I often browse the VTES Tournament Winning Deck Archive to see what's dominating the meta. But while that archive tells us what wins, it doesn't necessarily show us what's popular.
With my first tournament coming up in January, I got curious: what are the odds of facing certain clans? Which vampires are strutting confidently onto tabletops, and which ones are gathering dust, plotting their comeback in the crypt?
Fueled by scientific curiosity (and maybe a mild obsession), I decided to find out.
Being a software engineer comes with certain powers, the kind that make you think, “Yes, I could automate that.” So I did.
I wrote a script that scraped and analyzed every reported tournament deck list from the last two years (approx 30 events). Then I counted every crypt card in the decks and grouped them by clan and minion group. The result? A snapshot of which vampires actually walk the Earth in competitive play. Wanna see the data? Of course you do! Well today is your lucky day, dear reader:
2024
Malkavian 109 (G1: 3, G2: 15, G3: 13, G4: 20, G5: 29, G6: 25, G7: 4)
Gangrel 86 (G1: 1, G2: 10, G3: 10, G4: 1, G5: 20, G6: 44)
Toreador 86 (G1: 7, G2: 11, G3: 4, G4: 8, G5: 15, G6: 21, G7: 20)
Tremere 71 (G1: 2, G2: 9, G3: 12, G4: 14, G5: 22, G6: 9, G7: 3)
Brujah 70 (G1: 3, G2: 3, G3: 1, G4: 10, G5: 18, G6: 35)
Tzimisce 67 (G2: 7, G3: 5, G4: 6, G5: 7, G6: 42)
Ministry 59 (G2: 3, G3: 1, G4: 6, G5: 9, G6: 40)
Tremere antitribu 56 (G2: 10, G3: 16, G4: 27, G5: 3)
Nosferatu 50 (G1: 4, G2: 5, G3: 2, G4: 5, G5: 12, G6: 22)
Banu Haqim 49 (G2: 5, G3: 1, G4: 7, G5: 13, G6: 23)
Malkavian antitribu 38 (G2: 6, G3: 8, G4: 17, G5: 7)
Ventrue 36 (G2: 7, G3: 11, G4: 6, G5: 6, G6: 6)
Lasombra 35 (G2: 8, G3: 6, G4: 13, G5: 7, G6: 1)
Giovanni 34 (G2: 6, G3: 6, G4: 7, G5: 10, G6: 5)
Gangrel antitribu 31 (G2: 8, G3: 9, G4: 7, G5: 7)
Ravnos 31 (G2: 3, G3: 4, G4: 1, G7: 23)
Caitiff 28 (G1: 2, G2: 5, G3: 11, G4: 3, G5: 6, G6: 1)
Ventrue antitribu 28 (G2: 3, G3: 9, G4: 13, G5: 3)
Baali 26 (G2: 3, G5: 4, G6: 19)
Toreador antitribu 21 (G2: 6, G3: 6, G4: 6, G5: 3)
Brujah antitribu 18 (G2: 2, G3: 2, G4: 8, G5: 6)
Nagaraja 18 (G2: 1, G4: 2, G5: 5, G6: 10)
Nosferatu antitribu 15 (G2: 4, G3: 3, G4: 5, G5: 3)
Salubri 13 (G2: 1, G4: 4, G7: 8)
Harbinger of Skulls 10 (G2: 2, G3: 1, G4: 1, G5: 5, G6: 1)
Kiasyd 10 (G4: 7, G5: 3)
Osebo 10 (G3: 2, G4: 5, G5: 3)
Samedi 10 (G5: 4, G6: 6)
Gargoyle 9 (G2: 1, G3: 6, G5: 1, G6: 1)
Pander 8 (G2: 4, G3: 4)
Ishtarri 6 (G4: 2, G5: 4)
True Brujah 6 (G4: 1, G5: 1, G6: 4)
Salubri antitribu 5 (G4: 1, G5: 2, G6: 2)
Blood Brother 4 (G2: 1, G5: 1, G6: 2)
Daughter of Cacophony 4 (G4: 1, G5: 1, G6: 2)
Guruhi 4 (G4: 4)
Ahrimane 2 (G2: 1, G4: 1)
Abomination 1 (G4: 1)
Avenger 1 (G4: 1)
Defender 1 (G4: 1)
Innocent 1 (G4: 1)
Judge 1 (G4: 1)
Martyr 1 (G4: 1)
Redeemer 1 (G4: 1)
Visionary 1 (G4: 1)
2025
Malkavian 106 (G1: 3, G2: 11, G3: 10, G4: 16, G5: 18, G6: 36, G7: 12)
Toreador 88 (G1: 10, G2: 13, G3: 4, G4: 6, G5: 11, G6: 21, G7: 23)
Gangrel 86 (G2: 7, G3: 12, G4: 2, G5: 26, G6: 39)
Tzimisce 64 (G2: 9, G3: 9, G4: 5, G5: 6, G6: 35)
Tremere antitribu 61 (G2: 1, G3: 22, G4: 35, G5: 3)
Ministry 60 (G2: 7, G3: 3, G4: 4, G5: 6, G6: 40)
Lasombra 57 (G2: 4, G3: 7, G4: 11, G5: 7, G6: 28)
Brujah 55 (G1: 2, G2: 5, G3: 3, G4: 10, G5: 14, G6: 21)
Banu Haqim 47 (G2: 3, G3: 2, G4: 1, G5: 9, G6: 32)
Tremere 42 (G2: 3, G3: 6, G4: 10, G5: 11, G6: 9, G7: 3)
Ventrue 41 (G1: 2, G2: 3, G3: 5, G4: 8, G5: 12, G6: 10, G7: 1)
Nosferatu 40 (G1: 2, G2: 1, G3: 4, G4: 5, G5: 9, G6: 19)
Ravnos 36 (G2: 3, G3: 3, G5: 1, G6: 3, G7: 26)
Malkavian antitribu 33 (G2: 2, G3: 7, G4: 17, G5: 7)
Caitiff 28 (G1: 6, G2: 6, G3: 7, G4: 1, G5: 7, G6: 1)
Baali 27 (G2: 1, G4: 2, G5: 6, G6: 18)
Hecata 25 (G6: 25)
Gangrel antitribu 23 (G2: 3, G3: 9, G4: 8, G5: 3)
Gargoyle 18 (G3: 13, G5: 2, G6: 3)
Toreador antitribu 16 (G2: 6, G3: 5, G4: 4, G5: 1)
Ventrue antitribu 15 (G2: 3, G3: 3, G4: 9)
Kiasyd 14 (G4: 8, G5: 6)
Harbinger of Skulls 11 (G2: 1, G3: 2, G4: 5, G5: 2, G6: 1)
Pander 11 (G2: 9, G3: 2)
Salubri 11 (G4: 4, G7: 7)
Nosferatu antitribu 10 (G2: 2, G3: 1, G4: 6, G5: 1)
Brujah antitribu 8 (G2: 5, G3: 1, G4: 1, G5: 1)
Samedi 8 (G5: 3, G6: 5)
True Brujah 8 (G2: 1, G4: 2, G5: 1, G6: 4)
Giovanni 7 (G2: 3, G3: 1, G4: 1, G5: 2)
Nagaraja 7 (G4: 3, G5: 1, G6: 3)
Guruhi 4 (G4: 4)
Salubri antitribu 4 (G4: 1, G5: 2, G6: 1)
Ahrimane 3 (G4: 2, G5: 1)
Blood Brother 3 (G2: 2, G6: 1)
Ishtarri 3 (G5: 3)
Innocent 2 (G4: 2)
Osebo 2 (G4: 1, G5: 1)
Daughter of Cacophony 1 (G4: 1)
Defender 1 (G4: 1)
Judge 1 (G4: 1)
Martyr 1 (G4: 1)
Visionary 1 (G4: 1)
The numbers don't lie, they just judge! In 2024, the Malkavians were the undisputed stars of the show, clearly proving that madness and method make a lethal combo. Gangrel came in second, likely because claws are still an acceptable problem-solving tool. Toreador followed close behind, proving once again that fashion and efficiency can coexist, at least when it comes to bleeding for two with style.
By 2025, the same trio still ruled the tables. Apparently, insanity, wilderness, and ego remain the holy trinity of VTES success.
Meanwhile, the Tzimisce slipped from fourth to sixth place, perhaps they're busy redecorating their crypts (flesh takes time to sculpt). Tremere antitribu rose impressively in 2025, overtaking their Camarilla cousins. The Sabbat's darker warlocks seem to have found their stride, which, frankly, feels rude.
And then there's my beloved Tremere. Respectable as always, but not exactly setting the tournament scene on fire (metaphorically speaking, of course, since pyromancy is very much our thing). They hold steady in the mid-table range: respected, reliable, and probably too busy double-checking rituals to chase meta trends. The kind of clan that would rather take notes on the winning deck than play it.
Other interesting shifts: Lasombra climbed significantly in 2025, perhaps emboldened by their Camarilla alliance (or just enjoying better lighting). Ventrue remained as stoic as ever, not the most common, but still showing up to every event looking like they own it. Brujah stayed strong too, because nothing says consistency like punching the problem until it goes away.
These numbers don't just reveal what's popular. They tell stories. They whisper trends. And if you listen closely, you can hear the collective sigh of every Tremere player saying, "Fine. We'll win next year. Once the rituals are done".
And now I'll throw the ball to you, dear reader: take a good look at the numbers and see what you think they're saying. Are Malkavians popular because they're genuinely top-tier, or because everyone secretly wants permission to be chaotic? Is the Lasombra rise a real meta shift or just people discovering how fun it is to punch politics into submission? And where do you think the Tremere sit in all of this: sleeping giant, reliable mid-tier, or quietly waiting for the stars to align? I'd love to hear your theories, hot takes, and wildly confident conclusions.
The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.
Custodian Hargrave
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