Answer to Animalism Combat

Other than prevents and presses to get out of combat (which gets old really fast), what are good ways for stickmen or similar decks to deal with combat? Suaku Inceptor Asian Continental Championship 興っ www.youtube.com/SuakuOz

Strike: Combat Ends wrecks ANI combat. Kevin M., Prince of Las Vegas "Know your enemy and know yourself; in one-thousand battles you shall never be in peril." -- Sun Tzu, *The Art of War* "Contentment...Complacency...Catastrophe!" -- Joseph Chevalier Please visit VTESville daily! vtesville.myminicity.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/129744447064017

You already named the best way for Weighted Walking Stick decks to deal with combat. Using has the added advantage they can't taste your vitae. That's the beauty of Gents and Sticks - it deals well with lots of different decks. Why do you say it gets old? If you don't mind going to torpor, Undead Persistence Trap is a way to destroy combat decks. Ivory Bow (until destroys it) is also a good way to deal with it.

I often put 3-4 stunt cycles in my potence decks to deal with Ani combat and breath of the dragon stuff. Incidentally, they also happened to be quite effective against weird stuff like nephandi with molotov cocktails. But usually S:ce is ok. And if you can deal damage with your vamps, remember maneuvers are scarce in Ani, maybe it's the way to go. Imagination is our only weapon in the war against reality -Jules de Gaultier

Also, Armor of Vitality tend to work well. I tend to prefer it to Soak because, like Stunt Cycle, it work against less common threats like Ivory Bow, Outside the Hourglass, Molotov cocktail, Dragon's breath.

Torn Signpost + Thrown Sewer Lid Edit: ... oh, you asked about stickmen: I'd recommend psychic assault and target vitals. ---- Banging trashcans, breaking windows We'll wake you up tonight We like the good time, we scream and shout And that's what fun's about

Kiss of Ra. Obedience. Thoughts betrayed.

> Pascal wrote: > Kiss of Ra. > Obedience. > Thoughts betrayed. > With thoughts betrayed you are paying 2 and you still have to deal with 1 hand strike and 2 from carrion crows. It seems a lot to me.

I suppose the plan is to torn a signpost, increase strength, gently betraying tought, grapple, push the limit, then taste the vitae. Or something like that.

> the1andonlime wrote: > Other than prevents and presses to get out of combat (which gets old really fast), what are good ways for stickmen or similar decks to deal with combat? > Hidden Strength + Conditioning. No, really. With vs. combat, the best you can reasonably achieve is survival. In that match up, you are playing a power bleed deck.

Or just do what Stickmen are supposed to do, which is prevent and press against and then bleed them for 15.

> the1andonlime wrote: > Other than prevents and presses to get out of combat (which gets old really fast), what are good ways for stickmen or similar decks to deal with combat? > If you're acting and can keep close range (watch out for e.g. Terror Frenzy), Dawn Op + Quick Jab could be fun. Less handy if they're your predator and you're blocking them, obviously.

> jamesatzephyr wrote: > > > the1andonlime wrote: > > Other than prevents and presses to get out of combat (which gets old really fast), what are good ways for stickmen or similar decks to deal with combat? > > > If you're acting and can keep close range (watch out for e.g. Terror Frenzy), Dawn Op + Quick Jab could be fun. > > Less handy if they're your predator and you're blocking them, obviously. > That's OK, you'll just have not to block the Deep Song rush

Hektor + pursuit + amaranth Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one. -Friedrich Nietzsche brandonsantacruz.blogspot.com/

What people are trying to tell, that there are countless ways to thwart ANI combat, but stickmen are NOT a combat deck per se, so it is natural you cannot thwart them, while keeping your versatility. Ani combat is supposed to be good against For combat (enviromental damage and such). Just another case of rock-paper-scissors. Sabbat. If this vampire's bleed is successful, he laughs manicly and untaps.

Run masochism with your prevent, and make it a point to take 1 damage a round, so they pay for your dominate and some fortitude. The fun answer to ani combat is Trainer, im told.........

Earth Meld or Majesty would be the options I'd look at for S:CE. For 'surviving' combat, I'd look at Flesh of Marble. For frustrating your enemy, Thaumaturgy would be a good option. Steal life from everything you can, especially retainers if they have them. If it is very prevalent then you don't need to pack maneuvers and just rely on your opponent running to long. You could also "Arms Race" and try get a whole heap of Raptors, so they are beholden to card-flow and not hand-contents. Retired Baron of Sydney, Australia, 418

Thaumaturgy is not an answer to animalism combat. But if you insist on playing Tremere in that kind of metagame use Mirror Walk, Obedience, or Movement of the Mind.

> Dorrinal wrote: > Thaumaturgy is not an answer to animalism combat. > If we talk of the classic Carrion + Aid, what is the problem for thaumaturgy combat ?

Yup, theft for two and the threat of Walk of Flame if Ani deck presses sound pretty cool. You could also do all kinds of shenanigans with Burst of Sunlight/Flames of Netherworld as well as Rötschreck. Don't forget Graverobbing afterwards. Finnish Politics!

Name: Gotsdam, The Tired Warrior [KoT:PV2] Cardtype: Vampire Clan: Ventrue Group: 4 Capacity: 9 Discipline: ani AUS DOM FOR PRE Camarilla: Gotsdam may end combat as a strike that costs 1 blood. He treats aggravated damage as normal damage in combat. He is immune to frenzy cards. Artist: Jim DiBartolo S:CE without cards and no Deep Song on him. And disciplines for both versions of stickmen (although he has no Prince title for the good one )

> Brum wrote: > Name: Gotsdam, The Tired Warrior > [KoT:PV2] > Cardtype: Vampire > Clan: Ventrue > Group: 4 > Capacity: 9 > Discipline: ani AUS DOM FOR PRE > Camarilla: Gotsdam may end combat as a strike that costs 1 blood. He treats aggravated damage as normal damage in combat. He is immune to frenzy cards. > Artist: Jim DiBartolo > > S:CE without cards and no Deep Song on him. > And disciplines for both versions of stickmen (although he has no Prince title for the good one ) > Gotsdam is my absolute favorite vamp. Built lotsa decks around him, from "Gotsdam,the Pusherman" to "Gotsdams Taco Stand". Currently ran out of names(and got tired of remembering why maryanne and a singlexmordechai ben nun were affiiated with a taco stand) so switched to yeqr built and v# last year. Anyway, gotsdam isnt an end all be all answer to animalism, but he is an end all be all answer to deepsong rushes and dotb. And rotshreck. In a tournament, someone rotsxhrecked him and someone else suddened it before i could remind the first player it was illegal. Gotsdam is hot against war ghould too, and he has little ani, so he loves army of rats. You know, incase dominate bleeds and jack werent ousting fast enough. Having said all that, i own like a billion copies of him, and will be incredibly pissed if i juat said all of this and somebody contests him with me at a major tourney. I will find you after said tourney. I will beat you angrily with my shoe. If yiu contest him wihxme crosstable, i will then proceed to beat you with your own shoes, and then leave you barefoot for the next round. Now that thats,out there......... I was REALLY imto akunanse when a local hall of famer(who netdecks like hell) was unning weenie animalism. As it turns out, they die like nothing when you draw out each others beasts and play big crows, but only one side has fortitude and abo cards giving +1 strength and presses. If yiu can play them(gotsdam can) CA cancels a strike, which for me is normally a majesty (i also run denial of aphrodites favor for majesty orxvotwr cap prevention) but could kill an aid from bats. I also run lessons i nthe steel, so i can see thier hand and try to kink thier combat with press denial. It also lets you remove a bounce card, which is good agqinst non- ani combat decks. There are loads of options. Ive ran deckw that could be called stickmen or grimders since before i knew thosexnames, but ive never had issuez with weenie animalism.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Suaku Inceptor Asian Continental Championship 興っ www.youtube.com/SuakuOz

ivory bow?

> gotcha wrote: > ivory bow? > Most decks that block use that anyway, if its feasible. Animalism draws out your beast, and sticks a puppy in your bow with big canine horde. So, while i run it anyway, its hardly a reliable way to deal with ani since they run many dotb and typically 1-3 ch.

Sure, you are completely right. Still for 1 pool/action it was worth mentioning (I thought) as one of the easiest options that fit every deck. If the weenie plays ch you still might be able to dodge, right? Indeed, you are right again: deep song makes you acting minion. But if they don't draw it ...

> gotcha wrote: > Sure, you are completely right. Still for 1 pool/action it was worth mentioning (I thought) as one of the easiest options that fit every deck. If the weenie plays ch you still might be able to dodge, right? Indeed, you are right again: deep song makes you acting minion. But if they don't draw it ... > I run bow in my Gotsdam deck, and its not only gotsdam that i have equip it. "They have to draw it" is poor defense, but ivory bow is always worth running in some decks. It hurts ani, but its not an answer to it. Ch is rarely the issue like dotb is. But, si.ce this thread was asking about stickmen, if they do that alot, running some unflinching persistance along with your indomitability means you probably punch and press, and they added a strength....

How about the unflinching (good in any case, to go close or long with) + Mark V ?

throw grenades at em