How I would relaunch V:TES (card reprint)

jamesatzephyr wrote:

Azel wrote:

Frantic Phone Tree
Reaction
1 blood
Only usable when you are being bled, after blocks are declined. Tap this reacting vampire. Choose another Methuselah other than the controller of the acting minion. The acting minion is now bleeding that Methuselah.
As above, and reduce the bleed by 1.

The [CEL] version seems... unlikely. Why would you want your prey to take 1 less pool damage? Why not just play it at [cel]? The circumstances in which you'd volunteer to harm the new target less seem pretty rare, short-changing the vampire with [CEL] somewhat.

It's ultimately very situational, such as Kindred Spirits deck trying to bleed upstream and the like. But, in the end does the [CEL] superior really even matter? The point of the card is to have [cel] basic equal [dom] basic -- and yet still have the card be "objectively" weaker than the dominate card so people's sacred cows can be safe.

There's literally no excuse a card like this hasn't been vying for Deflection's basic parity for twenty years now. The superior can freely explore lateral power dimension as designers see fit. (And given their exceedingly cautious history, I'm gonna assume it'll be something more situational and weaker.) It's an overdue progression to the game.

So, good point, but don't read into it more "oomph!" than necessary.

Ankha wrote:

Deep Song: A tad too strong, completely outshines Bum's Rush

Uh, yeah. Bum's rush doesn't require a discipline, so Deep Song should outshine it. Not sure how this makes Deep Song too strong. Are you speaking in the specific context of making animalism combat too strong? If yes, then I submit to you the myriad frenzy card cancellation or immunity effects that exist to foil this extremely common combat archetype that's usually paired with Deep Song.

Deep Song and Bum's Rush are not comparable cards. Bum's Rush doesn't offer an option to bleed, nevermind an option to bleed for +1. Would be an interesting card, though, to have a disciplineless, modest requirement, completely outclassed by Deep Song Deep Song.

Aggravated Assault
Action
Requires a vampire of Capacity 5 or higher.
Do not replace until after this action.
Enter combat with a ready minion controlled by another Methuselah.
<or>
Bleed.

Probably a multirush deck card, but it does mean you can run a vast quantity and choke somewhat less.

Love this idea. It has the added bonus of teaching new players how to win in VTES. A card like Bum's Rush does nothing to stop new players from attacking the "wrong" minions and helping another player win. The unspoken great thing about Deep Song (and the proposed disciplineless card) is that, with inclusion of an alternate bleed effect, the new player might just use that alternate effect and learn that ousting your prey is better than helping somebody else win.