TWD - NAC2011 - Columbus, OH, USA, June 25, 2011

Deck Name: Salmon Fishstick
Created by: Matt Morgan, based on Martin Major's deck
Description: It's rush combat with a strong master module. Master cards
are the best in the game. I'd always rather have too many than too few.
The name is because the final was won 2-1-1-1 and Fish and Stick lead the
way while Nana stayed hidden in my crypt. Fish is only in the deck to make
it count as a Guruhi deck for TWDA purposes.

Crypt [12 vampires, average capacity: 4.66667]
4x Nana Buruku ANI POT PRE 8 Guruhi:4
1x Fish ANI POT pre 5 Guruhi:4
1x Beetleman ANI obf 4 Nosferatu:4
1x Bobby Lemon ANI pro 4 Gangrel:3
1x Dolie abo ani 3 Akunanse:4
1x Stick ANI 3 Nosferatu antitribu:4
1x Mouse ani 2 Nosferatu:3
1x Zip ani 2 Ravnos:3
1x Lisa Noble ani 1 Caitiff:3

/* One might wonder why only 4 Nana when she's the star? The answer is that it's way better to have no Nana than all Nana. This deck needs a bunch of minion actions to succeed */

Library [76 cards]
Master [24]
2x Animalism
1x Archon Investigation
9x Ashur Tablets
2x Blood Doll
1x Fame
1x Giant's Blood
1x Mbare Market, Harare
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Powerbase: Luanda
1x Powerbase: Montreal
1x Rack, The
2x Villein
1x Wider View

/* I really liked having AI here in the final, though I wound up not playing it. Mbare Market probably isn't worth the slot. Should be a 2nd Fame, I think. Otherwise the masters worked out very well. */

Action [12]
10x Deep Song
1x Entrancement
1x Well-Marked

Equipment [1]
1x Ivory Bow

/* The Entrancement and Well-Marked didn't really earn their keep at any point, though Well-Marked is typically a free action at least. I play fewer Deep Songs than Martin's version because I'm not trying to rush with every minion with every action. I bleed for 1 a little or stay up. I want my prey to go forward. I don't want to simply squish him. Coming out of the gate too fast is a mistake. */

Event [1]
1x Dragonbound

Reaction [6]
2x Cats' Guidance
1x Delaying Tactics
1x On the Qui Vive
2x Sense the Savage Way

/* Very few reactions. Sense the Savage Way should probably go since only Nana can play them. I had multiple situations where I would have liked to block with somebody else but couldn't because of the restriction on that card. Getting to 2 intercept is nice, but it isn't worth the cost. */

Combat [32]
11x Aid from Bats
1x Canine Horde
13x Carrion Crows
3x Target Vitals
4x Taste of Vitae

/* Very consistent. Not a lot can survive repeated hits from this. Of course it's not fun to run into other ANI decks, but them's the breaks. */

Crafted with: Anarch Revolt Deck Builder [Tue Jun 07 22:35:20 2011]

vtesocrates wrote:

/* The Entrancement and Well-Marked didn't really earn their keep at any point, though Well-Marked is typically a free action at least. I play fewer Deep Songs than Martin's version because I'm not trying to rush with every minion with every action. I bleed for 1 a little or stay up. I want my prey to go forward. I don't want to simply squish him. Coming out of the gate too fast is a mistake. */

I had 13 Deep Songs in the deck because I wanted to make sure that I can right away hit my predator and have that 1 rush left to prevent my prey from getting loose. It's a different playstyle we have of course, but as I described my deck once, I love to play this (and other rush decks) one without a predator. Many people argue with this, but for me it just works out fine. I hate it if I feel like I want to rush my predator and don't have the card for it.

Do you feel like you draw a lot of table hate for destroying your predator? Do they often self-oust or flail away at you until they grind themselves into dust? I'm not all that experienced in rush decks, or at least ones with that high a proportion of rush.

No table hate. In our meta it is "the accepted normal way" that combat deck start hitting its predator.

Self oust is pretty rare. Flail away might happen, but read on.

The way we (I am by far not the only one who plays combat decks like this here) play it is this:

1. Look at predators and grand predators first vampire and early discards
2. Unless predator will have a hard time anyway attack and torporize his first vampire. Show strength, don't accept any deal he offers.
3. Unless predator is not playing a hyper aggressive deck that can only go forward offer him, to not rush him this turn if he won't come forward next turn. Repeat until you feel safe. If he gets strong again re-rush (before its too late).
4. If predator plays a hyper aggressive deck, that can go forward only (Giovanni powerbleed, etc) back oust.

That is the basic guideline.

Mephistopheles wrote:

No table hate. In our meta it is "the accepted normal way" that combat deck start hitting its predator.

Self oust is pretty rare. Flail away might happen, but read on.

The way we (I am by far not the only one who plays combat decks like this here) play it is this:

1. Look at predators and grand predators first vampire and early discards
2. Unless predator will have a hard time anyway attack and torporize his first vampire. Show strength, don't accept any deal he offers.
3. Unless predator is not playing a hyper aggressive deck that can only go forward offer him, to not rush him this turn if he won't come forward next turn. Repeat until you feel safe. If he gets strong again re-rush (before its too late).
4. If predator plays a hyper aggressive deck, that can go forward only (Giovanni powerbleed, etc) back oust.

That is the basic guideline.

And a good one, at that! Works wonders against players who aren't used to play against combat.