VEKN Official Clan Tremere Newsletter March 2002Volume 3, Issue 2 March 19, 2002 Please direct all correspondence and commentary to Xian. I don't have anything really new and exciting this month, but I think I'll copy Peter, and talk about the "outferior" (how I hate that word...there was a suggestion I liked better, but I can't remember it now) cards for Dominate that were added in Bloodlines, since Dominate is generally the discipline that Tremere decks use for actual ousting and such. I do have a good deck from the Prince of Minneapolis, Mark Shanewood, and my usual thoughts on how to use the Tremere, which I am repeating, just to keep hammering it home. And away we go... Cards of the MonthAbsorb the Mind Nice. A Dodge for the Tremere. I haven't used it for this purpose yet, but I see it coming in handy in the future. It's mostly going to help out against the Gangrel, I think. The Nosferatu or the Brujah have Immortal Grapple, and the Brujah and the Assamites have additional strikes, so we won't get any help there, but I'll use a dodge against a 1 agg poke any day. Clio's Kiss Hmm. Nothing too exciting, but could definitely be used for amusing trick with Thanks for the Donation. Much more useful with the Temporis levels. Spirit Marionette Again, nothing exciting, but perhaps lends some variety for card limit environments or limited format events. Steal the Mind Very interesting. Not at stealth, but it provides an effect that Dominate did not have previously. Inferior to the [aus] version of Art's Traumatic Essence, but not by much. Might add something to a bruise and bleed deck in the form ofeither allowing you to tap out another vampire, or get into combat. In general, I'd rather have a Bum's Rush most of the time, but it could definitely prove useful. Strategy CornerThoughts about what the Tremere are used for: Classically, it seems that the Tremere have been played as a combat intercept clan. This can work, but given the current tournament rules, it might be a less than optimal manner of winning. Thus, Dominate is really the second component of successful Tremere decks. Govern the Unaligned, Deflection, Thoughts Betrayed, Seduction, bleed modifiers; these are all excellent reasons to use Dominate. Dominate will give you the punch you need to oust your prey, and it can provide protection against bleed, votes, and combat. If you fail to include Dominate, make sure that you have adequate defenses against the primary strategies, otherwise, you will lose. Auspex is an incredibly useful discipline, but it should not be the primary focus of your deck, unless you have some trick you are backing it up with. Pulse of the Canaille is a great card, Rotschreck is a good trick to use with Auspex (and Burst of Flame), and I am taking an increasing shine to Fast Reactions, but even if you include ten or twelve Eagle's Sight in your deck, you cannot hope to oust your prey through intercept alone. Use Auspex to intercept the really crucial actions, but in general, save your vampires for going forward; intercept can work, but more often than not, it simply slows the table down and lets someone else win. Deck of the MonthTitle: This is the Law of the Plague Author: WMW Crypt (12) Library (80) Theory: Bring out your whole crypt ASAP. Slow your predator down first- if they can't get a quick start because they're hunting or low on blood, they're unlikely to put much pressure on. Then work over your prey. Key - bring out your designated bouncer early, and get ser ASAP. Jedi Mind Tricks are your friend - people will not block bleeds for one if they fear you are going to steal all their blood and then sic the Society on them or steal their minion. Act as if you have more Societies than you do. Only play the Computer Hackings, Forms, and Temptations when they CAN'T block - or when you WANT them to. Comments from Xian: This deck is really funny. Except when it can't find the Serpentis skill cards. Then it's not so good. I'd consider adding one or two more skill cards, and some Form of the Serpent, for stealth on those Form of Corruption actions. You could get fancier, and add Dominate and Seduction, but that would do bad things to the crypt and master selection. All in all, it's an interesting deck, but when I've seen it played, it has frequently had trouble ousting. Then again, it could have just been the competition; in a different metagame, the deck might fare better. Still, it's a really interesting twist on the old Cryptic Mission deck. Plus, Mark thinks up way better deck names than I do. That's it for now. Please feel free to comment on the newsgroup, or send me suggestions (or submissions) via email. Xian |