What makes a clan strong?

Not to mention combat options are crap, and require specific conditions to be meet AND have no way around s:ce. AND even when played in a good way, it's not that good and cost you blood.

Updated.

BLEED (Tactic #1):
Tier 1: Dementation, Dominate, Presence
Tier 2: Abombwe, Chimerstry, Daimoinon, Serpentis, Vicissitude
Tier 3: Animalism, Auspex, Obfuscate, Quietus
[Old Friends costs blood and isn't replaced.]

POLITICS (Tactic #2):
Tier 1: Melpominee, Presence
Tier 2: Auspex, Daimoinon, Obfuscate
Tier 3: Chimerstry, Dementation, Dominate, Protean
[Holding firm on Chimerstry. Shared Nightmare is an action, requires younger vampires, and only targets predator or prey.]

DELIVERY (Tactic #3):
Tier 1: Chimerstry, Dementation, Mytherceria, Obeah, Obfuscate, Obtenebration, Protean
Tier 2: Daimoinon, Fortitude, Melpominee, Necromancy, Quietus, Vicissitude
Tier 3: Abombwe, Celerity, Dominate, Serpentis, Thanatosis
[Dai/For/Mel/Nec/Qui have block fails modifiers. Vic has two stealth mods with good options.]

RESTRAINT (Tactic #4):
Tier 1: Auspex, Spiritus
Tier 2: Abombwe, Animalism
Tier 3: Chimerstry, Necromancy, Obtenebration, Protean, Quietus, Visceratika

MULTI-ACT/REACT (Tactic #5):
Tier 1: Fortitude, Temporis
Tier 2: Animalism, Auspex, Protean, Serpentis
Tier 3: Abombwe, Celerity, Presence, Quietus, Sanguinus
[Trying to stick with actions, modifiers and reactions. Presence is Tier 3 because of Mind Numb. Majesty is Tier 1 combat.]

COMBAT (Tactic #6):
Tier 1: Animalism, Celerity, Daimonion, Fortitude, Necromancy, Obeah, Potence, Presence, Protean, Thaumaturgy, Vicissitude
Tier 2: Abombwe, Chimerstry, Obfuscate, Obtenebration, Quietus, Sanguinus, Thanatosis, Valeren, Visceratika
Tier 3: Auspex, Dementation, Dominate, Melpominee, Mytherceria, Serpentis, Spiritus
[Obfuscate up to T2. Sanguinus back in T2 (missed the "same circle" cards in ARDB). Serpentis has lots of combat cards, but most of them suck. Not interested in breakdown of combat because combat sucks as a tactic. Focus on making the important stuff better.]

Lech wrote:

Sure, sucks balls and is the worst discipline...

That used to be the case. Quietus is not the worst any more since the additions of Black Sunrise, Loss and Blood Awakening, and to a lesser degree Selective Silence and Deed the Heart's Desire.

I'd give the worst discipline honor to Thanatosis. Of the non-Bloodlines disciplines, I'd say Abombwe is the worst.

Louhi wrote:

A bit of sidetrack, hope it doesn't derail too much: The combat that actually is worthwhile appears to be ANI, allies and possibly guns. Most combat-disciplines are usually shock full of (combat) payload but few people consider the delivery. Good delivery makes you do much damage, preferably while taking little back and with FEW cards.

The explanation is a bit lacking. Aid from bat + Carrion crow alone does not that much damage ; by the same trend, Death of my Conscience + Taste of vitae should be better and is almost never played.

Additional reason is that most combat card should be good alone to fit with "modern" play. Just one Aid or just one Carrion Crow can be enough to be troublesome, while, for example, increased strength + throw gate see the increased strength wasted if it alone. That's also the case in classic !ventrue grinder combat or Breath of the dragon / Chiroptean Marauder decks.

It's all about "short chain combat". How much damage can you do or prevent in as few cards as possible with as little blood cost.

Bats/Crows is great because for two free cards you inflict 3 damage with a maneuver and an optional press for 2 more damage.

Environmental damage is extremely powerful since almost no strike cards can prevent it.

As for Death of My Conscience, it's not a close example because the costs of those two cards are vastly different. DoMC is interesting only because you can play it after Immortal Grapple is chosen. Still a bad card, but your point is valid: damage dealt by card combos is not necessarily the best indicator of power.

Ohlmann wrote:

The explanation is a bit lacking. Aid from bat + Carrion crow alone does not that much damage ; by the same trend, Death of my Conscience + Taste of vitae should be better and is almost never played.

Additional reason is that most combat card should be good alone to fit with "modern" play. Just one Aid or just one Carrion Crow can be enough to be troublesome, while, for example, increased strength + throw gate see the increased strength wasted if it alone. That's also the case in classic !ventrue grinder combat or Breath of the dragon / Chiroptean Marauder decks.

You're right and I'll try to clarify what I meant. Good combat nowadays is not about doing massive damage since that's usually not needed in 'modern' play. It's about doing very reliable damage without wasting too much deck space or blood from actual ousting. And most of all, the biggest separator between good and bad combat are the factors outside of combat. Deep song lets you bleed as well. Allies can, once employed, block or enter combat without wasting important actions or cards. Guns are permanent as well, once equipped or concealed.