I don't normally leave reviews, but having the only review of Rex be negative just seemed wrong.

Rex is currently one of (if not the) strongest investigator in the game, and most of the community on places like Reddit, Facebook, and Discord agree (to the point where many people consider nerfing him in one way or another). While he definitely does have limitations, I'd like to go over exactly why Rex is top tier right now before I Delve Too Deep into his weaknesses.

To talk accurately about Rex, we first have to talk about Higher Education. Higher Education is without a doubt the most influential card in the game right now, as it drastically powers up the investigators who can take it (Rex and Daisy at time of writing). It provides both consistency and efficiency that's unparalleled in other classes, and the 5 card requirement is often negligible for Seekers who excel at card draw.

Higher Education is particularly important to Rex due to his passive ability, which is the main thing that takes him over the edge. Rex's passive allows him to save actions by picking up extra clues, and with no limiting factor he can potentially do this multiple times a turn. His naturally high of 4 and the boost from Higher Ed. means you can guarantee yourself a high probability of grabbing 2 clues over and over again. In 2-4 player games, Rex can hoover up all the clues almost single handed.

The seeker card pool is perfectly suited to helping Rex go on a rampage. Dr. Milan Christopher helps him keep the Higher Ed. engine running, Magnifying Glass naturally works well with Higher Ed. as well, and Preposterous Sketches + Search for the Truth (and the occasional effect) provide hand filling support right from level 0. Splashing for Burglary can keep your pockets full while still grabbing clues due to Rex's ability, and being flush with cash makes Rex almost immune to any based treachery effects. Not only that, but having almost unlimited boosting capabilities makes Rex's Curse almost a non-factor.

Ok, so Rex has strong synergy with strong cards, but you might be asking yourself: can't the same be said for other 'gators too? Well, not really.

The difference is that almost all other 'gators are naturally limited in how often they can use their abilities. "Skids" O'Toole, Daisy Walker, Jenny Barnes, Marie Lambeau, and Roland Banks all have abilities that work only once a turn. Wendy Adams and "Ashcan" Pete can use their powers at the cost of cards, which are a limited resource. Similarly, Agnes Baker is limited by both time (once per phase) and her sanity. The only other 'gators without limits are Jim Culver (who has a low impact ability you can't play around) and Zoey Samaras, who is limited by the existence of enemies in the first place.

Rex is really the only 'gator who has no limit on his ability. He can theoretically get six clues in one turn, saving a total of three actions. This kind of efficiency simply isn't possible with other 'gators. And Rex currently has the card support to make this insane action efficiency a reality with stunning consistency.

But Rex does have a weakness: solo mode. Not that he can't hold his own, in fact I think seekers have more than enough help dealing with enemies through cards like Mind over Matter, "I've got a plan!", and Disc of Itzamna (which Rex can Scavenging back). Rather, Rex is heavily weakened by solo mode because there are simply fewer clues to grab. Any 1 location is "immune" to his powers, and generally speaking he won't be holding onto a ton of clues at once for things like Search for the Truth.

Still, I hope I've been able to illustrate just why Rex is insane in 2+ player games. As long as he's got a buddy to guard him, Rex makes short work of any clue-based scenario (which is quite nearly all of them).

DO NOT PICK HIM! Use the Librarian instead because here comes the hate.

Hand's down Rex Murphy is the WORST investigator in the game (through Blood on the Altar). First of all, Rex's Curse is absolutely brutal. I cannot overstate how crippling his unique weakness is. You will doubt every decision you make while it's out, and it never really goes away. This transforms your turn into a painful and tedious experience, rather than a challenging risk/reward analysis. If you do manage to get rid of it (strategically failing?), then the likelihood of you drawing it again only increases as your deck gets thinner and thinner. Not being able to add fortune cards is just a slap in the face. Secondly,hHis investigator's ability is rarely triggered and is only useful at locations with multiple clues. Thirdly, "Oh hooray! I drew the Investigator Token! +2 or autofail to draw three cards?" Sheesh.

But what about his special card, Search for the Truth? Sure, it has three skill icons, but look at that ability. It only works when you stockpile clues - the exact opposite thing you want to do in this game. And you only get one use out of it! It's almost as if Rex was an inside joke at Fantasy Flight. Rex "Resign or Die" Murphy.

I thought I'd be getting into an exciting challenge by playing as Rex in standard solo mode, but I can't even get past Midnight Masks with him. I dare you to play him solo in The Midnight Masks scenario. If you can complete that scenario with more than half of the available victory points, then please please please post your deck. I've given up on him.

Okay, first off start with the basics. everyone knows that you shouldn't do Rex Murphy solo. You have been warned.

2ndly, it is really hard to get all of the cultists in midnight masks.

When playing a game with Rex Murphy you need to consider the following: 1. do I have someone to cover me? 2. is this scenario about clue gathering? if the answer to both of these is yes, then you will be pretty successful.

Rex's curse: To bypass the effects of this, what you need to do is always stack the odds in your favor. Have higher education and 5 or more cards in you hand with plenty of resources to feed it. It also helps if you have lots of cards that you can commit. this way, once you draw the second token you will have a very good chance of success.

Rex is all about clue gathering which makes him awesome for scenarios like Essex county express. There will be some monsters that your buddy can't get to fast enough so you want to pack I've got a plan.

Rex is one of the best specialized investigators in the game even now with all the new investigators he is still incredibly high rated. There is no other investigator that can discover as many clues as him per turn. That being said please do not use him in a solo campaign unless you are a seasoned player who is looking for a decent challenge. My suggestion is to pair him with a guardian like Zoey, Mark, or Tommy in a 2 player campaign. There is nothing quite like a good ole fashioned escort mission destroying evil while rex mops up the clues.

Rex was already A tier, but he bumps towards high A/S with scarlet keys just because of that passive.

Remember that concealed cards can be discovered by also discovering a clue at a location. Card effects like dynamite that damage everything at a location for free can expose (although can only expose 1), so other card effects that instead discover clues can also expose instead (effects like Working a Hunch, Deduction and Pendant of the Queen can expose concealment).

The wording on Rex's ability then also allows him to expose a conceal, while doing what he would normally be doing anyway. This gives him a nice tempo boost, especially in TSK where the timers are quite short.

Overall, once a good gator, always a good gator.