Pet Sematary Yorrick: Captain Squally's Thematic Deck Series

Captain Squally's Thematic Deck Series: Halloween Edition 2020

Pet Sematary Yorrick

William Yorrick shovelled the last bit of dirt into the hole and patted it flat with the back of his spade. He opened his Book of Psalms and prepared to read the passage for the Rite of Sanctification. He had learned the hard way that without the proper Rite, the things he buried in this hallowed ground came back twisted. With the proper rites, even the lowly pets of Arkham could come back Sanctified and ready to do their part to turn back the darkness of the Mythos!

As Yorrick finished the Rite, he closed his eyes and waited for the familiar sound of shuffling dirt. Opening them again, he watched the tattered hound shake off the remnants of the grave, and, panting, slink up to Yorrick for a scratch behind the ears.

"Good boy, Spot," he said, ruffling the dog's dirty, matted coat. "You had a rough go last time."

He picked up the chainsaw he had set by his feet and with a quick pull of the ripcord it roared to life.

"I'm going to do some biting of my own this time."

Even over the growl of the chainsaw he could hear the ghouls in the dark, chittering and slinking between the gravestones.

Welcome, investigators, to Captain Squally's Thematic Deck Series. If you've made it here then you are likely in search of a deck with a little something more. A deck with a story. A deck dripping with theme.

This Halloween I am proud to present to you Pet Sematary Yorrick, a deck idea that I have played around with ever since Yorrick was released. At that time, his only pet options were Guard Dog and Stray Cat. Since then, even more majestic animals have become available for him to reanimate from the grave, alongside some perfectly thematic economy options from the recent Innsmouth box.

With Halloween right around the corner, now is the perfect time to assemble a thematic deck, setup your game room for maximum atmosphere and create a spooky story all your own. Just don't forget to set out a bowl of treats for the furry ones. I hear they are exceptionally hungry once they rise from their graves!

Without further ado, let's go through the ins and outs of some of the combos in this deck, and remember, kids: the only good deck is a thematic deck!

Deck Tech

The idea behind this deck is controlling an unstoppable army of undead pets, and recurring them as many times as possible to make use of their powerful effects.

Rite of Sanctification - Economy acceleration in an uncontested slot. Book of Psalms, Keep Faith and Tempt Fate will all make sure you have Bless tokens at the ready. Use the cost reduction from this card to help with repeatedly playing your pet allies.

Chainsaw - Backup your army of pets with one of the most fun weapons in the game. Keep it topped off with your Emergency Cache

Bandolier - Designed to help you keep your Chainsaw out while keeping hands open to cycle Gravedigger's Shovel, Old Keyring or to hold on to your Book of Psalms. Could easily be replaced with Fine Clothes, Cherished Keepsake or Leather Coat if Bandolier is not your style.

Guard Dog - Have him soak hits. The more efficient you can be with this the better. Use the repeated damage he can dish out to keep the Yorrick recursion engine going. Feel free to go about your business and let him soak attacks of opportunity. Don't be afraid of killing him, he'll be back!

Miss Doyle - Sometimes a crap shoot but must be included for maximum thematic reasons. Depending what cat you pull, can help with investigations or evasions.

Mysterious Raven - The Raven is this deck's quickest and most reliable access to clues. Recur it as often as possible through Yorrick's baked in ability, A Chance Encounter, or Resourceful. The Black Cat can help with the repeated horror, and the Book of Psalms can help heal some of that horror while stacking the chaos bag in your favor.

Stray Cat - Use ASAP for a free evade and to make room for other pets.

The Black Cat - Main horror soak for when you repeatedly make use of the raven. He can also soften up those nasty tokens while in play, especially the , which damages his health while the Raven taxes his sanity.

A Chance Encounter - Can immediately put any of your allies back into play from the graveyard, fully ready to rock. Mysterious Raven is always a great target unless the game is pressuring you with enemies or you need some extra health and sanity padding.

Emergency Cache - Top off the Chainsaw, or give yourself a fat stack of Resources to spend on your pets. Use your best judgement.

Flare - The ideal targets are Guard Dog, Miss Doyle, or The Black Cat because of the resource efficiency, but there are plenty of targets in the deck and it is sure to hit something! Can also be used for a nice 3 damage attack if you are already setup with allies. Remember, when Yorrick kills, he recurs.

Keep Faith - Load the bag up for your Rite of Sanctification. Money in the bank.

Resourceful - Plenty of good targets for this in your deck. Again, Mysterious Raven whenever you can to help advance the game, unless you are being pressured in other ways (enemies and/or health/sanity). This card is a Survivor's best friend.

In summary, the more enemies the Mythos throws at you, the more screwed it will be as you shred through them and repeatedly dig up your Mysterious Raven and other pets, comboing them to rapidly discover clues, dish out damage, or evade enemies and lay them out cold.

I hope you enjoy the theme of the deck and find that it is quite playable as well. For an exceptionally spooky Halloween adventure, might I suggest pairing it with The Curse of the Rougarou standalone scenario? Wheatever you pick, you are sure to have a good time, but I will leave you with a small taste of what could be in store for you:

The raven exploded over the hill and alighted on Yorrick's shoulder.

"Show me what you've seen, friend," Yorrick whispered, and the visions came.

An aerial view of the swamp, the hulking shape of the Rougarou parting reeds and stalking through the underbrush. It was closing in on his location.

Spot raised his hackles and bared his fangs. The Black Cat unfurled his tail and rose from his bed of ferns with a yawn and a sigh.

"I don't quite see the difference between that beast and our slobbery friend here," he muttered, "but I'll do what I can to help."

Yorrick grinned as he brandished his shovel like a club. That damn cat was always mouthing off.

The Rougarou liked his prey alone and unaware. Unluckily for him, Yorrick was ready. And he had an army.