TWD - Cold Amber's Hold (20 March 2022)

Event: Cold Amber's Hold
Location: Longmont, CO USA
Date: 20 March 2022
Format: 2R+F Std Constructed
Players: 8 players
Winner: Darby Keeney
Calendar Link: www.vekn.net/event-calendar/event/10084

Deck Name: What Should Be Shall Be
Author: Darby Keeney

Description : A re-envisioned Nosferatu V5 Starter. It focuses on the G5-6 [ANI] primogen, omitting the V5 starter's misshapen [POT] combat and culling its emphasis on Creeping Sabotage. The result is a straight-up ANI Deep Song bruise bleed deck with a little subtle flexibility. It's boring and repetitive, but reasonably effective.

I decked myself in every game. Adjustments of +1 Deep Song, +1 Carrion Crows, +2 Aid from Bats would be marginally useful, but I suspect being more bleedy-for-1 in the early game solves the problem without resorting to significant alterations. I don't like a Tablets-based option for longevity here, it's less reliable without Nana Buruku and/or Cybele.

Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 8 average: 5.08333

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2x Dowager, The 6 ANI OBF aus pot primogen Nosferatu:6
2x Larissa Moreira 6 ANI OBF pot primogen Nosferatu:6
2x Lenny Burkhead 6 ANI obf pot pre primogen Nosferatu:6
1x Zelios 8 ANI OBF POT pro primogen Nosferatu:5
1x Horace Radcliffe 5 ANI POT obf Nosferatu:6
1x Ryan 4 ani obf pot Nosferatu:6
1x Slag 4 ani obf pot Nosferatu:5
1x Baixinho 3 ani obf Nosferatu:6
1x Anarch Convert 1 Caitiff:ANY

*// Zelios' +1 strength proved valuable, but I never used his location-discount special. All in all, I don't think it is worth duplicating him because the 6-caps are more efficient.

*// The Anarch Convert exists because there aren't many G5-6 [ANI] options, especially carrying a primogen tag. The Convert could be replaced by Walker Grimes, but I like the random Anarch designation and potential crypt cycling more than I value a non-Nossie [ani] chump.

Library [74 cards]

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Action [12]
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal *// Always better than expected.
11x Deep Song

Action Modifier [5]
3x Faceless Night *// Modest value-add with the Codex.
2x Lost in Crowds *// I toyed with removing these, but couldn't find anything better.

Action Modifier/Combat [5]
5x Swallowed by the Night *// Hands down, the best "stealth" card for this deck.

Ally [1]
1x Carlton Van Wyk *// Helpful given the deck's generally lackluster defense.

*// It might be interesting to include 1-3 Underbridge Strays. I wanted to keep this version streamlined, but having a couple of extra presses, unlocks or chump blocks is often useful. Unwanted copies could feed Larissa.

Combat [25]
10x Aid from Bats
1x Canine Horde *// Not needed this weekend, but still worth 1 copy.
8x Carrion Crows
6x Taste of Vitae

*// The design preferentially Villeins new minions down to 1 or 2 blood, then tries to regain 3 blood with Crows/Bats/Taste. This explains some of the card counts (7 Villein, 6 Tastes + Giant's Blood).

*// Normally, I would run 13 Aids from Bats in a deck with 8 Carrion Crows (~1.6:1 ratio), but I've reduced that slightly because this deck did not need to be that relentless.

*// A few Target Vitals could be added, its seldom-used press restriction could have modest value. Maybe 2-3 copies if you wanted to go that way - too many would interfere with the Villein/Taste module.

Equipment [1]
1x Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers *// Shines with the Warsaw Station.

Master [14]
1x Anarch Troublemaker *// Either function is valuable here.
1x Carver's Meat Packing and Storage *// Could be a Scourge instead.
1x Fame
1x Giant's Blood
1x Labyrinth, The
7x Villein *// Atypical, but the immediacy of return encourages influencing.
1x Warsaw Station *// Usually a free hunt until the Codex appears.
1x Wider View *// Marginal with only 3 duplicate vampires.

Reaction [11]
5x Guard Dogs
6x Protected District *// Cut from 7 right before the tournament

*// Guard Dogs with The Dowager to reduce one bleed then block the next feels pretty good. So does feeding unused copies to Larissa.

*// Protected District stopped a couple of Parity Shifts and just missed canning an Ancient Influence. It sunk a LOT of 2-3 point bleeds. It stymied an unnamed deck, killing the player's pool gain and neutering his Flurry of Action. I'm not going to suggest Protected District is better than bleed redirection, but bleed sink + something else has its place when bounce isn't easy to find.

I really like these TWDs with author's commentary so thank you Darby!

TryDeflectingThisGrapple wrote:

Equipment [1] 1x Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers *// Shines with the Warsaw Station.

Uh, am I just stupidly missing something here?
Warsaw Station works with undirected actions and Codex bleed sure is a D action.
As would be Deep Song rushes (or bleeds)

Lönkka wrote:

I really like these TWDs with author's commentary so thank you Darby!

TryDeflectingThisGrapple wrote:

Equipment [1] 1x Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers *// Shines with the Warsaw Station.

Uh, am I just stupidly missing something here?
Warsaw Station works with undirected actions and Codex bleed sure is a D action.
As would be Deep Song rushes (or bleeds)

Equip Codex (from hand or from another minion) -> unlock -> bleed, perhaps?

Lönkka wrote:

Uh, am I just stupidly missing something here?
Warsaw Station works with undirected actions and Codex bleed sure is a D action.
As would be Deep Song rushes (or bleeds)

Perhaps I was unclear in my comments (in trying to keep them to 1 line).

When the Codex is in play and has already been used by Minion A for a 4-bleed, Minion B may take the Codex from A as an undirected action using the Warsaw Station. If (when) successful, B unlocks and can (also) bleed for 4. Getting 4+4 points of bleed per turn seems better than getting 4+1, especially since the sequence is repeatable until Archoned

As has been mentioned, I could also get this benefit from the initial equip-from-hand in an unexpected (?) bleed for 4. But that tends to be less important than the sustained pressure of 8-bleed if you have both pieces already in play.

As for Deep Song (rushes) - agreed that you cannot Warsaw that action. But the lock effect does improve the likelihood you can attempt Codex-powered bleeds, even if you fail to torpor the opposing minion.

TryDeflectingThisGrapple wrote:

Perhaps I was unclear in my comments (in trying to keep them to 1 line).

Nah, it is just me being slow...

TryDeflectingThisGrapple wrote:

When the Codex is in play and has already been used by Minion A for a 4-bleed, Minion B may take the Codex from A as an undirected action using the Warsaw Station.

Why, of course!
How silly that I couldn't se such a basic thing. Silly me...

Cheers for the clarification mate!

No Heidelberg to make it 3x4?