I am going to attempt to put a positive spin on this card by trying to identify its most apparent niche.

Spell events are great. I love spell events. They are typically really impactful, but they're also really expensive. So lets say Luke Robinson wants to run Dayana Esperence with Read the Signs, but that's some pricy tech, you gotta muster up 2 resources every time you wanna do that. But by spending 4 resources and 2 actions, you can make this combo pay for itself. That's something, sort of.

And you can apply Fine Tuning to these cards, so you can trigger them twice per turn. That means that for 8 resources and 2 actions you can generate 4 resources per turn dedicated to playing spells. Not the worst engine, and it only costs 2 XP and 4 card slots. Getting the startup money is hard but not insurmountable, and if you're gonna be playing a lot of spells and getting a lot of clues then it will pay off.

Consider Prophetic. For 3 XP and 3 Resources you can get 2 resources per turn that can be spent on Spells, Fortune, and Spirit Cards, and can alternatively be spent on boosting tests on those same cards. Two copies of Mortar and Pestle is 1 more resource and 1 more action to play and requires you get clues to acquire those resources. Is Prophetic Clearly better? Yes, absolutely, but it also costs 3 XP and is restricted to Level 3 Guardian/Mystic/Survivor access. Mortar and Pestle can be taken by anyone with level 0 Seeker access, has synergies with other Seeker cards, and can bank its resources for later turns, something you can't do with Prophetic.

Is this an auto-take for 99% of builds? Absolutely not. But it's a card that I think you can extract a lot more value from than it first seems, especially if you're running Dayana Esperence and can reliably get clues.

I thought about this card a lot. Eventually, I have my doubts but find it got way more dirt here than deserved.

My main problem is that you have to use for the evade. Because to play this card effectively you need a high skill value, but if you have high you usually just fight the enemy. I think for this card to be less niche using should be optional (which would also be more flavorful IMO).

That said, now for the good part - the forced effect: "After attached enemy moves: Exhaust it." You know when enemies move? When they hunt! But okay, we already got that covered here and that's probably the main selling point of this card. But after they hunt you and exhaust you are engaged with them, so you still have a problem to deal with next round. Meh.

Or do you... ?

See, whenever you move enemies engaged with you also move. That changes a whole lot regarding the utility of this card, since it opens up synergies with cards that let you move without spending an action! Say hello to:

• Safeguard (0)/(2)
• Cat Burglar
• Shortcut (0)/(2)
• Elusive
• Think on Your Feet (0)/(2)
• Pathfinder Too bad.
• Warning Shot I find that synergy surprisingly good, if it fits your deck's playstyle.
• Pendant of the Queen
• Heroic Rescue (2)
• Righteous Hunt If you pick the Bolas-ed enemy up on the way to the target - quite situational.
• Flute of the Outer Gods
• Fang of Tyr'thrha Also needs another enemy as target, but can be played while engaged with your Bolas-ed one.
• Hiking Boots
• Join the Caravan
• Archive of Conduits Comparable to Cat Burglar in the way it interacts with Bolas.
• Prophesiae Profana
• The Red Clock (2)/(5)
• Cyclopean Hammer Theoretically yes, but if you play this OP card why use Bolas?
• Gené Beauregard Can help if you move into the Bolas-ed enemy's location.
• Grappling Hook
• Summoned Servitor with Wings of Night.
• Power Word
• Predator or Prey
• Task Force If another investigator plays it and targets you.
• Misdirection
• Bum's Rush Even if you fail!
• Doppelgänger
• Bound for the Horizon
• Dakota Garofalo
• Ancient Stone
• Nimble
• Pete's Guitar
• Shroud of Shadows (0)/(4) If you find a curse.
• Trench Armor

As you can see, some playstyles also incentivize having an enemy with you.

Let me think what you know ;)

I think, of the trio (Sickle, Rod, Pentacle) this one might have the best value for most mystics. Always having a way to bail you or an ally out of an incoming attack is pretty nice. No, it doesn't solve problems, but the flexibility is very nice.

• A fair number of Aloof enemies care about being exhausted.

• You can bail your fighter out of getting whacked without taking your eye off getting clues.

• You have something to deal with enemies until you find your big damage spell.

That said, doom is really bad unless you want it for some reason OR the agenda is about to advance anyways. Saving move and engage actions won't count for much if you cost your entire team a turn. It might be worthwhile to reserve some skill cards for some certainty on that "succeed by 2" check.

Dragon Pole is a viable option for anyone with access and at least 2 . With 2 arcane slots filled, that 2 becomes a 4 and you get the damage buff. That's good enough to take down some cultists, ghouls, or other low to mid tier enemies.

However I would consider this a flex weapon. If you back it up with some combat spells you can turn your mystic into a more than capable fighter. But you shouldn't consider it your only means of offense. You also need to design your deck to include more redundant spells or other assets that fill arcane slots. That's not a tall order, but you probably want to lean towards cheaper spells. Pair yourself up with a rogue who can take Bank Job or just invest in some economy and you can easily handle the cost.

Under normal circumstances you aren't going to get setup on the first round. Dragon Pole is an investment, something you have to build up over the first few rounds. It's not a big deal if you don't get it in your opening hand. Any mystic worth their salt is going to have some combat spells, and hopefully by the time they go dry you'll have this in your hand. That's not a guarantee, but that's Arkham.

Survivor

Pitchfork Pretty poor unless you have some unique interaction. You have to pay the 3 again to get it back into your play area, so you'd usually rather just use the second pitchfork ability. In some cases you might benefit from 'ing it back to your hand for a skill test, discard effect or event (like Act of Desperation or Pushed to the Limit).

Hiding Spot Great! Can be recovered after enemies try to attack but before they discard it. There is a player window between phase 3.3 (attack) and phase 3.4 (end). Sort of a quirky dodge that only works on non-Elite.

Makeshift Trap Great! With any variety of upgrades it can be pretty nicely cheesed. Particularly, 4xp to make it fast and poisonous means you can have it out as long as you keep paying the 1. Not an impressive amount of damage, but automatic and efficient.

Lure (1) and Lure (2) Good. Easily re-usable taunts. The main perk here is that they affect scary Elite Hunters and "Prey - Your Cluever" on big maps.

Shrine of the Moirai Good? I'm not so sure you want to draw that many encounter cards, but this will recharge the offerings. Some potential for cheese.

Snare Trap Neutral. Just leave it there.

Guardian

Breach the Door Great! Daniela Reyes in particular can't read so punching more doors is crazy.

Ambush Only for recovery, which is fine.

Seeker

Barricade and Barricade (3) Great! The level 3 version much more so.

Shortcut (2) Great! Play it, your ally uses it, and you scoop it back up. 1 resource is a great deal for that since everything's fast or . You could even do it twice in one turn since can move your friend during your turn. Fun way to evacuate a Massive enemy's location without taking attacks of opportunity.

Map the Area Neutral. Just leave it there.

Rogue

The Skeleton Key Replaying this is a pretty expensive way to save an action but Preston Fairmont might not care.

Doppelgänger Neutral. Just leave it there.

Under Surveillance Neutral. Just leave it there.

Mystic

Open Gate Okay but probably only relevant on the hugest maps. Fast at least.

Spiritual Echo Neutral. Already returns itself to your hand.