Gamblin' Jim Culver

Card draw simulator

Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
Derived from
None. Self-made deck here.
Inspiration for
None yet

DarthJoJo · 70

I passed right on by Jim Culver when I first saw him. I found his passive ability inconsistent, his elder sign straight up underwhelming, his trumpet inconsistent and underwhelming, and his signature treachery just terrifying. In short: there was nothing to recommend him, and Agnes was just more interesting. Agnes also seemed more thematic with the Mystic class in really pushing the class' high risk, high reward nature.

But then I started to think. What if Jim wasn't all about that high risk, high reward game? What if he was mitigated risk, high reward? And so the germ of this deck was born.

The core of this deck is Ritual Candles, Double or Nothing and Lucky!. To put it simply, while Double or Nothing doubles a test's risk and reward, Ritual Candles and Lucky! mitigate that risk. Admittedly, this combo is also available to Jenny Barnes and "Ashcan" Pete, but there are a few other niggles that make Jim the proper player of this playstyle.

First, of course, is his innate ability which makes a whole class of token a lot less scary to pull. Second, by putting all its eggs into the will basket through Rite of Seeking, Shrivelling and Blinding Light, Double or Nothing becomes a lot more dependable as you only need to prepare icons for a specific test. Third, as all of these cards also grant additional damage or clue gathering opportunities, they are also natural fits for the doubled reward.

The rest of the deck is the standard Mystic stuff, still limited by the card pool and Jim's restrictions. There is flex in the fifth out of class. I went with the Guard Dog because I wanted an ally to replace the Arcane Initiate, but I could see other options. The proper mix of skill cards is also a work in progress.

Enjoy.

3 comments

Mar 04, 2017 zozo · 2983

This is definitely an intriguing deck idea. I didn't go straight to Jenny or Pete with the Double or Nothing thought, so it just goes to show what one player takes for granted another hasn't really considered. But I enjoyed thinking about this a lot.

One question I had with this deck was: how are you going to succeed at those tough checks? Sure, you have replacement effects, but what if you're up against a big enemy where doubling up the difficulty takes it to 6 or 8? I see Guts, Fearless and Unexpected Courage for that, but I'm intrigued why you've not doubled up on Holy Rosary. Similarly, Arcane Studies could replace something like Drawn to the Flame or Forbidden Knowledge (both phenomenal cards, I know) to give you that reliable, if expensive boost. Just an idle thought really - how has playing this deck turned out?

Mar 04, 2017 DarthJoJo · 70

Unfortunately this is just theorycraft at the moment though my wife is demanding a second playthrough of Night of the Zealot after our utter dismantling the first time through. I'm hoping to run this deck then, if it makes sense.

I do think making space for a second Holy Rosary and Arcane Studies is reasonable. The replacements would depend on what the second character and build are.

Thanks for the interest.

Mar 05, 2017 Django · 5070

It's an interesting deck idea but i'm not sure how effective it can be, building around a one time use card (Double or Nothing?

It might work better, if other players also include it in their deck and commit it for you?

Otherwise jims flex slots work pretty well with constant bonuses to his average stats, like Magnifying Glass and Machete, to save charges from his spells on easy checks.