I need just the right deck....

Over the weekend I came to the conclusion that the best deck must have some amount of intercept, stealth, and powerful "get out of combat" cards. Bounce isn't necessary, but it helps. I don't want minions that are too big because it means I have to build a whole infrastructure to support getting them out, paying for them, protecting them and getting more high caps than I rightfully should.

A few ideas:
-Carna with aus/AUS dom THA friends. Mirror walk, conditioning, govern, telepathic misdirection, deflection, theft and/or Rigo Motus. Carna has permacept and other guys can use TM for some if they need to. I have a deck similar to this, but it tries to bring out some equipment, blood farm from guys it gets into combat with and is generally toolboxy. Bad against stealth vote, weenies.

-Mariel, Lady Thunder plus aus dom THA guys in group 1-2. Similar to above, but features some cloak, veil, and Mariel's special. Maybe add Elysium: Arboretum and PB: Zurich? Combat would be more prevent + press to end, when I allow it to happen.

-!Brujah with obt. Jacko, Sela, etc block, bruise and fight. Poor for bouncing (there is a splash of dom), good at fighting. Alternately, Jacko anarch deck with a good helping of Power of One. Not really strong intercept and suffers against hit-back.

One caveat: I have to be able to either stealth by or sufficiently punish No Secrets decks. I hate them with the intensity of a thousand suns.

Ideas? My impression is that the last deck wins the most style points, but would it work?

Well you could try this, its one of the more toolboxy decks I have made that tends to work fairly well and fills all the criteria you put.

Crypt:
3x Devin Bisley
3x Caliban
2x Corine Marcon
4x Meshenka

Library: 90

Master: 8
4x Blood Doll
3x Rötschreck
1x Giant's Blood

Action: 14
2x Abbot
1x Army of Rats
7x Deep Song
4x Fiendish Tongue

Action Modifier: 17
8x Changeling
5x Mind of the Wilds
4x Plasmic Form

Combat: 27
10x Breath of the Dragon
6x Carrion Crows
11x Chiropteran Marauder

Equipment: 1
1x Bowl of Convergence

Reaction: 23
5x Cats' Guidance
1x Enhanced Senses
7x Eyes of Argus
4x Sense the Savage Way
2x Spirit's Touch
4x Telepathic Misdirection

Necromancy covers stealth, light intercept, combat ends, aggro poke, and block fails to get rid of No Secrets.
Depending on which necro clan you choose, you can also get Aus for intercept and bounce, and/or Dom for bleed and bounce.

The design of the rest of this deck is left as an exercise for the reader.

I would go with Carna and friends.
If your environment has lots of weenies, the smaller friends can use the old "Atonement and a gun." Good name for a deck, btw.
Aranthebes is also nice, but you already know that.
Against stealth vote - Bowl of Convergence and some Delaying Tactics should be enough. Maybe a couple copies of that Valerius version that denies .
The deck protects you well, kicks back and has good offense as well.
Toolboxy enough to fit lots of different situations. My favorite of all your choices.

About the with :
In the '09 EC at Palma (my first tournament outside of Portugal ever), my first predator was none other than Matt Morgan with a deck like that that took advantage of Hell-for-Leather and Fame for 5 instant pool damage.
Nothing' fancy, but effective.

Cheers!
Tiago

Mael wrote:

Necromancy covers stealth, light intercept, combat ends, aggro poke, and block fails to get rid of No Secrets.
Depending on which necro clan you choose, you can also get Aus for intercept and bounce, and/or Dom for bleed and bounce.

The design of the rest of this deck is left as an exercise for the reader.

I could see doing Le Dinh Tho + maybe harbingers, but I don't have any copies of him. The closest thing I have is Raful al-Zarqa, who is good but not as strong in combat and has a different sort of special.

Ravnos were an idea that came up. I don't have copies of Illusions of the Kindred for the uber combat trump, but I do have some red herring and other chi cards. Chimeristry costs so much blood, can anyone do it but Gabrin?

You don't need illusions, Ravnos have lots of combat options between animalism, chimerstry, and fortitude.