Malkavian Antitribu Newsletter
January 2003
Well boys and girls for my second trick I'd like to rant a little
bit. I'm gonna focus this newsletter on the idea of
bleeding "responsibly. So, here we go.
Responsible Bleeding
Situation: you're a bleed deck (stealth/bruise what have you), your
gonna be sending bleeds to your prey that may be deflecting somewhere
else. You don't want your bleed to hit anyone else but your prey
(save certain circumstances). So what you wanna do is either redirect
the bleed back to him, allow your new target to block and play nice,
get the "bounce" cards out of his hand. or cancel the bleed.
The !Malks have a multitude of cards at their disposal that help them
bleed responsibly. I'd like to take the time now to discuss these
cards individually.
THE CARDS:
DEMENTATION: Dementation is gonna give us some actions that will
disable the bouncer or make the bounce not worth playing.
Madman's Quill
Requires: Dem/Aus
Cost 1 blood
Inf: Bleed at +2
Sup: D) Put this card on any ready minion controlled by your prey.
Not usable if a Madman's Quill is already on any of your prey's
minions. When a vampire with Dementation bleeds this minion's
controller, that acting vampire gets +1 bleed. Any vampire can burn
this card as an action that costs 2 blood.
Comments: The inferior version of this card is useful for the final
push and surprise attacks now and again. This card's bread and butter
are in the superior text. Using this card in a one turn shot requires
at least 3 minions to be effective, one to place it and two more with
dementation to use the advantage of the card. If you manage to defend
it or your prey's vamps are too low on blood to remove it, you're
golden. This card is awesome for drawing out bounce cards. Send Boy
Toy and Yorik over to bleed for 2 each. If you get bounced anywhere
else, people usually won't mind soaking a bleed for 1. If you feel
he's letting the 2 bleeders in and holding the bounce for you big dog
just hold out till next turn where you do the same thing. Unless your
prey is packing crazy bounce this is a great way to focus your
efforts in the right place.
Mind of a Child
Requires: Dem
Cost 3 blood
Inf: (D) Put this card on any vampire. The vampire with this card
cannot play cards that require Disciplines. Any vampire can burn this
card as a +1 stealth action.
Sup: As above, and the capacity of the vampire with this card is
reduced by 1 (but not below 1). Remove excess blood.
Comments: Although a little expensive, this card can prove invaluable
in a mid-to-late game situation. Prey will leave a single vamp up
with enough blood to bounce all your guys downstream. Slappin this
bad boy on that vamp will leave him with nothing to do. Combining
this with Passion will even eliminate a blocker.
Passion
Requires: Dem
Inf: (D) Tap a minion controlled by your prey.
Sup: As above but at +1 stealth.
Comments: So lots of cards have the ability to do this now but don't
count passion out. That +1 stealth at superior can draw out intercept
or tap that guy whichever is necessary. Decks that leave a minion up
to do the deflecting find this to be a real hassle. This forces decks
to produce a wake for each bounce they want to do. .
Patterns in the Chaos
Requires: Dem
Inf: Only usable when a bleed is successful. Look at the top card in
the library of the Methuselah being bled.
SUP: Only usable when a bleed is successful. Look at the cards in the
hand of the Methuselah being bled.
Comments: I'm liking this card more and more every time I see it.
Information is key in V: TES. You would use this card on a 1 bleed
action (cuz you know your prey won't bounce). Then you can take a
look to see if he does have bounce in his hand or whatever other
goodies he's holding.
AUSPEX
We look to Auspex for help with one card, a powerful one at that.
Revelations
Requires: Aus
Cost 1 blood
+1 Stealth Action
Inf: Look at your prey's hand. He or she discards a card of your
choice.
Sup: Put this card in play. Your prey plays with an open hand. Any
minion may burn this card as a (D) action.
Comments: You would use this in the same manner you would with
Patterns in the Chaos, this card is gonna give you some information
about his hand and at inferior you can pluck that bounce card into
his ash heap.
OBFUSCATE
Obfuscate will give us the means for getting our actions through in
most cases but also aids us in responsibly delivering our payload.
Elder Impersonation
Requires: Obf
Cost 1 blood
Inf: +1 stealth
Sup: Only usable when another minion attempts to block. That minion's
blocking attempt fails (do not tap that minion). That minion cannot
attempt to block this action again.
Comments: If you prey is playing with few minions this card rocks the
house. Being deflected after a playing an EI isn't so bad since your
new target may be able to deal with it a little better. This cards is
always useful and especially so when used in combination with Spying
Mission or Faceless Night.
Mask of a Thousand Faces
Requires: Obf
Only usable by a ready, untapped vampire other than the acting minion
who is capable of performing the action. Not usable if any action
modifiers have been played that could not have been played if this
vampire were the acting vampire.
Inf: Untap the acting minion and tap this vampire instead. Now this
vampire is the acting minion. The action resumes where it left off.
Sup: as above but with +1 stealth.
Comments: This is the eject seat. You use this when you got suckered
and already dropped the modifier or bled with your Pulsed minion and
got blocked or bounced. Use this card to let someone else either take
one for the team or play nice with the new target. It's a spare
stealth in case of emergency as well.
Spying Mission
Requires: Obf
Inf: +1 stealth
Sup: Only usable when a bleed is successful. Instead of removing pool
from the Methuselah you're bleeding, put this card on the acting
vampire. The next time this vampire successfully bleeds the same
Methuselah, burn this card for +2 bleed.
Comments: If you get bounced with crazy stealth or unblockably then
you play this card. Every bleed deck with obfuscate should be packing
at least 4 of these cards, extra stealth when needed and the easiest
form of responsibility a deck can have. You place the spying mission
on the new target so no one loses a blocker and when you've ousted
your prey and you're facing this new target you can use them against
him.
MISCELLANEOUS
Contingency Planning
Master
Cost 1 pool
Master:out-of-turn
Only usable when a minion you control is bleeding. You may play this
card during your turn. Burn a minion card that would change the
target of the bleed at it is played. Any blood or pool burned for
that card is retrieved from the blood bank by the vampire or
Methuselah who played it. If more than 1 pool is bled in this action,
ignore the excess.
Comments: This is typically for decks that don't have much in the way
of responsibility but it is useful if you find yourself in a spot.
For my purposes (stealth-bleeding) it's usually a spot I can put
another Spying Mission into.
Change of Target
Only usable when this action minion is blocked (play before combat if
any). Untap the acting minion, do not tap the blocking minion, and
end the current action (it is not successful). This minion cannot
perform the same action again this turn.
Comments: Yet another staple card in the responsibility repertoire.
After getting bounced because you caused a block to fail or are
bleeding with weenies and Madman's Quill, it's a good idea to let
your new target block you with a minion and play Change of target.
This allows both acting and blocking minions a chance to do something
else that turn, whether it is to take another action or block another
minion.
DECK OF THE MONTH
Well boys and girls after that exhausting list of cards we can use,
lets see if we can't put some of them in a deck and make them run.
1. Boy Toy Malkavian-Antitribu 2
2. Gillian Krader Pander 2
3. Yorik Malkavian-Antitribu 3
4. Adelaide Davis Malkavian 4
5. Claven Malkavian-Antitribu 4
6. Idalia, Prophet of Guadalahara Malkavian-Antitribu 4
7. Evan Klein Malkavian 5
8. Muriel Foucade Malkavian-Antitribu 5
9. Persia, The Beautiful Statue Malkavian 5
10. Uncle George Malkavian-Antitribu 5
11. Dolphin Black x2 Malkavian-Antitribu 6
12. Dr. Douglas Netchurch Malkavian 6
13. Ruth McGinley Malkavian 6
14. Tony x2 Malkavian 6
Library:
5 Blood Doll
2 Pentex Subversion
1 Society of Leopold
1 Powerbase: Montreal
2 Dream of the Sphinx
2 Dementation
6 Kindred Spirits
6 The Call
6 Madman's Quill
4 Revelations
1 Mind of a Child
1 Lunatic Eruption
5 Deny
8 Mind Tricks
6 Confusion
4 Eyes of Chaos
6 Change of Target
6 Spying Mission
6 High Ground
6 Concealed Weapons
6 .44 Magnums
Threw some guns in there for combat defense. Use the deck just like a
stealth bleeder; try to be responsible by not screwing over the guy
you get bounced to.
Oscar Garza
Prince of College Station, TX
The Crazy Aggie