TWD - Maximus Hunting ground

Maximus Hunting Ground

www.vekn.net/event-calendar/event/10156

Date: 21-05-2022
Location: Utrecht
Organiser: Hector Ordonez

3R+F
9 players
Winner: Bart Jansen
1GW 3vp, 1.5 vp in final


Deck Name: Recruitment Exercise [#1]

Description:
Somewhat inspired by an old Izaak Havelaar black hand deck that I watched in action in my early VTES days.

This version has some combat though, which for the end game turns to bleed power using the new Haqim's law:Retribution mastercard.

It is quite fun transforming the deck during the game from a slow combat/bloat deck into a consistent stealth bleeder late game once you have your Seraphs tooled up with Tattoo Signal and the Watchtower in play. The deck's defense is a bit vulnerable to fast stealth bleeders, if you can not get 2 minions out, the bloating is just not enough.

For this tournament I had prepared for gun combat detoriation with 4 taste of death, but ran into a lot of protean and presence combat ends instead. Part of the combat module could be easily be exchanged for Psyches to overcome this, and there is definitely room to change some of the reaction cards into rushes, since the deck is a poor blocker anyway. Keep the black sunrises though, they work so well combined with Enkil Cog (could add a second copy).


Crypt (12 cards, min=27 max=40 avg=8.58)

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2x Djuhah, The Bronze Bow 7 aus cel pre OBF QUI Banu Haqim:5
3x Izhim abd Azrael 9 pot CEL OBF QUI THA Banu Haqim:5
1x Joe "Boot" Hill 7 for obf CEL QUI Banu Haqim:4
4x Karif al Numair 10 for AUS CEL OBF QUI Banu Haqim:5
1x Nizzam al-Latif 9 dem ANI CEL OBF QUI Banu Haqim:5
1x Reza Fatir, The Dark Angel 6 obf pro CEL QUI Banu Haqim:4

Library (90 cards)
Master (20)
9x Ashur Tablets
2x Haqim's Law: Retribution
3x Priority Contract
3x Villein
2x Watchtower: The Wolves Feed
1x Wider View

Action (21)
1x Khabar: Glory
6x Loss
3x Recruitment Exercise
8x Reunion Kamut
3x Tattoo Signal

Equipment (1)
1x Guarded Rubrics

Action Modifier (13)
4x Art of Memory, The
2x Deed the Heart's Desire
2x Elder Impersonation
1x Enkil Cog
4x Lost in Crowds

Action Modifier/Combat (7)
1x Resist Earth's Grasp
6x Swallowed by the Night

Action Modifier/Reaction (3)
3x Blood Awakening

Reaction (7)
4x Black Sunrise
3x Telepathic Misdirection

Combat (15)
3x Dam the Heart's River
3x Pursuit
1x Side Strike
2x Sideslip
4x Taste of Death
2x Taste of Vitae

Event (3)
1x Blood Trade
1x Thirst
1x Wormwood

A little finals report, from my own perspective so feel free to add.

Jeroen (Ministry G6 Anarch Stealth Bleed)> Jan Willem (Banu Haqim G6 princes rush/block)> Niek (Toreador princes G6 grand ball vote)> Me (Assamites G4/5 Black Hand combat/bleed) > Hector (Gangrel Anarch vote)

Jeroen started off quickly bringing out 2 minions and bleeding aggressively into his prey.
The Banu Haqim started off with one prince, but had trouble to block the ministry bleeds even with mr winthrop and second tradition, and rush attempts backwards ran into combat ends.
The toreador princes had an easy start, bringing out 2 princes and a low cap with a dangerous predator too busy defending himself, and a prey with limited blocking capability.
Assamites started off slowly with Karif and friends doing reunion kamuts, build a Seraph and reza.
The Gangrel ready region had quickly exploded to 5 minons using Dual form and Thing and all kinds of utility locations, and getting help from the toreador to get votes passed.

Jeroen was getting low on pool and running out of time, but when the Banu Haqim tried to get out more minions with Villein in hand hoping to survive till the next turn, the stealth bleeder had a window and the Banu haqim were ousted.

The toreador had used their time to prepare and build a lot of pool, and seemed well prepared to reduce and deflect the oncoming bleeds, so the second oust for Jeroen seemed still a long way to go.

The gangrel were getting busy bloating staying easily alive with 7 minions, firebrand multiacting, and recycling votes with Sargon Fragments.
Jeroen was getting in ousting range quickly. This caused the Toreador, who had a slight vote majority with the help of Jeroen's sole Baron, to become uncomfortable with the cross table partnership and stopped to offer voting support for con boons.

The assamites had not done much other than reunion kamuts, and burning the gangrel hunting ground to slow them down a little. However, after dropping the Watch tower for permanent stealth, Enkil Cog and guarded rubrics, the gangrel's pool mountain started to disappear.

Thanks to anarch deflections and some clever use of Propaganda of the deed, the Gangrel still managed to oust the Ministry.
The toreador had managed to do some damage to the assamites with bleeds and votes. Hector was still getting some pool gain with Thing, while digging for the revolutionary council, which would likely give him the game win since that would allow him to back oust his biggest threat and then likely win the 1 vs 1.

The Revolutionary Council was not found in time, though, and the Assamites managed to bleed the Gangrel out, throwing heaps of combat cards and combat/stealth cards away for boosted bleeds thanks to Haqim's Law: Retribution.

The Toreador still had an impressive 20 pool buffer for the end game. When the timer ran out, that pool was reduced to 3, the Toreador prince bravely blocking the last bleed for 3 with a second tradition.

Standings Final:
Jeroen 1 VP
Jan-Willem 0 VP
Niek 0.5 VP
Bart 1.5 VP
Hector 1 VP