Doomed

Definitely the most thematic and (currently) the most punishing weakness in the game. This can easily change in the future if more player deck manipulation cards get introduced which allow for more ways to perform targeted discards, but for now getting this weakness pretty much means acknowledging the fact that the investigator you chose will not live to see the end of the campaign.

One thing I dislike about this weakness (and its successors in the chain) is the immediate negative impact. This weakness really doesn't need more apart from making the clock tick, added 1 or 2 horror is completely superfluous; again, I get that it's supposed to be thematic, but the actual dread the player feels after drawing this does not need an in-game counterpart, it just detracts from the experience and makes the weakness feel more imbalanced compared to others.

The other thing is that the weakness seems to be custom-made for repeated playthroughs. While it's great to have it for added thematic spice to the campaign once you experienced all the scenarios already and want more challenge and variety beyond 'nastier chaos tokens', it really hurts when you're effectively locked out of final few scenarios on your first blind playthrough, without having a chance to do anything about it. It also demotivates people from doing side-stories which is a shame because they are already a bit unpopular and definitely deserve more love, creative and entertaining as they are.

So TL;DR shelve this until you are OK with added thematic flair or extra challenge, skip if it's your first playthrough of a cycle or you like weaknesses with allow for more options for mitigation.

ratnip · 68
A few more packs down the road, but soon enough, Mystics will be able to deal with their weaknesses with Alyssa + Scroll of Secrets (3). — matt88 · 3228
Mystics and Daisy Walker! — mogwen · 254
Actually Alyssa + Scroll of Secrets (0) is just fine, as Alyssa moves the card to the bottom and Scroll of Secrets (0) would let you discard the bottom card. So you can handle this one from your level 0 deck with the right mulligan. — Time4Tiddy · 249
Streetwise

In my opinion, this is a very good card.

As an introductory overview: the Blood on the Altar Mythos Pack introduced 5 level 3 cards with the Permanent keyword. There's one card for each class, and they each provide a reusable way to boost 2 types of skills, though they all go about it a little differently. In general, most of these cards are regarded as quite good, as the Permanent keyword means that they start off in play, so they're always there when you need them.

Streetwise is the Rogue entry of the Blood on the Altar Permanent series. For 2 resources, you can boost or by 3 for a single test. These are the same 2 skills boosted by Hyperawareness. The first series of "spend resources to boost skills" assets in the core set allowed investigators to spend resources for skills on a 1 for 1 basis (like how Hyperawareness lets you spend 1 resource to boost or by 1 for a single test). Compared to these, I sometimes think of Streetwise as a "buy 2, get 1 free" sale since you get a +3 bonus for when you're only paying 2 resources for the ability. It's pretty nice.

I think the two skills that Streetwise boosts are appropriate for Rogue investigators. The skill is critical, since obtaining clues is fundamental to winning many of the game's scenarios, so being able to boost that skill is important. The is somewhat less useful, but many Rogue investigators already have a high base skill, so Streetwise helps them specialize more on what they're already good at doing. While it's usually not a permanent solution, using will let you evade enemies, and the also helps protect you from some unpleasant treacheries.

The bottom line: the helps you acquire clues, and the helps you avoid monsters, and these are the two primary obstacles the game throws at you. Streetwise gives you the tools to overcome both of these obstacles, and it does so right from the start of the scenario. I think it really makes a difference.

From a design standpoint, I think the intention was to make Streetwise the "go big or go home" type of card. It gives a nice bonus, but you need to invest 2 resources every time you want to use it. I do think that this philosophy compliments the Rogue investigator playstyle. I also think that Rogue investigators are the ones most likely to get the most out of a "pay to win" strategy. A the time of this writing (the release of The Circle Undone deluxe expansion), the Rogue has a lot of options for generating resources. At level 0, there's Lone Wolf and "Watch this!". Once you get experience, there's Hot Streak (2) and Hot Streak (4). These cards can provide Rogue investigators with a lot of fuel for Streetwise.

I haven't put together a deck for Preston Fairmont yet, but just from looking at his cards and his skills, I think Streetwise is an essential upgrade for him. Jenny Barnes also probably wants to get this card sooner rather than later, since her ability almost guarantees she can use one of the Streetwise effects at least once a turn.

There are some drawbacks to this card. You can't use it if you have 0 or 1 resources. It won't help you on or tests. It costs 3 experience points, so if you don't plan on activating either of its abilities, you should invest that experience points elsewhere. In my opinion, these drawbacks are very minor, and the resource cost can usually be planned around with some foresight.

This card doesn't quite give you the same value that you get from Higher Education - that card is very, very, very good. However, this Streetwise is still good enough that most Rogue investigators are going to want to take it somewhere down the line.

An excellent review. The only flaw I've found with this card is the feeling of overkill when you only need +1 for a skill check. Or +4. You end up having to spend 3 resources for that additional point you need, or you try the skill test at one-under. Thankfully, this situation doesn't happen often, or can be addressed by a skill card. — cb42 · 38
Correction: 2 resources. — cb42 · 38
Streetwise is amazing in my Finn deck that's running Dr. Milan Christopher. I'm easily gaining an extra action from Quick Thinking when I commit it to a skill test where I've boosted my stat with Streetwise. — FractalMind · 44
It is good...it's now worth 8xp! — MrGoldbee · 1493
As of the most recent taboo, it's been downgraded to 6xp — Zinjanthropus · 231
Dark Insight

I'm honestly just curious: does this card also cancel enemies? I've had fantastic success with it just cancelling weaknesses and treacheries, but I'm not sure how far its utility goes. Anyone out there know? I suspect it does since it otherwise has wording very similar to Ward of Protection (5)

Malgox · 20
I would presume that it does. It doesn't say Treachery, it says Encounter Card. I feel that wording is significant. So unless the card drawn by another investigator has Peril, I think Dark Insight can cancel it! — cb42 · 38
I hadn't considered that unti now, but by the wording it seems like it does. Still, I do have my doubts, because that makes it effectively way better than Ward of Protection (5), since it can be played on other players and also cancel weaknesses, which makes it way too powerful, so considering all these, maybe the answer would be no??... I don't know... — matt88 · 3228
While, having a unique card be just about as good as a 5 XP card does seem more powerful than the designers would have intended, I can't come up with a textual reason why that wouldn't be the case. Though to be fair if Duke is probably *more* powerful than most 5XP cards... it's just that he's designed to bolster an otherwise weak investigator card. Dark Insight is just that kind of gas Diana needs to work — Malgox · 20
Huge difference between Ward of Protection (5) and this one: WoP discards the treachery card, while this one reshuffles it into the deck - so it will be drawn again at some time. — Iluvatar · 1
Yeah, agree with @Iluvatar, it doesn't discard the threat. It doesn't replace a player's lost draw to a weakness, either. In fact, in this scenario, it just means that down the road you'll have an additional lost draw (presuming you draw it again that same scenario). — cb42 · 38
If used on herself, her ability somewhat negates the disadvantage of losing a draw. With XP you can use Seal of the Elder Sign to recover this card, which lets you trigger her ability again when using this card. — Django · 5163
Woah, that's a great point, Django--and noted about the shuffle clause, @lluvatar — Malgox · 20
I've had some difficulty understanding the FAQ on shuffling a single card into an empty deck. If the last card in the encounter deck is an enemy and I play dark insight, what happens to the enemy? — Sycopath · 1
In AH, if you are instructed to shuffle a card into a deck that doesn’t (because it’s empty) it gets discarded instead. — PanicMoon · 2
Rita Young

I think Rita Young is a very good pick in a multiplayer group, particularly at 3-4 player counts, where each investigator is given a role, therefore not having to deal with picking up clues, which is one of her weak points, so she can focus on dealing with enemies. Her abilities and card pool offer a wide variety of options on how she can be built and make for a solid investigator in any group. The first fighting tool one can have in mind for her is Ornate Bow, but even though she has the highest base Agility in the game, I'm not sure it is quite as good for her as it is for other investigators with high Agility. The reason is that she doesn't have access to cards that support the Bow like other investigators do. She doesn't have access to Leo De Luca, Venturer, or Narrow Escape, cards that make reloading the Bow less painful. She does have an inbuilt deal-1-damage mechanic though, which helps a lot with the Bow, but, still, I'm not convinced it's quite that good. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's bad for her; I'm just saying it's better for other investigators than it is for Rita.

Alternatively, in multiplayer context always, she can play Baseball Bat , a decent card for her, which allows her to fight with a base combat of 5, which is decent in most cases and, with the help of her special ability, deal with 1-or-3-health enemies easily. She won't be always fighting anyways. She can use her skills to leave enemies in the dust and zip across the board to help where it is necessary. She can also use Resourceful as breakage insurance, Cheap Shot and Stunning Blow as an alternative way to deal 2 damage in one action, or Gravedigger's Shovel as a back-up weapon. She can even nab a clue with it!

With enough experience, Rita can become a monster. She can use Old Hunting Rifle, a card which Rita is the best-suited investigator to use in my opinion, because she has alternatives in case it jams, and it becomes even better if she can pull it out with Sleight of Hand. She can combine Baseball Bat or Old Hunting Rifle with Will to Survive in order to unleash heavy loads of damage in a single turn, not to mention that she can also use Ace in the Hole. Ace in the Hole + Will to Survive, the ultimate combo!! It has only been available for Lola Hayes so far!! When Ace in the Hole and Will to Survive are combined with cards like Baseball Bat and Old Hunting Rifle, some serious damage output can be dished out in a single turn, allowing elimination of hoards of enemies or big bosses!! Consider this: Rita Young is engaged with a 15-health boss and she has a Baseball Bat in play. She plays Will to Survive and Ace in the Hole. She attacks 3 times with Baseball Bat, then she plays Sleight of Hand to put an Old Hunting Rifle in play, attacks 3 times with the Rifle and plays Resourceful to get the discarded Baseball Bat back into her hand. The result?? The boss is dead and Rita has both Baseball Bat and Old Hunting Rifle in her hand, allowing her to use them again in future turns. Well, that is best-case scenario of course, and requires having the right cards in hand, but I gave this example trying to showcase Rita's ultimate power with the right cards, when the stars align.

So, why use Ornate Bow, when you can make use of such powerful card combinations?? Ornate Bow is still good, but if I'm given the chance to play Rita Young in multiplayer, I'd rather go shooter style with Will to Survive and Ace in the Hole!!

matt88 · 3228
In our 4 player multiplayer group, Rita has been good for flitting around, taking care of small health minions or dealing that last damage onto the enemy. I do disagree about the Ornate Bow statement: i think it's fantastic for her, because it deals 3 damage to an enemy that then is either dead, needs that one more damage to kill, or should be shuffled onto the guardian. She can also evade that enemy just to reload and shoot the bow. Or just fricken one shot the Hoods, so that it doesn't need to be engaged off of her. — CecilAlucardX · 10
I say both. 2 of each weapon to make her do the enemy handler role excellently — Tsuruki23 · 2581
While she doesn't have access to a lot of the Rogue cards that make the Bow better, I think a lot of Survivor cards are good for it as well, such as Track Shoes and Survival Instinct 2. Combined with Rita's agility and ability, she can dance around enemies a lot without killing them, saving the Bow for the highest priority kills. The fewer times you have to shoot it, the fewer times you have to reload. It depends on a lot of factors though. Old Hunting Rifle certainly combos better with Ace in the Hole / Will to Survive, and she can also take Swift Reload. — Zinjanthropus · 231
Actually the answer to your question lies within question itself `So, why use Ornate Bow, when you can make use of such powerful card combinations?` → if one can do the job with one card only, why rely on combo? Combo may never arrive or may arrive late. — bugiel_marek · 24
Bought in Blood

As far as signature weaknesses go, I think this is one of the milder ones.

When you use it to discard an ally from play, it's essentially an automatically-failed Crypt Chill. If you use it to discard allies from your hand, it's like a milder version of Amnesia. You get to choose which one it is, so you can evaluate where you are in the game and choose the lesser evil.

Leo Anderson's unique abilities means that he should have a few allies in his deck, and that he'll normally be wanting to play one ally per turn at most. So most of the time that you have this card, you should have a choice between discarding allies in play or allies in your hand, so that should give some wiggle room to advoice the worse of the two choices.

If you don't have any allies, it's just a dead draw. That could be a lot worse! However, if you have no allies in play or in hand, then maybe things are not going well already.

The fact this weakness punishes you more the better your position is does make it very nice, if I am already getting beaten down having "lose 1 draw" as a weakness is pretty nice. — Zerogrim · 295
Is that suposed to be Leo in the art? — Lodge_Infiltrator · 1