THE SUN IS GONE - Imbued Newsletter, March 2007 I. THE SUN IS GONE II. THE HERE AND NOW III. SURVIVAL GUIDE IV. I HAVE HEARD THE MESSAGE V. TOOLS OF THE HUNT VI. POWERLESS I. THE SUN IS GONE "But I have a light. The fire is coming for us all." - Joshua "God45" Matthews, Wayward. II. THE HERE AND NOW It's been nearly a year since the release of Nights of Reckoning, and the wailing and gnashing of teeth seems to have barely begun. While arguments fly back and forth about where the imbued fit (or don't) in the larger scheme of V:tES, the newsletter will continue to push past the philosophical discussions and focus on more practical concerns - such as how to oust your prey. III. SURVIVAL GUIDE While many complain that imbued decks are too slow, I find that they are generally much better when played quickly. The imbued are quite strong in the endgame, because their primary resource, Conviction, is renewable. Ergo, play your turns out as quickly as possible, so that the rest of the table has time to wear each other down, and you get to your strongest point sooner. It's to your advantage to have your convictions already separated out and planned by the time the game rolls around to your untap phase - not only will your fellow players thank you for playing quickly, you'll be in a better position for it later. One of the best ways to do this in my experience is to separate your minions between offense and defense, and assign them each a preference order for Conviction: offensive minions get React->Strike->Sight, and defensive minions get React->Sight->Strike. Later in the game, when you're shifting more minions back and forth between offense and defense, this can become hairier, but you should be able to manage, especially if you've gotten Edge Explosion into play. Even forgetting your convictions entirely (sometimes two turns in a row) isn't necessarily catastrophic (I speak from experience). If it happens to you, let it slide and move on. One of the imbued's biggest weaknesses is the lack of untap ability. For the extra-low price of one Out-of-Turn master, an imbued can untap to block or otherwise react to somebody's action. Alternatively, you can sacrifice your next untap in order to wake up now with On the Qui Vive. Realistically, this means you need a way to leave your guys untapped, either by swarming or playing with Vigilance (or some more esoteric strategy). Keep in mind every turn how many blockers you'll need - it'll save your unlife. IV. I HAVE HEARD THE MESSAGE Anna "Dictatrix11" Suljic [NoR:U] Cardtype: Imbued Creed: Martyr Group: 4 Life: 6 Virtue: mar red vsn Anna may move 2 blood from the blood bank to any vampire as a +1 stealth action. During your untap phase you may look at the top three cards of your library. Anna Suljic is an underappreciated gal. She's a bit expensive to hang out with the other imbued, but she makes a great pal for any vampires lurking in your crypt. She also works wonders in making cross-table friends dependent on you, propping them up until you can work your way around and become their predator. V. TOOLS OF THE HUNT Being allies instead of vampires is a mixed blessing for the imbued. Everyone knows how much Smiling Jack and Ancient Influence hose you. Everyone also knows how much Millicent Smith, Society of Leopold, and various Gehenna events help you. On this last one, the conventional wisdom is mostly wrong. For one thing, Millicent tends to slow down the gradual degradation of vampires and Gehenna events tend to make the whole table think harder about each action (and whether or not to take you out of the game). Also, adding too many masters and events to your deck slows down your conviction gain, your power movement, and your game generally. On the whole, there are better things to put in your deck, such as: Flash Grenade Equipment Weapon Strike: combat ends. If the opposing minion is a vampire, he or she is tapped and does not untap as normal on his or her next untap phase. If the bearer is a vampire and the grenade is used at close range, the bearer is also tapped and does not untap as normal on his or her next untap phase. Burn this weapon after use. Flash Grenade is in my experience the strongest card an imbued deck can play. Conceal them out en masse and watch as your predator and prey lock up. Tables tend to warp around it with your predator and prey losing both actions and blocks each turn, while you and your cross-table "allies" reap the benefit. VI. POWERLESS Here's an older version of the deck I've been brutalizing my playgroup with recently. Paralyze This - An exercise in deck focus: 2x Jennie "Cassie247" Orne 2x Travis "Traveler72" Miller 2x Maman Boumba 1x Jennifer "Flame61" Vidisania 1x Jack "Hannibal137" Harmon 1x John "Cop90" O'Malley 1x Pedro Cortez 1x Marion "Teacher193" Perks 1x Peter "Outback295" Rophail 4x Angel of Berlin 2x Direct Intervention 1x The Rose Foundation 2x The Church of Vindicated Faith 2x Specialization 1x Dummy Corporation 1x Filchware's Pawn Shop 2x The Unmasking 1x Edge Explosion 1x Orb of Ulain 12x Flash Grenade 8x Wooden Stake 2x Leather Jacket 1x Ivory Bow 1x Crusader Sword 1x Rowan Ring 20x Concealed Weapon 1x Carlton Van Wyk 1x Mylan Horseed 1x Vagabond Mystic 1x Ossian 1x Gregory Winter 7x React With Conviction 7x Strike With Conviction 7x Second Sight David Tatu recently won the Louisiana Qualifier with his own version of this deck, which can be viewed here: http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#2k7llaqual This deck tends to warp the table pretty heavily in your favor. Lock down your predator and prey both with the Flash Grenades, popping targets of opportunity with the Stakes and other weapons. Bring out extra minions with Travis, Church, and Specialization, plus recruit some other allies. Cycle the deck as quickly as needed (it's okay if Carlton Van Wyk ends up with a Wooden Stake on occasion, you're unlikely to need all of them). Bleed steadily and generally irritate your predator and prey, which is eventually everyone. Make sure to leave enough guys untapped to defend yourself. You can be somewhat lenient on turns when you oust a prey, but even a relatively small lapse in your defense can be swiftly punished. Don't be afraid to cycle out multiple grenades and stakes to move through your deck if needed. In a metagame that's less afraid of the stakes remove 2-4 of them and replace with more Flash Grenades. In play, this deck has performed better than any other imbued deck I've played. The cards flow like blood. Your predator and prey weep, while your grandprey feels a great deal of relief. Even your grandpredator probably likes the fact that you're keeping his prey locked up. Also, here's a recent version of the deck Danielle Newquist turned some heads with at the NAC: Time Enough For Snakes 5x Nehemiah 3x Anna "Dictatrix11" Suljic 2x Bupe Kuila 1x Ezekiel, Lord of Montreal 1x Reverend Djoser Jones 3x Blood Doll 3x Dummy Corporation 2x Perfectionist 2x Tabriz Assembly 1x Minion Tap 1x Momentum's Edge 1x Feraille 1x Presence 1x The Rose Foundation 1x Opium Den 1x Giant's Blood 1x Ancient Influence 1x Banishment 1x Disputed Territory 4x Enchant Kindred 3x Clotho's Gift 2x Hourglass of the Mind 2x Heart of the City 2x Form of Corruption 2x Kiss of Lachesis 1x Temptation 1x Entrancement 1x Bum's Rush 1x Path of the Scorched Heart 1x Aranthebes 1x Heart of Nizchetus 1x Flaming Candle 1x Assault Rifle 6x Domain of Evernight 4x Truth of a Thousand Lies 4x Iron Glare 3x Tangle Atropos' Hand 2x Recurring Contemplation 1x Inspire Greatness 3x Form of the Serpent 5x Typhonic Beast 4x Taste of Vitae 1x Lapse 1x Earthshock 3x Determine 2x Rewind Time 2x On the Que Vive 2x Second Sight 2x React With Conviction 1x Strike With Conviction 1x Inconnu Tutelage Pre-NOR versions of this deck had blood-shortage issues. Anna Suljic fixed that. Danielle tends to spend a good chunk of the game tooling up and making nice, before piledriving her prey off the table. The Reverend Jones often makes an oust with a "surprise" Truth of a Thousand Lies. Recurring Contemplation knocks out permanent intercept, Tangle Atropos' Hand counters wakes and minor transient intercept, with the occasional Form of the Serpent for an extra +1 stealth. The huge amount of card cycling and occasional reshuffle, combined with Anna's library-peeking ability and inferior Hourglass of the Mind allow you to customize your hand each turn and choose the perfect moment to lunge. Thanks for listening! Feedback appreciated, Witness1 -paralyze that