What do you get?
For $9.95 you get 89 cards a rulebook and a reference card. For an exact list of the contents of the deck, please check out http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/nosferatu_antitribu_precon.txt.
As I have mentioned on my other deck reviews, when I look at a preconstructed deck it has to fulfil three functions.
First, it has to be a good entry point for a new player.
Second, it has to be worth buying for the veteran player.
Third, it has to capture the feel of the clan.
I'll come back to these at the end...
It's getting ugly...
The nosferatu antitribu aren't like the Camarilla. They don't get angsty over their deformity or bemoan their loss of humanity. They revel in their monstrousness and are the unholy terrors of the dark below.
When I bought this deck I was praying that I wasn't goign to see some lame animalism "nibble" deck and a load of sneaky stealth. I wanted to see hard-hitting vampire killers who could scare the shit out of my enemies, or alternatively beat the shit out of them.
I wasn't disappointed.
The Vampires
First vampire I saw was "Beast, Leatherface of Detroit". This old favourite is a 7 capacity vampire with an inbuilt rush (the ability to enter combat with other vampires as an action) and +1 strength. This was a good start.
Many other vampires carried on the theme. Cailean, as it is well known, is rock hard. Calebos has +1 strength. Teresita gets +1 intercept against Camarilla. Allhad Potence, many had superior potence. This was a crypt looking to fight.
The Library
The Library follows the solid theme of rush-and-kill. A pair of Fames gives a clue to new players as to how rush decks oust their prey, and the card "Shakar" has the potential to turn Teresita into Beast Mk II.
There are a smatering of Obfuscate cards, which are not particularly appropriate to theme. I would have prefered Hidden Lurkers to Elder Impersonations. I would have prefered Sacrificial Lamb to Faceless Night. "Behind You!" is good to see though.
Potence-wise, the deck has a good mix of long and close strikes. It lacks focus in the way a tournament rush deck might, but this is to be expected froma precon.
Animalism has the obligatory "untappy" cards, but also has a single Song int he Dark. A very cool card for collectors, though perhaps more useful to a clan which doesn't already have potence.
Stuff I dug up...
I was pleased to find 2 Taste of Vitaes and 2 Fames. I have enough of these, but they always have good swap value with my friends. "Behind You!" is a strong common that I also never have enough of. A handful more Thrown Sewer Lids is also also good for my fling decks, which blur through these at an astounding rate.
Nosferatu Kingdom was probably the hottest pick, giving the +1 Influence free per turn that we have seen fromc rds such as Ecoterrorists and Arcane Library. The card equals extra speed or extra pool - two areas which the Sabbat have always been weaker on than the Camarilla.
Good or not?
For a new player, this is a nice deck to play. There are few things more satisfying in game than beating seven shades of faeces out of your prey's vampires. Most of the cards seem relatively straightforward too, so shouldn't be too hard for a new player.
Veterans will not find many "chase" cards here. I was pretty happy though, I have to say.
As for the feel of the clan - it's violent, it's dark and it's ugly. Works for me.
So my advise is that if you want to get down and dirty with the Sabbat, you could do a lot worse than buying this.
