Roland Banks: Mo' Money, No Problems

Roland is a man who knows that the only way to get anything done is to do it himself... but while he excels in combat and clue-gathering, he has trouble with resource generation and protecting his sanity. This deck aims to play to his strengths and shore up his weaknesses in order to make him a well-rounded investigator that can handle anything the Mythos throws at him. It was taken through Dunwich and Carcosa, though Roland went insane during the final scenarios of both campaigns (so it's not perfect- yet).

When playing this deck, you will want to hard mulligan for Beat Cop and a weapon (preferably Machete), and soft mulligan for Emergency Cache and No Stone Unturned.

Since he is a fighter at heart, Roland's Beat Cop buddy, Machete, and .45 Automatic raise his value to a 6. This makes most enemies hittable, especially when Roland can attack with a Vicious Blow. A well-timed Dynamite Blast could also be used in a desperate situation to weaken a boss or wipe out a mob of smaller enemies in an adjacent location.

Shortcut, Fieldwork, and Inquiring Mind help with both combat and investigation, and should be used to always keep Roland on a location filled with clues waiting to be discovered.

As for the Mythos Deck, Beat Cop can soak up any initial horror that a Rotting Remains causes, and Logical Reasoning or "If it bleeds..." can heal any horror that Roland does take directly. Given the fact that he only needs to take two hits to his sanity to unlock Say Your Prayers and Run For Your Life, both skills prove vital for preventing him defeat if a late game or test would take him out.

On the Hunt is also included for Mythos Deck manipulation, as it keeps trecharies away and allows Roland to focus on what he's best at- killing shit.

Despite his commitment to handling every problem himself, Roland knows that Teamwork might be important in a desperate situation. He mostly wants to be the beneficiary of whatever ally or resource is shared, however, as he may need them to soak horror or pay for one of his more expensive cards.

As with most Guardians, upgrading is going to be expensive. At a whopping 6XP, Stick to the Plan is going to be a major purchase, but it's one that should be made immediately. It allows you to access both copies of Emergency Cache and On the Hunt without having to draw them first. The former is especially important, as it gives you the resources you need to get all your big pieces into play immediately.

Your next upgrade should be two copies each of Brother Xavier to boost your willpower and give you an additional horror soak (replace "If it bleeds..."), and Stand Together, which further allows you to build up resources and search your deck if you don't find a weapon or ally in your opening hand (replace Teamwork and Flashlight).

Beat Cop and .45 Automatic are also fantastic upgrades, as both boost your combat effectiveness even further.

Finally, Charisma is great for getting both allies on the table at the same time, though it isn't particularly necessary. If you have XP to spare, a late-game Lightning Gun purchase is never a bad idea for a Guardian (replace Perception).