The mask hides Trish's scar bro

The mask hides Trish's scar bro

(Just a cute name because "Trish's scar bro" sounds like "Trish Scarborough")

I made a few tweaks from Version 1: Here

This is the clue-getter in a two-handed game with a fighter of your choice, Investigating using her combined and most of the time.

There are several single-copy cards in this deck, but you'll draw enough cards over the course of the game that it shouldn't be an issue.

NOTE: The Side Deck is my 19XP Standalone (22 because of In the Thick of It) version of this deck, with notes for going up to the next Standalone tier at the bottom of this description.

Investigating with Lockpicks or Breaking and Entering...

• Test at 8 with no stat bonuses
• 9 with Dr. Milan Christopher
• 10 with Lola Santiago once upgraded
• 11 with both once you have Charisma
• Add 1 more with Hiking Boots
• Add 2 more with Mouse Mask

When testing at such big numbers, you should never (or very rarely, like with an ) lose any supplies from Lockpicks, and once Breaking and Entering is upgraded, you'll always get it back. You'll also get that extra action if you committed Quick Thinking.

Further, you're likewise mostly guaranteed to draw a card from Lucky Cigarette Case (again, barring an ).

I'll commit Deduction any time I don't have an enemy present, or when there is an enemy and 3+ clues on the location.

Lockpicks versus Breaking and Entering

Use Breaking and Entering when you have an enemy instead of Lockpicks for three reasons:

• You won't provoke an Attack of Opportunity
• You'll get the additional clue from Trish's
• You'll get the auto-evade from the event.

Because Lockpicks exhausts, I haven't included any other cards in the hand slot so that you can use both in a turn.

When to use Lola Santiago instead...

Unless (until?) you're swimming through your gold like Scrooge McDuck, Investigate the high-Shroud locations since you're testing with a big number, and buy clues off the low-Shroud locations with Lola Santiago.

Since it's a action, it won't provoke Attacks of Opportunity either, so if there's an enemy at your location you can trigger Trish's for a second clue or for the auto-evade.

Economy

• Resources: The deck is somewhat expensive, especially when you start buying clues with Lola Santiago and replaying Breaking and Entering
  • Dr. Milan Christopher
  • Gregory Gry (until replaced with Lola Santiago, which is your first upgrade priority - see below)
  • Lone Wolf (maybe not necessary, but nice)
  • Emergency Cache
  • Faustian Bargain
• Card Draw
  • Lucky Cigarette Case
  • Pickpocketing
  • Perception
  • Manual Dexterity
  • Commit All In (If you've upgraded to it) to your big number investigate tests
• Resources AND Card Draw
  • Easy Mark
  • Upgraded Emergency Cache

Other Considerations

• The Mythos phase:
  • Mouse Mask and Tennessee Sour Mash/Moxie (3) help you pass tests. The former will replenish often since you move around a lot with Shortcut and Scout Ahead.
  • Well Connected is also here to help with tests. Staying over 10 resources gives you another 2 for those tests.
  • "You handle this one!" is here for that "absolutely not" moment during the mythos phase (it also gains you a resource). Two would be nice, but once you've upgraded to Lucky Cigarette Case (3) it'll be easier to find.
• Action Compression:
  • Trish's
  • Breaking and Entering
  • Cheap Shot
  • Easy Mark (especially if you can chain them together)
  • Scout Ahead
• Fast, , and Additional actions:
  • Lola Santiago
  • Hiking Boots (see upgrade path below)
  • Mouse Mask
  • Tennessee Sour Mash
  • Shortcut
  • Quick Thinking
• Mulligans
  • Mulligan HARD for Lockpicks!

Planned Upgrade / Replacement Path (usually in this order)

Priority

• Gregory Gry >> Lola Santiago.
• Charisma
• Both Breaking and Entering >> Breaking and Entering (2)
• 1X Lucky Cigarette Case >> Lucky Cigarette Case (3) - You're passing Investigate tests with big results, so this upgrade lets you draw the cards you want instead of he top card, which helps to find those single-copy cards.
• Tennessee Sour Mash >> Moxie (3) - This passively buffs your and and lets you spend money to increase them ( lol) more when needed.

Secondary

• Both Deduction >> Deduction (2)
• Perception >> Perception (2)
• Manual Dexterity >> Manual Dexterity (2)
• 1X Lucky Cigarette Case >> Hiking Boots - Version 1 replaced the second Cigarette Case with The Moon • XVIII, but Hiking Boots boots gives me the same bonus and it can steal me some free move actions!
• Pickpocketing >> Pickpocketing (2) - The reason you need as many buffs as is because sometimes you'll just do a basic Evade and they help ensure you're still passing by 2+ for
  • Lucky Cigarette Case (and level 3)
  • Pickpocketing (2)
  • Breaking and Entering (and level 2)
  • Quick Thinking

Luxury

• Emergency Cache >> Emergency Cache (2)
• Unexpected Courage >> All In

My 19XP (22XP) Standalone version:

As mentioned above, I've included a 19XP version of this deck in the Side Deck portion of the deck list. I like 19XP for Standalone because you only take one additional basic weakness.

This upgrades everything I want upgraded except for the Emergency Cache and the skills. For a second additional basic weakness you can upgrade the skills in a few different ways:

• +8 XP version:
  • 2X Deduction (2)
  • 1X Manual Dexterity (2)
  • 1X Perception (2)
• +9 XP version 1:
  • Unexpected Courage >> All In (5)
  • Any two of your 2X Deduction (my choice for the additional clues), Manual Dexterity, and Perception
• +9 XP version 2:
  • Unexpected Courage >> All In (5)
  • Emergency Cache (2) and one of any of those skills.