At Your Disposal : Mind of a Killer

There are some cards that are simply weird, or so interesting that only Malkavians understand them. Mind of a Killer is such a card. It is a cute card that does very random harassment to your enemy, or if used in large number successfully makes a very interesting deck, though hardly considered a feasible strategy, or at least, the primary DEM clan has easier ways to get the VP.

The issue with Mind of a Killer is that it can be neutralized pretty simply. The controller simply try to get into combat and the Mind of a Killer will simply burn after the combat, usually easily negotiated with the prey or even someone random over the other side to do waving combat. And the card is not practical to use on your own vampire, despite the +1 Strength and relative ease of putting it on, the cost definitely outweighs the benefit of this card.

Or is it?

Even the traditional way of using this card just because can be a real problem to some decks. Bleed decks and vote decks have to waste a vampire's action to try to get into combat. So if you use this card on your predator's vampire, it might forced him to use his vampire to fight you, or allow himself to be blocked - both of which allows your minions to do damage to him, despite the +1 Strength that you've just given him. And if he does that, you've just divert him from his more important business of ousting you the traditional way - be it a bleed or a vote. Meanwhile, if you throw this card on your prey's vampire, it does the same thing of slowing him down, and give you the benefit of getting a random chance of seeing his vampire go down in a combat that he isn't ready for.

Played at superior, this card will force the vampire in question to either go do something, or be tapped when the card is burned anyway - reducing his defense options.

Of course, the card can simply be ignored and just suffer the 2 damage on another vampire that the Methuselah controlled. Sometimes this equals sending a vampire into torpor, or killing off an annoying ally.

Now enter the new Salubri enhancement in HttB, and Mind of a Killer suddenly become quite an interesting Salubri card.

Imagine Spirit Marionette in a different way.

Supposed you slap a Mind of a Killer on a vampire that you're about to control, and then take it over, you can then, as usual, siphon off the blood and leave 1 to bleed, hoping your prey block it and damage both the vampires, now with a +1 Strength. On the other hand, put the Mind of a Killer on your own vampire, and take control of an opponent's vampire, siphon away the blood and end the turn. Since Spirit Marionette seems to turn over control of the vampire after the end of the next action you'll retain control until your prey's turn, in this case you'll almost definitely able to inflict the 2 damage on the marionetted vampire and return to your opponent a vampire in torpor.

Since DEM seems to be the in-thing for the Salubri now, this is a great option to consider in Salubri deck concepts. With FOR they can also block and Hard Case the predator's vampire with Mind of a Killer, removing their chance of getting into combat yet still blocking and not suffering from whatever action that your predator has been forced to try. And with AUS the Salubris are free to block anyone they want anyway.

Unless of course, you're facing a combat deck, then this card is not going to be of a lot of help.

Remember to use this card to add a little motivation to your ally too. If you can drop a few of these on your grand predator, it might interest him in being a little more offensive than just hunting all the time. This could also potentially help you to negotiate a little and push some Methuselahs to be a little more proactive (your way)

Nevertheless, this is not going to be an Earth-shaking card, but more like a little puddle of something to try out when you're free to do so. And believe me, this is actually a lot more effective than you might think it is.

Try it out when you can. (It is however, a pretty rare card)

(o.o)