Defending yourself against Sneak and Bleed
written by Adrian Sullivan (sulli_al@cslab.uwlax.edu).
Definition of Sneak and Bleed
In order to limit the discussion somewhat, whenI am talking about
sneak and bleed, I am NOT referring to Tremere with permanent stealth, or
Gangrel with Protean/Form of Mist stealth. I am referring to Obfuscate
and a Bleed Discipline (such as Dominate or Presence). Most of my focus
lies on Malkavian S&B as compared to Set S&B.
Intercept vs. Sneak and Bleed
While it is true that there is a lot of Sneak cards, it simply can no
longer be said that stealth overpowers intercept. To put it simply, an
intercept deck is made to overcome a Sneak deck. If it cannot it has
failed, and with the cards available to any good intercept clan, there
can be no excuses. Any clan with animalism, auspex, or chimerstry can
attempt to go with intercept, and by mixing with permanents, should be
able to handle S&[whatever]. With intercept, a large amount of the cards
available are permanents. Sneak and Bleed permanents are relatively
limited (Opium Den and Forest of Shadows), one in the sense that it can
only be used for one stealth once, and the other from both that, and its
drain on the user.
Stealth's problem when it comes to an intercept deck is that it is mostly
powered by temporary cards, while its opponent will become more and more
prepared to block it. This can be slightly overcome with cards like
seduction, but seduction is limited in its use and only effective against
the "super-intercepter" deck in which only one minion has most of the
intercept.
If playing an intercept deck, if you are unable to stop a stealth decks
stealthed actions about half the time, then the deck needs a change.
Bounce vs. S&B
Bounce is a total destroyer of Sneak and Bleed. Depending on how heavily
bounce is being played, there are two options:
- Pure Bounce bleed defense:
- Don't really worry about blocking. Pass on the big bleeds or all the
bleeds you care to, depending on how much bounce your deck carries. In
any case, you aren't likely to be able to cause hand jam with this deck,
as the bounced bleeds will likely have someone attempt to block them.
- Bounce and Intercept bleed defense:
- Here, defense becomes mix and match. Save intercept for those with
inferior obfuscate, and bounce the rest. For the most part, attempting
to block with a poor bouncer is a good idea.
Combat vs. S&B
Obedience
This card is called up time and time again as "the" card that
stops combat short. In a way it does, but a good combat deck shouldn't
have a problem with this.
Limitations of Obedience:
Obedience requires that they keep a vampire untapped. They are bleeding
you for less each turn. Not only must a vampire be untapped, but unless
it has superior dominate, it is tapped. Thus it can only stop one
incoming attack. Finally, the vampire has to actually block the
attempted attack. Watering down a S&B deck with intercept to stop Haven
Uncovered, Bloodhunt, Archon, and Contract attacks will mean that less
bleed can be put into a deck. Putting in the Obediences will only
facilitate matters.
Obedience is good, but against a well designed combat deck, more than
obedience is needed. Obedience will not shut a combat deck down.
No other answers were really given to combat defense. In the Set deck,
you will see S:CE, but most combat decks have ways of dealing with this
(or are poorly designed).
S&B can compensate for inevitable combats a number of ways. The problem
is, that in doing so, it waters down its main focus. That is its biggest
weakness. S&B has no parralel strategy that enhances the main focus will
defending against rivals. Combat's methods of dealing with bleeders and
voters is effectively its own main strategy. Voters tend to have
anti-bleed cards (bounce) and anti-combat cards (S:CE) that are useful in
the context of their main strategy. Bleeding has no direct way that
helps it out in defense against the other two. It merely gets watered down.