Daniela Reyes: Arkham Linebacker | Chapter 2 Deck Guide

Arkham Linebacker

These are replacement decks for Chapter 2 investigators. All have been playtested in Chapter 2, and also extensively in Chapter 1. If you want to support my work, give it a like ❤︎ and a favorite ★ on here!

It's Chapter 2 time! Here Daniela protects other investigators and frees up their actions - like Arkham's very own linebacker!* It uses the hated (hated!) Bodyguard to soak Attacks of Opportunity for other investigators on their turns, which triggers Daniela's ability and allows her to smush cultists with massive Sledgehammer blows. In other words, the Seekers find clues while Daniela kills dudes - everyone's happy...

_{* Here's the 2003 Superbowl clip this reference is referring to. I'm getting old...}

NOTE: There is an error where decks containing newer versions of cards cannot be posted currently (e.g. Overpower vs. Overpower). I won't be able to change the deck retrospectively to the new Ch2 cards, so please click this link for a version of the deck with the Chapter 2 cards.

At a Glance

Stats
Clue-finding:	★★☆☆☆
Consistency:	★★★★☆
Enemy Management:	★★★★★
Encounter Defense:	★★★★☆
Survivability:	★★★★★
Simplicity:	★★☆☆☆

_{I thought I'd implement a Valentin-style rating system to make these guides more accessible. "Consistency" covers card draw and resource economy. In essence it's an outcome measure of "does the resource economy cover the costs of my asset engine and desirable events, and can I find my engine and play it?"}

Overview

• When two becomes one: Without her elusive Wrench, the only way for Daniela to consistently achieve four fight actions in the investigation phase is Attacks of Opportunity (AoOs). This works by another investigator at her location taking their turn first and triggering an AoO. With Daniela's you can use the Sledgehammer's fight ability for one-action cost, and exhaust it for 3 damage. As long as you take your turn afterwards, that other action is spent then - giving you two actions leftover (enough for attack if you need the boost, or two attacks if you need the damage). You can also use her in the enemy phase as normal (but no big Sledgehammer attack, as there's no means to spend a second action). Courtesy of Charisma, Logan Hastings boosts all of these attacks while providing cash for kills.

• Guarding like a Guardian: Bodyguard and Bandages leave Daniela well-suited to soak the above AoOs, as well as the single damage from her missing attacks when not engaged. Bodyguard in particular is a time bomb - think of him less like soak, and more like a testless 2 damage event with added benefits. Alternatively Counterattack allows you to also cancel an attack and deal damage, either accumulating damage before you trigger your on a second (non-cancelled) attack, or killing enemies on one health outright.

• Wildly supportive: There's a respectable 13 icons in this deck if you manage to fully upgrade it. As you should be sticking close to other investigators, this means you will very often have something to commit to their tests, and you can of course use these to flex and clue find on your own turn, or to boost the Sledgehammer fight ability.

• Clues: "Look what I found!" allows you to turn failures into clue compression, working nicely with Timely Intervention to make sure you fail by two or less. Lesson Learned also allows you to pick up clues (easy to trigger off AoOs aimed at you, which you can use your to punish). Ultimately though you're here to smash - don't forget it!

• And the rest: There's a 96% chance of finding a weapon or Right Tool for the Job in a hard mulligan, and then if you are stuck with Right Tool (without a weapon) it has an 88% chance to find one in your first turn. As getting a weapon out is Daniela's main purpose, I gave her 4 stars for consistency despite her limited card draw (though you can occasionally draw a card to trigger an AoO and punish with a attack).

_{Thank you: 5argon and their thumbnail tool; Valentin1331 for his support over the years; the community creators of ArkhamDB (kamalisk), Arkham.Build (Felix) and Arkham Cards (zzorba) - linking their Patreons!}

Campaign starter and planned progression

0 XP deck is below (and link here):

A recommended order of purchases/upgrades is:

• 1 x Charisma

• Hand-Crank Flashlight → Sledgehammer •••

• Bodyguard → Bodyguard ••

• Machete → Counterattack

• Guts → On the Brink

Contrasting the starter deck and fully upgraded version, Charisma allows you to run Logan and a Bodyguard in parallel. Hand-Crank Flashlight helps you clue-find early on but is phased out with Sledgehammer as it takes both hands. Upgraded Bodyguard is the same but better. Machete isn't needed after adding Sledgehammer (Meat Cleaver and Wrench are superior back-up weapons), so it's eventually swapped out for Counterattack. On the Brink can be committed more generally than Guts.

Explain Yourself!

So originally before Charisma was confirmed, I had a detailed analysis on why Bodyguard was better than Logan for this specific approach of capitalizing on AoOs. But then Charisma was revealed, and none of that matters now!

For me attacking during AoOs is easily one of the best ways to run Daniela, especially as the Sledgehammer only does 1 damage to another investigator if you draw and especially as Logan can be run alongside Bodyguard to make Sledgehammer's fight ability hit at a 6. I think Aleksey and Logan with Meat Cleaver is also a nice option, but that can't handle AoOs so I still like this more. The only noticeable card missing here is Scrape By - if you have enough XP replace Lesson Learned with this (but cards which enhance your support role are the priority).

New starter deck additions: On the Brink becomes Indomitable instead - which is an insane 4 boost for doing what this deck is designed to do! Upgraded Vicious Blow is taken for more damage. Bounty replaces Unexpected Courage for more resource economy. I'd be inclined to swap one Meat Cleaver and one "Look what I found!" for two On the Beat (the latter, while very nice, is more situational than On the Beat or Lesson Learned/Scrape By - and you're still keeping one copy in any case).

Detective Sherman, while interesting, doesn't help you kill enemies and your clue support can be found elsewhere (and I'd say Logan Hastings is better). Restrained also also tempting, it's likely a good candidate for the level 0 deck (upgrading into Counterattack). The suggested additions above basically play the same but with more resources and clue support (and one fewer pair of skill cards).

Final thoughts

This concept here is simple: do a massive attack in another investigator's turn, which you get an action discount for, which also helps prime your Bodyguard bomb. You can then still use a attack on a different enemy that turn at a 9 test with Logan (but no extra damage as the Sledgehammer is already exhausted), or do two +1 damage attacks testing at 6.

Even if you don't do these attack of opportunity shenanigans, Daniela with a Sledgehammer is a powerhouse. I killed the big bad of Brethren of Ash with her (using Trish to evade them some of the time, and then soaking a hit with Bodyguard at one point for the auto damage). It was good!

Anyway I hope you like my take on Daniela and put the deck to good use. I guess I'm a fraud as I've never watched NFL, but I do know linebackers are big dudes who tackle people! Terry Tate - eat your heart out!