GANGREL NEWSLETTER - JANUARY 2001

Contents – Section 0.9 - Prelude Section 1.0 – Welcome Section 1.1 – Feral Whispers Section 1.2 – Talking point Section 1.3 – Vampire of the month Section 1.4 – Card of the Month Section 1.5 – Deck of the Month Section 1.6 - Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 0.9 PRELUDE Masquerade breaking Christmas Cracker joke… How many Gangrel does it take to change a light-bulb? Have you ever met a Gangrel who is scared of the dark? Gleam of Red Eyes mate! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 1.0 WELCOME Come, brother, sit by my fire and listen to our tales of old. We are Gangrel and we are the beast. As a sit here at my screen, bloated from turkey and feeling like a carpet monster is tap dancing on my tongue, it brings a warm glow to me when I reflect on all the I’ve had playing VTES in the last year. It is somewhat ironic that my most successful decks to date is not really a Gangrel deck, but a bastardised Caitiff and Pander deck (the one point mini – minion deck) or the Inner Circle member deck, with Stanislava noticeable by her absence. However, this is a time for New Years’ resolutions – I WILL create the ultimate Gangrel beats deck and might even get to play it at Southampton next week (Lord help us all!). Any ideas?… Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 1.1 FERAL WHISPERS A bit of a quiet month for mails – don’t be shy, I don’t bite… However, as a special bonus, here is the Illiana deck I promised, kindly sent by Kajik. Come to Dark Side Crypt 3 Iliana 7 PRO DOM FOR 1 Lisette Vizquel 6 pro DOM Bishop +1 intercept vs Diablerie 1 Vanessa 6 DOM FOR 1 Caitlin 5 PRO dom Bishop 1 Camille Devereux 5 PRO FOR 1 Ingrid Russo 4 DOM for 1 Chandler Hungerford 3 PRO +1 intercept vs Gangrel 1 Ricki Van Demsy 3 pro for 1 Anastasia Grey 3 pro 1 Sadie 2 pro Deck 2 Eco Terrorist 1 Zoo HG 1 Backways 1 Giant's Blood 2 Blood Doll 1 Minion Tap 1 Dreams of the Sphinx 1 Rumor Mill , Tabloid Newspaper 1 Elisium , the Arboretum 1 Anarch Troublemaker 1 Sudden Reversal 1 Direct Intervention 8 Govern the Unaligned 3 Kine Dominance 1 Far Mastery 1 Grave Robbing 1 Foreshadowing Destruction 1 Laptop Computer 1 Tasha Morgan 1 J.S. Simmons esq. 2 Sport Bike 1 Mr. Winthrop 1 Gangrel Justicar 1 Renegade Garou 1 Freak Drive 1 Kiss of Ra 1 Daring the Dawn 1 Force of Will 1 Ablative Skin 5 Form of Mist 5 Earth Meld 4 Earth Control 1 Claws of the Dead 5 Forced Awakening 4 Deflection 3 Redirection 2 Delaying Tactics What I liked about this deck is that has a nice toolbox-y feel whilst still being fairly focussed as a dominate bleed deck. Although there is a lot about it I would tweak (more Kiss of Ra and Grave Robbings, some Rapid Changes rather than Form of Mists), it looks like a deck that could do the business – a no-nonesense Gangrel bleed deck. Don’t forget, mail all comments to at dave...@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 1.2 TALKING POINT Who plays with Big Vampires? One of the big problems with the Gangrel is that only one vampire under 5 capacity has any disciplines at superior (Chandler). Worse still, only one of the mid-range vampires (5-8) has a full compliment of clan disciplines (this weeks vampire of the month), leaving the Gangrel lover with a bit of a dilemma. The best stuff happens with disciplines at superior (see Scorpion Sting, Form of Mist, Dawn Operation, Drawing Out the Beast, and so on), but the vampires with the disciplines at superior are very expensive. So what can be done? To boost the smaller vampires up to fully tooled hosing machines needs lots of Master Card slots, which are too valuable to waste. This also takes up time (unless you risk diablerie) and leave the vampire weak in the meantime. The alternative is only to use expensive vampires, and while this can easily be done (Minion tap / Fifth Tradition / yawn) it leaves you open to serious assault in the first few rounds of the game. Not to mention malicious Brainwash decks (yuk!). A Tomb of Rameses III can help, but it is doubly costly (costs 3 and give half blood). So where do you draw the line? Well, you have to consider what you *really* need at superior, and what is fluff? If you can get rid of one discipline at superior, you can probably make a decision which way to lean. I’ll wager that if you are doing a Gangrel combat deck, you will be looking at Animalism at superior as a must (Carrion Crows, Drawing out the Beast, and Scorpion Sting to name but three that have essential superiors). If you are looking at a Gangrel Bleed deck, you should be looking at Protean at superior (Earth Control and Form of Mist are a must). Fortitude is nice to have in both cases, but rarely critical unless you are constructing a deck around Dawn Operations or Kiss of Ras (a very poor idea in itself). So, now you have reduced the amount of disciplines you need, you just need to work out the best crypt. The combat decks will come out with more mid to upper range vampires (Faruq, Gitane, Gunther etc) whereas the Bleed deck should come out with more lower cap vampires (Chandler, Raven, Camille, Badger). Who plays with big vampires? People who like combat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 1.3 VAMPIRE OF THE MONTH Gitane St. Claire Clan: Gangrel Capacity: 7 Title: Primogen Artist(s): Quinton Hoover Disciplines : Superior Animalism Superior Fortitude Superior Protean Gitane is a useful vampire for the Gangrel because she is the cheapest Gangrel with all clan disciplines at superior. However, it is somewhat unfair that she is a Primogen, because this makes her just a little too pricey for some – it would have been better for her to be a 6 pointer with no title. Still, you shouldn’t complain about the result – one of the best combat combinations (Animalism plus Protean) and damage prevention (or unblockable madness) thanks to the fortiutude. Load her up with some Guard Dogs and you have a fabulous unstoppable beats-meister (Scorpion Sting and Wolf claws – yummy!). Bearing in mind that she costs 2 pool less than Ingrid Rossler (the next all – discipline vampires) to influence, she’s a deal, she’s a steal, she’s Sale of the Century! Talk about your January Sales! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 1.4 CARD OF THE MONTH Raptor Type(s): Retainer Discipline: Animalism Blood Cost: 2 Rarity: Uncommon Artist(s): Ron Spencer Card Text: Retainer with 1 life. The minion with this retainer gets +1 intercept. SUP: As above, and when the minion with this retainer is in combat, the opposing minion's controller's hand size is reduced by one. Basically, to really optimise this retainer in a deck, you need at least 7 of them, recruited with superior Animalism, on one vampire. This allows you to enter combat with confidence, as it is very unlikely that the opponent will be able to play any card to do more than basic damage. Worse still you get your target to discard a whole handful of cards at a time – a classic Millstone deck. Old hands at VTES will be more than familiar with the 7 Raptors deck, and I understand it was quite popular for a time (before my arrival on the scene, I have to say). However, with the release of Sabbat War, there is a new kid on the block who can add some spice to a revised version of this kind of deck – Ellen Fence, the Tracker. With this little lady and Wyn in a deck, plus a flack Jacket and a Heidelburg Castle, you can now really cause mayhem! I have a deck of this kind ready to go, but it is work in progress – news as it happens! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 1.5 DECK OF THE MONTH Deck name: AAAAAAARRRRGH! Crypt: (12 cards) [Min: 17, Max: 40, Avg: 7.00] 1 Angus the Unruled (Gangrel, 10, AN ce fo po PT, Justicar) 1 Badger (Gangrel, 6, an FO po PT) 1 Basilia (Gangrel, 10, AN FO ob po PT, Primogen) 1 Bear Paw (Gangrel, 5, AN fo pr pt) 1 Gitane St. Claire (Gangrel, 7, AN FO PT, Primogen) 1 Ingrid Rossler (Gangrel, 9, AN do FO PT, Prince) 2 Raven (Gangrel, 5, an FO PT) 1 Ricki Van Demsi (Gangrel, 3, fo pt) 1 Roman Alexander (Gangrel, 4, an fo pt) 2 Wynn (Gangrel, 10, AN FO ob po PT, Primogen) Library: (90 cards) Master (16) 1 Animalism 1 Backways 2 Blood Doll 2 Fortitude 1 Gangrel Revel 1 Giant's Blood 1 KRCG News Radio 1 London Evening Star, Tabloid Newspaper 3 Minion Tap 1 Parthenon, The 1 Rumor Mill, Tabloid Newspaper, The 1 Zoo Hunting Ground Minion (74) 2 Aid from Bats 3 Ambush 2 Anathema 2 Arson 6 Bone Spur 5 Bum's Rush 4 Cats' Guidance 2 Computer Hacking 3 Dog Pack 2 Drawing Out the Beast 2 Earth Control 1 Elder Intervention 2 Fifth Tradition: Hospitality, The 1 Force of Will 2 Freak Drive 1 Gangrel Justicar 3 Guard Dogs 2 Laptop Computer 1 Palatial Estate 1 Praxis Seizure: Glasgow 1 Praxis Seizure: London 1 Restoration 1 Ritual of the Bitter Rose 4 Rolling with the Punches 5 Scorpion Sting 2 Shadow of the Wolf 1 Shepherd's Innocence 5 Skin of Steel 2 Uncontrollable Rage 3 Wake with Evening's Freshness 3 Wolf Claws Due to my turkey overdose, I am less inspired than usual, so here is a boring Gangrel Rush deck. Yawn. Sooo sleepy… ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Section 1.6 CONCLUSION Thanks for reading. As before, any comments or ideas, feel free to post, or mail to me at dave...@hotmail.com. Any abuse, mail to ghoulsbe...@hotmail.com (after that Deck of the Month, I am ducking for cover!) See y’all David Hammond UGPOW Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/

Well written... I'm wondering if Raptors are really that great myself. Sure, having seven on a minion would be nice, forcing your opponent to discard their entire hand, but the work involved with setting this up, ie. at least seven actions, each of which is costing an expensive 2 blood, makes this idea seem too fragile to me. Also, having only one or two will actually HELP your opponent to cycle cards. As LSJ pointed out earlier, the one losing the cards chooses which cards to discard. Is this card worth it? Cheers, WES > CARD OF THE MONTH > Raptor > > Type(s): Retainer > Discipline: Animalism > Blood Cost: 2 > Rarity: Uncommon > Artist(s): Ron Spencer > > Card Text: > Retainer with 1 life. > The minion with this retainer gets +1 intercept. > SUP: As above, and when the minion with this retainer is in combat, the > opposing minion's controller's hand size is reduced by one. > > Basically, to really optimise this retainer in a deck, you need at > least 7 of them, recruited with superior Animalism, on one vampire. > This allows you to enter combat with confidence, as it is very unlikely > that the opponent will be able to play any card to do more than basic > damage. Worse still you get your target to discard a whole handful of > cards at a time - a classic Millstone deck. > > Old hands at VTES will be more than familiar with the 7 Raptors deck, > and I understand it was quite popular for a time (before my arrival on > the scene, I have to say). However, with the release of Sabbat War, > there is a new kid on the block who can add some spice to a revised > version of this kind of deck - Ellen Fence, the Tracker. With this > little lady and Wyn in a deck, plus a flack Jacket and a Heidelburg > Castle, you can now really cause mayhem! > > I have a deck of this kind ready to go, but it is work in progress - > news as it happens!

In article <92ubu...@enews2.newsguy.com>, "wes" <gh...@mnsi.net> wrote: > Well written... > > I'm wondering if Raptors are really that great myself. Sure, having seven on > a minion would be nice, forcing your opponent to discard their entire hand, > but the work involved with setting this up, ie. at least seven actions, each > of which is costing an expensive 2 blood, makes this idea seem too fragile > to me. Also, having only one or two will actually HELP your opponent to > cycle cards. As LSJ pointed out earlier, the one losing the cards chooses > which cards to discard. Is this card worth it? Against a Brujah beats deck it really can be, especially if you are blocking a Bums Rush (hand size down by one anyway) and using Aggressive Tactics. With a celerity based beats deck, you need a constant flow of cards in combat. A Raptor can seriously spanner it up by limiting options. With one or two, it is a good deterrant to stop people rushing you - the inconvenience is enough to put people off - but with more you get the "rush and watch your opponant dump cards" option. If you can get them on someone with CEL, you can Psyche! too - lose 14 cards from one combat. With 7 Raptors up, you can effectively dump your opponants entire hand in a minimum of 10 combats, Psyching each one means 5 or less! That is the power of a Raptor. Agreed, it takes time and blood to pull it off, but any crazy deck idea takes time and is a risk. I just happen to think that Raptors are worth it. ;) DH [ quoted text not captured ]

wes wrote: > > Well written... > > I'm wondering if Raptors are really that great myself. Sure, having seven on > a minion would be nice, forcing your opponent to discard their entire hand, > but the work involved with setting this up, ie. at least seven actions, each > of which is costing an expensive 2 blood, makes this idea seem too fragile > to me. Also, having only one or two will actually HELP your opponent to > cycle cards. As LSJ pointed out earlier, the one losing the cards chooses > which cards to discard. Is this card worth it? All good observations. Which leads folks to the conclusions that if this deck is ever going to work, it's probably got to involve weeny vampires with an animalism discipline to get the requisite raptors and then finish off with a Shepherd's Innocence action being played at superior - take control of any other animalism-based retainers on the board while you're at it. (The card text is listed below.) > > CARD OF THE MONTH > > Raptor > > > > Type(s): Retainer > > Discipline: Animalism > > Blood Cost: 2 > > Rarity: Uncommon > > Artist(s): Ron Spencer > > > > Card Text: > > Retainer with 1 life. > > The minion with this retainer gets +1 intercept. > > SUP: As above, and when the minion with this retainer is in combat, the > > opposing minion's controller's hand size is reduced by one. > > > > Basically, to really optimise this retainer in a deck, you need at > > least 7 of them, recruited with superior Animalism, on one vampire. > > This allows you to enter combat with confidence, as it is very unlikely > > that the opponent will be able to play any card to do more than basic > > damage. Worse still you get your target to discard a whole handful of > > cards at a time - a classic Millstone deck. COMBO CARD TO THE CARD OF THE MONTH: Shepherd's Innocence Type(s): Action Discipline: Animalism Blood Cost: 2 Rarity: Common Artist(s): What the hell's THAT got to do with anything? Card Text: +1 Stealth. Take control of a card in play that requires Animalism. If it is an equipment or retainer card, place it on any vampire you control. SUP: Take control of all cards in play that require Animalism. You may put the equipment and retainer cards on any vampires you control. Fred

> wes wrote: >> >> Well written... >> >> I'm wondering if Raptors are really that great myself. Sure, having seven on >> a minion would be nice, forcing your opponent to discard their entire hand, >> but the work involved with setting this up, ie. at least seven actions, each >> of which is costing an expensive 2 blood, makes this idea seem too fragile >> to me. Also, having only one or two will actually HELP your opponent to >> cycle cards. As LSJ pointed out earlier, the one losing the cards chooses >> which cards to discard. Is this card worth it? > > All good observations. Which leads folks to the conclusions that if this > deck is ever going to work, it's probably got to involve weeny vampires with > an animalism discipline to get the requisite raptors and then finish off with > a Shepherd's Innocence action being played at superior - take control of any > other > animalism-based retainers on the board while you're at it. (The card text is > listed below.) Weenie vamps with *superior* Animalism, right? Once recruited, transfer, even via Shepherd's Innocence, doesn't "upgrade" the Raptors to the hand-size-reducing Superior that you want. -- Pat Ricochet Soul Jar'rn Fool of Atlanta

"Frederick Scott" <fre...@netcom.com> wrote in message news:3A538226...@netcom.com... > COMBO CARD TO THE CARD OF THE MONTH: > > Shepherd's Innocence > Artist(s): Greg Simanson > What the hell's THAT got to do with anything? Becuase its a piece of work that took time, money and talent to produce, and not some crappy stick figure. Show a little respect, and give credit where it's due. -Brian

In article <3A538226...@netcom.com>, fre...@netcom.com wrote: > All good observations. Which leads folks to the conclusions > that if this deck is ever going to work, it's probably got to > involve weeny vampires with an animalism discipline to get the > requisite raptors and then finish off with a Shepherd's Innocence > action being played at superior - take control of any other > animalism-based retainers on the board while you're at it. Actually, Heidleburg Castle is a better choice while you are getting them out. Have one vampire not take any of the employ retainer actions, and give him a new Raptor every turn. He is thus untapped and full of blood, ready to take on all comers. Certainly used the Shepherd's Innocence as well, but don't rely on it getting you anything but your own animalism cards. Carpe Noctem. Lasombra http://lasombra.tripod.com http://legbiter.tripod.com http://vekn_clans.tripod.com [ quoted text not captured ]

[ quoted text not captured ] Oops! You're right. All the vamps used to recruit the raptors need to have superior animalism, which undoubtedly limits how "weeny" they can be, to some extent. Fred

[ quoted text not captured ] I intended no disrespect. But the artist has no relevance to a discussion of strategy. This may have been relevant in terms of presenting the card as a primary 'feature' in and of itself in the newsletter - as opposed to presenting it for purposes of describing the deck in which it's used. If so, my confusion was caused by the fact that I simply read it out of context. Fred

I think this would be a fun deck to work with, though I do doubt it's staying power. I would also pack a lot of Carrion Crows and something along the lines of a 44 Magnum. You don't just want to block those guys, you want them to be afraid of being blocked. With the 44 you can maneuver for defense and strike them for at least two each combat, probably more each combat. Eventually, you'll want to block them from hunting, leaving them in a permanent state of torpor... maybe. Once they are playing with an empty hand, you KNOW you can shoot them without fear... A lot of untaps would also be required obviously. Not much point only blocking one action every turn. Since the size of the vampire is not so important as having ANI, maybe include a few Atonements? Masters should include powerbases, or things like Smiling Jack which will be almost impossible to hose once you have this combo in effect. This deck's worst enemy is probably getting cards in the wrong order. Still, I would like to see how this works. Cheers, WES

On Thu, 04 Jan 2001 01:06:48 GMT, Frederick Scott <fre...@netcom.com> wrote: >Oops! You're right. All the vamps used to recruit the raptors need to have >superior animalism, which undoubtedly limits how "weeny" they can be, to some >extent. Nigel, Bear Paw, or Devin Bisley; depending on what you match up with. And at 2 blood per Raptor, you need to find a way to get the blood BACK onto them, or they can only do 2 Raptors. Not so good. Sarisha Veliku and Joaquina Amaya can both recruit a Raptor, Freak Drive, and Restore themselves to full (superior Fortitude). They seem to be a better option for the "slow buildup", but you do need a 3-card combo every single turn and you have to have someone else to eventually Heidelburg the Raptors to who can do something with CEL. Blaise (7) is the cheapest ANI/CEL; amusing, and she can even get some of her own Raptors, but you do spend a lot of time getting them first, and Blaise has no Fortitude. I think the concept of a 7-Raptor deck, especially combined with Psyche!, has to fall under the "silly deck tricks" category. I do think that a three or four-Raptor deck is quite functional, though, since having to discard three or four cards out of your hand is normally quite disruptive to ANY strategy. So drag out a couple ANI vampires, have them each get 2 Raptors with their initial blood, and you're fairly good on pool investment and basic speed. Cat's Guidance will untap you after each block, Aid from Bats/Carrion Crows will make it even more annoying to be blocked (and let you use Taste to reload the vampire that has probably spent 4 blood on Raptors at least), and if you pick FOR vampires, you can add some damage prevention that way. There's a reasonably good selection of 5, 6, and 7-caps with ANI/for or ANI/FOR. You also have the option of using the obf/ANI vamps and Disguised Weaponning a .44 out at some point; combined with Carrion Crows, it reduces the need for combat cards while still providing more than a small amount of nuisance damage. And it provides the option for a little extra stealth on a Raptor recruit action as necessary. Heidelburg or Shepherd's Innocence will let you slide Raptors around as you need, and Shepherd's Innocence will ALSO let you fish them back up if your primary Raptor-bearer hits torpor somehow. Add some Army of Rats, the Rack, and a number of the usual intercept targets, and you're in good shape. You'll have one small problem; people may begin looking at you as a lovely solution to hand jam, and come after your Rack and the like just to dump 3-4 Master cards out of their hand. Best to kill anyone who comes near you, to discourage this sort of untap abuse. So now you have defense; +4 intercept against any given action will handle almost all decks, although Seduction, of course, hoses you, and being caught without some untap is going to suck. for offense, Army of Rats ain't enough by itself. I might just include some Laptops and Computer Hackings. Aid from Bats/Carrion Crows will protect your bleeders equally as well as it protects your interceptor, and with any luck you'll be able to kill a number of your prey's vampires when they have to take undirected actions. Blood gain can be a few Blood Dolls to match up those Tastes, that Rack, and all the Powerbases as necessary. And, of course, the intercept deck's natural "blood gain" of simply not losing pool. -- Derek Goon-of-the-Month club member

Oops... I guess I posted this while Derek's post was on its way. Sorry about the repetition on some points. Great minds think alike I guess. Cheers, WES

Derek Ray wrote: > > I think the concept of a 7-Raptor deck, especially combined with > Psyche!, has to fall under the "silly deck tricks" category. I do > think that a three or four-Raptor deck is quite functional, though, > since having to discard three or four cards out of your hand is > normally quite disruptive to ANY strategy. So drag out a couple ANI ... > You'll have one small problem; people may begin > looking at you as a lovely solution to hand jam, and come after your > Rack and the like just to dump 3-4 Master cards out of their hand. > Best to kill anyone who comes near you, to discourage this sort of > untap abuse. So now you have defense; +4 intercept against any given > action will handle almost all decks, although Seduction, of course, > hoses you, and being caught without some untap is going to suck. And let's not forget about Mariel - Lady Thunder! If she shows her little head, you may feel the need to rush her until *burned*! (Not just torporized; reading her ability doesn't seem to make a difference whether she's in torpor or not when you tap her. As for recruiting the raptors, I think it's possible to count on a few of the minions having minor Animalism and then upgrading them with discipline cards. Fred

> And let's not forget about Mariel - Lady Thunder! If she shows her > little head, you may feel the need to rush her until *burned*! (Not > just torporized; reading her ability doesn't seem to make a difference > whether she's in torpor or not when you tap her. I have to disagree with you here. It was my understanding that Vampires special abilities were not usable if those vampires were in torpor. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems a little counter to being in torpor. LSJ? Comments Welcome, Norman S. Brown Jr. XZealot Archon of the Swamp [ quoted text not captured ]

X_Ze...@email.msn.com wrote: > > And let's not forget about Mariel - Lady Thunder! If she shows her > > little head, you may feel the need to rush her until *burned*! (Not > > just torporized; reading her ability doesn't seem to make a > > difference whether she's in torpor or not when you tap her. > > I have to disagree with you here. It was my understanding that > Vampires special abilities were not usable if those vampires were in > torpor. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems a little counter to > being in torpor. LSJ? Go by card text. If it doesn't say "if ready" then the vampire need not be ready. -- LSJ (vte...@white-wolf.com) VTES Net.Rep for White Wolf, Inc. Links to revised rulebook, rulings, errata, and tournament rules: http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/ [ quoted text not captured ]