Lola Hayes leverages best practice Synergies

Card draw simulator

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Sagesse · 664

Template for a new Lola deck that abuses synergy. To do that, we need all five class types in play. This is a clue-ver deck that definitely needs a team to get started. It probably pwns late campaign.

First priority is that we need the permanents of 5 classes to activate all the synergy cards. Permanents are immune to Crisis of Identity. We could, and I have in the past, saved our exp and bought the many talents available (e.g. Higher Education) and then get loads of cash and go ham. I've already built that Lola deck. It was fun and we beat Path to Carcosa with it. Lola even struck the killing blow Katniss Everdeen style. I want to try something different.

Let's look at the new start of game permanents. In my opinion, the new Seeker/Guardian permanents don't play well with Lola builds. Geared Up forces us to lose my first turn to play item assets of a single class (due to Lola's play restriction) or neutral, which in itself is a mildly horrifying gamble in Lola due to her Crisis of Identity, but is made exponentially worse by Forced Learning's increase deck size and card draw. The items are more spread out and drawing Crisis of Identity is more likely. I did try, though. I tried to find enough useful items in one class to justify Geared Up. Survivor was close. I just didn't find enough. I also tried to make Forced Learning work. This was a very different deck with discard recursion, but it was inconsistent like 50 card Mandy. I chose not to use Underworld Support since deck flexibility is Lola's True Form, but the card pool is big enough that it might be fun. Maybe next time.

I have no plans to use Shrewd Analysis. It's just a free Seeker permanent.

So I use In the Thick of It to add Adaptable and Sacred Covenant. This begins the campaign with full synergy. Adaptable is something Lola players really want anyway so that they can manage her deck restrictions as she buys upgrades. In order to justify Sacred Covenant we need to side hustle into bless tokens.

However, there is no crucial impetus to using In the Thick of It in this fashion. We could easily skip adding this now and spend the exp during the campaign. Note that, as a side effect of Down the Rabbit Hole, adding these cards now is actually worth 5 exp, not just the 3 exp printed on the cards. I guess it's down to how much trauma bothers you. A Thermos is included for the wary. I suggest 2 x physical trauma since the Heavy Furs lean our assets into physical soak.

Typically, my Lola philosophy is to pick a "safe" class to draw cards or create one using Alyssa Graham (or similar effects.) The neutral assets change all of that. There is no need for "safe" classes anymore since we now handle soak primarily through neutral assets. This frees up a significant portion of Lola's deck space. The drawback is that we don't have any passive skill modifiers. Good thing we are teching Bless tokens and testless clues. Later, we can hire a Classy Gentleman.

Let's add some cards. We add Keep Faith to supply bless tokens for the team. We add Flashlight, "Look what I found!", and Lucky! for some "testless" clues off of shrouds up to 6. We also add Drawn to the Flame, and Extensive Research for actual testless clues. We can consider Intel Report later in the campaign as an Adaptable swap.

Skill-wise, Deduction slips in there since it combos well with our cheesy clue suite. The other included skills provide wild icons for flexibility or play into our initial clue-ver function. Be careful, I guess... as Perception draws cards, though we are less concerned about that in Lola than ever before. We can remind ourselves that that Daring exists as an Adaptable swap.

Some of the cards in the last two paragraphs are also included specifically in the starter build as upgrade options for Down the Rabbit Hole.

In fact, let's add Preposterous Sketches anyway so we can get some card draw.

"Hit me!" and Ethereal Slip fill two class slots each and are new cards I want to try. Hit me gets better with the bless sub theme and Ethereal slip is 1) upgradable and 2) combos well with On the Trail to teleport away from an enemy, come back getting free clues, then, say, using Gang Up to annihilate whatever poor enemy deigned to exist nearby. Or other shenanigans, idk. They are new cards and I want to try them. I can always Adaptable them out if they are subpar.

Lola needs some way to defend herself. If a Lucky! evade doesn't work out, perhaps her Sled Dogs and Improvised Weapons will help. She might even have some dangerous improvised weapons to start the game with since Short Supply discards part of our deck. (It can get weaknesses out, too!)

Maybe we could have A Chance Encounter with a Sled Dog instead.

Now taking a step back, she is Survivor/Seeker/Mystic for her build requirements. As I upgrade her deck contents, I can use Adaptable to keep her within her deck restrictions, keeping in mind that the permanents count as class cards.

I like this deck. See, my playgroup plays a lot of Hard Mode Arkham. Not a flex, but speaking from that hard mode mindset, this might be the first Lola deck I've built that I'd trust to truly handle itself in hard mode. Alas, this is likely going to be my blind playthrough deck for Edge of the Earth. Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys!

Have fun!

3 comments

Oct 20, 2021 Sagesse · 664

Please note a trick with Adaptable and Down the Rabbit Hole. Basically, if it has a level 0 version and can be upgraded, you can spend the Adaptable swap to get the base version of a card right before upgrading it while enjoying the exp discount.

For example, In between scenarios, you could Adaptable in a couple copies of level zero A Chance Encounter, then immediately upgrade them to level 2 copies of A Chance Encounter using the exp discount from Down the Rabbit Hole.

Apr 12, 2022 Ryson · 34

Actually I do not think your statement on Geared Up is correct: "We have to choose one class for the items".

Indeed, Lola can choose a role after she draws her opening hand (so after you mulligan) and this is a Forced ability.

Moreover, she can use her to change class afterward during her first turn.

That means that you can have items from two different class. I was considering myself a Geared Up + Black Market build with items + items from another class (maybe ). Advandage if you have Black Market in first hand is that you have 5 additional cards in your first turn to play items + 5 occasion to fetch Crisis of Identity without any consequence.

Of course that would be more consistent when Studious is on the board.

Other considerations : I guess you are only wanting 2x Sled Dog in play ? (Because I see no Rod of Animalism or Charisma) In case you are wanting more Dogs, Scrounge for Supplies could be useful to get back a lost Sled Dog to Short Supply or Lucid Dreaming to get quicker the 4 Dogs in Play :)

Nov 05, 2023 IntoxIcatIon · 1

@Ryson Which items did you have in mind? I guess they have to be kind of cheap, yet still useful for Lola? Black market already costs 1, so there are 4 Ressources for possibly 4 more items left (assuming you're using the latest taboo). Could be a good combo with Studious and Another day, another dollar?!