The qualifier was set for 2 rounds plus finals, all games with a 2 hour time limit. There was an interesting mix of decks with one real standout that was very strong, Mark’s weenie DBR.
Chris - Saulot Spirit Marionette bleed
Penne - Kiasyd Power Bleed
Steve - Group 4 / 5 Toreador Vote
Mark - Weenie .44 Dragon Breath Rounds with Grave Robbing
Dave - Group 3 / 4 Potence/Dom Bruide & Bleed
Buster - Assamite Bruise & Bleed with some Tariq diablerie
Chot (Alex) - Group 3 / 4 Pure Potence Combat
Adam - !Malkavian Kindred Spirits Bleed made with 2 Starter Decks
Round 1 Table 1: Steve > Mark > Chot > Penne
Written from Steve’s point of view
I was in first position and I had 3 copies of Rafael (11 cap) and 1 copy of Montecalme (10 cap). That sux – 4 rounds before I have someone out. Made a key error here – I was holding a Parity Shift and a Second Trad but forgot that Rafael couldn’t play them. I got Rafael out first :( That’s all I got out.
I think Mark may have rushed backwards once but I had a majesty. He was embroiled in a war with Chot. Mark’s deck seemed to consists entirely of Bum’s Rush, Concealed Weapon, Sat Night Spc and DB Rounds, plus a few masters. No bleed, no additional maneuvers. Chot was using Slam and Immortal Grapple. So sometimes he could win and smash one of Mark’s down, and sometimes he went to torpor. Sometimes they both went down. This left Penny to come forwards bleeding. I clung on as best I could, bloating with Villein and Voter Cap, but couldn’t apply much forward pressure. Eventually Chot was ousted, and I fell soon after – mainly because Mark rushed my vamp and put my in torpor as I was flicking big bleeds to him. I thought Penny was set up and ready to win, but it looks like Mark had heaps of rushes left and was soon torporing and diablerizing all her vamps.
End result: Mark 3VP & GW, Penne 1VP, Steve 0VP, Chot 0VP
Round 1 Table 2: Adam > Chris > Buster > Dave
Written from Chris' point of view
The table started off with everyone bringing out a small to mid-cap vampire and then building up. Adam started bleeding into me as soon as he could, landing some bleeds to for 2 and 4 while bloating thanks to Kindred Spirits. A couple of bleeds were flicked to Buster, but none of any significance. I was slow to start as having a bleed deck as a Predator meant I had to get someone out to be able to block or flick. This slowed down influencing out my star vampire, Saulot, an 11 cap. Meanwhile, Buster had tried to bleed his prey, Dave, and they ended up in combat, which turned out to be a bad thing for Dave even though his deck was set up to bruise, but just not as hard as Buster’s was. Aggravated hand damage from Bajazet al-Nasir and a combat combo of Selective Silence and Taste of Death meant Buster torpored Dave’s minion. To follow that up, Buster decided to diablerize him, much to Dave’s disgust. This prompted successive back rushed by Dave that also ended badly, with another one of Dave’s minions being eaten on Buster’s next turn as I wasn’t in a position to cross-table rescue as Saulot had only just come out. The damage had already been done though. Dave was low on minions (1 I believe), Adam had 3 or 4 minions out that were happily bleeding me. In the end, Adam killed me and Dave died to Buster, however Buster couldn’t hold off the 4-5 minions Adam had as they stealthed past the small amount of intercept Buster could manage.
End result: Adam 3VP & GW, Buster 1VP, Dave 0VP, Chris 0VP
Round 2 Table 1: Buster > Steve > Dave > Mark
Written from Steve’s point of view
Although Mark was my cross table ally, he was clearly the table threat. Buster’s deck seemed to like using Bajazet al-Nasir (agg hand damage), playing Tajdid and diablerizing. It had a range of Assamite and Quietus cards, quite toolboxy. It also featured Tariq. Why not just 5 Tariqs? I don’t know.
Buster got screwed early in this game. He brought out Bajazet, was promptly rushed and then graverobbed. Nasty. What was weird was that it took Mark most of the game to then oust Buster, who didn’t bring anyone out until near the end (and he only got Julius then anyway). I started cross table shenanigans against Mark and had about 3 of my votes DT’d, including a very important My Kin Against The World. I had little pressure, but was playing it carefully as my prey had dominate – he could wake and flick. I think he could rush too, so I was careful not to arouse too much attention. I did entrancement steal Jake Washington from my cross table enemy, and then use it a few turns later when one of my minions was shot at with a blurred 44 magnum.
Eventually a key turn came around. I had 3 minions out and was ready to move forward, but was so excited I made a newbie mistake. I started with a Parity Shift as my prey was on 4 pool… and then Mark pointed out that I had more pool than everyone else… D’oh! Action successful, vote fizzled, perfectionist blood gained. Next vote, Reins of Power. So I had an 11 cap, my prey had an 8, Mark’s biggest was a 4 cap and my predator only had Julius. So I explained it all, no one had a DT or any way to stop it. I was even fair enough to point out that my prey (who was dying regardless) didn’t have to pick anyone if he wanted to spite me. He thought about it and then asked what was the etiquette here. I said that if he felt like I had been unfair or unnecessarily mean to him, he could pick no one out of spite. If he felt like Mark had been back rushing him too much, he might choose the 8 cap. Or his 5 cap and give Mark 1 pool. Dave said that he thought I had been totally fair, but after some more deliberation, finally decided to choose no one because he “wanted to see a tough fight between Mark and me”. :(
On the plus side, I earnt 13 pool out of that vote (+5 because my predator only had a 1 cap, +2 from Voter Cap and +6 from ousting my prey). That might be my personal record for most pool gained from a single action!
I started bringing out Montecalme. I had been lucky this game and gotten all 4 of my vamps after just purchasing 1 from the crypt.
Mark then immediately took out Buster and started coming forwards. I held him off a bit, then on my turn got out Aranthebes. I thought that would totally screw him but then realised he had graverobbed Bajaret so he had an 8 cap.
Next turn was tough – Mark torpored my 3 minions and diablerized 2 of them. I was out of Majesty just then. But I had been carefully watching his library. He was now out of library and down to 4 cards in hand. I brought out Montecalme. He had about 8 minions, but with no bleed boost, I just had to survive Bajaret. Bajaret came for the Aranthebes and I carefully counted his ash heap cards – 12 concealeds, 10 dB rounds, 12 guns in discard and in play. I thought carefully and figured he was out of DB rounds and guns. He would need all 3 cards to put me in torpor. Bajaret was on 1 blood so I confidently blocked and then … oh crap, immediately realised Bajaret can burn a blood for agg hand damage! Second D’oh! of the round. We both go to torpor. He ate me and then it was my turn. I started bringing out Epikasta again – I had a lot of pool.
Then we had an interesting turn that had to be rewound. Mark used the blood doll on Bajaret in torpor to put a blood on, then rescue him and he could go and get rid of Aranthebes. Time was ticking down. It came to my turn and I realised the mistake – as the blood doll had belonged to Buster, it left when Buster was ousted. There was no blood doll to lose, Aranthebes was still in play, and I had not suffered 6 pool of damage in bleeds. We paused the clock, rewound and fixed it all, then started up again. 3 minutes left. I got my minion out and was able to block and out maneuver Bajaret or majesty, thus staying alive. His weenies could do nothing. I could occasionally call a vote but the edge stayed with Mark, so it wasn’t going anywhere fast. I kept the pace up so that I couldn’t be accused of stalling but eventually it timed out.
End result: Mark 1.5VP, Steve 1.5VP, Buster 0VP, Dave 0VP
Round 2 Table 2: Penne > Chris > Chot > Adam
Written from Chris' point of view
I was always going to die in this game as my predator was the Kiasyd deck I’d built for the Melbourne Nationals and my grand-predator (cross-table) was the !Malkavian Kindred Spirits deck. The Kiasyd deck has more bleed power but doesn’t bloat like the !Malk deck, so I couldn’t count on my prey making a dent in the !Malk deck fast enough to put pressure on the Kiasyd. I’d just have to find a way to deal with it. Luckily I had a much better starting position this time around and was able to influence Saulot out first, quickly followed by a weenie Auspex minion. However in the process I did take a bleed for 6 (Govern + Conditioning, ouch!) and one or two smaller bleeds for 2 or 3, so the overall result was me having minions and about 9 pool. My prey, Chot, was playing a pure potence combat deck and having some success presence bleeding Adam for 3. Penne was tearing through me till I managed to convince her to leave me alive so I could try and do some damage to my prey and in turn, softening him up for when I’m ousted. It worked and she left me with 1 pool. I managed to bloat a little and ended up with 6 pool at the end of the turn, but it wouldn’t be enough. In my turn I did manage to hit Chot with a bleed for 2 from one of Adam’s minions via a Spirit Marionette, untap then bleed him for 3 with Saulot. He still had about 6 pool left, there was no way I could oust him. What did end up happening though is that Chot managed to torpor some of Adam’s vamps and slow down his bleeds on Penne which was putting her in prime position for the sweep. On Penne’s next turn she ousted me with another Govern + Conditioning and a bunch of stealth. However on Chot’s next turn, he ousted Adam. Time was running out and it got down to the point where Penne could oust Chot in her turn but didn’t declare the last bleed from her 3 minions before the timer ran out. So close.
End result: Penne 1.5VP, Chot 1.5VP, Chris 0VP, Adam 0VP
Finals: Mark > Penne > Adam > Chot > Steve
Written from Steve’s point of view
The random roll made me first which always sux with this deck. I thought out my strategy and realised it was pointless to bring anyone out as I was sandwiched between 2 rush decks, plus there was absolutely no chance with Mark as my prey. So I had to convince everyone else that Mark was the table threat (which he was) and get them to all work together to oust him. So I brought out no one.
Penne (deck played by Chris as a proxy) brought out 1 minion and was promptly smashed into torpor and graverobbed. Chris also made the same assumption and didn’t bring anyone out. Although he was suffering 5 pool damage a turn from bleeds, he shuffled pool around and aimed to get out his 5 cap if and when a chance came up. Chot and Mark had a combat, but otherwise things were looking ripe for me to do what I needed to. I had Epikasta and Montecalme only in my uncontrolled region and had put 7 and 9 pool on them respectively. At the start of Chris’s next turn I asked everyone if they all agreed Mark was the table threat. Yes they did. So, we’re all in agreement that we have to work together to oust him? Yes. OK, Chris got ready to bring someone out, Adam started Kindred Spirits bleeding Mark, Chot did at least one rush and I brought my 2 dudes out. Mark was a good sport about it all. He laughed and I think he agreed/accepted that he was the table threat. He didn’t try to deny it. Without a doubt, a top sport. He then proceeded to torpor almost everyone on the table. I had been saving up majesty’s and survived as best I could, but both of my minions eventually went to torpor and he diablerized Montecalme. I was surprised that he didn’t diablerize Epikasta (which he later said was a mistake).
The turns moved around and when it came to Adam, he started rescuing minions. I asked him to rescue my vamp and that I would rescue his other vamp as soon as I had a spare chance – this would give us, the anti-Mark team, more ready minions to continue the holy crusade.
Chot did of his own rescuing but did bleed me for 3… which I promptly flicked into my prey who was sitting on 8 pool… now 5, and I was holding a social charm and aire of elation… take a deep breath Steve, don’t rush this, make sure you do everything right… yes, I ousted my prey! Mission accomplished, and now I had a chance, albeit still a small one, at winning. Even Adam was happy that I did it when I had the chance instead of rescuing his minion.
However my fortune soon turned. Chot famed me, and started rushing me. At least vs Mark I could Majesty – Chot’s immortal grapples trumped me. Down I went. I got out of torpor but was ousted on the following turn by the same method.
Last part written by Chris
Taking on Mark had cost Chot some minions which allowed Adam to bleed him out as his defenses were low. When the table timed out at the 2 hour mark, Adam and Penne were still in the game. This meant Adam finished the final with 1.5VP (half a VP comes from still being in the game when time runs out), winning the Townsville Qualifier!
Final result: Adam 1.5VP, Steve 1VP, Chot 1VP, Penne 0.5VP, Mark 0VP
Final standings for the day looked like this:
Final Rank
|
Name
|
Prelim GWs
|
Prelim VPs
|
Final VPs
|
TPs
|
1
|
Adam Rowe
|
1
|
3
|
1.5
|
78
|
2
|
Steve Harris
|
0
|
1.5
|
1
|
72
|
2
|
Mark Rehbien
|
1
|
4.5
|
0
|
114
|
2
|
Alex Celotto
|
0
|
1.5
|
1
|
72
|
2
|
Penne Lynch
|
0
|
2.5
|
0.5
|
102
|
6
|
Adam Ruxton
|
0
|
1
|
66
| |
7
|
Chris Lynch
|
0
|
0
|
36
| |
7
|
Dave Crossman
|
0
|
0
|
36
|
Since the event was a qualifier, the top 50% of players qualify for the Continental Championships. The qualifying players are: Adam Rowe, Steve Harris, Alex Celotto and Penne Lynch
