Report – Tragic Love Affair: Atlanta

• A live Twitter rundown of the tournament (with lots of misspelled names) can be found @Twitter.com.
• Photos from Saturday’s tournament can be found here on Flickr.

My prey, Greg, was playing a Cybele solo deck. He makes her an Anarch, so that she can play Anarch-only cards (like Detect Authority).  His deck was mostly master cards.  He brought out The Parthanon and used Cybele’s special ability to play multiple master cards each turn.    I started out with Olivia Bum’s Rushing Cybele and sending her to torpor in 2 rounds of combat.  I was waiting for Greg to either bring out another vampire, but instead he played it slow and used Liquidation and Ashur Tablets to gain pool.  I bled him with Computer Hacking a couple times, but was unable to do much else except bleed for one each time.  But Greg was able to gain pool faster than I could bleed it out of him.

My predator, Robyn, was playing a Dominate bleed deck. She didn’t do much to me at first.  She was too worried about all the Imbed her predator Mattias was bringing out and equipping with various weapons.  I chose not to rush backwards since Robyn was getting rushed and losing blood off her vampires.  She did Deflect a couple bleeds to me, but that was it.

Robyn offered to rescue Cybele for Greg, but he declined her offer.  I assumed he must have something up his sleeve like a Golconda, so when it was my turn again I had Koko diablerize Cybele. Since I had the Edge and Olivia is a bishop with one vote, Koko survived the blood hunt.  I later drew a Fame, but there was no opportunity to play it, so I discarded it.

Greg was able to slow me down further, first by putting Society of Leopold on my 1-cap, keeping her from doing anything else.  I thought about just burning her, but assumed Greg would bring the Society of Leopold back into play from his ash heap and use it on another one of my vampires.  He also played Disease on Duck, forcing him to burn blood during each untap.  Greg did eventually bring out another copy of Cybele and put a Secure Haven on her.

Mattias knocked one of Robyn’s vampires into torpor, but she was able to rescue and with three vampires ready, she performed a couple Govern or Dominate Kine with Conditioning bleeds to oust me from the game.

Robyn bleed out Greg a turn or two later and Mattias continued to bleed Robyn. With no one left to Deflect to, Robyn had to block and her minions were sent to torpor.  Mattias then bled her out for a VP and gained a second VP for himself.

Final Score:  Robyn 2VP, Mattias 2VP.

Round 2

The second round turned out better than the first.  In the first round I drew two copies of Olivia and two copies of Hasina.  This time I got Beast, Agatha and Paul DiCario in my opening crypt.  David Tatu was my predator and he brought out two Giovanni – Gilliespi and Andrea.  I assumed he was playing a Giovanni Power Bleed deck (but it was really a Shambling Hordes deck), so I Bum’s Rushed both his guys and Disarmed, sending them to torpor.  I was just trying to slow David down, I was going to leave him alone after that. But he didn’t believe he could do much the rest of the game, so he influenced out on his next turn, giving Jose the first VP of the game.

Meanwhile, Mattias was my prey this round and he was slowly bringing out his Imbued and giving them Daggers.  I didn’t know how my deck would do against him, so I Bum’s Rushed him anyway and to my surprise I was able to send each of his Imbued to torpor and then with my spare minions, destroy them while they lay in the incapacitated region.  With no ready minions, I Computer Hack bled him until he was out.

Jose was playing a Tremere antitribu bleed deck.  He was able to Dominate bleed me once or twice, but I was able to rush and block him.  I couldn’t do much against him at first, because he had a lot of maneuvers to take him to long range, where he would Theft of Vitae me.  But as time went on I was able to stay at close or maneuver back to him with Behind You! and I knocked three of his vampires into torpor and then bled him out with more Computer Hacks.

Final Score:  Jordan 3VP, Jose 1VP

Final Round

The standings after three rounds:

1. Danielle Newquist – Kiasyd Stealth Bleed
2. Jeff Thompson  – Salubri antitribu Rush/Deny
3. Mike Pearlman – Toreador Baltimore Purge
4. Jordan Beall – Nosferatu Rush/Combat
5. Mattias Kallenberg – Imbued Bleed/Combat

This round I didn’t have a good crypt draw.  But it wasn’t too bad.  I got out Olivia and Nigel.  It wasn’t a good table setting for any of us.  I was going to leave Danielle alone and let her bleed Mike down some before I would go on offense.  Mattias was my predator this time (my third time playing against him).  I had a feeling my combat wouldn’t do as well this time around, I thought I got very lucky with him in the second round.

Jeff was Mattias’ predator and he did foil some of Mattias’ actions with Hide the Heart.  Mike got out a few Toreador, but he did not want to play a Baltimore Purge out of fear it would hurt Danielle and I and allow Mattias to sweep the table.

Danielle went backwards on me and put a Riddle Phantastique on Nigel with 4 counters on it.  Then the next turn, Mattias put a Pentex Subversion on Olivia.  Mike attempted to remove the Pentex on his turn, but Mattias blocked him.  I only had Agatha as my remaining ready minion, but she was empty and had to hunt. Then when she was ready again, Mattias rushed her and knocked one blood off her, forcing her to hunt again.  So for a few turns there I had nothing to do.

Mattias bleed me down to one pool since I was tapped out (or my minions were in purgatory).  Mike got rid of my Pentex.  The Riddle expired and I had three minions ready to rush Danielle in one last move to oust her.  She was down to 6 pool and I had a Fame on one of her Kiasyd. I thought if I knock the Famous one into torpor and got a Computer Hack thru, it would oust her.  I made an attempt to Rush the Famous one, got into combat, but I was out of Immortal Grapples and did not draw into one during Pre-range.  Danielle was able to play a dodge against my strikes.  I made three attempts to rush the Famous Kiasyd, but never got an Immortal Grapple (afterwards I looked at my deck and there was one 4 cards further down in my deck).

Danielle was successfully bleeding Mike down and he had to play Enemy’s Enemy to save himself, but it ousted me, giving Mattias his first VP of the game.  Danielle was able to oust Mike on her next bleed.  Then after several turns going back and forth with Jeff, she was able to oust him, but some of her Kiasyd got knocked into torpor.

Danielle lost her 8-cap in a blood hunt after diablerizing Jeff’s 10-cap Salubri.  Danielle’s priscus was in torpor at the time and she momentarily forgot to rescue him beforehand.  Danielle was able to rescue one of her vampires and influence out another vampire, but they were knocked into torpor by Mattias’ Imbued.  Eventually Mattias was able to swarm bleed her out and get the game win.

Mattias Kallenberg’s Tournament Winning Deck with 3 VPs in the finals

(Entered finals on coin flip/dice roll, was tied with 2 other players for 5th place.)

Deck Name : We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
Author : Mattias Kallenberg

Description : Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 4 max: 4 average: 4
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3x Jennifer "Flame61" Vidisania 4  ven vis  Imbued:4
3x John "Cop90" O'Malley	4  jud ven  Imbued:4
3x Lupe "Cabbie22" Droin	4  def ven  Imbued:4
3x Pedro Cortez           	4  mar ven  Imbued:4

Library [90 cards]
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Action [8]
 2x Ambush
 2x Arson
 2x Bum's Rush
 2x Harass

Ally [1]
 1x Vagabond Mystic

Combat [20]
 8x Cleave
 2x Dead-End Alley
 2x Fake Out
 3x Pulled Fangs
 1x Target Hand
 2x Target Vitals
 2x Trap

Conviction [18]
 7x React with Conviction
 5x Second Sight
 6x Strike with Conviction

Equipment [19]
 2x Crusader Sword, The
 8x Dagger
 2x Flak Jacket
 3x Hawg
 1x Ivory Bow
 1x Joumlon's Axe
 1x Kevlar Vest
 1x Living Wood Staff

Event [3]
 1x Dragonbound
 1x NRA PAC
 1x Unmasking, The

Master [14]
 7x Angel of Berlin
 1x Archon Investigation
 1x Barrens, The
 2x Church of Vindicated Faith, The
 1x Direct Intervention
 1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
 1x Tension in the Ranks

Power [4]
 1x Rejuvenate
 2x Surge
 1x Vigilance

Reaction [3]
 3x On the Qui Vive