Card draw simulator
| Derived from |
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| None. Self-made deck here. |
| Inspiration for |
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| None yet |
Zuntir · 613
Version 2.0 available here.
Introduction
Jim Culver deck meant for pair play in which Jim serves a role of main clue gatherer. Deck is capable of consistent clue gathering with high success rate at passing skill checks. Best partners for Jim are investigators focused on combat that can also contribute to advancing act deck via clues like Roland Banks.
Cards explanation/reasoning
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St. Hubert's Key - fantastic card for Jim, not only boosts intellect but also willpower which makes our favourite musician more resilient to encounter deck but also helps fighting with Shrivelling. Lowered sanity can be dangerous at times, but there are options to help with that.
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Alyssa Graham - boost but also in those dire times when none of the investigators is prepared for an upcoming enemy she can really save your bottom. On top of that she's a nice horror soak.
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Dr. Milan Christopher - another boost, this deck is pretty hungry for resources and Dr. Milan Christopher provides steady flow of cash for doing what we want i.e. clue gathering. Once he pays for himself don't be afraid to use him as horror sponge and discard especially if there is another one or Alyssa Graham in hand.
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Flashlight - very powerful card that almost ensures success on locations with 2 or less Shroud.
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Drawn to the Flame - tempo boost and really handy if we come across high shroud location.
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Emergency Cache - staple card for resource income, really handy as this deck packs quite a few expensive assets.
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Uncage the Soul - Guts+ , same skill icons minus draw but with cost reduction for spells. I like versatility of this card and we don't have to use resources to play Shrivelling.
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Sleight of Hand - reversed Calling in Favors for items with limited uses. Mainly used with Grotesque Statue(more on that card later), that gives us powerful turn without wasting charges and is much faster and safer than recurring Statue with Scavenging. It can also be used with Flashlight for one turn of near-guaranteed clearing location of clues.
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Scavenging - only one copy because recurring and replaying Grotesque Statue can be pretty slow and resource intensive. Having said that it's still fantastic card as it gives option for multiple usage of Statue and options are fun. Also recovers St. Hubert's Key if it get's discarded and of course Flashlight.
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Ward of Protection - standard mystic protection, Jim has above average so this should be used mostly to cancel cards that test or .
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Quantum Flux - tech card, this deck struggles with card drawing but occasional recurrence of Sleight of Hand, Drawn to the Flame or Ward of Protection is very handy.
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Shrivelling - staple mystic combat spell, with Key in play Jim fights at 5 and plenty of icons in the deck let him boost this even farther. Therefore Shrivelling should be used on tougher enemies to help our partner or in situations where he can't help you. Once Recharge is purchased you can use Shrivelling more liberally.
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Delve Too Deep - accelerates experience gain, once we purchase two copies of Grotesque Statue it can be ditched.
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Fearless - St. Hubert's Key lowers sanity so it's important to heal some horror here and there.
- Perception, Unexpected Courage - for any unexpected or very difficult tests.
Upgrades
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Grotesque Statue - you want this card ASAP, first 8 XP should be spent on two copies of this card. It helps with skill checks you normally wouldn't even take. Consistency this card gives is bonkers, sole reason Scavenging and Sleight of Hand are in this deck. In case i wasn't clear enough: this is top priority. Replaces Delve Too Deep.
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Charisma - having Alyssa Graham and Dr. Milan Christopher together in play is very powerful and gives a lot of safety in terms of horror soak. Next upgrade right after purchasing both Statues.
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Recharge - odds of discarding asset can be significantly lowered using Grotesque Statue and it can also recharge Statue itself. Even considering that sometimes you will have to discard an asset value that Recharge gives is insane, more uses out of Shrivelling and Grotesque Statue are invaluable. Almost always used on an empty asset (or second to last charge in case of Grotesque Statue). I'd drop either Uncage the Soul or Perception for it. 3rd most important upgrade.
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Shrivelling (3) or Shrivelling (5) - bonus is very useful, although if you're partner is doing his/her job 5XP version might be a bit of overkill, so stick with 3XP one. Replaces basic Shrivelling.
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Fearless - more horror healing, lower priority. Can be purchased should Jim acumulate any mental trauma.
- Ward of Protection - 2 xp upgrade, it can save your partner, very useful. 5 xp version is too expensive for my taste unless you have spare XP.
Beyond those cards everything else is a matter of taste.
| 4 comments |
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Mar 09, 2018 |
Mar 09, 2018Thank you very much for the kind words and for all suggestions. Regarding Rite of Seeking - i playtested this deck in pair with Roland and there was no need for this spell as he also provided some clue gathering, but in higher player counts or pairng with someone who has less investigating power that would be a good choice. I'd rather cut Perception though as Fearless provides horror healing that is much needed. You're right about Scavenging, after more tests i found retrieving and replaying Grotesque Statue a bit clunky and slow and Deduction would add cloovering power. Also Scavenging was meant to retrieve Key should it got discarded but i've always had a second copy when that happened. I went with two allies because they also serve as horror soaks and with St. Hubert's Key in play sanity is lowered by 2 and we don't want to lose this item. Plus once Dr. Milan Christopher is in play he provides so many resources that i found no problem playing any other assets. Double or Nothing might be hard to pull off but it's worth a try. I maybe should've mentioned it in the description but Sleight of Hand is a very good way to protect Statues against cards like Crypt Chill or Corrosion. I often sit with both Statue and Sleight of Hand in hand and play it when i'm investigating high shroud location or taking particularly unfavourable test or i'm stuck with tough enemies. Then i can play Statue in a normal way later when boss fight or any other nasty situation is coming ahead. Jim is good on his own without statues, they're there to ensure success or provide powerful turns. Please also note that this deck is still very much in the testing phase so more thanks to you for your feedback. |
Mar 12, 2018One other note I would consider cutting Unexpected Courage for Defiance. I know you get 1 less "?" icon but it allows you to disable another token in the bag. As he already disables the Skull. But much like the previous person just my thought. |
Mar 12, 2018Nice idea, i like that, will try it out definitely. |
Hats off to you sir, this looks like a unique, effective Jim deck. I had only briefly considered Sleight of Hand with Grotesque Statue, but I can see the appeal as the statues are blended into normal actions, so the sleights are basically like a copy of Recharge in itself. Genius!
The only thing that seems strange to me about this deck is the absence of Rite of Seeking. It seems like it would help round out your investigation options (I don't deny that this version of Jim has the intellect to get clues, but I'm thinking you could possibly get clues faster with other options).
At minimum, I'd replace Scavenging with a copy of Deduction (I've had bad experiences trying to cycle statues with Scavenging, but this build admittedly would do it better) and add Rites of Seeking in place of Fearless (you can use Uncage the Soul to afford Rites in this case).
At most, I might drop the double ally thing (since it's sort of hard to afford) and opt for two Deductions or two Magnifying glasses. Maybe a double or nothing as your single (Deduction/Rites + Grotesque statue = four clues).
But hey, that's just me. I think this is a damned fine deck. Great job, man.