Card draw simulator
| Derived from |
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| None. Self-made deck here. |
| Inspiration for |
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| None yet |
HungryColquhoun · 3614
Killed 'Gator Replacer™
Overview
Had an investigator die mid-campaign? Life getting you down? Then try my patent-pending Killed 'Gator Replacer™! Through a scientifically proven and dermatologically tested combination of Arcane Research, Down the Rabbit Hole and In the Thick of It you'll be getting mad XP gains in no time! The Gugs will never know what hit them!
Ahem, enough of that... I made this deck for short campaigns like Dream Eaters or Night of the Zealot, where limited scenarios mean Arcane Research doesn't give as much bang for your buck as normal. However and as titled, it also works when you've had an investigator die mid-campaign and need a replacement that can git gud fast.
Mateo is a very good fit for this, starting with 5 XP already which goes up to 8 XP with In the Thick of It. With this 8 XP, I crammed as many one-off purchases that either boost (Four of Cups) or which are targets for upgrade (Brand of Cthugha, Divination, Grounded). With these purchases there's no need to introduce new cards into the deck, and so you never trigger Down the Rabbit Hole's penalty.
When upgrading and for max XP efficiency, often you need to upgrade non-spells first and then spells second. This is because Down the Rabbit Hole triggers on the first cards you upgrade, while Arcane Research triggers on the first spell you upgrade. For more expensive spell upgrades (e.g. Shrivelling → Shrivelling •••), you can combine Down the Rabbit Hole's first 1 XP cost-break and the 2 XP break from the two Arcane Research to make a 3 XP spell upgrade entirely free (and then you still have a 1 XP discount on another upgrade too). This has all been tested in the app and works as intended.
While 4 starting trauma is a bit steep this deck packs in soak (Holy Rosary and Grounded ••• when you upgrade into it) as well as healing (Meditative Trance and Fearless) so this really isn't as punishing as it first appears. I would recommend 3 mental and 1 physical trauma rather than two of each or all mental. Given how alarmingly fast this deck can upgrade, this added trauma is a small price to pay in my opinion.
In terms of what you should upgrade, that's really subject to your own needs. If you've had your cluever die first, you may want to prioritise Clairvoyance and Divination, however if your Guardian got whacked Brand of Cthugha and Shrivelling may be your go-to. Even with no XP spent this is strong deck right out of the gate, with good resource economy and a lot spells packed in to increase your draw chances.
Upgrade Advice
Personally I think it's useful to prioritise Grounded, Fearless and Guts for upgrade, with the former two giving you soak/healing (keeping in mind your trauma) and the latter one giving you card draw. For spell upgrades, Divination and Brand of Cthugha are 'safer' than Clairvoyance and Shrivelling because they don't provide horror, conversely though they provide fewer clues or damage from their charges.
Sign Magick when upgraded is your primary means of action economy and makes Meditative Trance more effective if you get an extra arcane slot filled. Ward of Protection - even just upgraded to level 2 - provides solid team support (which Mateo already excels at with his ability). Upgraded Uncage the Soul can recur spells which have been discarded from your arcane slots or committed, and can recur Sign Magick as a ritual too.
In terms of a side deck, you can use Arcane Initiate if you want stronger card draw but I didn't find a huge need for this once Guts is upgraded. Alter Fate • could also replace Grounded •, but I prefer the fast soak and skill boost from Grounded when it's upgraded just a little bit more and Ward of Protection already eases the encounter deck too.
I've provided a summary of the different categories below for new players. All upgrades under † categories get an XP cost break from Arcane Research.
Clue-Finding Support: †
Combat Support: †
Soak/Healing:
Action Economy:
Card Draw:
Team Support: †
Spell/Ritual Recursion:
Final thoughts
I gave this deck a Night of the Zealot run-through and I thought it worked remarkably well - by the end of the second scenario 32 XP was marked as spent! I would exercise caution around your horror-causing spells due to your starting mental trauma, however I also found the soak/healing did its job in mitigating this. How rapidly this deck gains in power makes it a solid pick for any campaign, but it is especially useful for shorter/XP-poor campaigns or when an investigator has been killed in the course of duty.
Great work! I really enjoyed the combined simplicity and focus of the proposition.