Dexter's Thrill Chase

Introduction

I have wanted to run a Dexter Drake build for some time now, mostly because I'm a sucker for rogues and quite fancy the deckbuilding options he has at his disposal. While I was interested in toying with one after the introduction of Down the Rabbit Hole and Underworld Support, I felt like my idea needed more fuel to make that commitment worth it. Enter customizable cards! Let's see how far we can chase the thrill of upgrading with minimal pick-ups (really only snagging a few noteworthy exceptional tools along the way.

The goal of this build is to run as flexible as we can while maximizing the sheer volume of bonus XP we are pushing to acquire, thanks to Charon's Obol, Down the Rabbit Hole, Arcane Research, and Delve Too Deep. That is effectively 5-6 (depending on if you can squeeze Delve) bonus xp per scenario (minus three we will have to lose later when we purchase three specific cards). Some might call this over-kill, but given we have 4 customizable cards to play with, we'll have plenty of room to fill these. It should be noted that I do not advise this setup if you are running Zealot or Dream Eaters, since less scenarios means less time for this build to truly shine. I also want to acknowledge that while yes, the customizable cards lose their value in an Underworld deck since they normally apply to both copies, I'd still argue that the sheer volume will make you feel like you're over-compensating. With that said! Let the show commence!

Click here for completed version of the build.

Role & Composition Assumptions

I spent a lot of time considering whether to lean harder on combat or clues, but since Mystics tend to have a reputation for keeping things flex-heavy, I thought I'd stick to what seems most logical. Since we are going with an Underworld Support loadout, it's going to be important that we spread our options out as much as possible so that we can adapt to any situation thrown at us. It will be important to stress to your teammates in a 4p game that you won't be focused in one role; ideally you'll want at least one dedicated fighter and clue-seeker in your composition so that both can receive support from our dexterous magician, pun intended. You are never going to feel consistent on this run-through, which may be a turn-off for those of you who want to lean harder on clues or combat. I have had play-throughs where I was doing primarily clues, combat, or a mixture, and as long as your team is built expecting you to not be reliable at one of these two focuses, you'll impress.

Early Game Highlights

I'm not going to lie: The early game will feel a little rough around the edges with this build, because we are very-much pushing for a long-term progression with all our bonus xp. I normally like to spotlight the early-game that will make a deck function before upgrades, and the only real early highlight I have is that you should have a solution to nearly every problem presented at you, so long as you are prepared for a chaotic playthrough each time. Be prepared to exercise Dexter's fearlessly, even if a tool has not run out of charges yet.

Let's talk about some of the fun setups we will have access to after we start upgrading:

• Scroll of Secrets + Friends in Low Places (after we have picked up Clever) suddenly becomes a fun way to not only re-arrange your cards, but also has the potential to help you safely remove weaknesses from your deck if you happen to spot any.

• Sign Magick is fun and will come in handy when you happen to need to dual-wield your main three spells prepared.

• You have a lot of hand-slot assets, but those are going to be the prime targets of Dexter's swap. Be wary that Sign Magick will be the only one that stays once it's equipped. Fortunately, with the exception of the classic Sword Cane, all of these hand-tools have expiration dates, so they'll be easy to filter after making full use of them.

• Flashlight will become a valued multi-functional tool after the upgrade, especially since it has the wonderful ability to be used with other assets rather than being used in isolation; useful if we need to help our cane's evade or to avoid commits on high-shroud locations; that last point is especially relevant, since one of our expensive purchases will be Geas.

It should be noted that Quantum Flux is going to be more useful than one might presume based on the Underworld Support cutting your ability to gain second copies of these.

Mulligan Needs

Try and shoot for a single clue, combat, and resource-generator asset if you can help it. Your two Talent cards, Showmanship and Lone Wolf are definite keepers. Geas will also be a keeper after acquiring it.

Clue Assets Include: Flashlight, Clairvoyance, Sixth Sense,

Combat Assets include: Colt Vest Pocket, Brand of Cthugha, Sword Cane, Enchanted Blade

Resource-Generator Assets include: Lone Wolf, Emergency Cache, Faustian Bargain, and eventually The Red Clock.

Core Upgrades (21 Total XP)

There are a lot of upgrades for us to go for, but thanks to our aforementioned volume of bonus XP, this will come quickly throughout a standard 8-scenario campaign. I am going to start with what I feel are the most important pick-ups; I'd like to emphasize that it can be finnicky to select your choices, because the restrictions on how you spend your points via Arcane Research and Down the Rabbit Hole means you won't always have easy access to certain upgrades. For example: If your scenario only affords you 4 xp and you pulled off Delve, you're going to have 7 xp, in addition to discounts (1 for spell, 2 for upgrades). The good news is, if you should end up only able to upgrade 1-2 things at a time and you can't fit a spell, for example, you're able to add free checkmarks to Power Word. DTRH is also good at squeezing free checkmarks.

Here are my priority targets, early-on:

• Hyperphysical Shotcaster (2xp) - We intend to boost more into this later, but for now, we need at least something so this doesn't feel like dead weight in our deck after scenario 1. The three I feel work best for Dexter are Railshooter, Translocator, & Realitycollapser. I suggest picking one of these based on what your party needs more, and then hold off on the rest until you get your other priority picks.
• The Red Clock (5xp) - This is a preference; you could just take a cheap route of picking up Lucky Cigarette Case if you want card-draw, but I like the multi-functional utility in this. Part of the reason I wanted an Underworld deck was to make good use of single-limit cards, and this is literally exceptional.
  • Replace Lucky Cigarette Case.
• Geas (5xp) - Where there was one skill card in our deck, there is now none. I believe we have no need to commit with how our multi-functional playstyle that gets bolstered by our naturally strong . Don't forget you can always commit to your allies if they desperately need rescuing in the same location as you.
  • Replace "Watch this!".
• Sixth Sense (4xp) - We have two clue-spells, but we need one we can consistently rely on when the other runs out of charges. Not much else to say but it's too great not to take.
• Sign Magick (3xp) - Since we have four arcane slots needing fulfillment, let's break out this bad boy sooner than later.
• Flashlight (3xp) - The multi-functionality of this is hard to pass up on, so we'll add it to our core collection.

Late Game Recommendations

And for our next trick, witness Dexter Drake as he makes the rest of his 0 cards disappear! Well, most of them, at least. Now that we're past the good stuff, we can start spoiling ourselves. The funny part is that the initial 21 xp should be acquired by scenario 3-4 (depending on how things playout), meaning you're effectively good to go, and now everything you shoot for now is going to be surplus for our mighty thrill-chasing mage.

I won't go over all upgrades in-depth, because at this point, my suggestion is: Just upgrade everything possible! That said, I'd like to point out my personal favorites to target first:

• Scroll of Secrets + Friends in Low Places (Clever) (5-7xp) - I mentioned this combo as a highlight, and it's definitely a fun one. While we're talking about Friends, I suggest snagging Prompt as its capstone; you might argue 2xp for a card gaining fast is silly, but I'd also remind you how silly our xp-gains are.
• Enchanted Blade + Brand of Cthugha (6xp) - I put these together, because they're basically going to fulfill the same role, and that's fine. We need strong combat tools as we progress through our journey to impress the crowd.
• Clairvoyance + Hyperphysical Shotcaster (9xp) - Let's finish capping the Shotcaster by snagging the two recommended choices you didn't pick, earlier, and while we're at it, we may as well improve our other clue-seeking too. You're welcome to fully-cap the Shotcaster by taking Aetheric Link, but I feel you should only take that if you seriously have just run-out of stuff to take (which might just happen if your party min-maxes hard during each scenario).
• Living Ink (3-6xp) - My recommendations are to take Subtle Depiction and Eldritch Ink (for the circle). If you really want to stretch this card out more, go for Macabre Depiction.
• Power Word (10xp) - You're likely going to build this up via Arcane Research dumping, and that's fine. Some will call me crazy for spending 10xp on a single copy of a card, but once again: You're being flooded with xp. It's fine. Take this and have a good time with it. My recommendations: Greater Control, Bonded, Tonguetwister, Mercy, & Confess.
• Haste (3xp) - Save this for the final mission for a laugh. You're a paid professional magician. You deserve to reward yourself, right?
  • Replace Delve Too Deep.

Conclusion

Fun fact: If you manage to upgrade every single card to its absolute maximum, you will need 77xp (This is with the understanding that you will not go above my recommended thresholds for the customizables). Should you reach that point, congratulations: You're awesome, and you will feel like the most hated person at the table for racking up so many bonus goods. Should you reach that point, by all means, the sky is the limit, you crazy magician! Have fun, and remember: Don't die. You're not allowed to.