Vilnius EC 2026 - Day 1 report

Henrik has bribed me with a custom Malkavian Rider Clause card, so I gotta do this:P

When reading other people’s reports, I always get confused by names and have to scroll back to figure out what their position was on the table and which deck they played, so I’ll refer to players by their decks or star vampire, rather than names, for easier mental mapping. It’s been some time, and life got in the way of writing this, so details might be missing

Deck: Monçada Path of Power, aka Purple Haze
I opted for a slightly modified Croatian Nationals winning deck, since I expected less combat and more bleed on Day 1, and a few times in 1-1 situations the ousting power wasn't there despite +1 bleed on some of the vampires. In goes 2x Murmur, 1x DI to prevent random stuff and cancel my prey’s bounce once some bleed gets bounced on them. A bit more blood/pool gain with Amici and less fear of allies with 2x Majesy replacing 2x Obedience. ~57% chance I’ll have crypt acceleration in the first 8 cards, and I’m not messing with that ratio.

Round 1
Simone Zanni (Hecata with Bone Shamblers) -> Maciej Frankowiak (HoS Legionnaires) -> Nikica Novaković (Monçada PoP) -> Diego Di Nicolantonio (Aus/Cel wall)

We started as a 5-player table with Italian player Marco, between me and Auspex wall. Diego, of GP winner fame, has misplaced one of his crypt cards and had 12 instead of 13 vampires. The deck was legal, but the list was not. He reported this to the judges, and strangely, the initial solution was to give him a Standing Adjustment despite the protests from everyone at the table. The game did not even start... It was suggested that he ask… somebody/anybody for the missing Anarch Convert. The head judge stepped in, and Diego was allowed to run to the hall and buy the Convert. At that time, we were quite late to start, so Marco moved to another table missing their 4th player. Turbulent start and 1 fewer VP on the board.

Info Highway and DI in the opening hand. Nice. No other voters on the table, and 3x Delaying Tactics in ash heaps of Hecata and Legionnaires due to Liquidations was a good sign. Between mine and Hecata's actions, Wall needed to choose carefully what to block. Legionnaires were steadily building up. I drew my Dominant Personalities early, so Joaquin Murieta with Bowl of Convergence could not stop 2x Banishment targeting him in succession. He was almost at full capacity both times, so no big damage there, but it severely reduced defenses, and Vessel + Rack were useless while Smiling Jack was ticking up to its 3rd counter. It soon becomes clear that Wall is going nowhere with their 3 pool and that Hecata has no pressure. Legionnaires go down to ~5-6 pool under Hecata assaults and then back up with Villein. Few Legionnaires die blocking Aggressive Corpses. I’ve collected some bounces but only have 2 vampires out. My cortisol levels go up and down depending on the number of minions behind me. A few bounces exhaust Wall’s defense, although I’m hoping he bounces too so I can DI it through, but alas. I don’t remember how I removed the last 3 pool from Wall, but Unthinkable Humiliation, while empty Isabel Leon tries to block, sealed the deal. My new Hecata prey feels hopeless crashing into Legionnaires, and suggests I give him 1 VP, guaranteeing me the remaining 2. I could go for 4 VP and risk it, or play it safe for 3 VP. We strike a deal, and he goes full throttle forward, killing a few Legionnaires and emptying 2 vampires, but they all come back. My turn starts, and I have the Anarchist Uprising but no stealth in hand to jump over Unmasking. Saddest of the pandas. I play the Unholy Sacrament but do not draw into stealth. I tell Hecata that I might need to try to oust him while he is tapped to remove the Unmasking, then kill Legionnaires. I take a photo of my hand as proof for later. At that point, the Legionnaires player reminds me that he has given up on the Dreams contest, so I should flip my card back to play. After a deliberation, considering our pre-game experience, we call the judge, who reverts the turn to the start. I get a Warning and +2 cards with fresh Dreams, one of which is Monastery of Shadows. I play it. Legionnaires just ask if I have the Uprising in hand; I confirm, and we all shake hands, implying Hecata and Legionnaires die at the same time. 1GW 3VP. The day before, that same Anarchist Uprising removed 43 pool from the table. Good guy Uprising. Hecata player shows DI and Delaying Tactics in his hand.

Round 2
Petr Muller (Ravnos Break the Bonds) -> Alexander Roman (Diana votes) -> Héctor Ordóñez García (Tzimisce DOM with Mansions) -> Nikica Novaković (Monçada PoP) -> Ines Himmelreich (Alonso Petrodon DOM bleed)

Ravnos are fast with the vampire out, but so is Diana after 2x Zillah’s Valley. I’m lucky with Info Highway as my first discard replacement, so Potato pops his round head out sooner rather than later. Diana and Catalina relentlessly call Iron Fists. Alex is quite an intense player. He has a sound plan but isn't very good at explaining how it benefits me. Sure, the pressure on my pred is good, but it feels like it comes at the cost of my vote support. I’m just trying to avoid the Eye of Sauron on me, and I’m not sure how the game will look once Diana and Catalina are behind me and have the vote lock with 3 more votes from Alonso Petrodon. Some of Diana’s actions are blocked by Ravnos, and to my benefit, Diana supports all my voter-capped politics. My first was Ancient Influence, which gave me 7 pool, my prey 5, pred 2, and Diana 4. “I’m a generous god.” Adriano and Saankaláxt (I did not try to spell that on my own) have their Living Manse and are under a lot of pressure, so do not dare to go forward despite the loaded Anarch Troublemaker. Troublemaker does force me to take fewer actions in order to have all 3 of my vampires unlocked, though. At one point, Alonso Petrodon, played by the youngest EC player, Ines, at 13 years old, votes against Diana’s politics, and the weak no-aggression pact breaks. Ravnos and Tzimisce see an opportunity to negotiate. The 3 non-voting players agree to give Ravnos VP by removing Diana, and then Ravnos will oust themselves, giving VP to Alonso. This works for Tzimisce because they finally get bleed predator to use their bounces, which isn't as aggressive as Ravnos or Toreador. Alonso gets VP with no effort, and wild Iron Fists are gone. I’m not too happy with my prey at ~21 pool, but I’m coping with 3 Deflections, Murmur, and 4 vampires while at 20-something pool. Woe is me! With 3 of us remaining, my main worry is that the Tzimisce die, because then I’m playing for a tie. Abraham Melon gets banished twice to remove the forward momentum while some of my bleeds go through. I bounce everything from Tzimisce and launge, and Alonso Petrodon is done for. In a head-to-head, 3 Tzimisce with ~5 pool have no chance, and I oust them with bleeds and Reins of (Potato) Power for 1GW 3VP. Signs of the future to come.

Round 3
Jonas Ståhle (New Salubri grinder) -> Nikica Novaković (Моnçada PoP) -> Babis Giannios (Path of Cathari) -> João Sérvolo (DEM weenies) -> Zsolt Cziraki (!Tremere Path of Caine)

3 Path decks on the table. Cool! Information Highway in my starting hand. Even cooler. As I play it, I remark on my luck, hoping it won't betray me in the finals. Signs of the future to come? DEM weenies bleed because that’s what they do. Some of it gets through, but some is reduced by Sentry Signal, so they don’t get the precious pool from Kindred Spirits. That will matter later. Uta Kovatcs and Gerald Fitzgerald are struggling to breathe despite Bowl of Convergence and Montreal, which in turn enables Salubro to go up to 4 vampires. Of course, the Montreal just gets passed around. My prey is at 3 vampires and 7 pool. I can oust Cathari with Reins of Power if it removes 5 pool with help of Privileged Position, and Francisco’s bleed of 2. The action goes unblocked, and after votes are counted, Salubri suggests they could Delay the vote. I talk fast enough to promise not to oust this turn so the damage goes through. That skill has served me well in my VtES career. RoP goes through for some damage all over the place but none to !Tremere. You have Delaying, you say?! Let’s test your bluff by banishing one of your vampires then. It wasn't a bluff :/ , but now the Delaying is gone, and the following turns will be easier. To everybody's surprise, Cathari bled through 10 pool of DEM weenies with their 3 vampires, and my VP, I mean prey, has escaped, now sitting at 8. Gah! Not sure if !Tremere will have an easier time defending against this new predator. Dominica has dug out the Saulot's Avenging Fist that’s supposed to go on Abadon, but it’s not meant to be because he gets banished to the uncontrolled region. I bounce a bleed of 1 and Cathari pass it on. However many bounces they have now, it’s one less. They are at 8 pool, but with small teardrop-shaped beads it looks like 7 (yes, I do see the irony considering my finals game start). Cold War and Privileged Position remove 4 and... wait?! 4 remain? I do have Govern, but I'd rather not be in Archon range. I have 2GW’s already, and if !Tremere die, it won't be easier with 4 vampires behind me and only Francisco and Monçada in my ready region. Bleed with Govern and burn one blood for +1 bleed from Francisco for a total of 4. No blocks or bounces means 6 pool for me, VP, and a new prey who actually has intercept but only 3 pool. I let Abadon’s rush via Saulot’s Fists reach Francisco because I have Majesty in hand. Yeah, I forgot Salubris have a new fancy card to cancel my strikes. No consequences, luckily. With Elysian Fields, Shadow Play, and Unthinkable Humiliation, Monçada jumps over Uta Kovac with Bowl and a random intercept card. Another VP earned. Francisco Banishes Abaddon for the 3rd time as Gratiano pops up as my 3rd vampire. The ending of the game is vague, but I suspect it ended with a couple of votes doing the cleanup because Eyes of Argus are a lot less effective on undirected actions, and votelock was mine the whole game. 1GW 4VP. Better triple-check my deck for missing cards or mystery Covens before the finals.

The Finals
Nikica Novaković (Моnçada PoP) -> Édouard Menneson (Gangrel toolbox) -> Norbert Flasko (Ravnos Break the Bonds) -> Balázs Ihász (G6 DOM/OBF with Brainwashes) -> Ivan Marin-Rivas (Lutz and Nehemiah and Co.)

The seating choice was not that difficult. I don't want to sit in front of Ravnos or Malks, and I'll likely sit behind them. Having Lutz as a crosstable buddy makes voting easier, and Delayings might go his way, so they are split among us. That leaves one spot between Ravnos and Gangrel. Gangrel will have some static intercept to annoy me sooner or later, and I’ll get my stealth locations out in time. Hopefully they’ll be busy with s&b. All the bounces will end up on my prey. Seems like a solid plan.
I’m playing first but have one Unholy Sacrament in the opening hand. Phew! The crypt is 3x Moncada and Antonio Delgado. Antonio is like the 3rd choice after Francisco and Gratiano. Oh well. Bleed decks bleed, and their respective prey quickly get into trouble. Lutz has Protected Resources, but Villein got Washed. Gangrel has 2 vampires with Brainwash, so lone Casey Snyder comes out pretty late. Lutz and I vote our own things without interference. I have plenty of pool due to timely Villein and some Governs (and starting with a bit more, but everybody knows that camera adds a few pounds pool). Having no predator helps, of course. Lutz is on shaky ground, but as long as he has more than 6 pool, 3 Ravnos can’t oust due to Protected Resources.
Then comes the crucial turn, well, one of: Gangrel are being bled by Malks for 4 at 1 stealth. There is a bit of discussion about where the bounce should go. Gangrel thinks it should go to Lutz to bring him down to 6 pool and thus enable Ravnos to escape me and have a game where they oust me, then Ravnos. If I get a VP, it becomes much more difficult due to seeding, as ties go my way. I fail to convince Gangrel to bounce it on me, promising that I’ll take the bleed and not bounce it further. He sticks to the initial decision, and Lutz takes the bleed, bringing him within ousting range. I blurt out that I might need to consider ousting Mlak cross-table in order to prevent Ravons from killing 2 people in quick succession. Malk thinks it’s a bluff(?) or at least too obvious a dick move and moves a few pool onto the next vampire, leaving him at 6. I can do 4 damage with politics easily, and Lutz’s special will do the remaining 2. Gangrel plays Ecoterrorists and stays defensive. My turn comes, and I decide to oust Malkavians cross-table with a lot of apologies. I don’t believe he can survive Ravnos when Week of Nightmares hits the table, once Lutz is gone. Even if he survives, that means he bounces into me, and I can’t handle 2 bleed decks. Additionally, 6 more pool would put Ravnos far from my ousting range since I’m still digging for the 3rd vampire, and my max damage is 4 with Reins of Power as the only 2 bleed modifiers; Murmur of the False Will, were the first discards. Lutz is desperate and promises to back-oust to help me get my VP as much as I helped with his. I need a buy-in from Gangrel, though. They can intercept, or DI or Delay. His neutrality is secured with 2 turns of non-aggression from his new predator, Lutz, and Monçada won’t touch Ecoterrorists with Cold War. He has a path to victory if he ousts me, then Lutz. Not easy, but definitely impossible if Malk ousts him first, which is likely with 4 vs 2 vampires while on 5 pool. KRC and Cold War, with the addition of Lutz’ special, finish off the Malkavians. Ravnos play Week of Nightmares and do the bleed, totaling 6. Lutz plays 2x Villen and is now safe and sound. Camarilla Iron Fist into Ravnos, remaining dmg going to me. Kinda dancing on the edges of the deal, but I don’t have room to complain with a 20-something pool next to my library cards. All is well. Gangerels’ and my turn is spent building up, and then KRC from Lutz gets Ravons down to 4 pool. On my next turn, I oust my prey with a bleed and Anarchist Uprising under Private Audience. Don’t think I needed to waste Private Audience here, but good guy Uprising is good. We’re down to 3 players, about an hour till the end, and I’m currently winning by seeding. Votes are distributed around, with me having 3+2+2, Lutz 4+2, and Gangrel 2+2. That soon changes with Power Structure, so I can push it up to 12 with card and Edge for that one important action, but otherwise it’s 9 vs 9 (with mine and Lutz’s political card). Gangrel are still stuck in buildup and don’t dare bleed me to avoid damaging Lutz with bounces, which earns me a 2nd pool from Edge. I bleed with all 3 vampires, and in retaliation one of them gets banished. On my turn with my 2 vampires, Cold War, Banishment, and Private Audience in hand, I’m thinking about how to banish Nehemia through the vote lock so I can pass Cold War as the 2nd action. Seems like a coalition is starting to form, as Lutz did not go forward, although the truce that killed Malkavians has expired. In the moment of inspiration, I decide to back-oust and remove 4 votes Gangrels have. I think I’ll have an easier time vs. vote deck when I have the vote lock (duh!), and there is no one to block, and again, one less player to play DI and/or Delaying. As I call the action, Gangrel asks which location I’m targeting, and as I confidently say Info Highway (controlled by Lutz), they decline to block. Gangrel gets 3 damage and is ousted. I take the damage from Lutz’s special and banish Nehemiah, now that it’s 5 vs 4 votes on the table. ~30 minutes till the end, but now I’m losing unless I oust Lutz. We go back and forth banishing vampires and carefully counting votes, with the Camarilla Conclave on the table and Adana di Sforza next to Lutz. It’s a strange grind situation where Lutz even gives me 8 (9-1) pool with Political Stranglehold. I make a mistake of not DI-ing his Voter Cap, but he does not draw into Villeins fast enough to get the pool levels beyond my reach. On the last turn, Lutz is whittled down to 1 pool, and I have 2 vampires unlocked and 12 votes vs. his 11, because Nehemiah also came back from beyond the grave. I ask Lutz player if it would be poetic to end the game with Reins of Power, and he agrees. Monçada calls Reins of (Potato) Power, and with all the cards, we are tied at 11 votes, so I dramatically toss the Vilnius boon token (you get it if you saved the card you got back in Aarhus) at the center of the table to win it all. … and I play Voter Cap and Amici Noctis for my own amusement, with 2 cards left in the library.
Buttocks unclenched.

Some stats for the day, 4 games:

• 0 political actions failed
• 0 political actions delayed
• 0 vampires in torpor
• 0 vampires hunting
• 0 masters canceled
• 0 minion cards canceled
• 1 bleed bounced
• 2 actions blocked
• 3 banishments on the same vampire
• 4 games with crypt acceleration in the first 8 cards
• 12 players ousted
  • 3 were not my prey at the time of the oust
  • 4 finalists ousted
  • 10 ousts by political actions
  • 2 by Reins of Power

Luck? Skill? Dunno, but it sure was a lot of fun!

See you next year in Germany (not gonna try to spell the city's name)!