VEKN Malkavian Antitribu Newsletter, November 2006 VOLUME V, Issue XI 1. INTRODUCTION The most common (and the most unexpected) feature of Third Edition !Malks is Vicissitude. Prior to 3rd Ed, only Imogen had this discipline at inferior, and, frankly, she isn't very good - actually, IMHO, she is hardly playable at all. Now we've got FOUR new vampires with Vicissitude: Luc, the great hand cycler and diablerist; Drusilla Euphemia, Harold Zettler and Gravitnir. The latter even has superior Vicissitude! What happened to our clan? How our vampires managed to master the art of fleshcraft en masse? I guess nobody would be able to answer this question (except for LSJ and other WW authorities, of course). Nevertheless, now we CAN use Vicissitude as one of the primary disciplines in a 3-4 group deck, and this should not be ignored. 2. CARD OF THE MONTH Card Name: Soul Decoration [KMW:C] Card Type: Action Disciplines: Obfuscate & Vicissitude +1 stealth action. [obf][vic] (D) Bleed. [OBF][VIC] Put this card on this acting vampire. Once each action this vampire performs, he or she can cancel a card that requires Auspex [aus] as it is played (no cost is paid). This card should be played at superior. Inferior effect isn't very attractive - just bleed at +1 stealth... if you have Obfuscate, you can get +1 stealth from many cards. Still, the ability to cycle out this card with some benefit is nice. At superior, your vampire gains ability to cancel one card that requires Auspex during each of his actions. A lot of useful (and dangerous) reactions require Auspex. If you are playing a stealth-based deck against an intercepting wall, Soul Decoration is even better than having a permanent +1 stealth: you choose what card you will cancel, and the card usually provides more than just +1 intercept (Spirit's Touch, Enhanced Senses, Read the Winds etc.) Note that your opponent will be unable to play the same reaction once more (it's considered to be "played"), and you may penetrate the wall just because the player run out of different intercept cards. Obviously, the most powerful cards that you can cancel are cards with unique effects, like superior Telepathic Misdirection and superior Eagle's Sight. Soul Decoration is one of the best cards for heavy bleeders, since it makes your bleed hit the intended target. Spying Mission is good, but it just allows you to cancel your bleed and avoid hurting your grandprey, while Soul Decoration eliminates the problem card instead of dealing around it. Surely, it will do nothing with Deflection and Redirection, but Telepathic Misdirection is much more popular, due to its flexibility, and Auspex is easier to find. Ability to cancel Eagle's Sight makes a crosstable intercept deck forget about blocking your "decorated" vampire, which can be extremely important. Finally, don't forget that you can cancel a combat card, too. Canceling a superior Aura Reading can be a nasty surprise for any combat deck with Auspex: no increased hand size for you, my friend... 3. VAMPIRES OF THE MONTH Name: Drusilla Euphemia [Third] Clan: Malkavian Antitribu Capacity: 6 Group: 4 Disciplines: dem vic AUS OBF Sabbat: Drusilla may give you control of a ready Ventrue for the remainder of the turn as a (D) action that costs 2 blood. OK, you can grab Arika and even do something to her. Use Precognizant Mobility to untap her, then send her to diablerize somebody, and make her vote for a suicide :) Alternatively, drain all her blood and equipment with Heidelberg Castle. And so on. The ability would be much more interesting (and playable) if it affected any Inner Circle member instead of any Ventrue. Clan hosers aren't very effective until everybody starts playing one clan. Setting aside the ability, Drusilla is a pure support vampire. Superior Auspex and Obfuscate are support Disciplines, while inferior Dementation and Vicissitude aren't enough for a bleed deck, intercept deck or any sort of deck. She'll have to learn something to become effective, and in my current Deck of the Month she learns Vicissitude. Not too reliable, for sure, but AUS/VIC makes a serious threat, and Drusilla's capacity will increase to 7, making her a perfect target for Cardinal Benediction. AUS/VIC/obf deck is quite real nowadays, especially with some stealth-voting. Name: Malgorzata [Third] Clan: Tremere Antitribu Capacity: 9 Group: 4 Disciplines: pre AUS DOM THA VIC Sabbat priscus: Malgorzata may remove a vampire in your uncontrolled region from the game to add 4 blood from the blood bank to another vampire in your uncontrolled region as a +1 stealth action. I must confess that I missed Malgorzata in my "Top 5 vampires" review. Her ability is extremely good: she's going to provide immense acceleration and save a lot of pool even without any Governs in your hand. If you HAVE Govern the Unaligned, Malgorzata will generally be able to play it at superior, providing +3 pool and +3 transfers just for 1 blood and an action. Finally, if she get Rutor's Hand, she will be able to play BOTH actions: Govern and her special action, generating 7 pool in one turn. Free Ladislas Toth, anyone? :) Surely, removing a vampire from the game actually isn't "free": you have just four of them, Malgorzata and three others. You may get more, for 4 transfers and 1 pool, and the net benefit would still be very good: +3 pool for one action, without any cards. Moreover, a deck with Malgorzata will be able to cycle the crypt, searching for a special vampire, and influence the vampire, even if he is older! In my Deck of the Month this process is accelerated with Clotho's Gifts played by Luc, Drusilla and Ana Rita Montana. Generally, Malgorzata is great in any slow-developing deck, especially in a Wall-style deck. You need some time to build up your forces, and intercept has the best defense. Currently I'm trying to build a "block & vote" deck with Malgorzata, Radu Bistri and Velya - AUS/VIC/pre with tons of votes (Priscus and two Cardinals = 9 votes total). Malgorzata has no stealth, but she can be quite capable fighter. 4. DECK OF THE MONTH Deck Name: Malgorzata & Radu Decorate Their Souls Created By: Ilya Ginsburg Description: Utterly weird toolbox to demonstrate Soul Decoration Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 21, Max: 36, Avg: 7,25) ---------------------------------------------- 2 Luc dem vic OBF 5 !Malk 1 Ana Rita Montana aus dom obf VIC 5 Tzimisce 2 Drusilla Euphemia dem vic AUS OBF 6 !Malk 3 Radu Bistri ani pre vic AUS DOM 8 Tzimisce 4 Malgorzata pre AUS DOM THA VIC 9 !Tremere Library: (90 cards) ------------------- Master (16 cards) 1 Obfuscate 1 Infernal Pact 2 Vicissitude 1 Purchase Pact 1 Black Forest Base 2 Dreams of the Sphinx 4 Blood Doll 2 Sudden Reversal 1 Powerbase: Madrid 1 Pentex(TM) Loves You! Action (20 cards) 2 Soul Decoration 4 Clotho`s Gift 6 Govern the Unaligned 1 Pulse of the Canaille 4 Sibyl`s Tongue 1 Magic of the Smith 1 Rutor`s Hand 1 Eternal Vigilance Action Modifier (15 cards) 4 Lost in Crowds 4 Spying Mission 4 Forgotten Labyrinth 3 Conditioning Political Action (1 cards) 1 Political Stranglehold Reaction (17 cards) 2 On the Qui Vive 5 Wake with Evening`s Freshness 6 Telepathic Misdirection 4 Spirit`s Touch Combat (13 cards) 4 Breath of the Dragon 9 Chiropteran Marauder Equipment (3 cards) 1 Changeling Skin Mask 1 Heart of Nizchetus 1 Bowl of Convergence Combo (5 cards) 5 Swallowed by the Night This is a weird toolbox, and you should behave correspondingly. First of all, you need to get the most needed cards: Changeling Skin Mask for Radu and Infernal Pact for Malgorzata provide superior Obfuscate; Purchase Pact is a hunting grounds for Radu; Malgorzata needs Rutor's Hand and Eternal Vigilance. Get Infernal Pact ASAP, since without it somebody may block the most crucial actions, AND you won't be able to play Soul Decoration. Use AUS/VIS to block and bounce bleeds, and to frighten the potential blockers. Play Clotho's Gift to get more vampires in your uncontrolled region and to find Radu if you won't get him in your initial draw. Pulse of the Canaille is used to create a serious threat from your vampire with Soul Decoration. Governs and Conditions are one-shot threats that should be played to oust your prey suddenly. The deck has serious combat module to inspire fear and simulate an intercept deck for some time. Political Stranglehold is just very advantageous for this deck, as you will gain 6 pool. That's all for November. As always, all comments and ideas are appreciated. Yours, Ector