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How to play the First Blood: Toreador deck

Overview

The First Blood: Toreador introductory deck for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle focuses on destroying your prey’s blood pool through bleeding and political actions, and on the ability to take several actions per turn with the same vampire, if blocked.

In the early game, bring out the highest capacity vampire in your uncontrolled region who has superior Presence, so that, once in play, that vampire can play superior Enchant Kindred to move 2 blood from the blood bank to a younger vampire in your uncontrolled region. So use your transfers wisely so that you can get many vampires out quickly.

Once you have any vampires in play, it is key that you play the master card Aching Beauty on them to dissuade your prey (and to a lesser extent, other Methuselahs) from blocking you.

Then take either your bleed actions (Legal Manipulations or Enchant Kindred) or your vampires’ inherent bleed actions to bleed your prey. If your prey attempts to block, play a Change of Target action modifier or a superior Majesty combat card to unlock and take a different action. If your prey declines to block, play an action modifier that increases the bleed (Aire of Elation).

Another way to cause pool losses to your prey is by means of political actions. Be mindful of how many votes each player has, because you may need the support of a cross-table player to make the referenda of your political actions succeed. Therefore, you may need to benefit that cross-table player somehow in order to get their support.

Your offensive module is strengthened by two cards: The already mentioned Aching Beauty and Scorn of Adonis:
• Aching Beauty: The blocking player burns 1 pool each time a vampire with an Aching Beauty is blocked. Therefore, take as many actions as possible on the same turn with any vampire with an Aching Beauty. Do not put too many Aching Beauty cards on the same vampire.
• Scorn of Adonis: If your prey votes against a political action you called, you can play Scorn of Adonis to have your prey burn 1 pool. This action modifier increases the odds of your referenda passing.

Your defensive angle is not only based on pool gain, but also on blocking key actions as well as on redirecting bleeds to your prey.

Pool can be gained from ousting your prey and from these cards:
• Blood Doll: You can gain 1 pool per turn for each Blood Doll you control.
• Consanguineous Boon: You can gain as much pool as the amount of Toreador vampires you control.
• Art Museum: You can use it to gain 1 pool per turn.

Given this deck’s limited ability to block, you should mainly block political actions that deal pool damage to you, or bleed actions (primarily at 0 stealth) you cannot redirect.

Any blocks should be attempted by unlocked minions. This means that you may have to leave at least one minion unlocked at the end of your turn. Otherwise, use an On the Qui Vive reaction card to attempt to wake and attempt to block and play reaction cards as if unlocked.

Redirecting a bleed to your prey is both a defensive and an offensive move that can be made by playing a Telepathic Misdirection reaction card with an unlocked or waking vampire with superior Auspex to redirect a bleed against you to your prey.

Strategy tips

Normally, whenever a minion controlled by your predator is attempting to bleed you, play a Telepathic Misdirection reaction card with an unlocked or waking vampire with superior Auspex to redirect a bleed against you to your prey.

If being bled by a Malkavian vampire and you have a Telepathic Misdirection in your hand, attempt to block so that they play stealth. Then say you decline to block and allow them to play a bleed action modifier, and afterwards redirect that bleed to your prey.

However, if being bled by a Malkavian vampire and you do not have a Telepathic Misdirection or a vampire who can play it, do not attempt to block, so that they cannot play any stealth cards in hand and get their hand clogged with them.

By default, try to avoid combat. However, when about to enter combat while acting, play Change of Target, particularly against an already locked minion. Whereas, when about to enter combat outside your turn, play Majesty, mainly against Nosferatu, Tremere and Ventrue.

You will rarely have a perfect hand, so good hand management is essential to increase your odds of winning. Therefore, when in doubt, use a discard phase action to discard a card you do not need.

Another factor you should take into account during your minion phase is the order of your actions. Since your resources are limited, have your vampires take the least important actions first and the most important ones last.

And finally, make sure everything you do brings you one step closer to victory. Be patient, and do not let your emotions interfere.

How to build a competitive deck with two First Blood: Toreador decks

Since tournament legal Vampire: The Eternal Struggle decks consist of a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 90 library cards and a minimum of 12 crypt cards, you could combine two First Blood: Toreador decks in order to build a competitive deck meeting both requirements. It could look like this:

Crypt: (12 cards)
2 Epikasta Rigatos
2 Gwendolyn Fleming
2 Kateline Nadasdy
2 Thomas De Lutrius
2 Tyler McGill
2 Vasily

Library: (85 cards)
6 Aching Beauty
1 Art Museum
5 Blood Doll
1 Society Hunting Ground

8 Enchant Kindred
4 Legal Manipulations

4 Consanguineous Boon
8 Kine Resources Contested

5 Aire of Elation
4 Bewitching Oration
8 Change of Target
4 Crocodile’s Tongue
4 Scorn of Adonis

8 Majesty

8 On the Qui Vive
7 Telepathic Misdirection

Good luck playing the First Blood: Toreador deck!

Note: This article can be downloaded with additional graphics in PDF format: How to play the First Blood: Toreador deck

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How to play the First Blood: Nosferatu deck

Overview

The First Blood: Nosferatu introductory deck for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle is a control deck that is also capable of occasionally bleeding your prey at stealth and has the power to crush any vampires that get in your way.

In the early game, use your transfers wisely in order to get at least two vampires out who have superior Animalism, because your combat module entirely relies on that discipline.

Ideally, once you control any ready vampires, it is important for you to build up first and try to have them take actions to get permanent intercept retainers (Raven Spy) and permanent bleed enhancers (J. S. Simmons, Esq. or Laptop Computer). Later on, have them take either the Computer Hacking bleed actions or your vampires’ inherent bleed actions to bleed your prey.

If your prey attempts to block you, either play stealth action modifiers to get through, or try to send the blocking vampire to torpor in the resulting combat.

Additionally, there are other ways to make your prey burn pool:
· Army of Rats: Your prey burns 1 pool during each of your unlock phases.
· Fame: Play this master card on a ready vampire controlled by your prey, and try to enter combat with that vampire (either using Ambush or Gustaph Brunelle’s special ability), and send them to torpor to make your prey burn 3 pool.

Since this is a slow deck, your primary concern will be staying alive while setting up until you are ready to go for the oust. For this reason, this deck contains several cards that can make you gain pool:
· Blood Doll: You can gain 1 pool per turn for each Blood Doll you control.
· Powerbase: Montreal: You can use it to gain 1 pool per turn.

Naturally, another way of gaining pool is once your prey is ousted (you gain 6 pool!).

As to the defensive angle, blocking any action that deals pool damage to you (for example, bleed or political actions) will keep you in the game. Your deck contains many reaction cards that will allow your vampires to either block as if unlocked or unlock to block.

Should you find that there are any specific vampires controlled by your predator that systematically get through your intercept wall, you will have to attack such dangerous vampires and send them to torpor.

Your combat module is powerful indeed. Play Carrion Crows before range is determined. Then play Aid from Bats to maneuver to long range and strike for one. If both cards have been played at superior Animalism, the opposing minion will take a total of 3 damage, and you will get a press you can use to continue combat or to cancel a press played by the opposing minion.

Strategy tips

You should block any action that gives any advantage in combat to your predator or prey (for example, Ivory Bow or .44 Magnum) or that deals pool damage to you (for example, bleed or political actions).

In addition, it is highly advisable to block any action that moves blood to an uncontrolled vampire of your predator and, to a lesser extent, of your prey, because you do not want your predator to control a horde of minions.

If your predator is playing the First Blood: Malkavian deck and you have an unlocked vampire with permanent intercept, have that vampire attempt to block any action your predator takes, so that they run out of stealth action modifier cards.

On the other hand, if your predator is playing the First Blood: Malkavian deck and you do not have any vampire with permanent intercept, do not attempt to block any actions taken by your predator, so that they cannot play any stealth cards in hand and get their hand clogged with them.

You will rarely have a perfect hand, so good hand management is essential to increase your odds of winning. Therefore, always use a discard phase action to discard a card you do not need (usually stealth action modifier or combat cards).

And finally, make sure everything you do brings you one step closer to victory. Be patient, and do not let your emotions interfere.

How to build a competitive deck with two First Blood: Nosferatu decks

Since tournament legal Vampire: The Eternal Struggle decks consist of a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 90 library cards and a minimum of 12 crypt cards, you could combine two First Blood: Nosferatu decks in order to build a competitive deck meeting both requirements. It could look like this:

Crypt: (12 cards)
2 Beetleman
2 Benjamin Rose
2 Gustaphe Brunnelle
2 Harold Tanner
2 Jeremy ‘Wix’ Wyzchovsky
2 Petra

Library: (86 cards)
2 Animalism
6 Blood Doll
2 Fame
1 Labyrinth, The
1 Powerbase: Montreal
1 Slum Hunting Ground

4 Ambush
2 Army of Rats
4 Computer Hacking
1 J. S. Simmons, Esq.
2 Laptop Computer
4 Raven Spy

6 Cloak the Gathering
6 Lost in Crowds

12 Aid from Bats
10 Carrion Crows

4 Cats’ Guidance
6 Forced Awakening
4 Guard Dogs
4 Instinctive Reaction
4 On the Qui Vive

Good luck playing the First Blood: Nosferatu deck!

Note: This article can be downloaded with additional graphics in PDF format: How to play the First Blood Nosferatu deck

How to play the First Blood: Malkavian deck

Overview

The First Blood: Malkavian introductory deck for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle focuses on destroying your prey’s blood pool through heavy bleeding at stealth.

In the early game, use your transfers wisely in order to get many vampires out quickly, so that you can start bleeding your prey heavy as soon as possible.

Once you have any vampires in play, take either the Kindred Spirits bleed actions or your vampires’ inherent bleed actions to bleed your prey. If your prey attempts to block, play stealth action modifiers. And, once your prey has declined to block, play an action modifier that increases the bleed amount (Eyes of Chaos or Confusion). Additionally, the Game of Malkav master card can also make your prey and other Methuselahs burn some pool.

However, since your predator will also try to oust you, the Malkavian deck also relies on three defensive modules: pool gain, blocking key actions and bleed redirection.

Obviously, the more pool you gain the more chances you will have to survive. That is why your deck contains several cards that can make you gain some pool:
· Kindred Spirits: You gain 1 pool if you successfully bleed a Methuselah for 1 or more.
· Game of Malkav: can make you gain from 1 to 5 pool.
· Blood Doll: You can gain 1 pool per turn for each Blood Doll you control.
· Needless to say, if your prey is ousted, you gain 6 pool!

Blocking key actions (for example, political actions that deal pool damage to you, or bleed actions you cannot redirect) can keep you in the game. However, to that end, you will have to leave at least one minion unlocked at the end of your turn and have some intercept reaction cards in your hand, unless you also have an On the Qui Vive reaction card in your hand, which will allow one of your minions to wake and attempt to block and play reaction cards as if unlocked.

Redirecting a bleed to your prey is both a defensive and an offensive move that can be made by playing a Telepathic Misdirection reaction card with an unlocked or waking vampire with superior Auspex to redirect a bleed against you to your prey.

Strategy tips

Try to avoid combat whenever possible, because your combat module is poor and only consists of the following cards:
· Coma: You can send the opposing vampire to torpor with this combat card. So fear of this card may dissuade other players from entering combat with any Malkavian with enough blood to pay its cost.
· No Trace: Use this combat card to end combat if you see your vampire in combat could go to torpor or take too much damage.
· Mind Tricks: If blocked after playing this card, maneuver to long range if you expect the opposing minion to want to hurt you at close range (for example a Ventrue with a Weighted Walking Stick), or press to end combat when in combat with an opposing minion that wants to press to continue combat (probably a Nosferatu or a Tremere vampire).

Since you want to avoid combat, do not block unless you absolutely have no other choice. The most important thing to block is probably any action that grants permanent intercept to a vampire controlled by your prey. Never block bleed actions that you can redirect.

You will rarely have a perfect hand, so good hand management is essential to increase your odds of winning. Therefore:
· Use The Barrens to discard a card from your hand.
· Use a discard phase action to discard a card you do not need (usually stealth action modifier cards).
· If you have an excess of stealth action modifiers in your hand, use Bela (who has -1 stealth on his actions) to bleed and hope your prey attempts to block.

Another factor you should take into account during your minion phase is the order of your actions. Since your resources are limited, have your vampires take the least important actions first and the most important ones last.

And finally, make sure everything you do brings you one step closer to victory. Be patient, and do not let your emotions interfere.

How to build a competitive deck with two First Blood: Malkavian decks

Since tournament legal Vampire: The Eternal Struggle decks consist of a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 90 library cards and a minimum of 12 crypt cards, you could combine two First Blood: Malkavian decks in order to build a competitive deck meeting both requirements. It could look like this:

Crypt: (12 cards)
2 Apolonia Czarnecki
2 Arthur Denholm
2 Bela
2 Gem Ghastly
2 Morel
2 Osric Vladislav

Library: (80 cards)
1 Asylum Hunting Ground
2 Barrens, The
4 Blood Doll
2 Game of Malkav
2 Sudden Reversal

16 Kindred Spirits

5 Cloak the Gathering
6 Confusion
4 Elder Impersonation
6 Eyes of Chaos
5 Lost in Crowds
4 Mind Tricks
2 Veil the Legions

2 Coma
4 No Trace

8 On the Qui Vive
7 Telepathic Misdirection

Good luck playing the First Blood: Malkavian deck!

Note: This article can be downloaded with additional graphics in PDF format: How to play the First Blood Malkavian deck