Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter – Autumn 2009

Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter – Autumn 2009
Volume 4, Issue 1

By Eric Chiang
Halcy...@aol.com

[Legal stuff to the tune of: I wrote all this, so please give credit
where it’s due, etc.]

--------------------------

Contents –
1.1 – Editor’s Note
1.2 – The Core Pillars: Bleed, Combat, & Politics
1.3 – Supplemental Strategies: Stealth, Intercept, & Bloat
1.4 – Clan Themes
1.5 – Eden’s Legacy Storyline
1.6 – Friday the 13th Storyline (European Championship 2009)
1.7 – Hall of Fame
1.8 – Featured Vampire: Mistress Fanchon
1.9 – Featured Card: Soul Scan
1.10 – Featured Deck: Goratrix + Celerity by Jeff Poole

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[1.1 – Editor’s Note]

Welcome to the latest installment of the Tremere Antitribu newsletter!
The past several years, I’ve had an on-again / off-again role as
newsletter writer, but I figure now is as good a time as any for
another reboot. I understand that clan newsletter publication has
significantly dwindled but hopefully this can help reverse that trend.
The past two years I have been studying abroad where there hasn’t been
much VTES action going on, so it almost feels like I’ve been in a time
warp and now I’m gradually readjusting to the tournament scene.

This being the fourth incarnation of the newsletter, I’ve certainly
learned from my prior attempts. Attempting to do a monthly, or even bi-
monthly, newsletter is far too ambitious for me. So for now, I’m going
to set my sights on a quarterly newsletter. I’ll try my best to keep
this going but no guarantees – I’m sure you all realize how in both
VTES games, as well as in real life, the best laid plans have a nasty
habit of getting thwarted!

As with all of my previous newsletters, this one’s pretty lengthy. It
is not recommended to try and read through it all in just one sitting.
Many readers will find it more useful to take it one section at a
time, allowing for ample time to consider and digest the many
strategies discussed.

--------------------------

[1.2 – The Core Pillars: Bleed, Combat, & Politics]

For those not so familiar with the clan, we’ll begin with a basic
introduction analyzing how well the Tremere Antitribu execute the core
strategies of the game. Traditionally, the three pillars of VTES have
been bleed, combat, and politics.

[BLEED]

Vampires with bleed-related specials:

Bryan Van Duesen
Goratrix
Marino Reymundo Vasquez
Orlando Oriundus

Clan cards supporting a bleed strategy:

Hexaped

Core cards to use (Dominate obviously):

Bonding
Conditioning
Dominate Kine
Govern the Unaligned

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Pulse of the Canaille (permanent +2 bleed)
Revelations (anti-bounce)
Perfect Clarity (anti-bounce)
Pentex(TM) Loves You! (permanent, flexible + bleed)

For the Tremere Antitribu, bleeding isn’t a significant challenge due
to in-clan access to Dominate. I’ve mentioned before that
traditionally, the Tremere Antitribu have been much more focused on
Dominate rather than Auspex. For example, looking at the original
lineup of Group 2 vampires, there are 5 vampires with more levels of
Dominate than Auspex (Brooke, Kurt Strauss, Reverend Blackwood, Bryan
Van Duesen, and Ethan Locke). Only Richard Tauber (and later followed
by Hannigan) had more Auspex than Dominate. Group 3 further broke away
from the emphasis on Dominate, as seen with Elena Mendoza Vasquez,
Yasmin the Black, and Terrell Harding. But Group 4 seems to be
retreading familiar ground with the likes of Keith Moody, Mosfair,
Antonio d’Erlette, and Esoara. Three of them don’t even have any
Auspex at all, while Keith and Esoara provide very cheap superior DOM.

The main challenge for the Tremere Antitribu is delivering the
payload. Traditionally the clan has had very limited access to
stealth. Although recent cards offer some new options, it may not be
enough to get by even casual intercept. Bonding and Mirror Walk can
get you up to +2 stealth, but getting that third point to get past 2nd
Tradition will be expensive (with either Dominate Kine or Stealth
Ritus). The Hexaped could potentially help, but the mechanism for
using it tends to be rather clunky and awkward. Generally, most
Tremere Antitribu bleed decks rely on a bruise-bleed strategy (with
combat as a deterrent) or need to splash in an out-of-clan discipline
(such as Obtenebration or Obfuscate) for added stealth.

[COMBAT]

Vampires with combat-related specials:

Reverend Blackwood
Goratrix
Uta Kovacs
Lernean
Ash Harrison
Pugfar / Tupdog (Gargoyles)

Clan cards supporting a combat strategy:

Ruins of Ceoris
Spirit Summoning Chamber

Core cards to use (Thaumaturgy obviously):

Apportation
Burst of Sunlight
Rego Motus (damage prevention!)
Theft of Vitae
Walk of Flame

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Nose of the Hound (rush action at stealth)
Telepathic Tracking (Auspex anti-S:CE)
Thoughts Betrayed (Dominate anti-S:CE which also hoses other combat
decks)
Biothaumaturgic Experiment (permanent maneuver and + strength)
Magic of the Smith (grab the Ivory Bow)
Perfect Clarity (Thaumaturgy answer to Presence S:CE or Dominate
Obedience)
Fame / Tension / Dragonbound (ousting mechanisms)
Target Vitals (great with many THA strikes)
Yawp Court (another way to get into combat, as well as vote defense)

The Tremere Antitribu mainly rely on Thaumaturgy for combat. Typical
combat involves maneuvering to long and Thefting (possibly followed by
pressing and Walk of Flame). Alternatively, you can try Burst of
Sunlight (avoiding damage with Precognition, Flak Jacket, or
Rotschreck or just using a disposable weenie). Thaumaturgy isn’t the
type of combat discipline that easily pounds vampires into torpor
(e.g. neutralizing a full-capacity Arika). Instead, it’s much more
attrition-based, especially with its steal blood effects. Be careful
because there are quite a number of combat decks that can trump you –
Thaumaturgy is still nowhere near a 1st-tier combat discipline. But
recent cards have helped it gain more traction – Rego Motus, in
particular, goes a long way towards addressing some historical
vulnerabilities (e.g. aggravated damage like Claws of the Dead or
Breath of the Dragon as well as being Disarmed after Thefting).

The direct approach is to rely on rush cards (Nose of the Hound, Bum’s
Rush, Harass, Frontal Assault). While it may work for Tupdog decks,
it’s normally not the most effective method for THA combat (since it
can’t reliably torporize the opposing minion). Normally you’re better
off going with either bruise-bleed (where combat is meant to punish
blockers rather than completely vaporize them) or intercept-combat.

It’s also not uncommon to incorporate out-of-clan disciplines for
their combat synergy. Celerity is often utilized for additional
strikes (Theft-Blur-Theft-Theft). Potence lets you use Torn Signpost
and Immortal Grapple along with Blood Fury (Thaumaturgy’s contribution
includes ways to get around Fortitude, along with Rego Motus to defend
against aggro-poke). Animalism lets you torporize with Carrion Crows +
Theft of Vitae. And Fortitude allows you to prevent Burst of Sunlight
environmental damage, or use tricks like Dawn Op + Weather Control +
Skin of Night (less effective nowadays due to the Imbued).

[POLITICS]

Vampires with vote-related specials:

Orlando Oriundus

Titled vampires:

(Bishops)

Reverend Blackwood
Frondator
Eric Kressida
Paul Cordwood
Orlando Oriundus

(Archbishops)

Ethan Locke
Ladislas Toth, The Torch
Marino Reymundo Vasquez
Lucubratio

(Prisci)

Kij Dansky
Malgorzata

(Cardinals)

Ayelea, The Manipulator
Lernean

Clan cards supporting a vote strategy:

(None)

Core cards to use:

Cardinal Benediction
Dia de los Muertos
Hall of Hades’ Court
Powerbase: Madrid
Powerbase: Rome
Telepathic Vote Counting
+ the obvious Political Actions (Kine Resources Contested, Banishment,
etc.)

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Agate Talisman
Black Forest Base
Blood Siege
Bloodbath
Creepshow Casino
Crusade: Barcelona (don’t forget the untapping benefit)
Lyndhurst Estate, New York
Monastery of Shadows
Regent

At first glance, the Tremere Antitribu don’t seem well suited for
politics. They don’t have a vote discipline (Presence) nor do they
have useful clan cards that help them pass votes (Power Structure,
Foundation Exhibit, Demonstration, or Ventrue Headquarters). They have
a decent selection of titles, but it is nowhere as impressive as those
of the Lasombra, Tzimisce, Toreador, or Ventrue.

But with a little bit of effort, vote decks are still within the realm
of possibility. Getting the first few votes passed is the biggest
hurdle. Even in the wake of opposition, Presence decks can Awe a
Praxis Seizure / Crusade through. The Tremere Antitribu need a
different tactic. Powerbases Madrid and Rome are useful permanents.
Dia de los Muertos can secure you a title. Remember that Camarilla
vampires cannot meddle in a Cardinal Benediction vote. Bloodbath can
get you a vote without the need of a referendum. You can also drop a
Regent out of nowhere (and if you’re worried about being rushed you
can quickly turn that Regent into a normal Cardinal). Another
possibility is using Magic of the Smith to grab Lyndhurst Estate for
your own mini-Awe.

!Tremere vote decks have become a lot simpler since Third Edition due
to Orlando Oriundus, and his special ability to double your vampires’
votes. There are many ways to take advantage of his special, but I’ll
leave that for another time. It would be nice, however, if future
crypt cards and clan cards further supported the political aspect.

It is exceedingly rare to see it, but be aware that the clan hoser,
Infamous Warlock, can significantly stymie a vote deck. It’s non-
unique and can only be gotten rid of by ousting the Methuselah who
played it. It only affects vampires with a title (so minions voting
with Bloodbath are immune) and Infamous vampires can still use their
titles to play cards. Fortunately, it’s very corner-case and hasn’t
been printed since the Sabbat expansion.

Vote decks may include another discipline for added stealth (Obfuscate
or Obtenebration) or vote push (Presence). One of my personal
favorites is the Presence angle mainly since Awe helps you get those
critical votes past. Plus, between Mirror Walk, Obedience, and
Presence S:CE you don’t have to worry about combat. It may often be
useful to include titled members of other clans for added vote
support. Jefferson Foster and Polly Kay Fisher are especially good
choices. Alfred Benezri and Sascha Vykos also have the right
disciplines. If you’re willing to cross sectarian lines (which is a
significant issue since Crusades and Cardinal Benedictions aren’t
compatible with Camarilla vampires), Zane or Carna tend to be decent
options. If you’re interested in playing !Tremere politics, take a
look at my July/August 2007 newsletter.

--------------------------

[1.3 – Supplemental Strategies: Stealth, Intercept, & Bloat]

While none of these provide a direct method of ousting your prey, they
are still essential elements in the Jyhad. Stealth may be needed to
deliver your ousting mechanism. Intercept provides defense against
your opponent’s plans. And bloat, in the form of pool and blood gain,
marshals additional resources for you to utilize.

[STEALTH]

Vampires with stealth-related specials:

Paul Cordwood

Clan cards supporting a stealthy strategy:

(None)

Core cards to use:

Mirror Walk

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Change of Target (good for flushing out intercept)
Creepshow Casino (undirected actions only)
Crocodile’s Tongue (pseudo-stealth)
Monastery of Shadows (fatties only)
Notorious Brutality (combine with Signet of King Saul)
Seduction (pseudo-stealth)
The Sleeping Mind (pseudo-stealth)
Stealth Ritus (expensive)

Stealth continues to be a major weakness for the Tremere Antitribu.
They have very limited options in this department. Still, the
situation is far better than what it used to be (I can vividly recall
the days before Mirror Walk). And they do have a slight leg-up
compared to their Camarilla counterparts due to Stealth Ritus and
Notorious Brutality.

The need for stealth is one of the most common reasons for
incorporating an out-of-clan discipline. Obfuscate is the obvious
answer, though in Group 2/3 there are quite a number of vampires with
Obtenebration. In the past I have even experimented with Serpentis,
Obeah or Visceratika for the much needed stealth. You can even squeeze
a little stealth out of Celerity or Vicissitude.

[INTERCEPT]

Vampires with intercept-related specials:

Valerius Maior, Hell’s Fool (Advanced)
Paul Cordwood
Lucubratio

Clan cards supporting an intercept strategy:

Defender of the Haven (only for Gargoyles)

Core cards to use (Auspex obviously):

Eagle’s Sight
Enhanced Senses
Eyes of Argus
My Enemy’s Enemy
Precognition
Spirit’s Touch
Telepathic Misdirection

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Abbot
Bowl of Convergence
Communal Haven: Temple
Eternal Vigilance
Ministry
Sport Bike
Zillah’s Tears
Media outlets (especially Rumor Mill, KRCG, and WMRH)

With an excellent selection of mid-caps with superior Auspex, the
Tremere Antitribu are well-suited for intercept-based decks. Magic of
the Smith is great for quickly gaining permanent intercept with Bowl
of Convergence or Sport Bike. Compared to the Camarilla Tremere, the
Antitribu have access to such gems as Abbot, Ministry, and Zillah’s
Tears.

Blocking actions means you’re also going to be getting into combat, so
you need to make sure you have that base covered. Thaumaturgy combat
(maneuvers + Theft) is fairly standard though you can also go with the
equipment-based route instead (using Magic of the Smith to grab Sniper
Rifles, .44 Magnums, or the Ivory Bow).

If you want a tighter crypt, you may want to consider options outside
the clan. The Tremere have several useful vampires like Blythe
Candeleria and Aisling Sturbridge (for Group 2), Martin Franckel and
Carna the Princess Witch (for Group 3), Andrew Stuart (Group 4), or
Lord Ephraim Wainwright (Group 5). Neighbor John is also an excellent
choice – at just 5 pool his built-in intercept makes up for his lack
of Thaumaturgy.

[BLOAT – POOL/BLOOD GAIN]

Vampires with pool/blood gain specials:

Goratrix
Terrell Harding
Malgorzata

Clan cards supporting a bloat strategy:

University Hunting Ground

Core cards to use:

Govern the Unaligned
Scouting Mission
Cryptic Mission
Theft of Vitae

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Blood of the Sabbat
Black Forest Base
Giant’s Blood
Golconda: Inner Peace
Harvest Rites
Hungry Coyote
Perfectionist

When addressing the crucial issue of pool gain, there are two primary
options for the Tremere Antitribu. The first relies on using Dominate
to put blood on your uncontrolled region and letting you get out
minions more quickly. But in regards to converting the blood back into
pool, you are limited by your transfers. The Tremere Antitribu have
plenty of superior Dominate, but you will need to structure your crypt
to establish Governing chains (since you can only put blood on younger
vampires). Soul Scan can also help in such decks by retrieving a
suitable target from your crypt.

Alternatively, you can focus on blood gain from Thaumaturgy cards, and
siphoning the blood back with Vessels or Blood Dolls. A weenie deck
can use Cryptic Mission (combined with Perfectionist and/or Blood of
the Sabbat) to generate lots of blood. You can also hunt with the
Hungry Coyote and Harvest Rites. An intercept-based deck can drain
blood off of Vessels and then replenish it by blocking vampires and
Thefting their vitae. You can also try Minion Tapping large minions
and filling them up with Thefts but it’s a riskier strategy.

--------------------------

[1.4 – Clan Themes]

Based on the vampires and clan cards, a few themes have emerged which
I will briefly touch upon. They include blood denial, discipline
access, allies, crypt manipulation, and equipment:

[A. BLOOD DENIAL]

Vampires with related specials:

Alejandro Aguirre
Terrell Harding

Clan cards that support the strategy:

Succubus

Core cards to use:

Cryptic Mission
Restricted Vitae
Society of Leopold
Gregory Winter / Impundulu / Ossian / Wendell Delburton / Young Bloods

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Crocodile’s Tongue
Dominion (Black Hand only)
Dr. Marisa Fletcher, CDC
Loose Cannon (Anarchs only)
The New Inquisition
Path of the Void
Slaughtering the Herd

This type of deck relies on removing blood from your opponent’s
minions. Cryptic Mission is the most straightforward approach, along
with blood stealing allies. Once they are empty, you can either try to
torporize them (Path of the Void or blocking them) or burn them
outright (Society of Leopold or block the hunt with Dr. Marisa
Fletcher in play). If you try to torporize them, you may want to use
Gregory Winter, Nephandi, or Graverobbing to clean up the mess.

Path of the Void is a very useful card that is commonly
underappreciated. In addition to helping you torporize empty vampires,
the added stealth is great as well. The drawback can be countered by
getting a Rutor’s Hand first. If you go with an ally-heavy approach,
you may benefit from Charisma and Unlicensed Taxi Cab.

It’s a classic archetype that hasn’t changed too much over the years,
though some of the newer allies mean you don’t have to rely so much on
the expensive Succubi. Society of Leopold is also a little less
reliable now that Vessel is around.

[B. DISCIPLINE ACCESS]

Vampires with related specials:

Ian Forestal
Ethan Locke
Nickolai, The Survivor

Clan cards that support the strategy:

Create Gargoyle (for Gargoyles)
Infernal Pact

Core cards to use:

Infernal Familiar
Spontanenous Power

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Agent of Power
Magic of the Smith (fetch discipline-granting equipment)
Path of Death and the Soul
Sanguine Instruction (possibly with Clan Impersonation)
Vial of Elder Vitae

Ever since the original Sabbat set, access to unusual disciplines has
been one of the unique and distinctive trademarks of the Tremere
Antitribu. Ian Forestal and Infernal Pact go a long way towards making
many wacky decks feasible.

The more novel route involves adding on an exotic Bloodlines
discipline. This can be something uber-kewl like Obeah or Temporis. Or
something more standard like Visceratika (to go along with the
Gargoyles). In these cases not many vampires will be able to use the
discipline since Infernal Pact only works on one minion. You can get a
bunch of Infernal Familiars. Or rely on Sanguine Instruction
(Spontaneous Power gives Ian the superior version, or you can combine
Agent of Power and/or Vial of Elder Vitae until you Sanguine Instruct
what you need).

Alternatively, the same strategies are applicable when trying to tack
on a more standard discipline (i.e. one with an existing skill card)
but you have some added options. If a weenie will do, you can always
Create a Gargoyle with the discipline you need (I used to have a lot
of fun with Serpentis this way). Path of Death and the Soul is another
way (though it was better before Legacies of Blood, when cards
controlled by an ousted Methuselah were burned rather than removed
from the game). Also, don’t underestimate Magic of the Smith – you can
now gain superior Celerity, Chimerstry, Daimoinon, Dementation,
Necromancy, Obfuscate, Potence, or Serpentis by selecting the
appropriate equipment.

[C. ALLIES]

Vampires with related specials:

Antonio d’Erlette

Clan cards that support the strategy:

Gargoyle Slave
Hexaped
Nephandus (Mage)
Succubus
Soul of the Earth (only for Gargoyles)

Core cards to use:

Charisma
The Unmasking

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Far Mastery (get your allies back if they’re stolen)
Unlicensed Taxi Cab
Vagabond Mystic

This is an area where the Tremere Antitribu have a lot of potential,
but which is nonetheless very much underdeveloped. Almost half (4/9)
of the clan cards are allies. Of these, the Nephandus is top-rate, the
Succubus is decent, while the Gargoyle Slave and Hexaped are weak. But
despite all these allies, there are very few cards that support this
strategy (besides Antonio). I don’t consider Soul of the Earth a
“real” clan-card (it’s equally usable by Tremere, and requires
Gargoyles) and it only helps if you want to make a Rock Cat deck.

Right now, the only competitive ally deck is the Nephandus swarm
(featuring Antonio, possibly with some Tupdogs). If you want to get
cute, you can even add some Leeches in along with Potence cards to
use. Other decks might occasionally use a Succubus (though they are
very expensive) but it’s rare to see the other !Tremere allies in
play.

Considering how many ally cards the clan already has, it would really
be nice to see more support for this theme. (In Third Edition, an ally-
related support card would have been much more useful than the
Hexaped).

[D. CRYPT MANIPULATION]

Vampires with related specials:

Paul Cordwood
Malgorzata
Tupdog

Clan cards that support the strategy:

(None)

Core cards to use:

Soul Scan

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Inconnu Tutelage
Kaymakli Nightmares
Sabbat Inquisitor (with Possession or Redeem the Lost Soul)
And for the sake of nostalgia, there’s always the old-school Betrayer
(which was hamstrung by the Grouping rule but may find new life with
Gramle)

This is a newer, emerging theme that has a lot of exciting
possibilities. 99% of the decks out there go with the standard 12-card
crypt. But with the Tremere Antitribu there are many legitimate
reasons why you may decide to go with a larger crypt. A larger crypt
provides additional fuel to use for Paul Cordwood and Malgorzata’s
specials. Tupdog decks are notorious for cycling through their crypts
and many players include as many Tupdogs as caninely possible.

Malgorzata is particularly interesting since she largely mitigates the
downside to having duplicate vampires in your uncontrolled region.
Normally, if you’re building a star vampire deck, you need to include
enough copies to ensure you get your star vampire early. But after
that, they become dead weight in your crypt. But Malgorzata turns them
into additional resources. If you want to learn more, take a look at
my January/February 2007 Newsletter, which focuses on Malgorzata.

Finally, Soul Scan also offers some new tricks, which will be explored
more thoroughly in the Featured Card section.

This is still a relatively new phenomenon for the entire game, let
alone the Tremere Antitribu. But hopefully newer expansions and cards
will continue to explore and add to this theme.

[E. EQUIPMENT]

Vampires with related specials:

Carmen

Clan cards that support the strategy:

Ruins of Ceoris

Core cards to use:

Concealed Weapon
Heidelberg Castle, Germany
Magic of the Smith

Other cards you might have forgotten:

Communal Haven: Cathedral
Leather Jacket
Nod
NRA PAC
Pier 13, Port of Baltimore

There aren’t a lot of Tremere Antitribu specific cards that support
this strategy, but it’s still a fun one to try nonetheless. Magic of
the Smith goes a long, long way towards making equipment-based decks
viable. Carmen is an especially nice addition – +4 stealth equip
action anyone? Magic of the Smith does largely make Anonymous Freight
or Jack of Both Sides unnecessary – though one potential downside is
that you can’t Magic a card that’s in your hand. There are a handful
of anecdotal stories where your replacement card is the very card you
wanted to equip with. But in high intercept environments, Magic of the
Smith may be the only way to acquire key pieces of equipment. (One
useful trick is to use Heart of Nizchetus to put equipment cards in
your hand back into your library so you can get them with Magic of the
Smith). Another useful technique is to use Leather Jacket or NRA PAC
to move around your equipment but then untap at the end of the turn
(sometimes referred to as the “Darby Dance”).

--------------------------

[1.5 – Eden’s Legacy Storyline]

The latest storyline event, Eden’s Legacy, is upon us and will be
running from October 2009 through December 2009 (and possibly extended
through January). Methuselahs, driven by a variety of motivations,
explore the depths of Africa to better understand the secrets of the
Edenic Groundskeepers.

This storyline comes with three distinct rules, and we’ll now look at
how the Tremere Antitribu can best exploit (or prepare against) these
changes.

[LAIBON]

“Methuselahs that move one or more Laibon vampires into their ready
region during their influence phase, can search their library for any
card, reveal it to all players, and move it to their hand during their
discard phase (shuffle afterwards).“

Based on storyline reports, this is a very significant advantage in
favor of the African kindred. It has also resulted in a sizable number
of Laibon decks being represented (around 1/3 of player turnout).

Alas, the Tremere Antitribu count no Laibon among their ranks so it
will be difficult to take advantage of this rule. Furthermore, very
few Laibon possess notable levels of Dominate or Thaumaturgy, making
it harder to fit them into a !Tremere deck.

- Cesewayo is the only Laibon with all three !Tremere clan disciplines
(and at superior no less). As a 10-cap, you’re likely to make a
superstar deck around him. An intercept deck, pairing him with
Lucubratio (who shares POT), Paul Cordwood, and Valerius Maior, is one
option. Or you can try a Celerity-based combat deck (working with
Lernean, Eric Kressida, Mosfair, and either Terrell or Ash).

- You could also fill your 25% non-clan slots with weenie Auspex.
There is one 3-cap with inferior Auspex and numerous 4-caps with
inferior. Or you could pay 5 pool and get AUS with Solomon Batanea,
Kisha Bhimji, or Titi Camara. Auspex weenies can then be used to block
or for Anima Gathering.

- Or build a deck centering on Laibon-only library cards. For example,
both Ilomba and Swarm can find a use in Cryptic Mission decks.
Although discipline mismatch will be a problem, you can just go with
generic weenies.

Knowing that there will be a significant Laibon presence also means
that you can build contingencies in your deck. Mundane and Pallid tend
to be rather weak hosers, though at least you can use them as OOT
masters. Also, since there will be many Laibon decks, you may
inadvertently get caught in the crossfire, if for example, other decks
pack Judgment: Camarilla Segregation.

[CODEX]

Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers
Cost: 1 pool (waived in the storyline)
Unique equipment. This minion gets -2 stealth when bleeding. This
minion may bleed as a (D) action that costs 1 blood; this action gets
+3 bleed if the target Methuselah doesn’t control a ready untapped
minion.

“Each game will begin with a copy of the Codex of the Edenic
Groundskeepers, uncontrolled, in the middle of the table. While it is
uncontrolled, any minion may equip this card as a 0-stealth undirected
action. If the center copy of the Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers
is burned, remove it from the game. For this event, there is no cost
to equipping the Codex of Edenic Groundskeepers.“

Magic of the Smith allows you to fetch a copy from your library and if
someone beats you to the table copy, you can use Mesmerize to steal it
away.

Recent expansions have offered growing options in tapping your prey’s
minions. With Auspex you have Art’s Traumatic Essence or Blessed
Audience for multiple targets. With Dominate the equivalents are Steal
the Mind and Command the Legion, along with maybe a bit of Mind Rape.
Since you’ll be lacking stealth, Seduction can be extremely useful and
Blood of Sandman can be judiciously used to nullify potential
blockers. The most important card is probably The Sleeping Mind since
it prevents anyone from untapping altogether.

Alternatively, you can rely on a combat build, and try to torporize
all of your prey’s minions (to get the +3 bleed) instead.

Then again, for a clan with a lot of Dominate, it may not be worth
jumping through so many hoops when you can just pack in a few extra
Conditionings. It’s ultimately up to you. But remember that even if
you don’t use it, taking the Codex still deprives your opponents from
using it.

[MOTIVATIONS]

“At the start of the event, each Methuselah may choose a Motivation
card that represents his or her motivations and tactics. Each round,
the Motivation cards begin the game in play and provide special
abilities to the Methuselahs that control them. When a Methuselah is
ousted, their predator gets the opportunity to learn their secrets and
takes control of the ousted Methuselah’s Motivation card(s) for the
remainder of the game.“

Motivated by Secrecy: Master. Put this card in play. If you control
the Edge, once each action a vampire you control may burn 1 blood to
get +1 stealth.

Motivated by Jyhad: Master. Put this card in play. When a vampire you
control announces a bleed action and you control the Edge, that
vampire may burn 1 blood to get +1 bleed. (Editor: Usable once per
action per Motivation card).

Motivated by Knowledge: Master. Put this card in play. Any vampire you
control may burn 1 blood to allow you to draw a card (discard
afterward). Not usable during combat.

Motivated by Gehenna: Master. Put this card in play. If you control
the Edge, any vampire you control may enter combat with a ready minion
controlled by another Methuselah as a (D) action that costs 1 blood.

I’d say that Motivated by Secrecy and Motivated by Jyhad are the
weakest choices for the Tremere Antitribu. The extra stealth from
Secrecy can be really nice since the Tremere Antitribu tend to have
limited stealth options. But since they may have trouble getting the
Edge in the first place (due to limited stealth), it’s sort of a
Catch-22. An interesting stealth option that may bear further
investigation is relying on Hexapeds for a stealth-bleed deck. Your
linked minion bleeds through with Hexaped stealth and secures the
Edge, allowing your other minions to follow with Secret bleeds.

Motivated by Jyhad isn’t quite as helpful for a clan with in-clan
Dominate and access to other cards like Pentex(TM) Loves You! And once
again, you need to get the Edge first. One option is to use a bruise-
bleed strategy (as opposed to stealth). This motivation may also be
particularly good for weenie swarm decks, and especially Tupdog decks
(which are technically Gargoyle decks according to the storyline
rules).

Motivated by Gehenna is a good option for combat decks, since it can
save you card slots and let you rush when you need to. But don’t rely
too much on it – if you’re denied the Edge, you could have trouble
getting into combat. Plus, don’t forget that the rush action is at 0-
stealth and costs a blood (many people often forego rushing a Red List
minion because of the blood cost).

Motivated by Knowledge is probably the most flexible since it doesn’t
require controlling the Edge at all. It can be equally useful in
intercept decks, bleed decks, or combat decks (just make sure to use
it before the combat since you can’t use it during). It’s great for
cycling through your library to get the one card you need for the oust
(or to avoid being ousted). The blood needed to draw cards can be
recouped with Theft of Vitae or Cryptic Mission. An alternative option
is to borrow your opponent’s vampires and use their blood to pay for
Knowledge. Options include:
Serpentis Temptation (either Ian Forestal or Uta Kovacs, filling out
your 25% slots with weenie Setites)
Dominate Mind Rape (make sure to use large minions and possibly
include skill cards to further increase capacity)
Obeah Spirit Marionette (Ian Forestal + Spontaneous Power or Infernal
Pact, including a couple of Salubri as well)

It’s still relatively early in the storyline season, but Motivated by
Gehenna seems especially popular. About half of the winning decks so
far, have chosen Gehenna as their motivation, so be prepared to see
plenty of combat out and about.

Don’t forget that if you oust your prey, you also gain their
Motivation. Though this isn’t something you can rely on, it’s
something you should definitely take advantage of if the opportunity
arises.

Finally, you may want to consider Edge manipulation. Preventing other
players from getting the Edge may foil their plans if they were
planning on using their Motivation. Bleed reduction like Telepathic
Counter may be better than bleed bounce if you’re preventing your
predator from getting the Edge to rush you with Motivated by Gehenna.
A well-timed cross-table Eagle’s Sight may deny an opponent access to
the stealth or bleed needed for an oust.

Aside from playing Serpentis, there aren’t very many good options when
it comes to cards dealing with the Edge. Regaining the Upper Hand is
pretty terrible. Esteem might be a decent way to secure the Edge if
you’re having trouble getting your bleeds through – using it with
Cryptic Mission or Nose of the Hound. There are also a few crypt cards
with potential. Sargon is an easy enough way to get the Edge every
turn (though a poor discipline fit). And considering how much the Edge
is likely to move, Sennadurek also has a lot of potential. She lacks
Thaumaturgy, but has “AUS dom” and is Black Hand. Her Necromancy can
pair her up with Marino Reymundo Vasquez and Valerius Maior. Or rely
on her Black Hand trait with Selena/Yasmin/Mosfair or Ash/Carmen/
Mosfair.

[OTHER THINGS TO EXPECT]

Unlike previous clan-based storylines, Recalled to the Founder is not
banned, so make sure your deck won’t get completely hosed by it. Due
to the clan crypt rules, some cards like Condemn the Sins of the
Father are especially overpowered. My Kin Against the World is another
newer card that will see much use due to the crypt construction
restrictions.

--------------------------

[1.6 – Friday the 13th Storyline (European Championship 2009)]

This year, the European Championship will be held in Palma de
Mallorca, Spain, from November 13th – 15th. On Friday, November 13th,
there will be a special storyline tournament which is heavily centered
around the Tremere. More details can be found at:

http://sites.google.com/site/friday13storyline/

I will not be able to attend but I am offering a bounty to help
influence the results. The first bounty is available to any winning
clan that decides to save Clan Tremere and help Claudio Severino. The
second bounty is specifically for a winning Tremere Antitribu deck
that saves Clan Tremere and not only helps Claudio Severino but
recruits him to our side. Completing the bounty can net you an Enkil
Cog or an Unmasking or a Final Nights Ravnos starter or a Camarilla
Ventrue starter. And winning with the Tremere Antitribu will win you
three times as much. For more details, please see my posts on the
newsgroup.

Regarding the actual event, the special storyline rules involve the
presence of storyline minions in the first three rounds. Players will
take turns taking control of these minions during their minion phases.

- Note that Recalled to the Founder is banned and Imbued are not
permitted. Instead of a clan-based deck, players also have the option
of going with an Anarch or Black Hand deck (which comes with a
library, rather than crypt, requirement).

- During each player’s turn, he/she gets first pick of the storyline
minions, so you will be able to consistently choose the minion you
want when taking normal actions. (But when it comes to blocking, you
might not get the minion you want).

- But there will be no storyline minions in the final round. So I
suggest not building your deck primarily around the storyline minions.
Be able to exploit their assistance but don’t become overly dependent
on it.

- Combat decks should beware because I foresee that the storyline
minions will be spending a lot of their blood rescuing other vampires
from torpor. At least early on, it’s better to focus on ousting your
prey rather than try an attrition strategy of hurting his vampires.

- Being in torpor can be a particularly dangerous affair since
storyline minions are convenient vehicles for diablerie (even if they
burn, it just costs you a pool to diablerize your opponent’s key
vampire).

- When using a storyline minion feel free to spend blood freely
(because otherwise another player will spend that blood instead). But
normally in combat, save your nastiest cards for your opponent’s
permanent minions rather than wasting it on an expendable storyline
minion. Knocking 7 blood off of Cagliostro is not quite so productive
if you then end up controlling him.

- Heidelberg Castle is an especially good choice for this event,
letting you steal the blood from the storyline minions. Alternatively,
if you’re worried about contesting Heidelberg, you can use cards like
Rave instead.

- Monastery of Shadows is another great option. Since the majority of
storyline minions are large-capacity vampires, you can grant most of
them stealth even if you don’t use any of their disciplines.

- Don’t forget that if you torporize or burn your prey’s storyline
minion, he burns a pool. This also works if the minion leaves play for
some other reason, like Banishment. Combining this with Tension in the
Ranks is particularly nasty for a combat deck.

Let’s take a quick look at how the storyline minions might be helpful
for most Tremere Antitribu decks:

[Round 1]

Antonio Veradas – Bishop.
Claudio Severino – aus DOM THA. Pool gain with Anthelios.
Lucita (Advanced) – DOM. Reaction cancelling special.
Rosa Martinez – Bishop. AUS. +1 bleed.
Sascha Vykos (Advanced) – Archbishop. AUS dom THA.

There’s a fair amount of Auspex and Dominate available. And several
inherent table votes may influence the viability of political decks.
During your turn, choosing Claudio can potentially net you pool.
Sascha gets you two votes for a vote deck. Or Claudio, Lucita, Rosa,
or Sascha can all be used to bleed effectively. During other people’s
turns, select vampires that can play the Auspex and Dominate reactions
in your deck (if any).

[Round 2]

Claudio Severino (Advanced) – AUS DOM THA. Combat wombat. +1
intercept.
Count Germaine (Advanced) – Conditional + bleed.
Joana Simoes – Intercept (by cycling combat cards).
Helena (Advanced) – AUS DOM tha. Free Auspex and Dominate reactions.
Lambach (Advanced) – 2 votes. AUS DOM.

This round is going to be very intercepty. Between Claudio, Joana, and
Helena, it’s going to be difficult getting actions through. So a
slightly different strategy may be needed. Some players may choose an
intercept minion just so that other players can’t use that minion
against them. Lambach can provide votes if needed. Claudio’s good if
you have rush cards in your hand.

[Round 3]

Cagliostro, The Grand Copht – (Not very useful)
Claudio Severino (Mage Ally) – Burn blood from opponent’s vampires.
Decent blocker (maneuver and 2R).
Javier Montoya – Prince. AUS THA. +1 bleed. Really good for rescuing
vampires.
Jorge da Gama – Prince. DOM.
Texas John – Anarch. aus.

A more challenging round for the clan. Watch out for the two Princes,
they can easily alter the balance of political power and allow for
some constant Parity Shifting. Claudio can’t bleed so he’s not that
great of a choice unless you want to burn a blood off of a vampire.
Javier Montoya is probably the best consistent choice unless you need
Jorge’s DOM.

[Final Round]

No storyline minions. You’re on your own! But we’ll definitely be
rooting for you!

- So during the three preliminary rounds, you can always count on
choosing a minion during your turn with at least AUS THA, or a minion
with DOM, or someone with two votes.

- If you’re interested in splashing in an out-of-clan discipline, you
may want to consider the discipline spreads of the storyline minions.
Celerity (best with Group 3/4 or 4/5) is a good pick since 9 of the
storyline minions have some level of Celerity. There are also 9
storyline minions with Presence (Group 3/4 is ideal). Next up is
Obfuscate (Group 3/4 offers the best options) which covers 7 storyline
minions. Fortitude and Potence are less prevalent, but each round you
will be able to choose at least one minion with superior FOR or POT
(Group 3/4 is best for either). Animalism is even scarcer, but each
round has at least one minion with inferior Animalism (Group 2/3 works
best here).

- Keep an eye out for multi-acting decks. All six of the storyline
vampires with Fortitude have it at superior. And of those, four also
have superior Celerity while one has inferior. So expect to see lots
of Freak Drives and Forced Marches flying around.

- An Orlando Oriundus vote deck could work quite well since each round
will essentially give you additional votes. Choosing Vykos (4 votes)
during the first round means you’re up 2 votes (against the two
Bishops), assuming your cross-table allies don’t get the Bishops
instead. During the second round, Lambach is the only titled storyline
minion so choosing him means you’re 4 votes ahead of everyone else.
The third round has two Princes, but once again Orlando’s special
means you’re still gaining at least two votes over the other players.

- If you’re combat-oriented you can try a superstar deck centered
around Goratrix, Uta Kovacs, Lernean, or Ash Harrison. Lately I’ve
successfully experimented with Target Vitals in Tremere Antitribu
decks. It works especially well with Ash Harrison (3R aggravated) or
with Reverend Blackwood (whose +1 damage with Thaumaturgy makes it
more likely that Target Vitals will do the extra 2 damage). In more
conventional !Tremere decks, it makes burning vampires easier since
Ivory Bow essentially does 3R aggravated, and Burst of Sunlight and
Walk of Flame inflict 3R/4R aggravated. You can get extra use out of
the aim cards by also including Light Intensifying Goggles.

- The Tremere Antitribu do intercept quite well so you can’t go wrong
with a wall deck. Be sure to take advantage of media outlets (KRCG
News Radio, Rumor Mill, WMRH Talk Radio, London Evening Star, Wall
Street Night, Channel 10, and Club Zombie) because these allow you to
get the most out of the storyline minions you control during other
player’s turns, regardless of who you end up with. During a
Methuselah’s turn, everyone else gets a free potential blocker so
consider that before Deflecting a 0-stealth bleed to your prey. (It
makes the Codex of the Edenic Groundkeepers less useful, while Spirit
Marionette is better since you are guaranteed to have a target.)
Including Eagle Sights will also let you get extra mileage from your
temporary blockers.

- One final note. Because of the bounty I am offering, expect to see a
greater than normal number of Tremere Antitribu decks. So make your
deck robust enough that it can deal with potentially contesting
minions. While Group 3/4 offers the most number of vampires, some
players may decide to go with Group 2 or Group 5 to lower the chance
of contesting. Also remember that communicating with the other players
can also reduce the problem (okay you get Selena but I get Ladislas
Toth). It would be a travesty if fighting within the clan allowed
someone else to steal the victory. So remember to play nice and bring
glory to the Tremere Antitribu!

--------------------------

[1.7 – Hall of Fame]

Here is the Tremere Antitribu Hall of Fame, which recognizes those
players who have fought the good fight and brought victory to the
clan.

There haven’t been any significant changes since the last newsletter
in 2007. That’s because the Anarchs and Alastors storyline was a
booster draft and sect-based, while the Imperator storyline was
limited to the Camarilla clans.

If you know of any other storyline victories by the Tremere Antitribu,
please do let me know so that I can include them.

STORYLINE DATE LOCATION
WINNING PLAYER
DECK NAME OR DESCRIPTION

The Eye of Hazimel 11/09/2002 Santa Clara, CA
Ian Lee
Long Into the Abyss [Obtenebration stealth bleed]

The Eye of Hazimel 11/16/2002 Chicago, IL
Boris Zaretsky
!Tremere with Pugfar [Intercept wall with Eagle’s Sight + Collapse the
Arches]

The Eye of Hazimel 11/30/2002 St. Louis, MO
Eric Chiang
The !Tremere Make Their Presence Known [Presence vote]

Lambach’s Legion 09/06/2003 Helsinki, Finland
Tuomas Vuokko
!Tremere OBT (The Real Tremere) [Obtenebration bruise bleed]

Lambach’s Legion 09/21/2003 San Diego, CA
Jeff Poole
[Goratrix + Celerity]

The Infernal Plague 11/06/2004 Evanston, IL
Eric Chiang
Survival of the Fittest [Intercept wall with Alejandro Aguirre + True
Faith]
Non-Infernal

The Infernal Plague 11/14/2004 Bloomington, IN
Rick Irvine
The Seven Sisters of Sin [Succubus allies]
Non-Infernal

The Infernal Plague 12/11/2004 Rockville, MD
Greg Williams
Loco Rutor [Obfuscate toolbox]
Non-Infernal

The Return of Nergal 10/16/2005 Ste-Foy, Quebec
Marc-André Tremblay
[Valerius Deck]

The Return of Nergal 12/04/2005 New York City, NY
Eric Chiang
The Magick Emporium [Equipment-based wall]

Millennium Cultist 12/17/2006 Longmont, CO
Darby Keeney
Orlando Is Connected [Obfuscate vote with Orlando Oriundus + Mob Rule]

Millennium Cultist 12/24/2006 Tokyo, Japan
J. Silence
Rotschreck I [Burst of Sunlight + Rotschreck]

Millennium Cultist 01/07/2007 Cresthill, IL
Eric Chiang
The Heirs of Goratrix [Presence vote with Malgorzata + Orlando
Oriundus]

Millennium Cultist 01/20/2007 Rockville, MD
Joshua Duffin
Cloud City [Obfuscate vote with Orlando Oriundus]

--------------------------

[1.8 – Featured Vampire: Mistress Fanchon]

Mistress Fanchon [KoT:V]
Cardtype: Vampire
Clan: Tremere
Group: 4
Capacity: 11
Discipline: AUS CEL DOM OBF THA VIC
Camarilla Tremere Inner Circle: Mistress Fanchon may search your
library (shuffle afterward) for any minion card and move that card to
your hand as a +1 stealth action. +2 bleed.
Artist: Ken Meyer, Jr.

Mistress Fanchon. Founding member of the Camarilla. Inner Circle.
First Tremere Justicar. You might ask – why would she ever associate
with the Sabbat antitribu? But any knowledgeable elder realizes that
sect is rarely a consideration in the political machinations of the
Methuselahs. There are many ways that Fanchon’s considerable talents
can complement the Tremere Antitribu.

With her Inner Circle title worth 4 votes, Mistress Fanchon can fit
into several !Tremere political decks. The most obvious pairing is
with Orlando Oriundus (who shares Obfuscate). With Orlando in play,
Fanchon has 8 votes by herself. As an Inner Circle member, Fanchon
also has access to a handful of interesting cards like Alastor and
Might of the Camarilla.

Superior Celerity helps her work with many of the newer !Tremere. In
Group 4, Lernean has superior Celerity while Eric Kressida and Mosfair
provide support with inferior. You also get to choose from Terrell
Harding or Ash Harrison, depending on whether you go Group 3/4 or 4/5.
You can also mix in some of the other Tremere with Celerity, such as
Anastasz di Zagreb, Lucas Halton, or Troius.

OBF works equally well for a political deck or stealth bleed. Combine
her with Orlando Oriundus, Paul Cordwood, and Terrell Harding. Preston
Varrick is particularly good support for such a deck.

Vicissitude is much rarer among the Tremere/!Tremere, but there’s
still potential. Fanchon’s best partner is Malgorzata, who shares
superior VIC. Mistress Fanchon can Govern out Malgorzata, or you can
use Malgorzata’s special to help bring out Fanchon instead. Nickolai
starts with basic Vicissitude but is just one action away from gaining
the superior. You can then add in Virstania or Rutor depending on your
grouping. The next question is what to do with THA/VIC. The classic
option is Bloodform + Weather Control, which has been around ever
since Sasha Vykos. Aggravated Blood Fury is another possibility.
Vicissitude also offers some additional stealth options.

Another reason to use Mistress Fanchon is for her special. The Tremere
Antitribu already have a variety of ways to search through your
library and find the card you need – Magic of the Smith, Spirit
Summoning Chamber, Soul Scan, even Drop Point Network. Combine it with
Fanchon’s ability for extra fun. There is the opportunity cost of
tapping an 11-cap vampire, but this can be mitigated by slapping on a
Rutor’s Hand (which you can retrieve with Spirit Summoning Chamber or
Fanchon’s ability itself).

And finally, don’t forget that Mistress Fanchon also comes with an
inherent +2 bleed, which never hurts in trying to oust your prey.

--------------------------

[1.9 – Featured Card: Soul Scan]

Soul Scan [KoT:R]
Cardtype: Action
Cost: 1 blood
Discipline: Auspex
+1 stealth action.
[aus] Search your crypt for a younger vampire without Obfuscate [obf]
(shuffle afterward). Move that minion to your uncontrolled region.
[AUS] As above, but you may search for a younger vampire with up to
one level of Obfuscate.
Artist: Peter Bergting

There are many exciting new cards which could be featured. Some of the
more obvious choices might include Eyes of Argus or Rego Motus.
Instead, I’m going to go down the less traditional path by looking at
Soul Scan.

Soul Scan might not look like much, but with a single action, it saves
you a pool and four transfers, and a potential turn (since you can
immediately influence out that minion that turn). Most importantly,
instead of getting a random vampire (such as with outferior Clotho’s
Gift), you can search through your library to get just the right
minion for the occasion.

Soul Scan is especially good with Malgorzata, since it provides
additional fodder with which to use her special ability. It also has
interesting uses in !Tremere Gargoyle decks. Soul Scan can be used by
your !Tremere weenies to fetch another Tupdog from your deck. Even
Pugfar (who has Auspex) can use it to summon a master.

Besides the younger clause, the only other restriction of Soul Scan
regards Obfuscate, but it’s a minimal issue for the Tremere Antitribu.
Very few members of the clan possess Obfuscate (none at superior),
plus most of the larger clan members possess superior Auspex anyway.
It does mean that Bryan van Duesen can’t use it on Reverend Blackwood,
and Ethan Locke can’t recruit Reverend Blackwood or Terrell Harding.
But otherwise, the Obfuscate restriction is negligible and most
Tremere Antitribu fit the requirements for getting the most out of
Soul Scan.

Soul Scan can also be used to thin out your deck. In the case of Paul
Cordwood, you can fetch the other crypt cards you need, to ensure that
critical cards won’t be accidentally removed from the game by
triggering his special. And though Soul Scan can’t fetch older
vampires, you can improve your chances of drawing those cards by
thinning out your deck. (Use Soul Scan to get all the younger vampires
you can, leaving only the vampires you want in your crypt, which you
can draw the normal way).

Soul Scan is especially useful in fetching a weenie (3 or 4-cap) that
you can influence out immediately. This can give you the minion
advantage in the end game.

Finally, Soul Scan is helpful in generating a Govern chain. An 8-cap
uses Soul Scan on a 7-cap who he can then Govern down to. The 7-cap
grabs a 6-cap (both the 8-cap and 7-cap can then Govern). You grab
progressively smaller minions, each of whom can be Governed down to in
turn.

--------------------------

[1.10 – Featured Deck: Goratrix + Celerity by Jeff Poole]

Today we’re going to take a look at Jeff Poole’s famous Goratrix deck
which grafts Celerity on to him for some extra blood stealing
goodness. Jeff used an earlier version of this deck back in 2003 to
bring a victory to the clan during the Lambach’s Legion storyline. He
played an updated version of the deck recently at the Los Angeles
storyline tournament for Eden’s Legacy. He made it to the finals and
just barely lost out to an Eze deck – the game timed out with a tie
between him and Eze, but Eze had the higher seeding. It was still an
impressive showing that will hopefully motivate other Tremere
Antitribu players.

Untitled (Goratrix + Celerity)
By Jeff Poole

[CRYPT: 12 cards]

1 x Alejandro Aguirre (ani aus dom tha, !Tremere, 5)
1 x Brooke (dom tha, !Tremere, 3)
1 x Elena Mendoza Vasquez (AUS dom obt THA, !Tremere, 6)
1 x Ember Wright (aus dom, !Tremere, 3)
4 x Goratrix (ANI AUS DOM THA vic, !Tremere, 10)
1 x Hannigan (AUS dom THA, !Tremere, 5)
1 x Saiz (aus dom, !Tremere, 3)
1 x Selena (AUS DOM THA, !Tremere, 6, Black Hand)
1 x Yasmin the Black (AUS dom pre THA, !Tremere, 6, Black Hand)

Min: 14 Max: 40 Average:6.417

[LIBRARY: 90 cards]

[Master: 10 cards]

2 x Infernal Pact
2 x Regent
3 x Sudden Reversal
3 x Vessel

[Actions: 10 cards]

2 x Eternal Vigilance
2 x Flurry of Action
3 x Magic of the Smith
1 x Recure of the Homeland
2 x Rutor's Hand

[Action Modifiers: 6 cards]

3 x Foreshadowing Destruction
3 x Mirror Walk

[Allies: 1 card]

1 x Nephandus (Mage)

[Combat: 37 cards]

7 x Apportation
2 x Aura Reading
7 x Blur
1 x Canine Horde
2 x Disengage
1 x Fast Hands
2 x Flash
2 x Psyche!
2 x Sideslip
2 x Soul Burn
2 x Telepathic Tracking
5 x Walk of Flame
2 x Wind Dance

[Equipment: 7 cards]

1 x Bowl of Convergence
2 x Drum of Xipe Totec
2 x Leather Jacket
1 x Ruins of Ceoris
1 x Sire's Index Finger

[Reactions: 19 cards]

2 x Deflection
2 x Eagle Sight
2 x Enhanced Senses
3 x Forced Awakening
2 x My Enemy's Enemy
2 x Precognition
6 x Read the Winds

[Playing the deck]

Jeff: “The premise (and change from the Lambach storyline) is that all
the vampires can do most of what the deck does. I don't want to rely
solely on Goratrix, although once he gets going he's more than
capable. Thus there's a lot of Apportations and the Infernal Pact is
for one of the other THAUM guys after Goratrix gets his drum on.”

Jeff: “I've played this deck a lot over the past few years and I
ALWAYS run into one problem. Goratrix runs out of blood all the time.
My opponents spend their blood and then there's not enough to steal.
It's a big problem and makes me make silly decisions like blocking my
allies and draining them dry (I did that to Arika in the finals the
other day, but mainly it was because she banishes Saiz, which is a big
no no, !Tremere don't like being banished). I haven't really figured
out a way to get more than 3-4 blood from an enemy in combat, if
that.”

[Potential changes]

Jeff: “I'm thinking about taking out the Regents, the Eternal
Vigilances, Disengages and adding in 2 Direct Interventions, 2 Forced
Awakenings, another Flash and a Coven. I find that the Regent/EV combo
very rarely gets out and it usually ends up clogging my hand for a
turn or two. Since it's primarily a combat deck that's not a good
thing. I don't think the Disengages are really necessary because of
all my maneuvers.”

Editor: Jeff’s card selection is limited beyond Third Edition and
Sword of Caine. Rego Motus, Eyes of Argus, and Enkil Cog are cards
that would definitely go into the deck if Jeff is able to get his
hands on any copies. I’d also suggest Spirit Summoning Chamber.
Anastasz di Zagreb could also easily fit into the deck, but Jeff
prefers to keep his storyline decks 100% Tremere Antitribu. It’s an
impressive feat – I’m usually guilty of selling out my 25% non-clan
slots!

[Eden’s Legacy Storyline]

Jeff: “In previous storyline tournaments people really got a feel for
what the storyline was about and built decks to advance what they
thought was the best outcome of the storyline, be it clan agenda or
something else. This event was kind of hazy when it came to the back
story. This led a lot of people to play Laibon and not really know why
or care about their motivations.”

Jeff: “The Codex I thought was interesting but not enough so to
warrant its spot in the middle of the table. Now the Eye of Hazimel,
that's a great table card, and full of so much storyline flavor! I
thought the motivations were all right, although the Knowledge one was
by far the strongest (and most annoying for my deck. Every time before
combat people would burn 2-5 blood so I couldn't steal it!).”

[Words of Wisdom]

Jeff: “I'm no V:tES expert, but I am a huge supporter of playing decks
that you like thematically, even if they suffer playability from it.
So I would say, play on the strengths of the clan, and most
importantly the strengths of the Sabbat! The clan has Dominate and
Auspex which makes the clan great at sitting back and defending itself
from attacks and then when your prey is weak enough, launching a full
blown assault. As for Thuamaturgy, I would say it depends on whether
you want to be combat or not. It offers great combat potential, but
even for non-combat decks it's an amazing discipline. I'd say one of
the best in the game, coupled with Dominate which is definitely one of
the best, the !Tremere are a tough clan to beat. Patience is the best
virtue for the clan though (which I don't seem to have when I play
them). Not only does the virtue describe the clan's fluff, but it is
also a great way to win with the clan’s unique play style.”

Editor: Thanks again for your efforts Jeff! Hopefully Goratrix will
get a rematch with Eze some time in the near future! And best of luck
to all the other aspiring Tremere Antitribu players. Let’s score some
victories for the clan!

--------------------------

Things to Look Forward to: I’m not going to jinx myself by
guaranteeing when the next newsletter will come out, let alone
committing to any specific topics. But ideally, once the new expansion
comes out, I’d like to explore how Heirs to the Blood can be
beneficial to the clan. Later on in the future, I would also like to
take a more in-depth look at Keepers of Tradition and Sword of Caine
and maybe a more thorough article on the Crypt Manipulation theme. So,
until next time....

Signing out,
Eric Chiang