In article <Pine.SOL.4.10a.99110...@red.csi.cam.ac.uk>,
James Coupe <jr...@hermes.cam.ac.uk> wrote:
> Just how does this work?
Well, Let's start out this with a review of the exact card text and
rulings that have been made about it.
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Undead Persistence
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Fortitude
Prevent this vampire from going into torpor. This vampire gets an
optional press. When combat ends, or if 3 rounds of combat pass with no
cards played, this vampire is sent into torpor. (S) Prevent 2 damage.
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Official Rulings Combat
Cards which are not usable by vampires going to Torpor only check to
see if the vampire is currently going to torpor, not if the vampire
will be going to Torpor later. E.g., A vampire with Undead Persistence
can still play these types of cards. [LSJ 19970304]
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Undead Persistence - Combat (for)
Provides only one optional press. Any further pressing must come from
other cards. [TOM 19951224]
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The card actually works like this:
March Halcyon enters combat with Jacko.
no manuvers (ever)
March hits Jacko for one
Jacko hits March for one
Jacko hits March for one again, because Jacko's the Bomb ;-)
March should be going to torpor, but instead, she plays UP.
She does not go to torpor and there is a press to continue combat.
Additionally, she will not go to torpor until combat ends or she is
burned. Those are the only two ways to stop the shreds of what is left
of March from coming after you.
The bad news is that March can play taste of vitae at this point since
she is not leaving the active region and going to torpor at this time.
Jacko can play a Blur or Lightning Reflexes all he wants, March
probably does not have any more blood to burn and only aggravated
damage can burn her so she soaks whatever he dishes out.
If Jacko could play coma or entombment, March would still not go to
torpor since UP prevents her 'going to torpor' from ending the combat
as it normally does.
If Jacko can press to end, then combat ends and March winds up in
torpor.
On the down side, for March at least, she has unhealed damage and can
be burned by a single point of aggravated damage at any point after the
UP was played. This is somewhat different from normal agg resolution
and needs to be watched. Normally, a vampire with unhealed damage is
put into torpor immediately and can only be burned by additional agg in
the strike that sent them to torpor. With Undead Persistance, a
vampire may continue to fight in combat while having unhealed normal
damage. At that point, one point of aggravated damage burns the
vampire.
The good news is that March has fotitude and could prevent the agg of
Jacko's burning Wrath with a couple skin of rocks.
The even better news is that March is a weenie and people generally
don't care what happens to their weenies. Especially when Rushing
Jacko - I mean what were you thinking.
UP is most often used with small minions (weenies) and traps, at which
point there should be enough rounds to make combat go on long enough to
take the other vampire with you.
David Tatu and David Castles both play nasty weenie undead persistance
decks in the Atlanta area and include some dodges or manuver cards to
make sure that they can reset the trap by playing a card and make
combat go on long enough to take your vampire with them.
And then they rapid healing, of course, to get out of jail free.
Nasty decks.
Makes you really want to go get a flamethrower and finish them off.
When you are fighting against the trap undead persistance deck, you
have a number of ways to survive:
(1) S:CE - playable both before they are going to torpor and after
which can be most annoying. When rushed, hit them a couple times to
make them go to torpor and S:CE on the next round - off they go to
torpor and you get to stand there and laugh.
(2) press to end. most of these decks don't have too many presses to
continue combat. Undead persistance provides one and trap can provide
more, but their deck can't have too many of these or it will jam with
them, so a celerity deck can usually end combat with press to ends.
(3) Aggravated damge. Tremere handle UP well both because they tend to
steal blood and not inflict damage to send to torpor and because they
tend to have nasty surprises for you on the second or third round of
combat. Assamites just laugh at UP both inferior and superior since
more often than not the opposing minion is being burned and not sent to
torpor. Gangrel can also play against UP well by waiting until the UP
is played and then Clawing, you can usually burn the opposing minion
and hopefully prevent most of th damage that you are taking.
Flamethrowers, Ivory Bow, Sengir Dagger, Femur, Kali et all. work
wonders, but then they always do.
However, If you are playing big minions and get stuck without agg or
S:CE, you can usually kiss that minion goodbye.
The record in Atlanta is one full Annneke with an Assault rifle, three
resplendant protectors and two flack jackets being taken out by
Giuliano Vincenzi. One trap by Giuliano, one Assault rifle to his
face, Undead persistance, and fifteen more rounds of combat (more
actually since he dodged a couple of times), but Giuliano got hit by an
assualt rilfe 16 times and took out a well protected Anneke who had no
S:CE or presses.
That is the power of the card.
Stu
-Your Friendly Neighborhood Camarilla Scholar
Sent via Deja.com
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