[Submission] Samedi retainer: Ghouled Serpent

chrisn101 wrote:

Ghouled Serpent
Ghouled animal with 2 life (retainer)
Samedi
Cost: 2
When the minion with Ghouled Snake is in combat, the opposing minion can only play hand strikes if the range is close, and once per combat this minion has an optional press to continue. If another round of combat occurs, that round is at close range; skip the determine range step for that round.

I get images of that Bond movie where the Baron Samedi falls into the snakes laughing......

Anyway, this is somewhat ok, but I dont see the big awesome here. You want to fight using Samedi. This becomes sort of a grapple. Now your groaning corpses hit next round too, which is cool, your wither or compress goes through without being dodged or sce'd.

Im with you so far, but how are we getting there? Equip 2 blood retainer, and fimd a way into combat. Now have to play rigor mortis, and drop combat load. Its not impossible, but we are talking aboit a clan that sucks at blocking, and THN lacks rushes.

Id be less negative if they could pack alpha it out, but no solid fighty samedi has animalism.

Maybe if yoi make it red, employable as a pre-strike, its worth 2 blood and a deck slot. But blood cost, speed(lack of) and the fact that theres no great combat set up make me weary.

Oh, and olid loa doesnt help it at all, but i do reccomend the same snake for the art, to maintain theme. (Coral snake? Hell if i know, its black yellow and red with a touch of white.)

Regarding art, it'd be a huge boa constrictor or royal python as these are the types used by Louisiana snake dancers / allegedly in rituals. Not sure why they chose the small snake coiled around an skull for the artwork of Olid Loa.

Haven't seen Live and Let Die for years. Maybe worth a rental in the future.

Card doesn't say the acting vampire must hand strike only, and it essentially allows the Samedi to use Thanatosis (effectively). Some of the OK cards start "Make a hand strike and place this card on the acting minion", so Alek's suggestion is great.

I think I'd want to tweak it to make it cheaper. And you could preserve the theme. And I'd make it require a discipline so that it can have a power increase at the higher level. And make it not an Immortal Grapple clone. Perhaps something like:

(Note: employer means "The minion with this retainer." [LSJ 20100512] and similar discussion .)

Ghouled Python
Retainer/Combat
1 blood
Animal. Ghoul. 4 life.
[thn] If the vampire with this retainer is at close range during combat, the opposing minion may only declare hand strikes and may target this retainer with hand strikes.
[THN] [COMBAT] Before range is determined, recruit this retainer from your hand.

Looking good.

Possible combat strategy:

Blight (0 blood) or Rigor Mortis (1 blood) to keep at close range with no additional strikes (blight reduces strength of opponent) and Ghouled Serpent (1 blood) blocks harm to your minion. Groaning Corpse inflicts two damage, and then there's the hand strike of the Samedi itself: say Putrefaction (1 blood) or just a normal hand strike (0 blood). Finally, if the opposing minion doesn't prevent the Samedi's 1 damage, the Samedi can play Transfusion (1 blood).

So it's expensive (2-4 blood a combat) but suddenly the Samedi are starting to look a bit scary. Go underdogs!

chrisn101 wrote:

then there's the hand strike of the Samedi itself: say Putrefaction (1 blood)

It doesn't stop your combo, but note that Putrefaction isn't a hand strike.