WWF - The Witching Hour (Norman Withers)

The Circle Undone (WWF)

3-handed solo run through The Circle Undone (taboo (Sep-2019); hard difficulty)
Investigators: Norman (W)ithers, (W)illiam Yorick, and (F)inn Edwards

This campaign run is to see just how far Norman Withers' ability to manipulate the encounter deck can go in a 3 setup.

Norman Withers here is the controller, using Scrying (3) and Split the Angle to manipulate the encounter deck every round.

Overview

Piloting

Mulligan
Priority for Mr. "Rook" and Old Book of Lore.
Once upgraded to Arcane Initiate (3), priority goes to it, followed by Scrying (3).

In game
In the early campaign, use Mr. "Rook" to cycle aggressively and trigger Astounding Revelation.
Once you have Scrying (3) and Split the Angle, you can look look at the encounter deck with Scrying (3) and then discard any card you don't wish to encounter with Split the Angle.
Once you have Dayana Esperence (3), you can then attach Ward of Protection (2) on her for even greater control.
Astounding Revelation can now be used to recharge her secrets.
I found that Norman could easily shut down the Encounter deck for 90% of the game as I easily cycle through the deck 4-5 times per scenario, replaying a new Scrying (3) whenever the old one runs out of charges.
It helps that Carolyn Fern is there to heal off the horror sustained through Ward of Protection (2) and recycling the deck.

Upgrade path

“No plan of operations reaches with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main force.” - Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke

High Priority

• Scrying (3) usage here is 3-fold - change the top card of the deck, trigger Astounding Revelation, and combined with Split the Angle to discard nasty encounters
• Ward of Protection (2)

Medium Priority

• Recall the Future (2)
• Charisma (3)
• Arcane Initiate (3) helps to trigger Astounding Revelation as well as change the top card of the deck
• Counterspell (2)
• Dayana Esperence (3) use with Ward of Protection (2) for sustained encounter protection

Low Priority

• Mists of R'lyeh (4)
• Time Warp (2)
• Grotesque Statue (4)
• Jewel of Aureolus (3)
• Fearless (2) necessary if team has limited horror healing capabilities

Alternatives

• Shrivelling (5) instead of Mists of R'lyeh (4)
• Storm of Spirits (3)
• Book of Shadows (3) instead of Grotesque Statue (4)
  1. Sustain Scrying (3) in case you do not draw either a replacement Scrying or Knowledge is Power
  2. Additional arcane slot for Seal of the Seventh Sign (5)

Campaign Log

Prologue: Disappearance at the Twilight Estate
Gavriella Mizrah was taken by the Watcher
Jerome Davids was pulled into the spectral realm
Penny White
Valentino Rivas disappeared into the mist
15 pieces of evidence were left behind

Scenario 1: The Witching Hour ( R2 : 8VP )
You have rejected your fate
The witches' spell was broken
Mementos Discovered: Mesmerizing Flute, Scrap of Torn Shadow