Ahrimanes Newsletter #19 28.11.06 ==================================================== [ AHRIMANES NEWSLETTER ] ==================================================== 1.0 - Editorial 1.1 Word From the Editor 1.2 Next Issue 2.0 - Concepts 2.1 Crypt Card Focus 2.2 Library Card Focus 3.0 - Deck 3.1 Ahrimane Non Skill 3.2 Sign Off --[1.1 - Word from the Editor]---------------------- Well I went to the UK National Cup, and achieved my usual level of success... Anthony Coleman did well; he got to the final with an Ahrimane deck and went on to win the Tournament with it. It is basically the same deck that he abused us with at the Bath Infernal Plague tournament, which I featured in issue 9. It has been slightly changed, with -1 Fame and +1 Raven Spy, also it has been suggested that Dr. Marisa Fletcher, CDC should go - what should replace her though? Anthony also went on to win the EC 2006 with this deck, although some minor changes had been made by then. I will try to get some more details and put them in a future NL, perhaps with an evolution of the decklistings. I have also noticed that some Millennium Cultist games have been played, but as yet I haven't seen much about it, with neither results, spoilers or a current winners list. It's a little disappointing not to know who is in the lead for the win; perhaps that situation will change in the next few weeks? --[1.2 -Next Issue]------------------------------------ Well maybe we will have something on the Millenium Cultists, or perhaps that will have to wait until January when I run the Bath events - hey I might win... Anyway next time I will look at the newly released 2006 promos, and what that might mean for the Ahrimanes --[2.1 - Crypt Card Focus]-------------------------- Well we are going back to Bloodlines for this, here is Juanita Santiago Clan: Ahrimane (group 2) Capacity: 4 Disciplines: ani pre spi Sabbat: Sterile. Juanita is not very exciting, in that she has no specials, and only basic in clan skills. However she is only a 4 cap, so she can use Atonement, of which more later. She is also in group 2-3 where there are a couple of lower caps to fill out an Atonement crypt. She will benefit from some skill cards of course, but she starts with a good base spread. --[2.2 - Library Card Focus]------------------------ This month is it all about Non Skill intercept. Way back in 1994 intercept was limited, ANI had it, AUS had it, Princes and Justicars had it, and there was a couple of other cards such as Sports Bike and KRCG Radio. Since then it has increased to a state where you could easily do a Non Skill intercept wall, so I will look at those cards as they can be used on minions who don't have the usually required ANI or SPI First is a card from 3rd Edition, which I mentioned when I reviewed that set in issue 17. There I said it could be used instead of (some) Raven Spies as it was less fragile than a retainer, and also untaps you when you successfully complete the action. Abbot Type: Action Requires: sabbat +1 stealth action. Requires a Sabbat vampire. Put this card on this acting Sabbat vampire and untap him or her. This Sabbat vampire gets +1 intercept against (D) actions directed at his or her controller. A vampire may have only one Abbot. However it could be really painful for your predator and prey if you followed up Abbot with Atonement! This would give you up to +2 intercept against (D) actions, and you wouldn't tap for blocking younger minions! That would sabotage most players set up, indeed a couple of players at the National Cup complained that their game was over as their predator/prey had permanent intercept, and so their actions could no longer succeed... Which if +1 intercept can kill you, perhaps you need a better deck? Atonement Type: Action Requires: capacity below 6 Cost: 2 blood Requires a ready vampire with a capacity below 6. +1 stealth action. Put this card on the acting vampire. This vampire gets +1 intercept when attempting to block. He or she does not tap when blocking a vampire of the same age or younger. Any vampire may burn this card as a (D) action; Followers of Set get -1 stealth when attempting that action. Anyway, all of the above could be layered up with Guardian Angel Type: Master Cost: 2 pool Master. Put this card on a ready vampire you control. This vampire gets +1 intercept when you are being bled. This vampire may prevent 1 damage each combat. Burn this card if this vampire goes to torpor. You could really demoralize players if you played this on the same turn as Abbot and Atonement. Not a lot to add to this, as it has been talked about in the past, however it adds damage prevention, which is lacking in the usual Ahrimane line up. I have also noticed that the various Non Skill intercepts don't add up to really high totals as they mostly have specific uses; such as this one being Bleed actions only. Communal Haven: Temple Type: Master Cost: 1 pool Master: location. Each Sabbat vampire you control gets +1 intercept when attempting to block (D) actions directed against Sabbat vampires you control. A Methuselah may have only one Communal Haven: Temple in play. This card is quite limited, as although it adds intercept to all of your Sabbat vampires, it only counts for (D) actions against them. This would most likely be combat, so would have some benefit in that you would be able to put your choice of vampire into combat, rather than the attackers. However the majority of combat rushes are still at zero stealth, so you probably don't need this. Ahrimane Protectorate Type: Action Requires: Ahrimane +1 stealth action. Unique. Put this card in play, and this Ahrimane may burn 1 blood to untap at the end of this action. You may burn this card to cause a (D) action directed at an ally or location you control to fail. You may burn this card during a (D) action against you to give an Ahrimane you control +1 intercept. Now this is interesting, as it allows you to add intercept to any reacting Ahrimane. Also it sits in play, so you can point it out to players before they act. Of course it has its limitations in that it is only against (D) actions against you, however it also has the burn option which is very handy against any Block Fails cards - again something you might like to point out to players. J That only works when the actions are directed against an Ally or Location, but will still be a help. There is of course various Equipment and Retainer cards, plus numerous Master card intercept locations. Many have been covered before, so I will not mention them here, but there are a few that aren't used much and I will look at them now. Phased Motion Detector Type: Equipment Equipment. Once each action, when a vampire plays an action modifier that requires Chimerstry [chi], Obfuscate [obf] or Obtenebration [obt], this minion gets +1 intercept for the current action, even if intercept is not yet needed. A minion may have only one Phased Motion Detector. This is a little like the Ahrimane Protectorate as it will sit in play, and add Intercept against those minions most likely to have stealth. This is good, especially in a Non Skill deck, however the action is probably better spent gaining a Raven Spy - unless your play group like killing retainers, in a traditional Ahrimane deck. Bloodstone Type: Equipment Equipment. Put this equipment on any minion (this is a +1 stealth (D) action if the minion is controlled by another Methuselah). This acting vampire gets +2 intercept when attempting to block the bearer of this equipment. I am always surprised that this hasn't made more of an impact in games as it gains you a lot of intercept if successfully equipped on to a minion of your choice, and if blocked will probably get you into combat with a secondary minion. Also once in play it is difficult to get rid of equipment, and the Bloodstone will work for you when blocking any minion with it - so even swapping it around will cause problems. With the rise in useful equipment, will we ever see an 'in combat equip' card like Concealed Weapon? I imagine it is doubtful, but we can hope, although the problem comes from the number of exceptions required to make sure it's not too abusive. Finally if you are playing Sabbat, there is a chance that you will have or can have some Black Hand vampires. If you do that gives you access to a very good Non Skill intercept card: Ministry Type: Reaction Requires: black hand Cost: 1 blood Requires a ready Black Hand vampire. Do not replace until the end of this action. This vampire gets +2 intercept. If the acting vampire is Sabbat, this vampire gets an additional +1 intercept. If this vampire does not successfully block this action, he or she is tapped after action resolution. This is great, and I have used it in quite a few non Ahrimane decks. However it would require quite a bit of set up to use in an Ahrimane deck as first you would have to become Black Hand. Still there may be some mileage there, and of course you could also then use Corporeal Reservoir for damage prevention. --[3.1 - Deck: Ahrimane Non Skill ]--------------- Deck Name : Ahrimane Non Skill Author : Sam Marsh This deck is more about showing what can be done, rather than what should be done, so it is very focused on Intercept, which given the subject of the Newsletter is to be expected. There is up to 12 unconditional Intercept, with potentially another 2 dependant on the action type. There may be some problem with the skill base, as group 2-3 is lacking the ANI SPI, but has the lower capacities, so perhaps some Skill cards should be added, or Sanguine Instruction. Of course any Block Fails cards will be very annoying, but you will have to live with that, unless you add Direct Intervention. Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 3 max: 8 average: 5.34 3x Howler 8 ANI PRE SPI obf Ahrimane:2 3x Juanita Santiago 4 ani pre spi Ahrimane:2 2x Cynthia Ingold 6 SPI ani for pre Ahrimane:2 2x Nettie Hale 5 ani cel pre pro spi Ahrimane:2 1x Leon 3 ani for !Gangrel:2 1x Wendy Wade 3 ani aus Tzimisce:2 Library [90 cards] Action [16] 4x Abbot 2x Ahrimane Protectorate 2x Army of Rats 4x Atonement 4x Engling Fury Ally [4] 2x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter) 2x High Top Combat [24] 6x Aid from Bats 6x Carrion Crows 3x Concealed Weapon 2x High Ground 2x Pack Alpha 5x Taste of Vitae Equipment [7] 4x Sniper Rifle 3x Sport Bike Master [18] 6x Blood Doll 1x Communal Haven: Temple 2x Creep Show 2x Fame 2x Guardian Angel 1x KRCG News Radio 1x Rumor Mill, Tabloid Newspaper, The 2x Smiling Jack, The Anarch 1x WMRH Talk Radio Reaction [18] 3x Cats' Guidance 6x Falcon's Eye 3x On the Qui Vive 6x Speak with Spirits Retainer [3] 3x Raven Spy Again it is untried, so if anyone gets a chance to try it let me know. --[3.2 - Sign Off]-------------------------------------- Well there are a few interruptions in the local Vtes scene as one player has gone to work in Iraq, and two others have been jetting off to the EC 2006 in Turin. However we are planning a couple of different games in the next few weeks, with Phased Motion Format making an appearance. We will also be playing Advanced All Star decks - where each player has copies of an Advanced (and base version) vampire in their Crypt, and that is all. We have organised it so that we know there is no contestation - we all emailed our man in Iraq. There could be some other problems that come up, but as we are all in the same situation it should be very interesting, and hopefully fun. Sam *