Sabbat Cards

First of all, an introduction.

Currently from about 100 sabbat related cards, only a few are used, and there are no real staples the hungry coyotes aside (changed text in bold).

• No in-sect status card is used at all (sabbat priest, templar, sabbat inquisitor).
• Sabbat rituals are not used at all (there are 6 entries of stealth ritus, but mostly as token stealth, there is one of harvest rites - and even there deck creator said it sucks, there are some of games of instincts - also creator wanted to get rid of it).
• Sabbat have no really useful sect-related political card

First thing that should be done is introducing sect related keywords on vampires (like anarch or back hand). So we would have vampires with Priest, Templar, Paladin, Pack Leader or Inquisitor on their card text. With this change, current sabbat card should get new print with updated card text that have links with such keywords. Consider Fire Dance.

Fire Dance

Requires a ready priest, archbishop, priscus, cardinal or regent. +1 stealth action.Ritual.
Put this card on a Sabbat vampire and untap this acting vampire if he is priest. Once each combat, the vampire with this card may change 1 aggravated damage inflicted on him or her to normal damage. Vampire with this card is immune to Rotshreck. A vampire may have only one Fire Dance.

Games of Instinct

Requires a ready Sabbat vampire. Ritual.
Enter combat with an older vampire controlled by another Methuselah. At the end of that combat, if only one combatant is ready, that ready vampire gains blood equal to the opposing vampire's capacity from the blood bank. If this acting vampire is Templar, this action have +1 stealth.

Those are just two examples.

Then, there should be library card that grant those keywords. Like Pack Leader:

Ductus

+1 stealth action. Requires a Sabbat vampire.
Put this card on this acting Sabbat vampire and untap him or her. Vampire with this card is Ductus. During your untap phase, you may move 1 blood between this vampire and non-Ductus sabbat vampire in your ready or uncontrolled region If sabbat vampire send this vampire into torpor or burm, he may steal this card and 1 from it's former controller. A vampire may have only one Ductus.

The main reason why most of the sabbat sect cards aren't used is because they only work against other sabbat. But sabbat do have the best discplineless rush card already, Rumble. Abbot, Cardinal Benediction, Eternal Vigilance, Hungry Coyote, that Communal Haven that lets you move stuff around, black forest base... those are at least all sabbat sect cards that I have seen played reasonably often.

As for the 'status' cards, I don't see Camarilly Exemplary used either which is what Sabbat Priest is a copy of.

They should change the 'Cardinal Sin' cards to work against any vampire regardless of sect, just like the camarilla traditions also work on all sects.

Lech wrote:

First of all, an introduction.

Currently from about 100 sabbat related cards, only a few are used, and there are First thing that should be done is introducing sect related keywords on vampires (like anarch or back hand). So we would have vampires with Priest, Templar, Paladin, Pack Leader or Inquisitor on their card text. With this change, current sabbat card should get new print with updated card text that have links with such keywords. Consider Fire Dance.

I really like what you've done here with these three cards. It really brings home the RPG flavor of the Sabbat as well.

The

Klaital wrote:

main reason why most of the sabbat sect cards aren't used is because they only work against other sabbat.

Not really. Most sabbat cards aren't used because they are not useful enough. Consider those:

Harvest Rites
1
+1 stealth action. Requires a Sabbat vampire.
Put this card on this acting Sabbat vampire. Once each turn, when the vampire with this card successfully hunts, he or she gains 1 additional blood. A vampire can have only one Harvest Rites.

Looks good in theory ? No. It's like aaron feeding razor, can be used just once each turn, so no hunt freak hunt. But before it's better than just hunting, you have to use it 4 times (-2, -1, 0, +1), it's even worse if you have hungry coyotes on the table (-3,-2, -1, 0, +1). Verdict ? It wont be used, as it waste card slot, action slot and commits the minion to hunting.

Fire Dance don't give meaningful bonus, take a slot and require titled vampire. Verdict: useless.

Games of Instinct is cornercase, and not really better than bum's rush. More likely worse.

Blood Feast
1
+1 stealth action. Requires a ready archbishop, priscus, cardinal or regent.
Each ready Sabbat vampire you control gains 1 blood from the blood bank.

You have to have 3 ready vampires to gain 1 blood over regular hunt, 4 to gain as much as you gain from restoration. Good only in lategame. Require good titled vampire. Verdict: useless.

Blood of the Sabbat
1
+1 stealth action. Requires a ready archbishop, priscus, cardinal or regent.
Put this card on a Sabbat vampire other than the acting vampire. The vampire with this card gains 1 blood after each successful action he or she performs. A vampire may have only one Blood of the Sabbat.

Takes action slot, require 2 turns to pay for itself. Require 2 vampires in play, require title. Verdict: useless.

Bloodbath
1
+1 stealth action. Requires a ready archbishop, priscus, cardinal or regent.
Move 2 blood from the blood bank to a ready Sabbat vampire with capacity above 4. Put this card on that vampire. The vampire with this card gains 1 additional vote unless he or she has a title. A vampire may have only one Bloodbath.

Title giving equivalent without actually giving a title. the only case where it is useful is foundation exhibit. Require 2 vampires to play, so useless at the start. cost 1 give 2, not bad, but often the blood is wasted as you play it on vampire with full blood. 1 vote on a vampire is bad, thats why nobody plays that cammy card that gives primogen title. Verdict: too weak to be worth playing. Useless.

Monomancy is just wallpaper, no point in kicking the dead horse.

Esbat

+1 stealth action. Requires a Sabbat vampire.
Move 2 blood from the blood bank to an untapped Sabbat vampire, or move 1 blood to each of two untapped Sabbat vampires.

Require 2 sabbat vampires, give just 2 blood. inferior restoration is better, and that says something about it's powerlevel. Verdict: useless.

Klaital wrote:

But sabbat do have the best discplineless rush card already, Rumble. Abbot, Cardinal Benediction, Eternal Vigilance, Hungry Coyote, that Communal Haven that lets you move stuff around, black forest base... those are at least all sabbat sect cards that I have seen played reasonably often.

Best disciplineless rush is called bum's rush. Rumble gives +1 hand size and can backfire, bums rush give maneuver for -1 hand size.
Abbot is good card. So is cardinal benediction and The Hungry Coyotes and Black Forest Base.
Communal Haven is worse than Heidelberg and i don't see the reason to play it over it.
Eternal Vigilance is tricky care, it can be great but require 1 to play and takes the action, so you are at -2 blood the first time you use it and it burns when you go to torpor. It is not bad, but not great either.I see it most often like prayer cards that might be both used or discarded, unlike good action like GtU that are 90% of time played.

Klaital wrote:

As for the 'status' cards, I don't see Camarilly Exemplary used either which is what Sabbat Priest is a copy of.

I would like to see some camarilla status cards too, like harpy or sheriff. Priest don't see play as it's political action, and would require much time to be better than krc, and even with time, it don't work against allies. Both of those are bad cards.

Klaital wrote:

They should change the 'Cardinal Sin' cards to work against any vampire regardless of sect, just like the camarilla traditions also work on all sects.

Both Cardinal Sins, Monomancy (sorry!), Sacrifice, Vaulderie works only against the sabbat, which is bad design by itself (not to mention that only insubordination is worth playing over other cards in those specific cases when it works).

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Furthermore, i think that there should be another type of action - trifle cation (just like trifle master). It meas that you can play just one trifle action and untap after succeeding and each next will tap you as normal.

Consider
Fire Dance

Requires a ready priest, archbishop, priscus, cardinal or regent. +1 stealth action.Ritual.
Put this card on a Sabbat vampire. If played by priest it's trifle. Once each combat, the vampire with this card may change 1 aggravated damage inflicted on him or her to normal damage. A vampire may have only one Fire Dance.

Or this one:

Abbot

+1 stealth action. Requires a Sabbat vampire. Trifle.
Put this card on this acting vampire. This Sabbat vampire gets +1 intercept against actions directed at his or her controller. A vampire may have only one Abbot.

Don't underestimate the +1 hand size from Rumble, I have found it to be great in decks that like to rush a lot to tune your hand by discarding those extra masters or whatever else clogging your hand when you discard back down to hand size at end of combat.

Klaital wrote:

Don't underestimate the +1 hand size from Rumble, I have found it to be great in decks that like to rush a lot to tune your hand by discarding those extra masters or whatever else clogging your hand when you discard back down to hand size at end of combat.

I don't underestimate it. It's good card and +1 hand size is helpful. But in most cases bum's rush is better as it saves you cards (you don't have to play as much maneuvers) and is usable even against stupid derange deck and by allies (rushing with carlton with target vitals ?) and by non-sabbat vampires which allow better crypt selection.

Knight Templar

+1 stealth action. Requires a ready bishop, archbishop, priscus, inquisitor, cardinal or regent. Trifle.
Put this card on other non-black hand sabbat vampire. This untitled, non-inquisitor vampire is templar. This templar may enter combat with any vampire as +1 stealth action and equipping melee weapon and armor is trifle for him or her. Any sabbat vampire may call a referedum to burn this card, non-sabbat vampires cannot vote in the referendum. A vampire may have only one Knight Templar.