Joe Diamond & Friends (21XP)

NOTE: I'm not using the Taboo List (because I like Mr. "Rook" just the way he is, thank you very much).

======= Main Deck Upgrade Plan =======

The first upgrades will be one or two copies of Charisma to get as many of Joe's friends into play as possible.

Next I'll want L2 Bandolier and L2 Survival Knife. I have these prioritized for the +1 on Bandolier and fantastic attack ability on Survival Knife.

L2 Holy Rosary is a great upgrade (another +1 and possibility of tokens), but where do I find the room?

L2 Physical Training is nice for the cost reduction and L2 .45 Automatic would be an obvious upgrade.

======= Hunch Deck Upgrade Plan =======

Burning the Midnight Oil and Working a Hunch don't have upgrades (at least at the time of this writing) so they're not a concern, and L2 Preposterous Sketches is unnecessary because Joe's Forced ability already gives you the cost reduction.

L2 Shortcut can be interesting IF you can place it on a "central" location and use it multiple times. I'm not sure it's necessary though and upgrading it would mean you lose the ability to put it back in the Hunch Deck with Joe's ability and his Detective's Colt 1911s.

L5 No Stone Unturned is an absolute luxury upgrade, but upgrading both is expensive.

Some cards to consider swapping into the Hunch Deck (but aren't already there because they're situational) are Evidence!, Connect the Dots, Crack the Case, Vantage Point, and Scene of the Crime (which is useless on top of the Hunch Deck if there's no clue on your location because you'd have to use an action to get somewhere with a clue, but could find its way into the main deck where it would combo nicely with Alice Luxley and/or Dr. Milan Christopher in play).

I could possibly swap out a Guts for 1 Scene of the Crime in the Main Deck.

======= Actual Upgrades =======

------- First Upgrade = 7XP from The Gathering -------

Added 1st Charisma and upgraded both Bandolier.

------- Second Upgrade = 7XP from The Midnight Masks -------

Add 2nd Charisma and upgraded both Survival Knife.

------- Third Upgrade = 7XP from The Devourer Below -------

Upgraded 1 Physical Training for the cost reduction and traded in 2 Holy Rosary for the second Physical Training and 1 Prepared for the Worst.

I swapped in 1 Book of Psalms for 1 of the Manual Dexterity to help mitigate the 2 Mental Trauma Joe got at the end of The Devourer Below. Along with Holy Rosary I potentially make tests a bit easier with the added tokens.

======= Thoughts after completing The Night of the Zealot =======

I took very little damage and horror because of my allies, especially when I could trade out those who were injured or out of secrets with Calling in Favors, but I'm not totally sure I need 2 copies of Charisma. One may have been enough.

I always felt like I had the cards I needed thanks to the ones which let me "dig" through the deck: Mr. "Rook", Calling in Favors, Prepared for the Worst (which I never actually played, but I don't want to cut both of them), Eureka!, No Stone Unturned and card draw on Preposterous Sketches.