The Hunter Who Doesn't Hunt (19 XP Legacy)

Introduction

Hunter's Instinct is becoming one of my favorite cards from Chapter 2. The fact that it isn't restricted to recurring events opens up some really interesting deckbuilding possibilities. In Darrell, it might just be the final piece of a much larger loop combo.

Overview

The combo consists of Gift of Nodens, Scroll of Secrets, Written in the Stars and Hunter's Instinct.

• Gift of Nodens commits a skill card from your discard pile and puts it on the bottom of your deck after the test resolves.
• Scroll of Secrets moves it to the top of your deck.
• Written in the Stars discards it and commits it to all eligible skill tests you perform.
• Hunter's Instinct returns Written in the Stars to your hand.
• You can now repeat the whole sequence.

The following sections go into more detail on how the different pieces interact with each other.

Gift of Nodens + Scroll of Secrets

This interaction already creates a strong loop. Use it when you are not in a position to play Written in the Stars.

• Commit a skill card from your hand to a test.
• Commit that skill card from your discard pile to another test using Gift of Nodens.
• Return that skill card from the bottom of your deck to your hand using Scroll of Secrets.
• Repeat.

Gift of Nodens + Scroll of Secrets + Written in the Stars

Use this interaction when you are in a good position to play Written in the Stars, meaning you want to gain 6 clues with Contemplative/Sharp Vision or draw 6 cards with Unrelenting.

• In the previous sequence, instead of returning the skill card to your hand, leave it on the bottom of your deck and wait until the start of a subsequent turn.
• At the start of your turn, use Scroll of Secrets to move that skill card from the bottom of your deck to the top.
• Play Written in the Stars to discard the top card of your deck, causing that skill card to be committed to every eligible skill test you perform for the rest of your turn.
• Make the most of your three actions by using Shortcut for action-free movement, allowing you to spend all three actions on skill tests.

Gift of Nodens + Scroll of Secrets + Written in the Stars + Hunter's Instinct

This interaction is the fantasy that started the whole deck idea. After you engage an enemy, use Hunter's Instinct to return Written in the Stars from your discard pile to your hand, and you are ready to repeat the whole sequence.

Darrell Simmons is not a fighter, so the most likely way for you to engage an enemy is to draw one during the Mythos phase. When that happens, Transmogrify is your answer. It allows you to evade the enemy with your , discover a clue, and move the evidence from the enemy to your Darrell's Kodak.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I discard to Gift of Nodens?

You may have noticed that I haven't included any of the usual discard fodder, such as Winging It. This is because most of these cards shuffle your deck, which would interfere with the deck's gameplay loop.

Discard whichever card in your hand is least useful at the time. Second copies of assets and events are usually good candidates.

Do I have to recur Written in the Stars with Hunter's Instinct?

Absolutely not. While this is the fantasy of the deck, the real strength of Hunter's Instinct is the flexibility it brings to the table. Need resources? Pick Crack the Case. Need card draw? Deep Knowledge. Need movement compression? Shortcut. All of these can be used on teammates as well, allowing you to support whatever the current board state calls for.

What if I don't draw an enemy?

In some cases, you might want to engage an annoying Hunter enemy deliberately, as Transmogrify also pins it down to its location, solving that problem for your team.

Otherwise, Grizzled is there to protect you from treacheries and comes with its own built-in recursion ability.