Finn the smoking Scavenger

This looks really interesting. Can't wait to give it a try.

Have you considered Sure Gamble to protect against unlucky draws? It might be really helpful if it can help keep the combo going.

Adding anything that isn't an item is an issue. It makes Backpack less effective, you draw fewer items to recover wtih Scavenging... "Filtering" items from your deck with Backpack also increased the chances of drawing the non item cards, incase you got unlucky, having no Scavenging in starting hand.

But i guess you could replace Sneak Attack with it, depending if your remaining team has sufficient options.

Looks interesting. With that much filtering, Ace in the Hole becomes stronger. With recursion, Lupara is also stronger (berrer than Switchblade). Finn cant take the Pocket Watch btw, but he can take the Typewriter, Dice and the upcoming Skeleton Key, all of which are high XP cards that backpack can find for you.

I'm planning a similar deck. The lockpicks scavenging combo looks great. I will try to fit Sleight of Hand in the deck to get free uses out of the guns/flashlights if the engine isn't ready yet or to play backpack one resource and action cheaper. The upgraded Pickpocketing and Lupara could make a decent fighter out of Finn once the xp are available.

@duke_loves_biscuits: Thanks, i always forget finn is a "flawed" rogue with XP limit. The key is so OP in big groups...

I think i'll try the Lupara and Sleight of Hand as well, sounds promising to get more items into discard pile.

@Andreasw: Don't forget Lucky Cigarette Case has a similar trigger as Scavenging.

I'm also building a similar version of this deck with wendy, which i intend to release next week.

@DjangoHave you played this deck enough to get a decent idea of how much card draw Finn gets with this? I imagine if you added Pickpocketing (2), he would be drawing excessively (which isn't a bad thing, if he's going to be committing a bunch of items).

Hmmm....this makes me wonder if you substituted Pickpocketing (0) x2 in for the You Handle This Ones. You would be able to draw more cards to commit to tests, since more items only have 1 icon. If you picked up Relic Hunter early on, you could even have Rabbit's Foot, Lucky Cigarette Case, and 2x Pickpocketing in play at the same time! That's a potential draw of 5 cards a round. At that point you could cycle through your deck so quickly you'll need that Liquid Courage to heal horror! And of course, when you move that fast, you're bound to get caught Red-Handed a few times.

Great deck idea! It really has me thinking...

I played a similiar deck with a custom character in a 4 player game (nier automata themed characters i created myself and posted on boardgamegeek.com).

I think i had Scavenging on my starting hand and got Lucky Cigarette Case with my first Backpack. I played the case frist, as Scavenging is useless without items in discard pile. My character was the main investigator, so both triggered every turn. I stopped using the case after a few turns when my setup was done and hand full of items to scavenge (x2). It was insane!

I'm not sure any version of Pickpocketing is worth it in this deck.

1. The (reusable) Backpacks should help you locate 1 Lucky Cigarette Case, which in turn help you with anything else, like Scavenging. A 30 card deck as a very high chance for at least 1 Lucky Cigarette Case or 1 Backpack in starting hand.
2. Anything that isn't an item makes these kinds of decks less reliable. That's also why this deck includes some questionable items, like Liquid Courage, Knife or Fine Clothes.
3. If Finns ability + Pickpocketing was like "draw 1 card" each or each other turn i'd immediately agree with you. However i still think it's too situational. Often you first need to engage an enemy before you can evade it, but you could've spent the same action to simply draw a card, if that's what you're after.

If you want to try Pickpocketing, i'd recommeond you to replace Sneak Attack or Elusive. "You handle this one!" can really save finn from debilitating tests, like Frozen in Fear.

Rabbit's Foot is for commiting, not playing. Having items with symbols to scavenge is very powerful. Besides If your chances at succeeding a test are good (+2 at standard difficulty), you'll hardly ever use it's effect (or forget about it). It's much better to play a second Lucky Cigarette Case with Relic Hunter, if you're aiming to draw your deck in... 10 turns? However there's no "library of leng" (magic the gathering) yet, that skips your discard phase.

Side note about heavy draw: When your deck is emtpy and you shuffle your discard, so you'll also "lose" all items in it. Scavenging will be useless for a few turn... unless you keep some on your hand.

How good does Leo De Luca work in this deck? I still haven't tested it, but in theory I think about cutting him. I know it souds crazy because he is one of the strongest cards in the game. But playing this deck i will be mulligan aggressively for the combo pieces, so even when i get him on the starting hand (where he ist the strongest) i perhaps would not want to keep him. If i keep and play him, i have almost no resources, so i will spend the majority of the extra actions for resources and right cards to get the deck going. I can't use "Watch this!" on an easy test with Lockpicks/Flashlight since i have no resources to commit etc. An ally like Dr. Milan Christopher or perhaps even Peter Sylvestre seems more suited to the deck, since they are cheaper and support the main mechanics. If they just weren't in the wrong colors...

Concernig Pickpocketing (just talking about the urgraded one here, the base version is really bad): I definitely see the disadvantages, but: It is fast, so it is effectively one resource cheaper, you can keep it on the hand until the moment you are going to use it and it needs one trigger less to pay off (or less if you get the by 2 once in a while). I will often be the first investigator entering a new location with many clues, so i will get a lot of uses for the free action. Engaging an enemy just to evade him for profit is generally not efficient, but there are many situations where you can help your teammates and get a little out of it. Enemies with retaliate, a fighter who has run out of ammo, or an investigator with low health etc. In a 4 player campaign there will be lots of opportunities to use it. It is not as good an engine as the Lucky Cigarette Case, but perhaps more reliable because it works with his investigator ability, is tutorable with Smuggled Goods and relies on an already good skill of 4 with many matching icons to commit from reusable items. So you just need to draw pickpocketing itself and it works OKish (later with Streetwise it becomes alomst always: "pay 1 resource to draw a card and exhaust an enemy")

Sorry for questioning your card coices, but it is a compliment: the deck is so interesting i just can't stop thinking about trying to optimize it. I really need to try it out soon.

ps: it's a shame there are no suitable items with icons. Buying a 4 xp Chicago Typewriter just to never fire it but commit to fights every other turn seems fun, but certainly too expensive.

Leo: I prioritize combo pieces over him, but play him when possible (unless victory is around the corner). Lot's of ressources tend to accumulate mid to late game, unless you have a (permanent) talent or a thief. Without compromising the combo, you only have 1 flex slot left, so you could only include 1x Dr. Milan Christopher or Peter Sylvestre. However Dario El-Amin is an easily overlooked option, after spending some XP on Hot Streak. Rogues don't have any cheap allies yet, that can sub as soaks. From these options i'd take milan i guess.

Pickpocketing 2: It's true that i may underestimate the card combined with his ability and i forgot it's illicit. We just played group B from the labyrinth yesterday and evasion would've solved many situations differently, especially pacifying the boss. Also fun combo, evade 2 guys, move 1 and guardian fireballs them.

Chicago Typewriter: I've included Bulletproof Vest for just that purpose, but it's cheaper XP wise.

I enjoy talking/ writing about decks and possible combos very much. I played MTG a decade ago but don't like competative games anymore. I missed deck building a lot, so this game a very good alternate. I hope the developers will hold back on too powerful cards, though. Just don't expect me to reply right away.

If you want more scavenge/backpack fodder you could replace Lucky! with Strange Solution

Upgrades: Finn can't get the Golden Pocket Watch.... :(

How do you feel about replacing Leo with Lola?

Chicago Typewriter and Hot Streak are out too.

@Evilamarant7xI know, but Lucky! can also save your ass in so many situations...

@Chobabot I already removed The Gold Pocket Watch from upgrade list some days ago. But Chicago Typewriter is an illicit item, so he can play it. I can't edit comments, so i can't remove Hot Streak 4 from there. However he can play Hot Streak 2 instead.

Lola's not been released yet, so i don't really consider her. This deck isn't built around ressource gain (this would lose too many items), so don't think she'd work. One way that could work however, if you replace 1x Lucky! and 1x Rabbit's Foot with 2x Dr. Milan Christopher and add Charisma then you may be able to pay her.

Ah, missed the illicit on the Chicago Typewriter. The one thing I have struggled with taking this deck through the first four Carcosa scenarios is resources.

And first scenario I replayed and I pulled Lucky! and one Rabbit's Foot for a pair of Magnifying Glass after failing at investigating and getting trashed in Curtain Call. Also I threw two Perception in the Lockpicks slots. It helped immensely.

Thanks for your report! So you played solo through the first 4 scenarios of carcosa?

You have an idea what caused the ressource shortage? Is Leo De Luca too expensive? Did you try Hot Streak 2?

How did you deal with enemies in first scenario? The .41 Derringers are pretty expensive for what they do. In solo i think your first upgrades after Lockpicks should be 2x Switchblade or 2x Lupara if sufficient XP.

Hey! Awesome deck, I have been mulling over a similar Finn deck since we found out his deckbuilding restrictions. I hadn't considered recurring backpack, and now I'm excited to give it a shot. Out of curiosity, how do you find the resource engine? I was considering setting my Finn up to be a bit of support to the other investigators, and running Charles Ross, Esq. to help Yorrick do Yorrick things (and his discount could be useful if you're finding yourself replaying Backpack, Flashlight, or Fine Clothes during the scenario... or replaying your Scavenged .41 Derringer, Lockpicks, or Lupara once you have some XP. I mean, I know Dr. Milan Christopher is almost always going to be better, but I really hate taking him from Daisy

@TipsyGamer I never played this specific deck, but a similar one with a custom character created by me. Ressources have been ok, but hardly overflowing, especially once you have Streetwise.

Charles Ross, Esq. is a great idea, his ability is like "gain 1 ressource" each turn (see reviews on the cards page). It helps you replay your own items. What are oyu going to cut for him? Recurring items with a is very strong in this kind of deck.

I played Scavenging Minh through my first run at Carcosa, so I know all about the value of ? items, and hurts me to say it, but I cut 1 Rabbit's Foot, and Lucky! for Charles Ross, Esq. I'm also not running Leo De Luca in my 0 XP build, since I only have the one Ally slot, and Ross wouldn't hurt my early tempo as bad as Leo would. I haven't really thought too hard about the upgrade path yet, as I'm just getting ready to start a campaign with the deck, but I may add Charisma and a second ally (via Adaptable) later, if I have the spare xp. I'm not sure which other ally I'd go for though, Lola Santiago is coming out soon and looks very tempting, though I don't know if the deck would have the economy to support using her ability often at anything but the lowest shroud locations, and she's another big xp expenditure where there are a lot of potentially interesting places to spend your xp.

Charles seems like he might rise in stock, since there are quite a number of decks that are coming out right now that like items (Backpack decks, Relic decks), and I like the idea of playing a Rogue that's a bit more helpful to their teammates (especially when you're using "You handle this one!" to make them take your tests for you :)

Also, another interesting suggestion for XP in any deck with Backpack and reliable Scavenging is Key of Ys, since it has that important item keyword (though I know some think it's too powerful)

I agree that Lola Santiago is likely to be too expensive. However depending on your playstyle and group, you could replace cards like Elusive or Sneak Attack with Lone Wolf.

I've played an "Ashcan" Pete deck with the Key of Ys once, my own "true survivor" version and it was ridiculous. The deck itself was already overpowered, gaining lots of ressources with David Renfield and recurring Will to Survive every 2-3 turns with Resourceful and True Survivor. I ran out of stuff to buy with XP, so i got the key (Survivor doen't have many high XP cards). It saved me lots of ressources i would've spent on Plucky or Scrapper.

I usually don't include the key in upgrade lists, as it can included in nearly any deck. Additinoally, because it's unique i don't want to create the impression it's necessary for any of my decks. Otherwise another player in the readers group might not be able to play it.

I remember reading your writeup for that deck, "Hello? This is dog", right? You post a lot of fun decks :)

I agree, Key is pretty much good in any deck. I was thinking of running it here because I haven't tried it, and I'm currently running it as a deck test in a three-handed solo campaign and what better time to run the crazy cards

I think Lola is worth a look, though she costs 9XP if you want two copies and she's your second Ally. She makes Finn better at what he's already good at (and basically means one set of Lockpicks is good all game), and gives you a good way to pick up quick clues in low shroud locations (I don't remember the last 1 Shroud location I saw, though)

One other thought I had though, have you thought of switching out "Watch this!" for Emergency Cache as the economy card (since then Backpack can find it)? It's tough to give up the skill icons, but Cache is more reliable, and it's hard to argue with tutorable economy

The original deck "Hello? This is dog" is from AkaaQ, not from me. It was very effective in it's own way and i added the "true survivor" combo in this version:

arkhamdb.com

Lola costs 6 XP, but i guess you also count Charisma. As i said i'm not sure the deck's economy is sufficient for her wihtout Lone Wolf, but you're welcome to try. The key makes the owner good at everything, so not sure if you need her, once you have it. I'd also recommend Elder Sign Amulet as horror soak if play it.

I like the fact that "Watch this!" does not need an action to play, But it seems i forgot Emergency Cache can be found by Backpack... and there's also Emergency Cache 3, which is like another action saved for "gain one ressource".

Hi, thanks for the great deck! I was looking for a cluer who's not a seeker, and this deck fits me perfect. I just saw the announcement for Tennessee Sour Mash - wouldn't that be just the perfect card for Finn? I'm thinking about switching it for "you handle this one" - what do you think?

I think that card is terrible, even with +2 you're going to fail most will tests so "Let me handle this!" is way better. And i don't even consider 1 damage weapons for my decks, they're just wasting slots.

This card might be worth on investigators with a base 3, when playing on standard. Most relevant tests have a difficulty of 3.

On deck strategy, i think Liquid Courage is better than Tennessee Sour Mash as Scavenging target because it's reactive. So should you ever be down to 1 sanity you can play it and heal 1 horror guaranteed, while you'd need to play Tennessee Sour Mash in advance and hope to succeed tests that deal horror.

Ha - I suppose thats why I'm looking for help with decks here. I see your point :)

If you’re new to the game you might want to play a different investigator with 3 or more so get a feeling for existing encounter cards? So you learn which Ones you can just fail?

Theres many that deal damage and horror so you just need enough soaks and don’t care about their tests. But some totally screw you, like giving a permanent debuff or reducing your actions.

I played a lot of seekers, and Finn is just much more fun. I'm just annoyed by cards like Unheiliges Land which I just got in the 2nd round or so and tried for almost the rest of the game to get rid of ;)

I know what you mean, i played Joe Diamond and Preston Fairmont in 2 handed 2 player through RT NOTZ, they both very vulnerable to the encounter deck.

Are you aware that treacheries like Unhallowed Country (are you german? I'm too) in your threat are can be resolved by any player?

Yeah, I'm German xD Tach auch :) But, another player can test to discard the treachery? oO Definitely not aware...

Thank you for the deck list. I really like the ideas in here and it was one of the two lists I saw of Finn Edwards that made me have to give him a go on my groups Return to Dunwich play-through and I have been having a blast. I particularly loved seeing backpack used to good effect for once in a decklist. Here is hoping we get some new utility body slots to go with it one day.

Hi, your deck sounds very nice.You dont explain in your summary how to deal with the encounter deck. you should lose 90% of the will tests? For the Forgotten age do you think finn would be good with Usurla downs?

With 1 you should always assume you'll fail such tests, as pushing it is too expensive. But not all encounter tests are based.

• Having an empty Flashlight in play is good to protect expensive assets like Leo De Luca from cards like Crypt Chill
• Some encounter cards add to your threat area and need and tests to resolve. Ask other characters to do this for you, as anyone can solve stuff in anothers threat area.
• Save "You handle this one!" for encounter cards that would cripple you or when a failed test would kill you/ drive you insane
• Exploration decks in FA also have encounter cards, so you should ask other players to explore and potentially resolve those.

About teaming up with Ursula Downs: Both characters aren't good at killing enemies, especially at 0 xp. Evading is a temporary solution cause you need to do so every turn. Especially with hunters, you'd spend more actions each turn to evade without making progress and will likely be killed at some point.

That team could work, but Finn will have to deal with most enemies cause Ursula has no access to weapons that deal 2 or more damage at 0 xp. That would also be a waste cause most cards are about collicting clues (faster). For Finn this requires a lot of modifications, that i don't want to post as a comment. If you're interested in trying that, i could try to built you a version of this deck and post the link. You still need to investigate once a while for Scavenging, so it's not as easy as replacing all clue with combat options.

Thanks you for your answer. Actually you right, may be leo Anderson would be a better choice as a second investigator. I'll keep your deck for finn and I'll find a good one for leo.

Mr Anderson is a good choice. He's one of the few characters who can afford all those powerful guardian weapons and allies, thanks to his rogue access.

What do you think about Fence in this deck (with XP, obv)

I think Fence's main use would either be to recycle cards by discarding (play another asset of the same slot), Scavenging and replaying them or simply to speed up your deck, if you play 6+ illicit cards, as fence costs like 5 actions (draw, play, 3 ressources).

In this deck you could recycle Finn's Trusty .38, Lockpicks and .41 Derringer. I don't think that's worth it cause with finns stat you'll hardly ever discard Lockpicks and with his free evade you shouldn't be the primary fighter so you don't need to recycle weapons.

In an average game this deck would play 3-4 illicit cards, i don't think the 2nd use applies either.

However if you combine this deck with the following, mainly for .45 Thompson and Contraband, that's a different story. You get rich from the .45 and fence and can recycle the .45. I guess you'll need Well Connected to trigger Scavenging as your handslots can't hold Lockpicks anymore.

arkhamdb.com