ElseWhere · 3935
If you'd like to check out the fiction that accompanies this deck, plus other articles like this one, visit our blog here: https://strengthinnumbersarkham.wordpress.com/2022/09/08/character-concept-leighs-handy-how-to-guide-for-killing-monsters/
Hello everyone and welcome back to another thematic deckbuild with yours truly! Man, the Scarlet Keys just will NOT stop giving me cards I've dreamed of for years, even if I didn't know it. But today Los Archivos de Arkham shared with us the perfect enabler for a strategy that has never quite been up to par: Clue-Dropping.
Introducing Research Notes (which in this deck is represented by Grimm's Fairy Tales, since ArkhamDB doesn't yet have the actual card)! At baseline, this card gives you an easy and thematic way to counteract the downside of dropping clues for cards like Quick Study, Dr. William T. Maleson, Forewarned, and Captivating Discovery–namely, that now you no longer HAVE the clue. It's on the floor again. You need to bend down and pick it back up.
Except now you can just vacuum them all up at once with Research Notes!
Roland's main goal here as a flex/hybrid is to investigate when there aren't other threats to deal with, passing tests using his skill suite. Then when an enemy appears, he puts a single incredibly lethal shot through it, theoretically killing it instantly (and thanks to Quickdraw Holster not even spending an action to do so) before going back to investigating.
Thanks to Research Notes, Roland can spend time gathering clues on a low-shroud location, then drop them all using Quick Study to prepare evidence on the Notes that he can then follow up at a higher-shroud location, ignoring the shroud completely in favor of a simple 0-difficulty oversuccess. He can even Quick Study that test itself for a net +2 in stat value vs. desired difficulty! With two copies of Notes out, the results are even more ridiculous, since for every clue dropped to Quick Study, Roland gets two easy clues prepped for later, essentially doubling his investment.
Ask the right questions and you're sure to find the right answers, after all!
As an added bonus, when he clears a location with Research Notes, any future fight there will refund its spent ammunition, ensuring he can, as they say, do this all day.
The rest of the deck just supports the main two strategies. Spiritual Resolve shores up Roland's weaker sanity, while also allowing him to comfortably take an attack of opportunity in order to clear a location with Research Notes, thus enabling his unlimited-ammunition clause. Practice Makes Perfect and his skill suite help him pass tests, compress, and gain resources/cards to keep the deck running smoothly. And Stick to the Plan lets him hold Custom Ammunition, Extra Ammunition, and Ever Vigilant in reserve so they don't take up deck slots and can be played as soon as his gun and related setup are ready (or in Extra Ammunition's case, saved until he needs it or is about to cycle his deck and would like it back in rotation).
This is an evolution of a previous one-shot one-kill Roland deck, which you can check out in the "Inspired By" section. I hope you've all enjoyed–now it's time for me to go off and make my fifth or sixth Research Notes deck since they were spoiled earlier today.
No, I don't have a problem. How to Kill the Incomprehensible is just entering syndication and lots of people want copies!
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Sep 09, 2022 |
Sep 09, 2022
I also mathed out the economy a bit and feel like it will work acceptably, but it'll be borderline for sure, particularly if we can't hit Leadership off Practice Makes Perfect. If we're cutting Spiritual Resolve (and we can maybe also cut Forewarned for economy) that should give some space for adding in Astounding Revelation, Burning the Midnight Oil/Clean Them Up, or card draw like Preposterous Sketches. I will say, this is not meant to be a focused fighter, perhaps contrary to some of the thematics I mentioned. The main goal is playing around with Research Notes, which should tie you over until the gun gets out and you can start dropping enemies at speed. |
For a one weapon deck with three buff/ammo cards for it, it doesn't seem to have an easy way to find it. The theme is interesting, but I'm wondering how it gets started. Several expensive assets and events with only Leadership for resources.
Captivating Discovery can draw a lot of cards, but he needs to get clues first. Not much other than Perception and Deduction to get started.
Sub in Prepared for the Worst for...Spiritual Resolve? Leadership? I'm not real sure. I wonder if Hallowed Mirror is enough instead of Spiritual Resolve. This would leave room for an economy card and PftW to get the deck started.