TWB, Black Forest Base: Ascension, Freiburg/Germany, 14th Sept. 2019

www.vekn.net/event-calendar/event/9345
Black Forest Base: Ascension
Freiburg i. Br., Germany
September, 14th, 2019
3 rounds + finals
14 players
Winner: Rudolf Scholz

Deck Name: Swedish Legionnaires
Author: Rudolf Scholz
Description: This deck is based on a deck by Erik Mossberg (SWE). Made some changes, not all for the better, nevertheless the deck worked like a charm, especially in the finals. Score was gw 3 vp/1.5 vp/1.5 vp, entering the finals 3rd rank (2nd rank due to a drop). gw 3 vp in the finals, which ended in an epic heads-up.
Thanks go to: Erik and the whole Stockholm playgroup, for their kindness in general and for willingly sharing decklists. To my playgroup, for accepting to play on tournament level in every single casual game. To the organisers, Sebastian Meurer (new Prince of Freiburg) and the owners of the awesome shop "Kainskind" (Childe of Caine).

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=1 max=10 avg=5.833333)
==================
2x Anarch Convert 1 -none- Caitiff:ANY
1x Nicomedes 5 aus for nec vic Harbinger of Skulls:4
2x Babalawo Alafin 7 ani AUS FOR NEC Harbinger of Skulls:4
1x Solomon Batanea 5 nec AUS FOR Harbinger of Skulls:4
5x Erlik 10 AUS CEL FOR NEC THN Harbinger of Skulls:3
1x Erebus 7 dem AUS FOR NEC Harbinger of Skulls:3

Library: 90 cards

Master (20 cards)
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1x Giant's Blood
9x Liquidation
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
2x Rack, The
2x Vessel
2x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx

Action Modifier (11 cards)
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2x Enkil Cog
2x Forced March
3x Inevitability of the Void
3x Call of the Hungry Dead
1x Daring the Dawn

Action Modifier/Combat (3 cards)
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3x Breath of Thanatos

Action Modifier/Reaction (3 cards)
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3x Spectral Divination

Combat (3 cards)
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1x Martyr's Resilience
2x Target Vitals

Ally (20 cards)
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6x Shambling Hordes
13x Emerald Legionnaire
1x Carlton Van Wyk

Equipment (1 cards)
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1x Bowl of Convergence

Reaction (25 cards)
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6x Eyes of Argus
3x My Enemy's Enemy
5x On the Qui Vive
7x Telepathic Misdirection
2x Delaying Tactics
2x Eagle's Sight

Event (4 cards)
==================
1x FBI Special Affairs Division
3x Unmasking, The

amaranth.vtes.co.nz/

Report will follow soon!

Report "Black Forst Base: Ascension", Freiburg/Germany, 14.09.2019

14 players, among them the new Prince of Freiburg, gathered in the "Kainskind" (Childe of Caine) for another episode of the Eternal Struggle.
The "Kainskind" is a welcoming and tidy store run by a fully motivated couple.

Round 1
me, HoS g34 Emerald Legionnaires (ELs) > Nico, Nephandi Anarch Revolt > Erol, Malkavian g12 Stealth Bleed and Vote > Sebastian, !Ventrue g23 Grinder w/ POT
I had a really slow start. Only one EL in the first four or five turns. The Nephandi prospered right from the beginning, assembling a wall to my legions to come.
Erol left unclear for a three, four turns what his deck is really about, then it showed Votes, Bleeds, Judgment: Camarilla Segregation, Malkavian Prank. Sebastian had a normal start, but lacked combat cards.
When the third Segregation hit the table, the others united. I sacrificed Erlik (low on blood and without clear tasks), Nico an Anarch Convert, Sebastian Ingrid Russo. Nevertheless the latter got ousted.
Pool-wise I was okay-ish due to some Liquidations, had two vampires and maybe five ELs, but lacked a clear option to oust my prey, even though she was low on pool, because of six or seven Nephandi.
This all changed when I could bounce a bleed for 5 with 2 stealth, and a new Segregation would remove the last pool. Afterwards my legion motivated Erol to resign. gw 3 vp for me.

Round 2
Nico, Nephandi Anarch Revolt > Marius, Stanislava 25th > Angelo, Tzimisce g23 Toolbox > me, HoS g34 ELs > Christoph, Toreador g23 CEL Gun
Normal start for everyone. A turn 2 Fame on Antonio by Christoph indicated some trouble, which lead to a somehow desperate rush action by Nico: Monica Chang rushed unequipped Marcellus.
Lots of cycling via Infernal Pursuit, a concealed Magnum, and everything seemed to be clear. It ended with Monica on one blood, Marcellus on two blood, and no Magnum due to Target Hands.
After that either the Nephandi and the ELs built up at ease (and enjoyed Unmasking), putting Marius and Christoph under a lot of pressure. Angelo did his best to assist them in resisting, but could not do much.
Stanislava got rushed to torpor by a Molotov Cocktail swinging Nephandus, another one did the clean-up. Marius tried a back-oust via Ancilla Empowerment, which got delayed.
I tried to oust Christoph as fast as possible, but lost some EL, he finally equipped with a new Magnum and showed a lot of wakes.
Christoph seemed to be out of options to prevent Marius from being ousted by the Nephandi hordes, but tried an Eagle's Sight on the final bleed. DI by me.
When I finally managed to oust Christoph, it was a race for the game-win between the two ally decks, leaving Angelo not only as a statist, but he found his minions rushed away and eaten one by one.
I tried to lounge and win the race, but Nico bounced the decisive bleed 30 seconds before time-out and secured the game-win. 1.5 vp for me.

Round 3
Jenny, Den of Fiends > me, HoS g34 ELs > Jonas, !Tremere g34 w/ Nephandi > Marius, Stanislava 25th > Sebastian, !Ventrue g23 Grinder w/ POT
Jonas did not have Antonio in his starting crypt, and he tried two times to get him, in vain, giving him a slow start.
I could not benefit much from that, since the Tzimisce were quite reactive, thus again I had to consider well if I could actually recruit allies.
Marius without pressure built up constantly, leaving Sebastian in the unconfortable situation without his star vampire (Lazverinus) with a wallish prey and a stealth voter predator.
I re-balanced things a bit with a Giant's Blood on Heroic Might tuned Kyle Strathconda. Liquidations gave me a fair amount of pool and allowed me to call for one or two ELs in the unlock phase regularly.
Since Jonas showed some combat I lost some of my legionnaires and, alas, two vampires in the attempt to oust him quickly.
Thus I lacked enough ousting power for Stanislava & her friends, but none of the other managed an oust either. 1.5 vp for me, leaving me with 1 gw 6 vp. => 3rd rank, 2nd after the drop of the 2nd rank (Christoph).


Finals
Ranking:
1st Ali, Dmitra & Friends Stealth Vote and Bleed
2nd me, HoS g34 ELs
3rd Erol, Malkavian g12 Stealth Bleed and Vote
4th Nico, Nephandi Anarch Revolt
5th Ralf, !Salubri g34 Toolbox

Seating Dance:
Nico > Ralf
Nico > Erol > Ralf
Nico > me > Erol > Ralf
Nico > me > Erol > Ralf > Ali

Ali is starting player. No crypt acceleration.
Nico drops a Anarch Revolt.
I have a nice crypt: Babalawo, Nicomedes and two times Erlik. I decide to go for Babalawo first to be able to act soon. I do not have to care about the Revolt because of Liquidation.
Erol tranfers, so does Ralf.

Ali again without acceleration.
Nico brings out Antonio, who becomes Anarch via Convert.
Babalawo enters the game, and I drop Unmasking.
Erol shows Gilbert Duane, Ralf Langa.

Dmitra enters the game on Ali's side.
First Nephandus for Nico.
I succesfully call for an EL.
Erol brings a Judgment: Camarilla Segregation into the game. Zebulon joins his ranks, Ralf army is improved by Nkechi.

The Revolt is gone, Judgment: Camarilla Segregation gone (Ralf sacrificed a Brother in Arms). The game evolves.
Ali votes, Armin Brenner needs only two more rounds because of Information Highway.
Nico spawns Nephandi, but plays a waiting game, helped by The Slow Withering.
I have a regurlar flow of new ELs, helped by Babalawo's special, and Liquidations, and Erlik and Nicomedes improve my situation additionally.
Erol seems to be in a good position (with three Malkavian) to oust Ralf (with three !Salubri), but fails to oust him due to Aversions.

I guess it was in Ali's 7th or 8th turn, when Erol proposed Ali to back-oust Ralf. He offered Parity Shifts on Nico in return, and also pointed out that I would probably oust him AND Ralf in my next turn (true).
Ali had more than 10 pool, Nico 8 (six minions), me 9 (seven minions, all locked), Erol 3, Ralf 2.
Ali called a KRC, DI by me. KRC again, 2 prey and 2 on predator. Ralf ousted. Forced March.
Ancilla Empowerment, I try Delaying tactics, but Erol plays Dark Influences, preventing Nico from playing her Delaying Tactics, too. Nico ousted. Slow Withering gone.
Ali bleeds for one with a stolen Nephandus, On the Qui Vive EL. Bleed Armin, Eyes of Argus with Erlik, bounce to Erol. Ali ends his turn with 22 pool.

1 pool only. I spawn 2 more ELs. My Liquidation gets washed (I should have kept the other one instead of babalawoing it). ELs bleed. Erol ousted. +6 pool.
I manage to block Ali's damaging actions against me. He finishes the turn with his 2 vampires (due to Majesty) and the Nephandus unlocked.
ELs bleed, some get blocked. Erlik with only 1 blood manages to pass his bleed around the Nephandus, and plays Inevitability of the Void, bleed total for 7!
One EL recruits Carlton, thus the Nephandus has no Intercept against the action.
Ali starts his turn on 11 pool, invests 3 in a Monastery of Shadows.
Dmitra tries a vote action, but Carlton blocks successfully. Majesty superior.
Ali checks his hand again, and resigns.

Cool. I'm going to Freiburg today for a conference. Should've thought about it earlier that there might have been a chance for VTES.

Cool, for how long are you here?
Given the usual time-frame of most conferences this will probably not work, but we could at least connect

I'll stay until afternoon on Friday but tomorrow evening will be occupied by the conference dinner. Meeting will sadly be difficult