TheJayman · 1
THERE ARE SPOILERS FROM THE BRETHREN OF ASH CAMPAIGN BELOW!
This deck made it to the end in the Brethren of Ash campaign, played solo on expert difficulty.
Card Choices. Together with Dr. Henry Armitage, the list can soak quite a lot of damage and horror while digging for Cosmic Flame and Second Sight. I'm still not quite sure on the split between Emergency Cache and Favor of Baalshandor—in some situations the direct resources would have been better than the action economy, and vice versa. The other resource cards are the only cards: "Watch this!" and Out the Door. Soul Link pairs nicely with Cloak of Resonance and Jim Culver, and it's also a Spell for Arcane Initiate. Blood Curse is also a Spell, but the direct damage has to be managed carefully.
The Plan. I wanted to get the Second Sight going as soon as possible, with the boosts from Bloodstone, Jim Culver, and later Dr. Henry Armitage. Early enemies are stressful without Cosmic Flame, but can be managed with s from skills. Will of the Cosmos can be used to snatch clues from high-shroud locations to claim Victory 1s or just to save actions, while managing the doom with Dexter's -ability.
Upgrades. I went for an early Arcane Experience to not get punished by an untimely Necronomicon draw (and therefore having to potentially discard one of the two key arcane cards). There are certainly plenty of routes to go for upgrades, but I chose to get double Charisma, Spiritual Intuition, and Out the Door. I didn't feel the upgraded Cosmic Flame was necessary; the sometimes-required third point of damage (or fifth in the case of Servant of Flame) would come from Cloak of Resonance via Ward of Protection, Soul Link, or a well-timed encounter card or attack of opportunity.
Final Thoughts. I like the -package thus far in Chapter 2. As always, a bit of luck is involved during the final moments in the third scenario when the tokens suddenly autofail as well.
What do you think? Have you tried expert solo runs in Chapter 2? Let me know your secrets!