I didn't think too much of Disc of Itzamna when I first considered its use in Daisy Walker & Roland Banks decks. Let's look at its upsides: First, it has 3 resource icons, giving it a lot of flexibility when used for skill tests. Second, it discards an enemy, meaning you probably won't encounter it again until the Encounter Deck recycles (though you also won't get its Victory Points, if any). Third, it can discard any non-Elite enemy spawning at your location, even if it another investigator draws that enemy. Fourth, its 2XP cost is not exorbitant and means Roland Banks can use it, too. Lastly, it uses the Accessory slot, which is, at present, under-used for Seekers & Roland.

Now for its downsides: First, it only works on a non-Elite enemy. Okay, not a big deal; it'll still work on most enemies you're likely to confront. Second, it only works when that enemy spawns at your location, so it can't be used on an enemy already in play or that moves into your location. Third, it is discarded when used. This seems to me to be its largest liability since, although its effect is good, its cost of 3 resources seems high for a one-shot item. Now, if it had charges...

For Seekers, who do not typically excel at fighting, Disc of Itzamna is a good option to remove an enemy. And, since Seekers are often in a support role, it's nice that it can affect any enemy spawning at your location, thus protecting the entire party. On the whole, though, I had pretty much decided that Disc of Itzamna was not generally worth leveling-up for. Maybe if it could be recycled with Scavenging but, unfortunately, neither Daisy Walker nor Roland Banks have access to that card.

Then, along comes Rex Murphy. Rex can use Scavenging and, given his investigative bent and his 4 , he can probably use it often and successfully. Now, you can almost always have one copy of Disc of Itzamna in-play and ready for use, especially with 2 copies of the Disc in your deck (though only 1 copy can be in play at any given time, since it's unique). Granted, re-playing it over and over can become expensive at 3 resources each time. But, with Dr. Milan Christopher and lots of investigating, Rex should be able to consistently gain resources. You could also consider giving him Burglary as one of his off-class cards.

Of course, Disc of Itzamna can also be used for its skill icons at no cost. With 2 copies in his deck, Rex can play one to have it ready to use for its effect, when needed, and use the second to aid a skill test with any of its 3 icons. No matter how Disc of Itzamna is used, Scavenging (consider including 2 copies) can continuously recycle it, providing Rex with consistent enemy control and skill test boosting. And, since one of those icons is , it can contribute to its own recycling by boosting investigation skill tests and, thus, helping to trigger Scavenging.

It just goes to show how new cards can give new life to old ones (er... cards, that is, not Old Ones). One of the great things about the LCG format.

Machete is one of the finest weapons in the core set. It's cheaper than the .45 Automatic, not limited in the number of uses like that or the .41 Derringer, and it's damage bonus is reliable too. The only issue is the need to be engaged to an enemy - and only one enemy - to get that damage bonus. Even if you can't, though, it's still as good as a Knife, and often you're only having to deal with one enemy at a time.

It's a great weapon for Roland Banks or "Skids" O'Toole, though it's less clear that it's a good choice for Zoey Samaras, as it seems to her advantage to engage with as many enemies as frequently as possible. If used in a group with Scrying to control the flow of encounter cards, it's a really useful weapon for Roland to have; keep him engaged with only 1 enemy, damaging lots and gaining clues.

This one is one of my favourites, because it is middling priced, effective, doesn't use ammo, and in an uncertain world, reliable.

A review of a Weakness? Yep. Inasmuch as Weaknesses go, I "like" Dark Memory. It is unique among investigator Weaknesses (so far) in that it can actually have beneficial effects in addition to its harmful ones. [Possibly Baron Samedi and Smite the Wicked could be considered to have positive side-effects, but not quite as tangible as Dark Memory.] One of the features I like most about Arkham Horror LCG is that magic is frequently a double-edged sword. Positive effects often have negative blowback--as with Ward of Protection, Shrivelling, Blinding Light, Forbidden Knowledge, etc.--and negative effects can occasionally have a positive side-effect, as with Agnes Baker's innate effects.

Dark Memory falls into the latter category. While its negative effects--spend an action to play it, pay 2 resources, and gain 1 doom token OR keep it in your hand (taking up space toward your hand maximum) and take 2 horror at the end of each turn--are bad, both can have a silver lining for Agnes. In the first case, as a Spell, when played, Agnes can draw a card with Heirloom of Hyperborea. While this doesn't mitigate its ill effects, at least it's something positive, and Dark Memory is discarded. In the second case, Agnes can take one of those two horror on herself to deal 1 damage to an enemy at her location. Since her horror-for-damage effect is limited to once per phase and this horror is taken in the Upkeep Phase, this enables her to potentially deal damage with her effect in all 4 Phases. Yes, that's a lot of horror for Agnes to take; but, then, she's probably prepared for it with assets that soak horror, and healing from Fearless and/or Clarity of Mind.

All in all, if an investigator is going to have a weakness, it's nice if that weakness can also provide some kind of benefit as well. All the more reason Agnes Baker is one of my favorite investigators.

In my opinion, most companion cards have the strongest permanent effects in game, so it's often hard decide which ones to include. However Leo is easily the best of the companions.

If you compare leo to Beat Cop or Cat Burglar, they basically save you actions. Beat cop allows you deal 1 damage as free action (which is like killing enemeis with 1 HP for free), while cat burglar allows you to disengage from all enemies (with no check) AND move to a connecting location (which is 2-x in 1 action). However they both have strong limitations. This is where leo shines, as you can use the extra action for anything, including the above mentioned things.

• Regarding hist cost. As he's a rogue card, the owner can use Burglary to gather ressources, if you draw him later in the game.
• Leo is unique (asterisk in front of his name), like Dr. Milan Christopher, so only 1 player can have him on the board at the same time. So if wendy and skids are part of the same game, only one of them can have leo in play. Here i'd recommend to replace him in skids deck with beat cop. Skid's character ability can compensate for the lack of leo.

The usefulness of this card is obvious, if you need that last clue, and there's a room full of enemies without hunter... Still, like most Seeker cards, slightly underwhelming and very situational. Might fit in some decks though!