It´s all about Pentex

Hi, it´s me again Ashur, Stockholm methuselah, mediocre but with great heart and commitment to the game. I was at the swedish ECQ in Gothenburg this weekend. This is my version of what happened.


Pre-game considerations:
My goals of the tournament was modest: 1) Recoup from my traumatic experience at the draft the day before (when I had both my 8-cap and my 7-cap burned in the same turn!) and 2) qualifying for the EC in Stockholm in October.

As usual I want to play a crappy deck to be able to boast about winning with it afterwards. I was choosing between a Vignes-style powerbleed deck or a Randers-style Kiasyd Earth Swords wallish toolbox (like this, but 80 cards). I also didn´t want to be ridiculed by War Ghouls or Infernal Anson-guns (stuff like this), so I picked the Kiasyds.


Game 1:

So, we meet again Mr Infernal Anson! But this time I equip my first vamp with Ivory Bow and my predator has to rush backwards. But Guillaume gets Secure Haven, play Pentex and ousts.

My grandprey don´t like the vote deck and plays Pentex backwards AND rushes him. So I oust.

Then we are in a nice triangle with me at 10 pool and my 4 dom-vamps almost at full capacity and the other methuselahs lower on pool and with very thirsty vamps. After some trouble I can leave with the game win when my prey is ousted on his own Dragonbound.

Me 3 vp. Randal 1 vp. Nikolaj 1 vp.

To learn from this game: Not much. It simply went my way.



Game 2:

Gee, Lazvernius! It was a long time since I saw such a dedicted single-vamp wall at a tournament. As I guess he didn´t have rushes nor enough Eagle´s Sight, I prepared for my predator was playing a game without predator – especielly after the Pentex:es started to rain.

But my predator takes out Banjoko and starts bleeding heavily, so I get a worried and decides to save wakes and intercept for him instead of blocking my preys first actions, Mozambique Allure and Embrace. Big, big mistake. I guess I´m not used to the archetype. Soon he gains 10+ pool each turn, and while I can handle my predator (-s), and even hurt my prey with bounces and own bleeds, I can never oust him. He has 16 vamps and over 40 pool when his totally undisturbed prey has eaten his way through Lazvernius and the Lasombras. But I manage to survive and Wash the Week of Nightmares, so time runs out.

Me 0.5 vp, Ralf 0.5 vp, DT 2.5 vp

To learn from this game: Always block the first actions of a clown car deck (and if possible torpor his vamps). No matter the cost.


Game 3:

Nasty table. My predator is quickly ousted by the “Carna is Vignes”-deck after doing 15-ish pool damage on me. Hi is not missed by anyone :)

Lazverius smashes my preys vamps to pulp and manages to remove his preys first backwards-aimed Pentex.

Then I do a mistake. I decide to deal with my predator for a bleed free turn, I put a Pentex cross table on Lazvernius AND I rescure my preys Korah from torpor. My guess is that I cannot oust Lazverius myself. So my prey ousts him, but it takes two turns instead of one, and after some heavy bleed-bouncing I am ousted myself. The Kindred Spirits-guy had only one alternative – full speed ahead with stealthed 3-4 bleeds, and my predator Ober always play a bit more bounce than normal people. I should have taken that into account.

Me 0 vp, Ober 2 vp, Kristoffer 3 vp

To learn from this game: It´s often stupid to overextend. Just picking that 1 vp and not going for more would have qualified me for the EC.


Finals

Oh how I would have loved to play this final. While not optimal and aside from me being a stupid player, I think my deck could have handled everything at this table.

The War Ghoul-players immediately starts contesting two minions and the Maris-variant is ousted fast.

No Ghoul enter play until the strange grinder (Masochism?! Ecstatic Agony?!!) is ousted.

Very tense play at only three players left, but the Ghouls win in the long run. Congrats Daniel!

Marko 1 vp, DT 1 vp, Ober 1 vp, Daniel 2 vp and tournament victory.


Summary
I once again experience that VtES is a game for people that love to lose. Sure, it feels stupid to fail to qualify, but I had a decent time in Gothenburg and have more chances. But one thing that always comes to mind at times like this is that it would have been nice if I was hooked on a game that didn´t take 2 hours to play each round. 1 hour would be nice, so that you got more chances to not have bad seatings, bad draws, weird brainfarts and such randomness. Although the 2 hours is also part of the charm with VtES, the game has it´s drawbacks. Like all games.