2011-06-12 Sydney Qualifier Report

Nick wrote:

Simon loses a horde in combat with the Assamites, but bleeds Steve out.
Simon loses a horde in combat with Jann.

Michael banishes 2 of Simon's minions.

Michael also "chameleon'ed" Franesca that turn (who did one of the banishments which added insult to injury). I start one turn with 6 minions, get a vp, and start the next with 2 minions and no ability to get another as anyone that gets influenced out can be stolen! Ah VtES it's a funny game sometimes

Congrats to Disco for a well played game, from 1 pool and big problems to a lunge and then bang bang two players ousted and the game win!

Thanks to Nick for running the show, a good time was had by all.

Simon

Yeah great Tourney, great Prizes and free! Great work Nick.

As requested.

Sydney Qualifier
www.secretlibrary.info/index.php?deck=view&id=5863

Re-tweaked Version of Blacktown Qualifier (where it also made the final)
www.secretlibrary.info/index.php?deck=view&id=5848

Deck Name: All your dudes belong to me MkII
Author: Michael Tomkins
Description: Played Sydney Qualifier, 17 players, 2R+F, 1GW 3.5Vp/8, 1vp Final.

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=1 max=10 avg=7.5)
===============================================
3x Anarch Convert 1 -none- Caitiff:ANY
3x Armin Brenner 10 ani obf CEL FOR POT PRE !Brujah:4
3x Dmitra Ilyanova 9 obf CEL FOR POT PRE Brujah:5
3x Jann Berger 10 dem for CEL POT PRE Brujah:4

Library (67 cards)
==================
Master (12)
1x Anarch Railroad
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Fortitude
1x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Giant's Blood
2x Information Highway
1x New Carthage
1x Temptation of Greater Power
2x Villein
1x Waste Management Operation

Action (16)
1x Abactor
6x Anarch Secession
5x Chameleon
1x Clan Impersonation
1x Entrenching
1x Heroic Might
1x Status Perfectus, The

Political Action (10)
1x Alastor
3x Anathema
3x Banishment
1x Reinforcements
2x Revolutionary Council

Equipment (1)
1x Assault Rifle

Ally (1)
1x Mylan Horseed (Goblin)

Retainer (1)
1x Crypt's Sons

Action Modifier (18)
1x Enkil Cog
8x Forced March
4x Freak Drive
1x Smoke and Mirrors
4x Voter Captivation

Reaction (2)
2x Power of All

Combat (6)
1x Death of My Conscience, The
1x Diversion
1x Earthshock
1x Hell-for-Leather
1x Scourge of Alecto
1x Superior Mettle

Created with Secret Library v0.9.3. (Jun 15, 2011 12:36:40)

Intercept, big Vamps and to a lessor extent allies/imbued are this deck weaknesses, none of which were at the tourney.

Mostly this deck Bloats, and Bloats fast. Dmitra keeps her title (for Alastor, Anathema and TotGP), her inbuild is crucial to getting a second Chameleon off. AB and JB go Anarch with Anarch Secession and steal vamps with Chameleon. Bring out Jann or Armin, then Dmitra, then the other Vamp (if things are going well). Need the freak/forced because by turn 5 the best vamps are safe until they are banished.

The Anarch converts are in for a Power of all or chump blocker to protect stars, Players tend to ignore a 1 cap.

Any of the anarch cards can be recycled back in with Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Revolutionary council did 20 pool damage on the day and was recycled twice. My predator in the final didn't bring a second vamp out until turn 8 (when he had Ivory bow and intercept).

Called 2 Anathemas and no Alastor all day, no one cashed in the Anathemas. Anathemas are to try and handle 11/10 Caps, didn't see a big vamp deck all day. Dmitra's inbuilt vote helped, it can be used for bloating back the baron, or for deals on the table if I need other things to happen.

Baron titles through Fee Stakes are Harder to get (anyone can block) and harder to keep (vote removal). Anarch Secession can only be blocked by a Titled vampire, and cant be removed.

Cards that are coming out.
1x Entrenching
1x Fortitude
1x Clan Impersonation (intention was to change clan to original sect and then ASeccession any Prince/AB, didn't happen)
Combat Module
Other non-essential cards to get it down to 60

Cards that are going in
1x Abactor
~3 Chameleon (when I get them)
1x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Power of All
2 skill cards either JB or AB or Gustav Breidenstein can play.
1x Dmitra (probably getting 1 each of Jann and Gustav, 3 Anarch Converts, 3 Armin)
Majesty/Resist Earth's Grasp module

Thanks all for the congrats! Nick hosted a great tournament; all three games I played were great fun, even when I was having my arse handed to me

The tourney from my perspective:

First round was a four-player table, where I had the misfortune of sitting next to an Akunanse / No Secrets deck. The permanent intercept to my right did me few favours, and I spent most of the game battling from a minion-weak, pool-poor position. My prey had actually bolstered me by rescuing me a couple of times (he was happy to have an inoffensive predator), but I couldn't quite make the lunge necessary to oust him. Unsuprisingly, 0 vps here.

Second round was a five-player table, and with only two qualifying rounds and four tables in play, I knew a game win and 2-3VP would be essential to making the final table. I had a good draw of cards - Dreams, an Ashur Tablet and Info H'way both in my opening hand - and I was able to get minions up fast and oust my initial prey. My predator, Ivor, was a Ventrue voter that had succumbed to a combat deck in the earlier round, but Ivor's predator was that pesky Akunanse deck again. My new prey was a Giovanni/Hordes deck that had Ambrosius already equipped with Talbot's Chainsaw. I knew I didn't have a chance to get past his permanent rush, so I promptly started making deals in all directions. The Giovanni were wary of the Ventrue votes and I was concerned about facing the Magaji again, so we made a Faustian pact to weaken the other side of the table. This would put my prey in a stronger position, but remove the other vote deck off the table and weaken the intercept deck, so I figured it'd work well. The Ventrue reacted by launching votes at both myself and the Giovanni, on the proviso that I'd oust the necromancers. I had enough cards in hand to do it, following the Ventrue's cross-table votes, so I got the second VP for the table. The table timed out after several tense rounds, and I ended wih 2.5 VP and the GW; just enough to squeeze the final in 5th place.

The final table saw me sitting between Chris Arthur's Gangrel weenie toolbox and Simon's Giovanni deck. I had no chance against the Giovanni's Shambling Hordes, so purposefully put myself on dangerously low pool so that he wouldn't be tempted to rush backward. The strategy worked, although any attempt to boost my pool was thwarted by my Villeins being Suddened. Simon made the first oust, against Steve H's Assamites that had struggled to make a dent in Michael's minion-stealing bloat machine (for my money, the most interesting deck of the day).
Simon was now up against the cross-table Chameleon deck, which promptly stole a Giovanni, banished another and burned a couple of the Hordes. I was itching to move forward but was instead reduced to 1 pool by the Gangrel, a situation that wasn't helped by my second Villein being Suddened, leaving me unable to play my third Ashur Tablet... my plan to gain 10 pool in a turn and wall up was gone! Thankfully, the table suspected I had a DI in my hand (I'd debated cancelling a Delaying Tactics a few turns earlier with a Hall of Hades' Court, without announcing the name of the card - my predator had unsurprisingly assumed it was a Direct Intervention and held off on the killing blow).
Not having much choice, I lunged forward and surprisingly managed to oust the Giovanni. The Gangrel were knocked out the following turn, and it came down to me and Michael. I bled him down to 4 with a Pulsed Lydia (tapping the first of his two untapped minions with a Recurring Contemplation), untapped her, tried a KRC but failed to pull it off against his mass of votes, but top-decked Recurring and Quicksilver Contemplation and bled successfully with al-Muntathir and Andre 'token weenie' LeRoux. Huzzah!

The deck's performance varied wildly from game to game, but the flexibility of certain cards - Perfect Paragon and Recurring Contemplation in particular - were essential to victory.

cheers all,

Disco Stu / Stewart MacLeod

Disco_Stu wrote:

Not having much choice, I lunged forward and surprisingly managed to oust the Giovanni.

I had no one with dominate left after the AI, banishment, and chameleon so despite having a deflection and wake in hand I had no one to play it - hate it when that happens

I've seen that Chameleon deck in action. I know it seems silly and janky, but it is focused and effective, and quite original. A really cool deck.

Really? Wow, I didn't notice the lack of DOM, although it makes sense in retrospect. I just figured I was incredibly lucky that turn