Well-funded George Barnaby (recent taboo)

Deck Overview:

This George Barnaby deck focuses on investigation and light evasion. Centered around 'Nautical Charts' and 'Contemplative', it aims to gather clues rapidly with minimal setup. Instead of dedicated evasion tools, I’ve included cards with multiple Wild icons like 'Well-Funded' and 'Last Chance' to maintain high flexibility.

George Barnaby: Draw is Everything

George Barnaby is a unique investigator who draws cards by placing discarded cards underneath him instead of into the discard pile. To maximize this ability, the deck must satisfy two conditions:

1. It must include an active discard engine capable of discarding cards in every phase.
2. It needs a high density of skill cards that provide value even when tucked under George. When these conditions are met, Barnaby effectively draws 5 cards every single turn.

Skill Card Selection Criteria

While drawing 5 cards per turn is powerful, it carries the risk of "cycling into nothing" (deck thinning without impact). Therefore, this deck prioritizes high-value skill cards (e.g., 'Quick Thinking') over cards that simply accelerate more draw (e.g., 'Eureka!').

Furthermore, due to George's signature weakness, holding a massive hand plus cards under his investigator card is risky. I have opted for versatile skills that can be used anytime (e.g., 'Unexpected Courage', 'Well-Funded') rather than those with restrictive triggers (e.g., 'True Understanding', 'Inquiring Mind'). This allows for active hand size management—preventing situations where you are forced to discard too many cards during the upkeep phase or, conversely, failing to discard anything and missing out on George's ability.

Event Card Selection Criteria

Since Event cards might also end up tucked under George, their skill icons are a primary selection criterion. Cards like '"Look what I found!"' and 'Working a Hunch' feature two Intellect icons, allowing you to choose between playing them or committing them based on your resource pool.

During the first deck cycle, resources should be prioritized for playing Assets; therefore, I recommend committing these Events for their icons early on. While 'Lucky!' is a fantastic card, it was excluded because it lacks skill icons. On the other hand, 'Winging It' is a standout choice; since it thrives in the discard pile, it effectively negates the "cost" of discarding when you need to dump two or more cards during the investigation phase.

Upgrade Plan

This deck follows the July 2025 Taboo list, so I do not recommend cards requiring heavy XP hikes like 'Old Keyring (3->4)', 'Scavenging (0->2)', or 'Shed a Light (0->2)'.

Instead, I suggest adding discard engines like 'Gift of Nodens', 'Bound for the Horizon', or 'Cornered'. Instant draw power like 'Unrelenting' or 'Last Chance (3)' is also recommended to fuel the reuse of 'Contemplative' for clue gathering. From this perspective, 'Sharp Vision' would be an excellent addition, though I couldn't include it as I don't own The Dream-Eaters expansion yet. ^^

Final Thoughts

I built this deck to dive into The Drowning City for the first time alongside Gloria Goldbug and Michael McGlen. Since I had to shoulder the team's investigation burden, I’m a bit sad I couldn't fit in more discard-synergy cards like 'Anchor Chain' or 'Improvised Weapon'.

However, while searching for a "Wild Icon" theme, I was thrilled to discover the synergy between two 'Nautical Charts' + 'Empirical Hypothesis' + 'Well-Funded'. I’ll be back with a review once our journey through The Drowning City is complete. Thank you!