Preston Pays his Path to Victory (Guide)

Introduction & Purpose

As an investigator with one of the most special designs in the game, Preston has been subject to different cool deckbuilding options, most of which figuring out ways to "fix" his low stat line and helping him to have decent results in the game's tests:

• Spend resources to increase Preston's stats
• Accumulate resources to be Well Connected
• Ask for Allies' help and buy expensive items to pass tests for him (Eye of the Djinn, Miss Doyle, The Red-Gloved Man...)

Preston is OUTRAGED with these directions. Tests are made for poor people. One rich man should not have to work to produce results. One rich man should only buy results. He now refuses to take ANY test.

Main Strategy

This deck is designed to fully embrace Preston's identity, dodging all tests and only using money to get automatic results. It is though for being a flex investigator but works very well in solo too.

The absolute cornerstone of the deck is Double, Double. More than half of your cards are events benefiting from being played twice. I recommend hard mulliganing to find it - or Black Market that can help in increasing odds on turn one.

Since you can only duplicate one event per turn with Double, Double, the main challenge is to choose wisely when to build up your economy, and when to have your big action twice. Try not to do both on the same turn! Patience is key, my lord.

Your gameplay loop will consist in a back-and-forth alternative of 2 types of turns:

• Passive turns to prepare for a latter big action: Draw your options, recycle them, or accumulate resources.
• Active turns to be the hero of the day, getting all clues, exhausting all enemies or dealing them big damage.

Assets & Events Breakdown

Preston's network can be decomposed in 6 circles:

• Amplification & Acceleration of your feedback loop is provided by Double, Double. No less than 16 events are amplified here when used with Double, Double. It might be worth waiting a few turns before progressing the game, just to find and play this card, and amplify the effects of your other cards afterwards. Basically, Double, Double makes the difference between this deck simply doing the job and really shining.

• Resource Economy is critical here, since you plan on double playing expensive events almost every single turn (typically, spending 10-12 resources at once). On top of your Family Inheritance, your copies of Antiquary provide you with 4 extra resources every turn, that can be spent on Favors, i.e., your most expensive events. Hot Streak will provide you with a boost of 17 resources at once-ish, and Leo De Luca provides you with the precious extra action to collect the remaining cash every turn.

• Card Economy is as critical as collecting resources here. You want to play cards every turn and recycle your deck as frequently as possible to trigger their powerful one-shot effects. Friends in Low Places is incredibly efficient here, with 20 valid targets in the top 9 cards of your deck! Black Market speeds up your setup to find your assets, and delivers extra options afterwards. Rabbit's Foot consistently draws extra cards when the mythos forces you to take these goddamn treachery tests, and Scrounge for Supplies gets you two powerful events back.

• Get Clues, Evade & Fight, aka the core of the game, is entirely managed through events. Both Intel Report and "Look what I found!" get you up to 4 clues at once. You do not get clues every turn but when you do, the result is spectacular. Decoy and Cunning Distraction automatically evade all enemies at your location (including Elite enemies for the first one), that can then be one-shot with Sneak Attack and Small Favor. Depending on the configuration, you will use Double, Double on different events, but you keep being versatile.

• Mythos Protection is guaranteed with Counterespionage. As Preston, you can even turn the Mythos phase into an extra draw, and protect your fellow investigators. Basically, it is stronger than a Ward of Protection here.

• The Joker Card, when you really have to pass a test, is of course Money Talks. You can use it with versatility, to progress the game if you have no other option available, or to pass these tests where your events cannot be used. With a good knowledge of the scenario, you will keep this card for when it really matters.

Conclusion

OK let's face it, this is not the strongest Preston deck one can build. But it is definitely the most thematic, while still being pretty potent. The deck did beat the Circle Undone on Standard, providing an interesting and unique gameplay in the process. The Level-0 cards are in the side deck, if you want to risk a campaign with it. Give it a try!