This is the official Starter Deck from Fantasy Flight Games. The provided basic weakness is included. The Headers and content are copied directly from the insert of the pack. Links for easier understanding were done by me.

Harvey Walters Starter Deck

Harvey is an erudite seeker who excels at drawing cards and managing a hand flush with cards. To get the most out of Harvey, you want to always have a fist full of cards, usually 10 or more. Vault of Knowledge and Laboratory Assistant are two cards you want in your opening hand, as both allow you to draw cards while also increasing you maximum hand size. If you don't have either of those cards or Preposterous Sketches, feel free to keep using the basic draw 1 card action to build up your hand (and remember to draw 1 additional card with Harvey's ability each round).

having lots of cards in you hand allows you to do several things, such as discover 2 clues at your location with Extensive Research, translate the Forbidden Tome, and get +1 willpower and +2 intellect with Celaeno Fragments! In addition to drawing cards, Harvey's accumulated wisdom makes him great at discovering clues. He has an impressive intellect, and cards like Deduction and Extensive Research allow him to get clues more efficiently.

With him low combat and agility, Harvey's biggest drawback is his difficulty at dealing with enemies. He often relies on other investigators to handle enemies, which can make him challenging to use for solo play until you get experience. Disc of Itzamna and Occult Invocation help with this. Committing cards from your hand to critical skill tests is another option. For multiplayer, playing Harvey with Nathaniel Cho maks for a great duo. as they cover each other's shortcomings fairly well.

Upgrading Harvey Walters

There are many interesting Upgrades in this starter deck that give Harvey different paths to upgrade into. One option is to focus on achieving the largest possible maximum hand size with this deck. By purchasing Miskatonic Archaeology Funding (level 4), you can get 2 Laboratory Assistants, 2 Arcane Enlightenment, and Vault of Knowledge in play for a maximum hand size of 16! Having that many cards in hand makes you feel like you can handle anything, and gives maximum value to many of your cards, such as Celaeno Fragments and Cryptic Writings (level 2).

Another option is to acquire several Tome assets, such as Forbidden Tome (Secrets Revealed) (level 3) and Esoteric Atlas (level 2), and use Whitton Greene (level 2) to search for them. But no book is as infamous as The Necronomicon (level 5), and the power and versatility of this version reflects that. Once it no longer has any secrets, you can return it to your hand with Library Docent (level 1) and then play it later, refilled with new secrets. Controlling 2 Arcane Enlightenments allows you to hold 4 Tome assets at once, which gives you plenty of flexibility.

If you want to give Harvey some bite against enemies, purchasing "I've got a plan!" (level 2), Mind over Matter (level 2), or Forbidden Tome (Dark Knowledge) (level 3) should do the trick. Going this route makes Harvey more well rounded for solo play. Farsight (level 4) is a powerful asset and can be an appealing upgrade for this path, as you can cut Arcane Enlightenment or Feed the Mind to free up your arcane slots.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Harvey's ability to draw an extra card during a search effect, such as the ability on Whitton Greene?

Yes, you may use Harvey's ability anytime an effect uses the word "draw," even if that effect does not draw cards from the top of your deck. However, the additional card draw that you get from Harvey's ability still comes from the top of your deck (after resolving Whitton Greene's ability and shuffling your deck).

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