press, The
1x Anarch Railroad
1x Backways
2x Carfax Abbey
2x Club Illusion
2x Direct Intervention
1x Ecoterrorists
1x Ennoia's Theater
2x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Life Boon
1x Papillon
1x Powerbase: Los Angeles
1x Powerbase: Montreal
1x Rack, The
4x Villein
Action (10)
------------
1x Fee Stake: Seattle
9x Thing
Political Action (2)
---------------------
2x Revolutionary Council
Equipment (3)
--------------
2x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Sniper Rifle
Retainer (4)
-------------
1x Mr. Winthrop
3x Raven Spy
Action Modifier (5)
--------------------
1x Daring the Dawn
2x Earth Control
2x Monkey Wrench
Action Modifier/Reaction (3)
-----------------------------
3x Form of the Bat
Reaction (23)
--------------
6x Bait and Switch
8x Deep Ecology
9x Organized Resistance
Combat (18)
------------
12x Earth Meld
6x Form of MistAttachments:
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