Beneath the streets of Edinburgh

Last Saturday, six Methuselahs gathered beneath the streets of Edinburgh, hidden away in GamesHub's basement, safely protected from dangerous things like sunshine and vampire hunters. The prize? The title of Scottish National Champion 2026. I was fortunate enough to be one of the six.

Our host for the day was Norbert, the Prince of Edinburgh himself. As any respectable Prince should, he welcomed us warmly, made sure everyone knew each other and guided us through the event with effortless calm. I did briefly question whether trusting a devoted Tzimisce player was wise, but it turns out fleshcrafting and hospitality are not mutually exclusive. Before long I had met my fellow competitors: Attila, John, Kristijan and Edd. It was my first time playing with each of them, which is one of my favourite things about tournaments. Every table feels like opening a new chapter of the Jyhad.

For the first round I finally unleashed my slightly modified Hecata deck. The seating was John (Toreador votes) > Me (Hecata) > Kristijan (Salubri power bleed) > Edd (Helena) > Norbert (Moncada Path of Power). I knew exactly what the Toreadors and Salubri were capable of, but Helena and Moncada remained complete mysteries therefore I focused on the problem I understood first: surviving politics. My Hecata have many talents, but arguing against a referendum travelling at +2 stealth is not one of them. John quickly reminded me of that fact with Camarilla's Iron Fist and Kine Resources Contested, so I responded in the only way a respectable necromancer can: I sent zombies to ruin the Toreador's party. As it turns out, even the finest Grand Ball loses some of its charm when Aggressive Corpses start wandering through the ballroom. Diana had an especially difficult evening, largely because her combat ends decided to remain somewhere near the bottom of John's library.

While my zombies were redecorating the dance floor, the rest of the table was equally entertaining. Edd's Helena deck steadily grew into the late-game monster I had heard so much about and eventually ousted Norbert, demonstrating why Helena has such a fearsome reputation. Kristijan's Salubri, meanwhile, proved much less interested in combat than I expected. Instead of swinging swords, they simply bled with alarming efficiency. I managed to reduce him to three pool and prepared the finishing blow with Shroud of Decay... only for something I'd never seen before to happen. Edd intercepted my action from across the table, saving my prey from destruction. It was a brilliant tactical decision that made perfect sense once he explained his long-term plan (of course he wanted to oust all of us in a particular order). Unfortunately for him, the stars (and perhaps the spirits) had other ideas. The table settled into a tense stalemate and, after two hours, the remaining four players each walked away with half a victory point. It was one of those games where nobody really lost because everyone spent two hours having an absolute blast.

After such an intense political manoeuvring, we decided to have lunch together at a nearby pub. There were burgers, haggis, and yes... fried Mars Bars. Scotland continues to surprise me.

With only six players, one of us had to sit out each preliminary round. This time it was my turn. I used the opportunity to do a little shopping while the others continued plotting each other's downfall. From what I gathered afterwards, Kristijan's Salubri had an exceptionally productive afternoon removing Methuselahs from the table.

Then came the finals.

I entered as fourth seed, with John following as fifth. As seating positions were chosen, I couldn't shake the feeling that everyone wanted to become my predator, but perhaps that was simply the Hecata paranoia setting in after spending too much time speaking with ghosts. The final table was John (Toreador) > Edd (Helena) > Attila (Gangrel) > Kristijan (Salubri) > Me (Hecata).

The game immediately reminded me that the starting crypt can make all the difference. Mine contained mostly lower-cap vampires, making Family Gatherings considerably less explosive than I had hoped. Things started slow, but accelerated quickly when Kristijan produced an incredible turn that stripped six pool from me almost effortlessly. I was so focused on surviving that I completely skipped my Master Phase on my next turn, only realizing halfway through my Minion Phase. It was an embarrassing mistake, but also an excellent reminder that tournaments are as much about keeping a clear head as they are about knowing your cards. I slowed down, took a breath and reassessed the table. At six pool, while everyone else comfortably sat in double digits, there was only one sensible plan: cripple my predator's ability to keep bleeding. Once again the Aggressive Corpses earned their wages, stripping blood from the Salubri, however this opened the door for Attila's Gangrel to finish the job. With the Salubri ousted, I suddenly faced a predator, that embodied everything I imagine Gangrel should be: relentless, resilient and perfectly happy solving problems with claws instead of negotiations. Unlike the Toreadors in the first round, Gangrel are remarkably unimpressed by zombies. Progress came slowly, one corpse at a time.

John, meanwhile, had learned from our earlier encounter. This time Diana always seemed to find exactly the combat end she needed, slipping away before my undead workforce could cause too much trouble. Then, with only five minutes left on the clock, something happened that I had never experienced before. John turned to me and politely asked whether I could allow him one final turn. Looking at the board, I realised I couldn't realistically oust him anyway. So I simply untapped, declined to take any actions and passed. On his turn, his political machine finally came together, ousting Edd and securing the victory point he needed. It was a lovely moment of sportsmanship and exactly the sort of interaction that makes VTES tournaments memorable.

When all the victory points were counted, Attila was crowned Scottish National Champion 2026. Congratulations! His Gangrel fought exactly as the clan should... with claws!

Looking back, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. I met fantastic players, discovered cards I'd never seen before (including one delightfully annoying curse that jumps to another Methuselah whenever the Edge changes hands), and gained valuable experience piloting the Hecata. Helena's table presence alone was an education, while juggling ghosts, zombies, and my own triggers gave my brain quite the workout. The Hecata still need refining, but they are becoming exactly the sort of deck I hoped they would be. Hearing Norbert compliment my gameplay afterwards was simply the icing on the cake.

Before I finish, I have to mention one final highlight. During the first round I noticed that John and Norbert were playing on a beautiful playmat unlike anything I had ever seen. The colours were stunning, the artwork absolutely breathtaking. It turned out to be the playmat from last month's Irish National Championship. I spent almost as much time admiring that mat as I did counting blood counters. Just have a look at this beauty:

To whoever designed it: magnificent work. If these are ever produced again, please take my money immediately. And if any of you, dear readers, happen to own one and would be willing to part with it... you know where to find me (please do!).

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave