1.0 - Editorial
1.1 Word From the Editor
1.2 Next Issue
2.0 - Concepts
2.1 Crypt Card Focus
3.0 - Deck
3.1 Ahrimanes_4
3.2 Sign Off

--[1.1 - Word from the Editor]-----------------------

Well I have various plans for the future; I am lining up an interview - more on that as I get some definite answers. Also after a couple of JOL games I have ideas about Fire Fighting, how to cause maximum problems for your prey, and how it gets you the Oust.

--[1.2 -Next Issue]------------------------------------

There will be another tournament winning Ahrimane deck, with another one the month after that which makes a nice run. Shame that my decks aren't amongst them, but I can keep trying. Then there will be the usual crypt and library focus section.

--[2.1 - Crypt Card Focus]--------------------------

Currently the group 4 Ahrimanes are lacking a fifth member to fill out the Clan. So what would be the ideal plug for that gap? Firstly we need to consider capacity, as currently there is a three cap, five cap, six cap and a seven cap, with another five cap waiting in the group 3 wings. Now I am not expecting a 'new' Howler, or anyone as old as Muricia. Neither would I expect a third five cap, so that leaves the possibility of a six cap or a four cap or younger. Of those I reckon the most likely is a four cap, who hopefully won't be a Juanita Santigo clone, so what could we have instead?

Ahrimane 1, Spiritspeaker
Capacity: 4
Disciplines: ani SPI
Sabbat: Sterile.
Would be of the most use, and more likely than someone with either superior ANI or PRE. Would also be powered up reasonably easily with the traditional skill card, or perhaps a Sanguine Instruction as the skill cards aren't the requirement that they are in group 2.

Ahrimane 2, Wolf in Cats Clothing
Capacity: 4
Disciplines: ani pro spi
Sabbat: Sterile.
Adds nicely to various Gangrel/!Gangrel decks, who can of course become Ahrimane and gain Spiritus with Feral Spirit or Muricia's special text. Would also add some PRO to group 4, which is the fourth discipline in group 2.

Ahrimane 3, African Influences
Capacity: 4
Disciplines: ani pre spi
Laibon: Sterile.
Would help fill out the Guruhi, and make it easier to include Laibon cards in any Ahrimane deck. Would also then make this quite different to Juanita, although the same in every other way.

Of course there are lots of special texts that could be used to tweak any minion outside of the usual. For example, how about a Black Hand Ahrimane? Or +1 bleed when bleeding a Methuselah who controls a ready !Gangrel? Maybe something like "When you move Ahrimane X from your uncontrolled region to your ready region, she may recruit an ANI retainter from your hand (pay the cost to recruit as normal)". Or perhaps the flip side of that, "Ahrimane X may move an ANI retainer from your ash heap to your hand as a +1 stealth action". Plenty of ideas, lets hope that we will see one of them.

--[3.1 - Deck: Ahrimanes_4 ]---------------------------------------

This month we have a deck by a long time Ahrimane player, David Quiñonero-Santiago. He has four tournament wins with them, which is 100% more than anyone else. Perhaps he should be writing the NLs, or maybe I should move to Spain and take advantage of those that are unable to deal with the Ahrimanes? : )

Event name: Praxis Seizure: Palma de Mallorca 2007
Event date: 29th-April-2007
Event location: Club Arioch
City: Palma de Mallorca
Country: Spain
Number of players: 10
TOURNAMENT WINNING DECK
Deck Name: Ahrimanes_4
Created By: David Quiñonero-Santiago

Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 20, Max: 28, Avg: 5,83)
----------------------------------------------
4 Effie Lowery obf ANI SPI 5 Ahrimanes
4 Muricia ANI PRE SPI 7 Ahrimanes
2 Janey Pickman for ANI PRO 6 Gangrel Antitribu
2 Celeste Lamontagne for ANI PRO 5 Gangrel Antitribu

Library: (90 cards)
-------------------
Master (14 cards)
3 Blood Doll
1 Channel 10
2 Direct Intervention
1 Fame
1 Guardian Angel
1 Heidelberg Castle, Germany
1 Powerbase: Montreal
1 Rack, The
1 Rebel
1 Smiling Jack, The Anarch
1 WMRH Talk Radio

Action (10 cards)
3 Enchant Kindred
1 Engling Fury
5 Nose of the Hound
1 Vulture`s Buffet

Action Modifier (2 cards)
2 Squirrel Balance

Reaction (21 cards)
4 Cats` Guidance
4 Falcon`s Eye
3 Forced Awakening
2 On the Qui Vive
8 Speak with Spirits

Combat (24 cards)
6 Aid from Bats
2 Canine Horde
9 Carrion Crows
3 Concealed Weapon
1 Drawing Out the Beast
1 Leapfrog
2 Pack Alpha

Ally (1 cards)
1 Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)

Retainer (6 cards)
1 Mr. Winthrop
1 Murder of Crows
1 Owl Companion
3 Raven Spy

Equipment (5 cards)
1 Flak Jacket
1 IR Goggles
3 Sniper Rifle

Event (1 cards)
1 Dragonbound

Combo (6 cards)
6 Swiftness of the Stag

It is nice to see the Group 4 Ahrimanes getting some success. I have looked at using Sniper Rifles myself, although haven't yet - did try Mark Vs, but that didn't work very well. Anyway this deck is really a solid wall, although it has enough cards that it can push some bleeds through.

--[3.2 - Sign Off]-------------------------------------

This coming month I will be hosting Dual Form 4, another of the Bath two part tournaments. This time we may have eight players, and thus two tables playing at once. It will be a multi decking event, although I had hoped that it would be a no final event - with all players playing in four rounds, with the winner having the best overall results. I did suggest that this could be a solution to Final games, where players aren't quite playing to win - with more players still playing, there will be more people fighting for the top spot. However it can currently only be used as an option for tournaments with less than eight players (has it recently changed?). Either way, I quite like it as an option, and wish it was usable in larger tournaments.

Anyway, for those that celebrate Halloween have fun!

Sam
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