Card Reviews · ArkhamDB

Toe to Toe

Automatic stuff is good. Resist the attack with some soak because I'm not actually sure you're allowed to cancel it with cards like Dodge, because that's cancelling the "cost of taking at attack.

You can commit skill cards, Vicious Blow for example, Nathaniel Cho gets a bonus, Daniela Reyes obviously.

Note, this might seem a steep and risky price to pay for one hit, compared to playing Monster Slayer or One-Two Punch, but automatic hits are worth their weight in gold in hard and expert, where the chaos bag is like a coiled snake, full of terrible tokens.

Most incredibly, it's level 0, a whole heap of charactes can sneak this into their decks to reap the benefit.

9/26/21

Tsuruki23 · 2618

Amazing early game tech for . . . I forget his name, the Cursed Survivor who starts with all 0's. — OrionJA · 1 9/27/21

Calvin. — supertoasty · 40 9/28/21

I don’t see why you can’t use dodge against this… — gazzagames · 7 9/30/21

Also I think this exhausts the enemy as it is an attack not an AOO… which might also be useful… — gazzagames · 7 9/30/21

You can't use Dodge because being attacked is the cost of the free successful Fight. If you cancel the cost, you haven't paid for the product. (You can, however, cancel the damage or horror from the attack.) — supertoasty · 40 10/1/21

@gazzagames enemies do not exhaust because they attack, they exhaust as part of the enemy phase, which just happens to be after they attack in that phase. This card, and anything else that causes attacks of any kind, does not exhaust enemies unless otherwise specified. — Lasiace · 24 10/6/21

enemies do exhaust. Only AOO will not cause enemy exhausted. Other attack actions no matter what phase will cause the enemy exhausted~ — BoomEzreal · 10 10/13/21

See the FAQ, p — codemonkey · 1 10/18/21

Bloody hell...p. 13: Do enemies exhaust after making attacks of opportunity, retaliate attacks, or other attacks (via card effects)?No. Enemies only exhaust after attacking if they perform an attack during step 3.3 of the enemy phase. Unless otherwise noted, all other enemy attacks do not cause that enemy to exhaust. — codemonkey · 1 10/18/21

If you are able to defeat a monster with your attack when using this card, does the monster get to attack you back or is that part of the card cancelled? — HandsomeDust · 1 10/19/21

Being attacked is part of the cost, so it happens before you even get to do your attack. — Lasiace · 24 10/22/21

So another question then can you use counterpunch or similar effect on this attack… assume you can snd then get your auto success attack from toe to toe…. — gazzagames · 7 10/26/21

Yeah, counterpunch should work fine, since you're just interrupting an attack and not cancelling it or anything like that. — Lasiace · 24 11/4/21

what if the enemy is evaded first? still attacks? able to use this card? — Krysmopompas · 387 12/15/23

I would argue that cards like Dodge *do* work with Toe to Toe. From p. 6 in the RR: "Any time the effects of an ability are canceled, the ability (apart from its effects) is still regarded as initiated, and any costs have still been paid. The effects of the ability, however, are prevented from initiating and do not resolve." — Desiderata · 3 10/27/25

@Krysmopompas - if the enemy is evaded first they still attack and you are able to use this card. The "enemy attack" here is not an attack of opportunity, it's an extra thing specific to this card. — Almevirian · 8 1/9/26

@Desiderata - that's the thing though: "Any time the effects of an ability are canceled". In this case the enemy attack is not an effect, it is a COST. Quoting one of the designers: "If the cost of a card cannot be paid or is canceled, the cost has not been successfully paid, thus its effects do not resolve" — Almevirian · 8 1/9/26

Peter Sylvestre

One of the best cards around, here's why:

1: The ultimate horror soak! So long as you can keep him alive, It's a saved horror every turn. Because he can "fit" two at once, and horror effects typically hit in small bursts (often 2 or 3), you can "fill" up on some horror when it hits and slowly heal it in the aftermath. He completely takes the bite out of the worst horror treacheries in the game, the only real danger then to your sanity is a nasty enemy breathing down your neck with opportunity hits, or self inflicted pain (incidentally, one of the best solutions to the backlash of Shrivelling is having Pete around.

2: STATS! A +1 on two different stats is excellent for a single asset, and benefits multiple playstyles, whether you're harnessing to make evades and shoot an Ornate Bow or Enchanted Bow, or the to land spell charges like Shrivelling and Rite of Seeking, the other stats are still there and give you new options, help you pass localized tests like parlays and treachery tests, when your spells are empty you can evade.

Do keep in mind that both of his stats are "defensive stats", the vast majority of Treacheries that inflict skill tests target , and is up there as much less common, but still second place. Even if only defensively this guy is good, if you start looking down the barrel of late-campaign scenarios with some trauma in your bag, give him a look.

9/26/21

Tsuruki23 · 2618

Unexpected Courage

This card does a couple things that are inobvious.

1: It makes repeat testing to beat a hard challenge more consistent. You know that moment when you've just got to try a test, and your odds are low but plausible? You might commit a card like Overpower or Perception but that'd only get you up to a net +1 over the difficulty. This version of Unexpected Courage can do precisely this, it does'nt guarantee the success on the first action, but it'll come back and give you another go, so that hard you're gunning is'nt "so hard that it's not worth trying", it's "Successful eventually".

To give you a precise case: a Wendy Adams trying to get the last clue from a 4-shroud like the Cellar. Ye's it might fail the first time, but it's certainly worth trying for.

2: Pump numbers for "Fail to succeed" events, the likes of "Look what I found!". Sometimes you'll encounter a hard spot, like Cellar, and a Wendy Adams attempting to pick up clues from there might struggle to even play "Look what I found!", especially on Hard difficulty with very big penalties in the bag. Unexpected Courage pumps the numbers, so you'll either succeed or drastically improve your "Look what I found!" chances. And it'll come back too!

9/26/21

Tsuruki23 · 2618

Ethereal Slip

I think it's a really interesting design. How good this is depends of course on the scenarios you're playing and the number of 'gators you're running. More gators, more enemies in play at a time, yadda yadda, it becomes better in campaigns with huge maps (looking at you, Innsmouth!)

Maybe best described as Elusive in reverse, but with a bigger range (assuming the taboo list) and allows Mystics access -- and my if, true to the art with Dexter, it doesn't half let you pull some tricks! Fun to use if you pick an exhausted enemy to swap with. Get to the resign location with that big enemy on; pull aggro from other gators; just move around the map more efficiently... you're saving a move action if you pick 2 connections.

I like it. Did well in Pit of Despair when I tried it in Lily this afternoon. Looking forward to seeing if it continues to carry its weight.

9/26/21

fiatluxia · 72

Move away...THEN swap. Take a foe outta there. — MrGoldbee · 1529 9/26/21

Ah yes, I meant at another location, heh. Definitely shenanigans possible! — fiatluxia · 72 9/26/21

another great option for Tricky Rita! — Krysmopompas · 387 10/11/21

How does this card work when the enemy in question is engaged with another investigator? Does this investigator move with the enemy, or does he or she stay behind? — Krystyna z mrocznej gazowni · 1 10/17/21

Only the enemy moves. — MrGoldbee · 1529 2/26/22

When I play this card ,threat area enemies move with me? or stay in place — Aslan_IFLY · 1 11/2/22

Sledgehammer

Is Arkham Horror not a game you actively enjoy playing? Roped in by a friend or family member, do you just wish that your turn would end faster? Well, call me Bob Jenkins, because FFG has the deal for you!

With Sledgehammer (4), you can make sure your turn is over and done with in minimal time. Spend every iota of your effort and all of your actions crushing that Swarm of Rats into nothing but juicy red pulp, and leave the actual minutiae of doing something so base as looking for clues or discovering locations to the other members of your team.

Sledgehammer (4) -- It's better than just watching.

(As an aside, I'm eternally amused that upgrading to Sledgehammer (4) adds five pounds of weight to the head of the hammer. Lol!)

9/26/21

fiatluxia · 72

I would rather imo run the lvl 0 sledgehammer with Carolyn and attempt to kill rat >:) — Therealestize · 81 9/26/21

This is basically a weapon that deals 2 damage per action which in itself is good if it wasn't for the fact it costs 4 XP. If you are using the first ability, which is basically what you will mostly use, you then only get +1 Combat, which is pretty low as most level 2 weapons and some level 0 weapons offer +2. On the plus side there is no gimmick (as in Fire Axe and Meat Cleaver) and it's unlimited (unlike the .18 Derringer). This weapons only finds its value in the second ability that allows to deal 6 damage for 3 actions (so still 2 damage per action) but with a hefty +5 Combat and you only need to draw one token instead of 3 (this is basically a ritual to summon the tentacle). However this is an ability that you only ever want to use on enemies with 5+ Health and there are really not a lot of them. Moreover if you are fighting some boss then you'd rather have a weapon that deals 3 damage per action like the Chainsaw. I't worth to note that Yorick might like this weapon in conjunction with well prepared since it has 3 Combat icons. But then again so does the already mentioned Chainsaw. — Killbray · 14211 9/29/21

Put the excess damage on Relentless for maximum profit — MiskatonicFrosh · 370 9/29/21

Yeah, this is definitely an end campaign Smack The Boss weapon. — fiatluxia · 72 9/29/21

I never understand why people make comparisons between items with limited uses and those that are unlimited. E.g., the already mentioned Chainsaw. — puert · 49 12/4/21

The God of One Thousand Forms emerges, in all it's hideous majesty. It does not speak, there is only the shrieking discordnat voices from it's many maws and the wet slapping of it's tendrils But in your mind, as clear as though it were a voice, the reality forms: The age of man is done. This being is greater than you could ever fathom From a world beyond your comprehension In a universe so small the you, our race, our entire history and civilization, are powerless and meaningless before the entropic gravity of this harsh truth that- ~~~ Some hobo: "AHHHHHHHH!!!" ~~~ Runs 40 yards across a field to swat Nyar with a sledgehammer ~~~ Nyarlathotep: "Blergh" Dies instantly — The Nue · 1 8/10/22

@The Nue This is how it be. — mythosmeeple · 486 10/10/22