Wanderer's Counsel Akunanse Website

I got 2nd place in a 40 player regional qualifier without bounce!

I don't normally post my non-winning decks, but there was some interest in 
my new tech at the tournament and there's been some interest about 
Akunanse here, so I thought I'd share.

I'm not real sure this deck is all that well-optimized yet.  I had some 
real good seatings in the prelim rounds and ended up with 2nd seed.  I 
picked the wrong seat in the final, so I wasn't able improve my standing. 
Preying on someone who could intercept me and end combat was just bad 
news.

Here's the deck with a few comments:

Deck Name: Akunanse bleed and block with anti-weenie tech
Created by: Matt Morgan
Description:

Crypt [12 vampires, average capacity: 6.84]
1x Matata ABO ANI FOR aus cel obf  9 Akunanse:3
2x Amavi ABO ANI FOR pre pro  8 Akunanse:4
1x Nkule Galadima ABO FOR ani aus pre  8 Akunanse:4 magaji
4x Uchenna ABO ANI FOR  7 Akunanse:4 magaji
1x Jubal ABO ANI for pot  6 Akunanse:4
1x Sanjo ANI FOR abo chi  6 Akunanse:3
1x Kikiyaon, The FOR abo ani  5 Akunanse:4
1x Hasani ABO for  4 Akunanse:4

/* I got out Nkule in three of four rounds, but I never wanted to spend 9
    pool on Matata.  Didn't draw the weenies enough either.  I need to
    rework this a little.  Maybe 2 Nkule, 4 Uchenna plus Amavi, Jubal,
    Sanjo, Kikiyaon, Hasani and Dolie?  I originally thought one Magaji
    would be fine, but I ended up really liking having two out. */

Library [90 cards]
Master [15]
1x Ancestor Spirit
1x Barrens, The
5x Blood Doll
1x Direct Intervention
1x Giant's Blood
2x Guardian Angel
1x Jungle Hunting Ground
1x KRCG News Radio
1x Mbare Market, Harare
1x Perfectionist

/* The deck cycles pretty slowly, so maybe it should have a couple more
    masters.  Probably a second Mbare, maybe a Sudden or something.  Fame? 
*/

Action [5]
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
4x No Secrets From the Magaji

/* File under table hate.  Heh, heh, heh. */

Action Modifier [14]
2x Devil-Channel: Throat
7x Freak Drive
4x Predator's Mastery
1x Strange Day

/* Really, only the Strange Day paid off very much.  Without that, I think
    Ben Swainbank would've stopped me from equipping with a .44 and might
    have played more aggressively. */

Action Modifier/Combat [2]
2x Predator's Transformation

/* Never had any use out of these, but they do cycle easily at least. */

Equipment [6]
1x .44 Magnum
1x Ivory Bow
1x Kduva's Mask
1x Laptop Computer
1x Reliquary: Akunanse Remains
1x Sniper Rifle

/* Most people observing my deck probably would've expected to see more
    guns in the decklist, since I got an early gun in almost every game.  I
    liked having the .44 better than the Sniper Rifle, but that's probably
    because I didn't see aggressive combat all day.  The permanent +bleed
    is highly good.  In round 3, I had two 3 bleeders and a 2 bleeder. */

Reaction [14]
6x Cats' Guidance
6x Predator's Communion
2x Terra Incognita

/* Didn't get to TI a bounce card, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually.
    Predator's Communion cycles nicely when I'm all secure with my No
    Secrets and is good when I don't have it. */

Retainer [5]
1x Duma Rafiki
1x Elephant Guardian
1x J. S. Simmons, Esq.
1x Shaman
1x Tasha Morgan

/* Didn't get any use out of Duma Rafiki or Elephant Guardian (bad synergy
    with Sniper Rifle here, I know, but it's only two cards).  Could
    probably use another Shaman or Mr. Winthrop. */

Combat [29]
2x Canine Horde
6x Carrion Crows
4x Devil-Channel: Back
2x Devil-Channel: Hands
4x Invoking the Beast
5x Rolling with the Punches
4x Taste of Vitae
2x Whistling Up the Beast

/* This package kept me alive and scary.  The only change I'm going to
    make here is to drop Devil-Channel: Back.  I had originally thought I
    could use it with a gun, but it's only usable for hand strikes.  Since
    I'm not playing tons of combat, it's probably better to just have more
    Invoking the Beast for more presses.  Maybe I'll try two more Invoking
    and add two masters. */

My games went like so:

Round 1
Ben Swainbank playing !Salubri with Blissful Agony and Lorrie Dunsirn (see 
the combo?)
me
Rob Williams playing Giovanni Shambling Hordes
Jared Strait playing g1 princes with obf (sometimes gained through skill 
cards)
Josh Duffin playing Ishtarri vote/bleed all offense all the time

I wisely discarded my first turn and then got Mbare Market when I 
replaced.  A bit later, Uchenna got a .44 Magnum on a Strange Day.  Let's 
hear it for Laibon excellence!  Between my obvious bloat and strong 
defenses and the two vote decks behind him, Ben knew he'd have to bide his 
time, live a while and hope I overextend.  He stayed mostly walled until 
Josh died (no defense), then went backward against Jared.  Jared stole two 
of Rob's Shambling Hordes, so he had good rush defense for a while.

I didn't get much +bleed early, so I just bled Rob for 1 a lot.  Rob was 
sad about losing his Hordes, but he kept at it.  Time started getting 
short.  Actually, for some reason we thought we were down to the last few 
minutes, so Jared and I made that usual cross-table buddy deal where we 
help each other oust our preys.  Jared probably thought he was getting the 
game win and time would be called right after Ben and Rob died.  Turned 
out there was like 15 minutes left.  My intercept combat took Jared down 
with a few minutes to spare.

Me - 3, Jared - 2

Round 2
David Tatu - Inner Circle + Synesios vote with Hall of Hades Court
Mark something - Germaine beatings/bleedings
Pete Oh - Lasombra vote/bleed
Paul something - Weenie Giovanni bleed with some allies and junk
me

I got an early No Secrets that nobody could block, so Paul was pretty 
much screwed.  Unfortunately, David kept gaining so much damn pool, I just 
couldn't keep up with him.  Mark's brutal combat took Pete down early. 
Paul got a few allies and bled a little, but couldn't really put a dent in 
my pool.  I couldn't do much to David.  Looked like David would kill Mark, 
but Mark barely survived thanks (oddly) to me agreeing to suffer a bounced 
bleed of 3 from him.  Then David ran out of stealth and stopped trying to 
do anything other than get out four Inner Circle members and call a 
Political Stranglehold.  Bleh.  After that, I'd bleed every turn and David 
would just grin at me and move a few counters from his pool to the blood 
bank.  Naturally we went to time.

Mark - 1.5, the rest of us who are not Pete - .5

Round3
me
Vinnie C - Marthe Dizier & friends bleed
Scott Gomes - Anarch Undue Influence (mostly Setites)
Adam something - Setite bleed
something something - Helena intercept with Malks and Victoria bloat

I regret not being able to remember my predator's name at all this game. 
He was a really nice guy that I don't think I'd met before.

Anyway, I tooled up early because I had an agreement with my predator that 
we wouldn't block each others' tooling.  He needed his Bowl of Convergence 
and Sniper Rifle and stuff, I guess.

I bled Vinnie some.  He bled Scott, Scott bled Adam, my predator Night 
Moves'd me.  Yeah, I think I had the good end of that deal.  Anyway, Scott 
got Adam, then I got Vinnie.  Scott worked on my predator for a bit and 
realized too late that he should've formed an evil alliance against me. 
Then he died and I beat my predator in the end game by pushing to Blood 
Dolls for a long time so I could survive his combat and cycling into my 
own combat and eventually taking down Helena.

Final

I chose my seat poorly.  Had I known Jonathan's deck, I probably would've 
chosen to be his prey (still not a great spot but at least I wouldn't have 
been bleeding into someone who'd just end combat all the time).

Ben Peal - Setite Waters of Duat with Anima Gathering
Jared Strait - g1 princes
me
Jonathan Scherer - Gangrel blocking with some dominate and lots of Earth 
Meld
Pete Oh - Lasombra vote/bleed

In the opening moves, we all tooled up a bit.  Ben got out a KRCG, made 
some Waters.  Jared and Pete Governed down a couple times.  I got a 
Shaman, a .44 and Aranthebes, but sadly no No Secrets nor a Mbare. 
Jonathan got a Garou.  Ingrid came up a little late and got a Raven Spy, 
which marked an abrupt end to my tooling up phase.  Jonathan blocked all 
subsequent attempts on my part to get Laptops and stuff.  I was pretty 
stuck.

Ben looked strong for a while.  Then Jonathan had a moderate bleed bounced 
to Ben, which Ben took.  Pete knew it was his moment to strike.  He called 
KRC was blocked, then Ancilla Empowerment, was blocked then finally got 
past Ben with a Domain Challenge (if memory serves).  Jonathan might have 
been able to block anyway, but Pete and Jared convinced him that he needed 
Ben gone to take the table.  I kept quiet because I didn't feel I was 
doing very well anyway and therefore didn't want to weigh in on who needs 
to die so long as it wasn't me.  Ben was ousted.

The vote also put my prey down to 3 pool, but fat chance of my getting 
even a bleed for 1 through at that point.  I kind of hoped for a miricle 
to occur (that would've been that I somehow cycle into Ancestor Spirit, 
Strange Day and Predator's Mastery, even though I wasn't playing any 
cards, and then Jonathan doesn't Deflect me), but that didn't happen. 
After that, Jonathan blocked Pete all of the place and I blocked Jared a 
lot.  Both of them were starting to get in rough shape.  Pete was worse 
off because he was also getting bled.  Eventually Pete died.  I started 
trying to negotiate for 2nd place not because I didn't think I'd be able 
to oust Jonathan.  I'm pretty sure I could've ousted Jonathan eventually 
due to all my permanents and the fact that I had a lot more deck left 
than he did.  It just might've taken 4-5 hours.  Yeah, at that point 
2nd place would have to do.

Anyway, Jonathan and Jared had a deal where I was supposed to die, but 
sadly, they didn't include me in the deal and it just wasn't happening. 
With a few minutes left, Jonathan decided the best way to stop our 
childish squabbling was to let everyone withdraw, thus giving me 2nd place 
(I was 2nd seed and Ben was 1st) and Jared 3rd place.  The only sad thing 
was that that pushed Pete down to 4th and he'd really taken one for the 
team by ousting Ben.  Ah well.

It was a better showing than I expected the deck to make.  Any comments 
are welcome.  In fact, check the decklist again.  See the lack of bounce? 
I got 2nd place in a 40 player regional qualifier without bounce!

Matt Morgan
farquar // at \\ io.com


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