On the Brink

Umiejętność

Gambit. Desperate.

XP: 2.

Ocalały

Max 1 committed per skill test.

If this test fails, return each other card committed to this test to its owner's hand and draw 1 card.

Nobody knows what you'll do if you're pushed past your limits.
Mauro Dal Bo
Core Set (2026) #84.
On the Brink

FAQs

No faqs yet for this card.

Reviews

It's hard to appreciate On the Brink with the current card pool, but if you are playing with everything you have this cards gets ludicrously good very fast. It completely outclasses upgraded Unexpected Courage. Having this in hand means you can take bigger risks, and commit more cards in hand to a test you want to pass without worrying about wasting all those card if you draw the wrong token.

This helps you a lot with skills that care about succeeding to trigger, like Do or Die and Resourceful, and especially with skills that want you to succeed by 2 at least, like Brute Force, Sharp Vision and Expeditious Retreat, while also offering autofail protection, letting you return the card and draw one to replace On the Brink.

It has less good synergy with Take Heart, given you usually want to commit this to test you know are gonna fail, and getting a +2 makes said failure less certain, outside of Drawing Thin, but the level 0 version introduced in Miguel's pack works a lot better for that on the basis it only gives just a +1 instead.

So if you are a Survivor that likes to commits lots of cards, like Silas Marsh and Isabelle Barnes, or someone with Survivor access like Minh Thi Phan there is no reason why you shouldn't run this. You won't regret it.

HeroesOfTomorrow · 93
Well, On the Brink (0) is in Miguel and nearly as good for two XP less. — MrGoldbee · 1559
@ MrGoldbee I mean, yeah, but if you are gonna use the basic version of On The Brink, you might as well upgrade it later on. I wouldn't call it a priority upgrade, but it is certainly a good way to spend 4 exp, as it is much more value than upgraded Unexpected Courage, and unlike "You've had worse", the "upgrade" isn't actively detrimental — HeroesOfTomorrow · 93
I don't think this card will ever shine. It's main problem is, that it's protect other commited card against a really bad draw. With at least +3 to you go a long way. So maybe on hard or expert this card gets better. In most cases this card is a +2 wild and then the upgraded courage offers a better utility for tests on treachery cards, where you are punished for each point you fail — Tharzax · 1
I really see the main use case in a fail deck with Take Heart (Drawing Thin), as mentioned. — AlderSign · 463
Yes, but then the level 0 version is better due to less icons and XP wise cheaper — Tharzax · 1
@Tharzax I still think this is worthwhile to support other things, because again, On the Brink both makes it easier for you to pass a test and oversucceed and gives you a safety net if you fail. It's like Adapt and Overcome: you get value regardless of how the skill tests goes — HeroesOfTomorrow · 93
I meant the lvl 0 version, yes :) Wouldn't spend XP for that one combo I think. — AlderSign · 463
That's a lot of words to try and upsell the idea of spending two exp on a single wild icon. I think the only reason you would ever want this is if you're doing a "try to fail" deck because then at least you're paying for a draw. — Spamamdorf · 5
@Spamamdorf I love the immediate self-contradiction of saying "spending two exp on a single wild icon" and "at least you're paying for a draw". If there is utility to the card beyond the wild icon, then you are not spending 2 exp just for that. And frankly, if people are willing to spend 3 exp to keep reusing Backstab and Pilfer, which are events that cost a pretty penny, for the amount of value you are getting, 2 exp is a very reasonable price for upgraded On the Brink — HeroesOfTomorrow · 93
No contradiction, its two different scenarios. You should never spend exp on this just to mitigate failure, but if you WANT to fail it might be worth it. — Spamamdorf · 5
@spamadorf You have no control whether you are going to fail or not all the time, it's easy to intentionally fail, but it's hard to always pass, obviously, and only gets more difficult as the difficulty level increases. This card offers double duty, because it makes it more likely to pass and mitigates the effects of failure at the same time. This versatility is exactly what makes Survivors so strong and flexible. — HeroesOfTomorrow · 93
You have plenty of control on whether or not you're going to pass tests. If you're going into every test tossing a coin on whether or not it's going to pan out you're not playing very well. The default state of the game is that you will pass most tests you're trying to pass. — Spamamdorf · 5
@Spamamdorf I am happy you are playing a version of the game where there is no -8, or an autofail for that matter. The nature of Arkham's skill tests are just a bunch of coin flips you have tools to rig in your favour, but they are still coin flips, and you can totally get a result you don't want even when you are trying your hardest to pass. It's inevitable something you are planning to do won't go as planned at some point, and the difference here between succeeding of failing a scenario is whether you have a reliable back up plan to fall upon or not. While you shouldn't be exclusively gearing up for the worst case scenario which is unlikely to happen, anything that narrow the randomness or gives something in return in case you do fail, is still incredibly useful to help you bounce back. And yes, you can nearly gurantee some skill check so you can always pass them with some tools (Analysis, Olive, Justify the Means, Seal of the Elder Sign, etc,), but you cannot gurantee a result on EVERY skill test you take, sometimes you won't even have the tools to reliably load the dice in your favour, especially on harder difficulties. That is why doing things without "testing" is considered really powerful in thie game system. So saying to have " plenty of control on whether or not you're going to pass tests", is an absolute lie: you don't always have that, which is why you need to roll with the punches sometimes — HeroesOfTomorrow · 93
If you read my comment, I said "most tests" not "all tests". Paying two exp for 10% chance of drawing a card is a bad deal bro I'm done trying to get you to understand that. — Spamamdorf · 5
@Spamamdorf And what I'm trying to tell you, is that you are not paying 2 exp for a chance to draw, you are paying 2 exp for extra skill value and an extra benefit if you fail regardless. — HeroesOfTomorrow · 93