#13 Properly Playing ... Frontal Assault

Frontal Assault is a noteworthy addition to dedicated rush decks since it provides another source of rush actions with a "cost" that should be manageable for decent rush decks.

Comparing FA with other, more common non-clan/discipline rush cards:

• Bum's Rush - No "do not replace" clause
• Ambush/Harass/Big Game - Can target any minion of your prey
• Haven Uncovered - Targets multiple minions
• Talbot's Chainsaw/Eye of Hazimel - Free, and does not require upkeep

Personally, I include FA in weenie rush decks because:

• It's easy to cycle if your prey has no controlled minions (yet). You can just play it to gain 0 and lose 0.
• You only need to have enough aggression to deal with 50% of your prey's minions to net 0 pool.
• This is another way to generate pool for an otherwise pool-challenged deck archetype.
• If you don't even need to make use of it. (See Horseshoes)

But be careful! If you manage to oust your prey with FA, and your new prey has 10 minions, you still burn 10 pool for that. (This is a very good reason for crosstable rushes.)

Check out this (almost) tournament-winning deck from the 2008 Portuguese Continental Championship that features FA.

Deck Name: Weenie CEL guns Created by: Bruno Crypt [12 vampires, average capacity: 3.75] 3x Black Cat CEL pot pre 5 Brujah:1 1x Brachah CEL PRE for 5 Brujah:2 1x Felicia Mostrom AUS CEL pre 5 Toreador:1 1x Rigby, Crusade Vanguard CEL PRE aus pot 5 Brujah antitribu:2 1x Volker, The Puppet Prin CEL pot 5 Brujah:2 prince 1x Sarah Brando CEL 3 Brujah antitribu:2 1x Uma Hatch cel pre 3 Brujah:1 1x Angel cel 2 Brujah:1 1x Antoinette DuChamp cel pre 1 Caitiff:2 1x Nik cel 1 Caitiff:1 Library [90 cards] Master [14] 2x Archon Investigation 2x Blood Doll 4x Frontal Assault 1x Heidelberg Castle, Germany 3x Monster 1x Secure Haven 1x Specialization Action [16] 3x Big Game 2x Bum's Rush 4x Harass 7x Legal Manipulations Action Modifier/Combat [3] 3x Resist Earth's Grasp Equipment [8] 8x .44 Magnum Event [1] 1x Narrow Minds Reaction [4] 1x Delaying Tactics 3x On the Qui Vive Combat [44] 2x Blur 8x Concealed Weapon 5x Flash 10x Psyche! 9x Pursuit 6x Sideslip 4x Taste of Vitae Crafted with: Anarch Revolt Deck Builder

Bruno said the following about including Frontal Assault:

[FA] was one of the main questions on the days before the tournament. Most of the people said there were too much Frontal, but in play I never missed one. If you use them carefully, and since you need only to kill half of your prey vampires to don’t loss pool, they are pretty safe, and normally poolmakers. I would not take any of them, but putting more is too risky.

Read the rest of the archived post on The Internet Wayback Machine.

In closing, I think Frontal Assault is a good choice for rush decks. It appears a number of times in TheLasombra's TWDA, though the maximum it has appeared in a deck is 3 copies. It's free, versatile, and can get you out of nasty jams once in a while. Of course, if your deck isn't that good in torporizing/burning vampires, then you might as well look for another master to put in your deck.

#12 Deck Analysis: G1/2 Stealth Vote

This week I present a staple in the TWDA, and a personal favorite of mine, since it stars the Nosferatu.

Deck Name: G1/2 Stealth Vote Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=2 max=9 avg=6.42) 1x Calebros, The Martyr 5 obf pot ANI Nosferatu:2 1x Dimple 2 obf Nosferatu:1 1x Duck 3 obf pot Nosferatu:1 1x Gilbert Duane 7 AUS DOM OBF Malkavian:1 1x Murat 7 ser OBF POT Nosferatu:2 1x Nikolaus Vermeulen 7 ani for obf POT Nosferatu:2 1x Regilio, The Seeker of Akhenaten 3 aus obf Nosferatu:2 2x Selma the Repugnant 8 ani for OBF POT Nosferatu:1 2x Sheldon, Lord of the Clog 9 for ANI AUS OBF POT Nosferatu:1 1x Suhailah 9 pot ser FOR OBF Ventrue:2 Library (75 cards) Master (14) 1x Giant's Blood 1x Labyrinth, The 2x Legendary Vampire 2x Villein 1x Warsaw Station 1x Wider View 6x Zillah's Valley Action (8) 6x Fourth Tradition: The Accounting 1x Kindred Intelligence 1x SchreckNET Political Action (17) 1x Alastor 1x Banishment 2x Conservative Agitation 5x Kine Resources Contested 6x Parity Shift 1x Political Stranglehold 1x Praxis Seizure: Rome Equipment (2) 1x Assault Rifle 1x Flamethrower Action Modifier (22) 1x Animal Magnetism 2x Cloak the Gathering 1x Closed Session 2x Elder Impersonation 2x Faceless Night 2x Forgotten Labyrinth 5x Freak Drive 2x Lost in Crowds 4x Spying Mission 1x Veil the Legions Reaction (4) 4x Second Tradition: Domain Combat (6) 3x Behind You! 3x Gemini's Mirror Combo (2) 2x Swallowed by the Night Created with Secret Library v0.9.3.

For this update, I'll be using the suggested deck list questions in the VEKN Forum.

• How do you intend to oust?
• This deck aims to drain its prey of pool through political actions (Plan A) and bleeds (Plan B). Being a stealth-vote variant, much of the modifiers are aimed at actually making it to the referendum.

• How do you intend to keep from being ousted?
• The Parity Shifts are good defense against heavy bleeders since this will be the bleed sink of most tables. On the same vein, the Second Traditions should also be viable defense, even if they're sparse.

• What do you want your ready region to look like (ie, how many guys are you planning on getting out)? 
• On a good night, there will be anywhere from 4-5 vampires out, with all but 1 or 2 having titles. Many small minions should compensate for the lack multiacting, in case the first vamps don't have Fortitude.

• What do you want your average turn to look like? 
• The bigger vampires would Fourth Trad, Freak Drive, Equip, KRC/Parity.
• The smaller vampires would either bleed or take political actions.

• What's your metagame like? How do your opponents play? 
• This deck has only seen play in JOL where the meta is wacky.

• What problems have you observed with the deck in play? 
• In the most recent game this was been played, it went up against: Ankou/VD -> Ayo + guns -> <I forget what> -> G3/4 !Gangrel. It was very resilient against the PRO combat of the !Gangrel mainly due to the dodges from the combat section. It was also successful against the Ankou deck because of the stealth package. The Ayo deck fell due also to the stealth of this deck. This deck got 3VP and the GW.
• The Animal Magnetism can probably go, and a bit more stealth or combat can also be good. I think one of the strengths of this deck. A noteworthy addition would be another Alastor and a Helicopter for more untap goodness, and which also helps put it in range for a Parity Shift. Also, a Changeling Skin Mask and Obfuscate masters can boost the effectiveness of its stealth package.
• Bad play: With the lack of superior Obfuscate and too few Spying Missions, this deck gave its prey two VPs due to bounced bleeds.
• Notable play: I started the last turn on 3 pool. I was up against the Ayo deck (on 7 pool). Paid 2 for a Legendary Sheldon. Sheldon calls Banishment on an untapped Undele. Ayo tries to block but it's stealthed. Passes. Used SchreckNET to see opponent's hand (1 On the Qui Vive). Another vamp calls Parity Shift. Ayo tries to block again, but it's stealthed then passes. The rest of the vamps bleed with +1 stealth which the Ayo deck can't handle anymore.

On a parting note, this deck is fun to play since it enables you to play your game. It can also be played aggressively but in my opinion it shines when it plays a slow game, waiting for the right moment to lunge.

#11 Properly Playing ... Dragon's Breath Rounds

  

A staple in block decks (at least those that want to torporize with Rötschreck), and fearsome to non-combat/combat ends decks, Dragon's Breath Rounds is a double-edged sword. It gives guns +2 aggravated damage each strike (including additional strikes), with the cost of burning the gun that used it.
This post is set aside on clarifying how to play DBR to maximize its impact, given its steep cost, especially if you use it with guns that cost >1 pool.

Card text:
Ammo.
Only usable before resolution of a gun's strike. This gun inflicts +2 aggravated damage each strike for the remainder of this combat. Burn the gun after strike resolution. No more than one ammo card can be used on a gun each combat.

Pascal has clarified that DBR is used after strikes have been declared, but before the strikes are applied. Moreover, it's the only time it can be played, unlike other strike-modifying cards like Wolf Claws which can be played at any time before strike resolution.

Context #1: Sabrina tries to bleed but Samson blocks. Combat ensues.

• Sabrina: No pre-range.
• Samson: Concealed Weapon/Saturday Night Special. No more pre-range.
• Sabrina: No more pre-range. No maneuver.
• Samson: Maneuver long with gun.
• Sabrina: No maneuver. Wave.
• Samson: 1R with gun. Modify strike with Dragon's Breath Rounds.
• Sabrina: :(

Context #2: Samson Ambushes Sabrina. Combat ensues.

• Samson: Concealed Weapon/Saturday Night Special. No more pre-range.
• Sabrina: No pre-range.
• Samson: Maneuver long with gun.
• Sabrina: No maneuver.
• Samson: 1R with gun.
• Sabrina: Majesty. Combat ends.
• Samson: (Withhold Dragon's Breath Rounds for the next combat.)

Just like many other aspects of V:tES, the Methuselah should wait for the opportune moment to unleash the +2R aggravated damage for full effect (say, to be followed up with a Graverobbing).