Akachi Onyele's Journey Beyond

Similar to Akachi's history, this deck provides her with the spells and skills required to make some pretty badass moves in any given scenario, but also limits her if she is left to her own devices. Though she has left her village in Nigeria and no longer has the support of her Dibia, his guidance and wisdom permeates her abilities, and allows her mystical brilliance to work in tandem with investigators with fight-heavy stats and a Flashlight or two thrown in. Essentially, she is a team player.

For your opening hand, if you hard mulligan for Shrivelling along with Rite of Seeking, you have the two main components needed to make her tap into her fierceness and help ward off some serious evil. For maximum efficiency during your first turn, you'll want to also try to get at least 1 Uncage the Soul in your opening hand to allow you to play Shrivelling for free since both of these vital spells will set you back 7 resources otherwise. Some other helpful cards to mulligan for will be a Holy Rosary (to give you +1 and a little extra horror soak) and Spirit-Speaker. Keep in mind, Shrivelling and Rite of Seeking are your golden tickets, but that doesn't mean Akachi can't deliver if you don't get them both, and some of these other ideal cards, right off the bat.

This is where Arcane Initiate and Scrying become extremely useful. Despite Arcane Initiate having a pesky doom on her when she enters play, if there is a high doom threshold, you can stand to play her to give yourself a fast action to search the top 3 cards of your deck for one of your key spells and add it to your hand. You can essentially use Scrying for the same purpose (though it will take an entire turn to play it, use it, and draw a spell from the top of your deck) but if you're already set up to fight or investigate, you can lend a hand to a teammate who needs help getting themselves set up, or manipulate the Encounter Deck to work more in your favor during the Mythos phase. Ward of Protection works similarly for your individual Encounter Card, and if you have Arcane Initiate or Holy Rosary out, the horror you obtain from using it is a mere annoyance.

For upgrades, go for the level 5 Shrivelling as your first expenditure of XP. It's a no-brainer to replace one of it's level 0 counterparts and still only costs 3 resources to play. Your second purchase will be Grotesque Statue for 4 XP, and it will replace one of your copies of Hypnotic Gaze. If you have to wait another scenario before adding it, don't fret... it will be worth it. I originally replaced 2 cards with 2 Spirit Athames for only 2 XP, but I found them to be mostly unnecessary, and was set back in the quest for the powerful Grotesque Statue.

The upside to this deck is that it's versatile and supportive. Since Akachi is at a base of 3 for her attack, she can help fight some easier enemies, especially with a Grotesque statue thrown in the mix. She can guard against a bigger attack with Hypnotic Gaze, and afford to spare some or icons when you or your fellow investigator need a little boost for treachery cards. And though her deck is littered with expensive cards, Emergency Cache, Uncage the Soul, and Spirit-Speaker help mitigate some of the cost and supply you with some extra resources here and there. As a mystic, she is really fun to play with once she is armed and ready, and if you appreciate a challenge, this deck is sure to work your strategy muscles.

The downside is that it can often feel like you're fighting an uphill battle. This deck can be used to play solo with Akachi, but I wouldn't suggest it. With her health at a measly 5, she needs some protection from another investigator to soak up damage, or kill enemies entirely if you don't pull a Shrivelling fairly early on. If you draw Angered Spirits toward the middle/end of the scenario without having ample extra charges to get rid of it, you're going to endure a physical trauma (which is pretty terrifying for Akachi) going into the next scenario. Similarly, if you're playing with another investigator who is a fighting machine but can't get clues for shit, your actions become tedious if you don't have a Rite of Seeking out or ready to play in your hand. Sure, you and your partner will be mostly safe from enemies, but your movement around the board, advancing the act, and getting valuable XP from investigating locations will become a fading outcome, much like Akachi's hope as a young girl in Nigeria to be accepted by those who deemed her mad.

All-in-all, playing with Akachi is a really rewarding learning experience. It will get you familiar with thinking on your toes and being creative with your hand when it isn't necessarily stacked in your favor. It requires some patience and understanding of the potential within, and an acceptance that you're often not going to be the star of the show. There are absolutely PLENTY of combinations to be a splendid Sorcerer, but you'll also be a loyal and supportive teammate. And if you want to take a risk to reap the rewards, go forth with Akachi into her journey beyond!