[Strategy Event] Port Authority
by Gregory Stuart Pettigrew 
etherial \\ at \\ sidehack.sat.gweep.net


I. Introduction

That's right, Port Authority. As a non-Gehenna Event, many building Event
Decks might overlook poor Port Authority. That's right, it's non-Gehenna.
But inevitably, there will be non-Gehenna cards in your deck, so let's
leave its non-Gehenna-ness behind us and take a look at what the card IS,
rather than what it ISN'T.

Port Authority [Promo-20041015]
Cardtype: Event
Government.
When a Methuselah uses a discard phase action to discard a card, he or she
doesn't draw to replace that card until his or her next untap phase.

Port Authority is a Disabling Event. It meets all three criteria. 1) It
only hurts methuselahs who use Discard Phase Actions (DPAs) to discard. 2)
Your deck can be built to never discard with a DPA. 3) It adversely
affects the chief use of the Discard Phase.

II. Strategy and Tactics

Port Authority automatically strengthens any deck that can play without
discarding. Players will quite frequently want to cycle out cards in their
hand that they can't play, and Port Authority ensures that that card
counts against them for a full round more. You can even combine it with
Camarilla Threat and nuke any deck that needs to discard with a DPA.

A Prey that is on the ropes without Port Authority in play can become
truly desperate once it is out. Any hope of cycling into a wake or other
defensive card is severely crippled. A Predator that is playing strong
without Port Authority can suddenly lose momentum as it becomes harder to
draw into cards to ply your deck's weaknesses.

But it shows its true power when playing with other Events. Port Authority
is out there to bite back at the disadvantage of playing Events,
particularly those that have Hand Size penalties (18 out of 22). One of
the things that makes players balk at playing Events is said Hand Size
penalty, but if everyone is down a card when using a DPA, then you are
benefitting from playing the Event because you get an immediate positive
effect from your DPA.

A deck playing with Port Authority that may feel the occasional need to
discard has several options to overcome the drawback in addition to those
currently listed on the Strategy Challenge site:

*Alternate forms of Discard (The Admonitions, Barrens, Death of My
Conscience...)
*Hand Storage (Delivery Truck, The Erciyes Fragments, Storage Annex...)
*Increased card drawing (Beckett, Infernal Pursuit, Scrounging...)
*Increased Hand Size (Elder Library, Henri Lavenant, Relentless
Pursuit...)

III. A Sample Deck

This is the deck I played in yesterday's Boston Build-your-Own Storyline,
"Reverse the Curse." It is important to note that this deck requires
modification before being played in a Constructed Environment. Switching
out the Cardanos for Virstanias is a great leap forward, but the bloat
mechanism it used yesterday would need to be replaced with something else.

It uses Port Authority to help mitigate the Hand Size penalties from its
various events, and Port Authority was used to great effect in Round 2. My
prey blocked a bleed that was cross-table with a Famous vampire just to
cycle a single card.

Crypt:
Cardano x3
Erinyi
Fidus, The Shrunken Beast
Ferox, The Rock Lord
Ferox, The Rock Lord (Adv)
Luma, Stone Beauty
Obsidian
Pugfar
Saxum, Master of Slaves
Ublo-Satha

Events (8):
Anthelios, the Red Star
Conquest of Humanity
Dragonbound
The New Inquisition
Port Authority
Restricted Vitae
Rise of the Nephtali
Torpid Blood

Masters (19):
Archon Investigation
Blood Doll x4
Direct Intervention
Dreams of the Sphinx
Effective Management x3
Fame x2
Haven Uncovered x2
Perfectionist x3
Tension in the Ranks
Visit from the Capuchin

Actions (16):
Brick Laying
Bum's Rush x5
Force of Will x3
Rampage
Rapid Healing x2
Restoration x3
Scrounging

Action Modifier (4):
Freak Drive x4

Combat (36):
Disarm x2
Immortal Grapple x8
Pounce x4
Resilience x3
Soak x2
Swoop x2
Taste of Vitae x4
Torn Signpost x5
Unflinching Persistence x6

Reactions (7):
Pack Tactics
Patrol x2
Wake with Evening's Freshness x4

I built this deck specifically to exploit both special rules of the Boston
"Reverse the Curse" Storyline. Specifically, Cardano is not in there to be
influenced out. Instead, using the Events in the deck, bring Reverse the
Curse into play and free the Slave Gargoyles. Then, each Cardano will fill
to half-capacity as a bloat mechanism. It worked wonders in Round 2.

Play is fairly simple. Influence out non-Slave Gargoyles to go forward,
Slave Gargoyles to block. Rush your prey into torpor. Spend every transfer
bringing out Gargoyles/trolling for Cardano. Play Events to Reverse the
Curse. Events in the deck aid its goals:

*Anthelios allows you to use leftover Effective Managements to get back
AIs, DotS, or DIs.
*Conquest of Humanity burns those pesky locations.
*Dragonbound punishes those you put in torpor.
*The New Inquisition helps you put guys in torpor.
*Port Authority punishes those who do not play Events.
*Restricted Vitae helps you put guys in torpor.
*Rise of the Nephtali can probably be removed.
*Torpid Blood helps keep them in torpor.

The only unpleasant side effects these Events have on the deck are the
standard Hand Size ones, mitigated by Dreams of the Sphinx, Scrounging,
and Visit from the Capuchin. The deck is also fully capable of eliminating
all of the temporary Hand Size restrictions.

It was a lot of fun to play, coming in Fourth overall with a 4-VP game
win. The Bloat Mechanism worked wonders in round 2, netting me 9-12 pool.

IV. Final Thought

An additional deck idea, which I just came up with writing this piece, is
an exercise left for the reader:

Using Henri Lavenant, Angelica, the Canonicus, and the various Black
Hand/Potence cards mentioned here and on the Strategy Challenge site,
build a deck to showcase the True Power of Port Authority.

Remember, the Prey is on the left.

-Gregory Stuart Pettigrew

http://www.darkwindrising.com/vampire/byo.asp
http://www.TheLasombra.com/strategy_challenge.htm