Kiasyd combat part 1 - combat on Mytherceria

After a long time without update I decided to move something on this blog. I'm going to write about combat since its the 3rd strongest side of this bloodline (maybe it isn't strong enough to create deck that could easily win tournament but good enough for fun deck or casually fighting deck). Since it is quite a lot of stuff to write about combat ill start from combat cards.

There are 5 combat (or combo with combat option) cards based on mytherceria.

Absorb the Mind
[dom] Strike: dodge.
[myt] Strike: ranged. Steal 1 blood.
[MYT] Strike: ranged. Steal 1 blood and steal 1 master: Discipline card from the opposing vampire (put it on this striking vampire).
Stealing one blood isn't the best combat option ever. Stealing master: Discipline card would sound great if this kind of card would be popular (and based on my experience it isn't). Dodge seems to be worth using since if you want to have this effect without disciplines you can't replace card until end of combat so for winnie dom this card seems to be usable, but kiasyd have access to better defensive cards.
I give this card 2/5

Basilisk's Touch
Cost: 2 blood
Only usable in combat with an ally or younger vampire. Only usable before range is determined.
[pot] This vampire gets +1 strength for the remainder of combat.
[myt] If any damage is successfully inflicted from this vampire's hand strikes this round, send the opposing vampire to torpor or burn the opposing ally.
[MYT] As [myt] above, and the opposing vampire burns 1 blood if any damage is successfully inflicted.
In fluff this ability is awesome but as a card its nearly wallpaper. Basically effect is similar to entombment. You strike at close range, pay 2 blood and ally is burned or vampire is send to torpor... But! You can use entombment against older vampire, you can't prevent it and you can play it later than B.T. The only fields that sound better in B.T. from kiasyd point of view is that Marconius and Omme can play it for 1 blood (al lasombra can play entombment for 1 blood if their matusaleh have path of night) and if successfully used it means not only torpor but also damage from hand strike and 1 blood to burn when used at MYT.
If this card would be basically for 1 blood I think it would be usable but the way it is its just card for collectors and masochists.
1/5

Darkling Trickery
[obt] Press, only usable to end combat.
[myt] Maneuver or press.
[MYT] Only usable when the opposing minion attempts to strike with a weapon that does ranged damage. The damage from that weapon is reduced to 0. The opposing minion takes 1 additional damage during strike resolution.
At myt it's good addition for combat. At MYT it gives some protection against some decks based on guns (or Kerrie :P). It reduces damage from single strike but its still great option since its the only card that prevents damage kiasyd have access to (I don't count disciplineless card because it isn't efficient).
4/5 Nothing game breaking but if you plan to fight its good to have access to flexible card that gives you maneuver or press.

Earth Swords
[pot] Strike: 1R damage.
[myt] Strike: 2R damage.
[MYT] Strike: 3R damage.
When comparing to other combat cards its easiest to compare it to sacrament of carnage. When compared to it its great card. It deals proper damage, its free and usable at long range. But... potence have better cards to deal damage at long range and they can be improved by Increased Strength. Earth Swords can be improved only by target cards. It is still good card though but 3 damage from strike card is just not the best way of fighting in this game. Still its good and if its only addition to non combat oriented deck it can be great help and nice strike back when opposing other minions.
4/5 sound as good grade for this card.

Fae Contortion
[myt] [REFLEX] Cancel a grapple card played on this vampire as it is played (no cost is paid).
[obt] [COMBAT] Maneuver.
[myt] [COMBAT] Maneuver.
[MYT] [ACTION MODIFIER] +1 stealth.
Its IMHO the best combat card that is available for kiasyd bloodline. It have 3 effects and all of them are good. I have only one advice about this card. If you play against pot deck don't use it to manouver at long range if you want to play strike: combat ends. Each combat deck that fights on one specific range should have some ways to change range so its safer to think that your opponent will have more maneuvers than immortal grapples.
I rate this card 5/5

General tactics for kiasyd bloodline

Probably most kiasyd decks are stealth and bleed, because they have 2 disciplines featuring nice stealth cards + dominate (the best discipline for bleeding). Other popular archetype is toolbox (most tournaments winning decks using this bloodline are toolboxes or stealth&bleed with little bit of combat). Disciplines and clan cards allows also combat, power bleed, bruise and bleed, breed and bleed, wall and probably some other archetypes but in most cases its efficiency would be rather low.
Mytherceria and Obtenebration are usually for stealth and combat. Obfuscate have better stealth and few disciplines are better for combat but by combining this two kiasyd can generate large amount of stealth and sometimes stand his ground against combat oriented decks based on other disciplines.
Dominate is mainly for bleed, bounce and moving blood from blood bank on vampires in uncontrolled region.
This disciplines have of course cards for other issues but usually when comparing to other disciplines in comparison to other disciplines are rather weak.
Three vampires in second group have aus/Aus which can be used for improving intercept, bleed reduction, combat and some other things, but there are some problems with this:

• Only one vampire have AUS - Bartholomew, he is cap 8 and have only one clan discipline at superior
• Vampires that have allso some flaws - one don't have obtenebration and second have myt instead of MYT

So for good using auspex in kiasyd based deck is quite big setup if you want to have disciplines on reasonable level.
Two vampires in second group have nec/NEC and have only more flaws than above (this two also have aus/AUS and it is smaller number of vampires, since lacking of good cards for multiacting I don't see any sense in basing on this). I tried adding necromancy in one of my decks but whitout success. It is possible to create deck based on kiasyd and nagaraja (aus nec dom) or harbingers of skulls (aus nec) . First option gives more vampires to operate with but nagaraja have flaw scarce and weary few options based upon their bloodline. The second option sounds better but harbringers have nice range of vampires on their own.
Two vampires in fourth group have cel. Both are cap 7 so it makes more problem than it is worth to use it.

Blog started

Hello.
Lately there are no living sites related to bloodline Kiasyd and no newsletter. Because its my favourite bloodline I created this blog to post something like unofficial newsletter or just site about Kiasyd in v:tes.
English isn't my native language and I know that I will sometimes make some mistakes so please be forgiving. I also didn't won any tournament yet so feel free to write when you think I'm wrong about things I post here.