Card Reviews · ArkhamDB

Colt Vest Pocket

I strongly suspect the way the average player weighs these types of cards, people would paradoxically like it LESS if it had 6 ammunition.

Not because it's not better CATEGORICALLY, but because it would be harder to empty the entire clip like people feel like they need to on these things not to "waste" anything. I could absolutely believe a player would take a worse card simply because they felt they could use it "efficiently."

So sell it to yourself this way: if you don't think you're ever going to be able to shoot it five times, mentally change the text to:

Cost 2:

Fight: +2 fist, 1+ damage as many times as you want. At the end of the first turn you use this action, discard it.

It's functionally the same for you. If that card sounds good, this is that card. Don't worry about not emptying it. Definitely don't feel like you need to commit to playing weird cards in a questionable bid to try to empty it completely and mess up your deck. It's cheap. Need to shoot a lot at something in a future turn? This card can do that for you -- you don't need to add more nonsense unless you want to.

6/16/21

MrButtermancer · 56

I agree this card presents that mental "loop — LaRoix · 1646 6/16/21

" of weighing everything when in truth, you will always have enough, even if you take more than 5 actions, I can't imagine an enemy who can take more punishment than that, at least in solo. I think the real problem with this card is that discarding at the end of the round leaves you without a weapon once again. In a similar way, the Bow also puts you in a position of being "empty handed" when it comes to offensive tech, and that creates a kind of anxiety when deckbuilding because you're almost always trying to create consistency, or at least reliability. — LaRoix · 1646 6/16/21

Then evaluate it more like it's an event card you can spend actions on, geez. There are plenty of playable damage events. — MrButtermancer · 56 6/27/21

Tristan Botley

Some rough math on Tristan's reaction ability, ignoring bag-manipulation/Favor/Covenant/etc effects:

With 10 total bless/curse remaining in bag during the current test, there's about a 5% chance of triggering him.

With 15 total, there's about a 10% chance.

With all 20 in the bag, there's about a 15% chance.

(For a base 16-17 token bag.)

===

(Personally, I've only ever seen him get played full-price, but even then the effect is quite strong and flexible, and is an especially reasonable choice for small-collection investigators looking for a generically-useful ally.)

6/15/21

anaphysik · 97

You can somewhat engineer it using cards like Favor of the Sun/Moon — StyxTBeuford · 13049 6/15/21

Also if it's 5% per test the investigators take that adds up quickly. There's a better than 50% chance you will be able to put him in for free over 14 tests. Which in for player is potentially just like 2 turns — NarkasisBroon · 11 6/16/21

Only assuming you don't draw any bless or curses during the 14 tests except the one you succeeded on. In practice you'll be depleting the blesses and curses in 1s and 2s. — suika · 9505 6/16/21

@suika Correct, which is why I focused on a simple at-this-very moment calculation. If the group can consistently keep the bag stocked with both bless and curse (keeping it stocked with only one is worse odds than relying on Elder Sign / Autofail on your tests), THEN repeated-test probabilities play a role. But that's a vastly more complicated analysis. — anaphysik · 97 6/16/21

It’s relevant though because groups can very easily keep the bag filled. — StyxTBeuford · 13049 6/16/21

My group saw him played for free 3/4 scenarios he was in. In 4 player with dedicated bless and curse tech, he will show up with a little patience. — LaRoix · 1646 6/16/21

Segment of Onyx

Too powerful card (even with +3 xp). why?

easy to collect: Deck tempo of most seeker is very fast. It means that it's not hard to find all three segments of onyx.
powerful ability: Pendant of the Queen has three ability, and all three are powerful
- teleport: why Elusive is powerful and tabooed? I think you know the reason.
- clue: you could detour high shourd or investigate penalty. Moreover, you can discover a clue at any revealed location. If your teammate reveal a location and you don't want to go there, you can discover clues at there only by pendant.
- evade: Pendant's auto-evade works with elite enemy. (why? I don't believe.) Also, don't forget this is trigger ability. You can always chance to trigger between 3.2 and 3.3. This means that Pandent can evade any enemy ignoring any ready effect such as TNOZ BOSS.
easy to recycle: After you use all charges, all segments are shuffled into deck. If you make your deck thin, and use all charges. Then, you could replay your new Pendent very easily.

6/15/21

elkeinkrad · 500

I think it would probably be a lot more ok if it was 1 XP like originally, but can only evade non-elites, and segments went into your discard pile instead of your deck when the pendant was finished. Then it would keep all the things that make it cool, but lack the things that make it outrageous, in my opinion — NarkasisBroon · 11 6/16/21

^100% agreed. — StyxTBeuford · 13049 6/16/21

Versatile into scavenging. 5 cards bigger deck is no disadvantage with seeker draw. It would make reassembling the pendant easy — Django · 5154 6/17/21

It’s still a hit to deck consistency making it harder to assemble initially, and scavenging exhausts which would dramatically temper the reconstruction speed. — StyxTBeuford · 13049 6/17/21

now changed as removed. It seems reasonable except elite auto-evade but parallel Agnes with Recharge may be happy :) — elkeinkrad · 500 7/1/21

Michael Leigh

This dude looks to me much better for a seeker than a guardian, for several reasons.

The +1 will likely be wasted on many guardians, while a seeker with Acidic Ichor will appreciate to fight with 7, rather than 6.
He offers unpaired soak for the class, that is generally on the squishier side. He should particularly well synergize with Miskatonic Archaeology Funding, because he is not Miskatonic, which makes him a good pick for the single natural Ally slot, every investigator comes with. (In particular, if you don't plan on taking Mr. "Rook" or Charles Ross, Esq.)
He is easy to fill up with evidence for a seeker. Much harder for most guardians, even with his buff. They will likely have to pay through the nose on Keen Eye to get anywhere, which does not appeal to me, given how resource hungry guardians are. The one Guardian who would particularly appreciate the can't take Michael, while Sister Mary could get away with some Mystic Investigate-spells, but is not that interested in either stat-boost.
He costs a lot of XP. You will probably not get your second copy until late in the campaign. Seekers are the class to easier get away with that, consistency wise.

Of course, you need to build a flex seeker like Joe Diamond to get full value. I'm imaging him very strong with Amanda Sharpe. The downside of him is that he exhausts, if you use his evidence. This makes power turns to vitriolise bosses with Vicious Blow (2) below her less efficient. Still, I'm very eager to try out this combo.

6/13/21

Susumu · 381

I got to play him on TTS with Roland. He works really well with him. The synergy of both clue finding and damage is phenomenal. I image he could work with Leo as well. — gmmster2345 · 2 6/20/21

it can work with leo with double G (Geas+ Grete) — Pawiu14 · 196 10/13/21

Joe might be off better with Scientific Theory (3) as it is cheaper in xp, resources, actions and slots - unless you really care for the damage boost. — jcdenton · 10 2/25/22

Re: Assuming he has the evidence to spare, can a player exhaust Michael for +1 dmg, play a Fast event that unexhausts him, and exhaust him a second time for another +1 dmg, on the same attack? (net +2 dmg on one attack) Looking specifically at the Guardian event "Galvanize". — HanoverFist · 746 3/9/22

I would say, this does not work, at least with "Galvanize", which is a Fast event, that specifies a duration or period of time, which according to the Fast rules require a player window. During an attack you only have two player windows, before and after commiting cards to the test, which is later than when you initiate the attack. — Susumu · 381 4/22/22

It actually should never work, even with whatever future card. It's a reaction ability, so contrary to a free trigger ability, you can always only trigger it once per timing point. — Susumu · 381 12/26/22

Vicious Blow

Vicious Blow is an absolute staple card for anyone who wants to fight monsters (and has access to it). Dealing 1 extra damage is critical for dealing with 3-health enemies with a single attack from a standard 2-damage weapon.

This card will save you 1 action every time you commit it, assuming you hit. No frills.