99: VTES ain't dead yet

Two days after hearing that VTES was being discontinued by the now infamous destroyer of games, CCP, five methuselah's defiantly gathered at a Round Table Pizza in the Saratoga/San Jose area for some pizza and life's blood.

Game 1:
Me(Torries Torrent)> Gerentt(new Kiasyd bleed)> Ian(!Trem and gargoyles)> Michael(Nos Toolbox)

My deck functioned quite well this game and, had it not been for one or two mistakes on my part, I might have won. The game started out with Ian getting Ian Forestal, Michael getting duck and some mid-cap nos/!nos, me getting Montecalme, and Gerentt getting some bleeder. I pulled a first turn Info Highway to get the fatties rollin' in. Montecalme was followed by Malabranca(who I think looks like Brad from South San Francisco), and there was a healthy villeinage between them. I Parity Shifted early, but it was blocked by Michael. I did it the next turn and made it land with a Torrent, despite Michael's enmity. Gerentt was hard at work bleeding at stealth, making me not bleed because he was surely toting some bounce.

In a moment of weakness, I listened to Ian say that without Ian Foresal, he wouldn't see a point in playing and didn't Golconda him. Ian was ousted before his next turn and I saved my Golconda for later. Michael tried to balance defense against offense, a bad idea against a stealth bleed deck when playing without bounce. He too fell to Gerentt, so we went to the heads-up game. In a drawn-out battle, I ran out of blood before Gerentt did. Even though I had a Giant's Blood for an empty Montecalme(after I Golconda'd the first one), I couldn't block and survive combat enough and get the combination of vote + voter cap together.

Funny note: Gerentt had to try to stay out of both Parity Shift and Malabranca range. I also played Political Stranglehold for 12.

Gerentt sweeps

Game 2:
Me(Masika Madness Network)> Ian(Gangrel body flare)> Gerentt(Salubri)> Michael(godawful Forestall deck)> Jeff(!nos courier deck)

I've played this deck before and won, but not under this particular deck list. It took me a LONG time and a lot of zip guns to get my combo together, but it eventually happened. I got Masika out with Victoria and Brasil and clan impersonated Masika on the second try. Gerentt was eager to borrow my +1 bleeder, but I don't like sharing that much. I blocked an attempt of his and zipped him up good, but eventually had to decline untapping him before Gerentt's turn. The threat of sleazy Spirit Marionette + Heidelberg was enough to keep me on my toes and wish I was playing Unnatural Disaster. Four of the five decks had Heidelberg. I hate Heidelberg.

I was surrounded by intercept early, so I had to dig for Resist the Earth's Grasp to get the additional stealth I needed to sneak my tool-up actions through. The game was so tedious that I don't really feel like writing about it. I ousted Ian and did stuff to gain pool, but Gerentt eventually ousted Jeff and me(because he was sitting on a Salubri Pile of Pool(TM)). Powerbase: Zurich was a good addition to this deck, but PB: Montreal was not.

Funny Fact: Serena the White had a base bleed of 6 after getting Pulse, Robert Carter and some other bleed retainer(and I discarded my AI early when I saw Jeff wasn't doing big bleeds....*sigh*).

Gerentt 4, gw, me 1

Game 3:
Me(DOM POT thrown gate)> Ian(Sixteen Daggers)> Michael(Night Moved Deflection)> Gerentt(new Ventrue)> Jeff(Trujah)

Intercept on only my right? I know what I'm doing this game....

I bled Ian for three early rather than Govern down and basically did what I could to avoid interacting with Jeff. After surviving some combat with Ian, I went all bleed happy and ousted him(realizing he didn't have wakes made a big difference in my game plan). Michael had a fair amount of pool and, to my chagrin, a bucket of deflections. I bled him for little bits, but eventually got a little reckless(the third bleed of the turn, for example) and bled with govern and was deflected again! Gerentt saw me as a big threat, rather than a great opportunity to play bounce, and voted like 7 KRC damage against me during the game.

Jeff did little bleeds consistently and kept me guessing when to play my deflections. My intercept locations were good bait to get my opponents fighting, I just wish I was situated next to Gerentt sooner to stop his bloating and KRCing me. Jeff eventually got me, but not before I ousted Michael and knocked out Mylan(God bless Mighty Grapple for it's annoying ally killing abilities). I missed the very endgame, but Jeff was in the better position.

Jeff 3vps, gw? Me 2vps

That's it for now, it's late and I have work in the morning. One last note I guess. I'm sad to see VTES discontinued(for now) and I hope that this great game will live on for at least another generation(cuz I'm not playing fucking Pokemon). Anyone who travels to the SF Bay Area please contact us through the Yahoo group so that we can hook you up with some VTES. http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/BAvtes/