Deny Existence

Deny Existence

I love this card. It's a catch-all defensive titan against so many different treacheries, particularly ones that cause you to lose resources or cards. A resource drain turned into a resource gain. It prints so much free economy you think hyper-inflation would kick in. If you're running low on health or sanity, this card suddenly tops you right back up, in better shape than before. Toss it on Dayana Esperence and suddenly you'll never have to worry about the mythos deck taking anything away from you for a while. This card has turned many dire situations into ones that incur one of the best feelings in Arkham LCG. The one where you smile at the Mythos deck and use its dastardly plans to play into your favor. This card is a turnabout machine, and can cost a middling 2 xp to upgrade between Down the Rabbit Hole and Arcane Research. I strongly consider this card in any investigator that has access to it, and it's a personal favorite whenever I get the pleasure of using it.

sonicknight15 · 88
I largely agree, but the current rule about “for each / for only” often limits this card it to only canceling (and reverse) one damage, horror, discard, or resource loss. I think some players are choosing to simply ignore that rule, which I understand. But with it in place, 5 XP for a card that still won’t prevent me from dying to a horror or damage treachery in many cases is a lot to ask. — Holy Outlaw · 269
I suppose the main problem of this card is besides the rule "for each" is, that the level 0 version is quite as good as the 5 xp version. Also neither version of deny existence helps with effects from locations. — Tharzax · 1
But location cards are encounter cards, no? (from arkhamdb rules page: "Encounter Cards" vs "Scenario Cards" (added in FAQ, section 'Card Ability Interpretation', point 2.15) These two terms are used interchangeably to mean any non-player card used in a scenario, such as the contents of the encounter deck, locations, acts, agendas, the scenario reference card, etc.) — Gsayer · 1
Missed that. We just don't checked it. Thanks for the info. — Tharzax · 1
Afaik, the "for each" rule only takes place if there is a decisión. — Jota · 7
To explain it better, deny only works for 1 horror in crisis of faith, but it can cancel all 3 horror of rotten remains — Jota · 7
Deny Existence only works for 1 point if the effect has “multiple steps, a choice, or other contingencies.” Examples of treacheries they have ruled to not be ignorable by Deny Existence include Diabolic Voices, Terror Under the Pyramids, Swarm of Locusts, Terrible Secret, The Madness Within, Ruined Film, Chill From Below. — Holy Outlaw · 269
Not quite, you are right, that it does not work in full on a card like "Terrile Secret", but "Diabolic Voices" is resolved simultaniously. They also confirmed that in the FAQ: Q: I draw Diabolic Voices and I fail the test by 3 with 5 cards in my hand, including 1 Deny Existence. If I play Deny Existence at this point, how many cards can I ignore to discard? A: If you fail Diabolic Voices by 3, you can use Deny Existence to ignore all three of the discards, because the effect is “resolved simultaneously.” — Susumu · 371
They reversed that. — Holy Outlaw · 269
The Diabolic Voices ruling referenced isn't from the official FAQ but from the email account. It appears on the Diabolic Voices card page as 2+ years old (https://arkhamdb.com/card/05092). The ruling that they cannot be canceled at once was in the official FAQ document more recently (https://hallofarkham.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ahc_faq_v20-compressed.pdf). Neither ruling is in the current FAQ. I have sent an email requesting an update and will post here if I get an answer. — Holy Outlaw · 269

Flurry of Blows

Flurry of Blows

As a fun thought exercise, I decided to calculate what's the most damage Flurry of Blows could do. Results are below.

ASSUMPTIONS:

  • The investigator using Flurry of Blows (hereafter referred to as "The fighter") is paired with an investigator who plays Shrine of the Moirai on their location.

PROCESS:

  1. The fighter plays Written in the Stars, discarding Vicious Blow (2).
  2. The fighter plays the second copy of Written in the Stars, discarding a second Vicious Blow (2).
  3. The fighter triggers Shrine of the Moirai to recur both copies of Written in the Stars.
  4. The fighter plays both copies of Written in the Stars, discarding two copies of Strong-Armed.
  5. The fighter plays Flurry of Blows, choosing Butterfly Swords (5) as the Melee asset.
  6. First activation: +8 to skill value (+2 from asset, +6 from cards committed by Written in the Stars), succeeds by >1, deals 7 damage (1 from the attack, +2 from each Vicious Blow (2), +1 from each Strong-Armed).
  7. Fighter chooses to fight again, +8 to skill value (+8 from cards committed by Written in the Stars), succeeds by >1, exhausts Butterfly Swords (5) to deal +1 damage, 8 total damage. Cumulative damage: 15.
  8. Second activation: +8 to skill value, succeeds by >1, deals 7 damage. Cumulative damage: 22.
  9. Fighter chooses to fight again, +8 to skill value, succeeds by >1, deals 7 damage. Cumulative damage: 29.
  10. Third activation: +8 to skill value, succeeds by >1, deals 7 damage. Cumulative damage: 36.
  11. Fighter chooses to fight again, +8 to skill value, succeeds by >1, deals 7 damage. Cumulative damage: 43.
  12. Fourth activation: +8 to skill value, succeeds by >1, deals 7 damage. Cumulative damage: 50.
  13. Fighter chooses to fight again, +8 to skill value, succeeds by >1, deals 7 damage. Cumulative damage: 57.

Grand total: 57 damage dealt.

And all it took was 19 XP, 11 resources, 11 cards, 2 decks, and the stars aligning perfectly!

NightgauntTaxiService · 430
You could use some player windows to play Galvanize twice, readying Butterfly Swords (5) and getting two more attacks with +1 damage out of it. — AlderSign · 310
Also the new Hand-Eye Koordination should work for additional free fight action. — Tharzax · 1
Sorry, I do not understand how it is possible to use Vicious blow so many times for damage and why can you use the exhausted Butterfly swords the — Dash83 · 1
Now I have understand it — Dash83 · 1
The Card Written in the star let you commit the the discarded card to each egliabile test you perform. It works like Amanda's investigator ability. And you can use the sword if it's exhausted, because the exhaust effect is not part of the costs. It's part of the effect. — Tharzax · 1
AlderSign, I think it would be more efficient to use Galvanize separately (assuming you hit and succeed by >1, each Galvanize provides +15 damage if you use it to attack vs. +1 damage if you play it during Flurry of Blows), at which point I would argue that isn't part of Flurry of Blows. Similarly for Hand-Eye Coordination, Tharzax. Both would allow you to output even more damage, but that damage would be from those events rather than Flurry of Blows. — NightgauntTaxiService · 430
It gets hard to differentiate between damage sources at some point, I agree ;) Haste also works, btw. — AlderSign · 310

Arcane Insight

Arcane Insight

Now in Hemlock Vale survivors got the much better version of this card, Matchbox.

No xp, no slot, lower cost, is an item (can be found with Backpack and can be scavenged). If you combine two of them you can get the same effect as this 4xp card and you can just use one if you need less shroud reduction. Get them into play with Scavenging and you never run out of uses.

stefeef · 6
My natural answer to your's review would be: but those cards are from different classes. Or "why put them against each other, use them both to greater effect". While this kind of thinking applies here and there it does not here. I think it's just one of many examples how old cards are simply obsolete by new toys. Either direct similar mechanics, or instead of giving minus to shroud it gives bonus to some statistic. — bugiel_marek · 23
That being said, they still can leave binder, provided player caps his card pool to one released with campaign (or up to given campaign). Or somewhere in the future new card that comboes with old one will be released. — bugiel_marek · 23
I mostly agree with this review. But the advantage of beeing an item is not really one. Yes, there are numerous advantages of that, but beeing a spell also has its merrits (searchable with Arcane Initiate, accessible for Marie, ect.), and by nature of the game you normally get one or the other. (Only exception currently beeing "Eyes of Valusia ".) It would be a more valid point, if Arcane Insight was a ritual, as they have by far less synergies. — Susumu · 371
Also don't underestimate the higher reduction of arcane insight. Many locations have a shroud of 2, which means you get a clue whenever you don't draw the tentacle. Also the insight don't exhaust. Another point is while the recursion of the matchbox is possible with scavenger I found many survivors are not well suited to succeed by two or more. — Tharzax · 1
Arcane Insight has some good points, for sure, as you guys mentioned, but it's whooping 4 experience. For 3 uses (yes, you could add charges to it). — bugiel_marek · 23
I love going to bat for undervalued cards but I can't think of a single deck I would play Arcane Insight in. It was overcosted when it was first printed and any way you look at it (as a Seeker card, as a Spell asset, as a group investigation took, etc) there are several better, cheaper options. — Pseudo Nymh · 61
I suppose a crane insight is simply in the wrong class, since seekers have usually enough intellect for a successful investigation. So this card is in my opinion only useful if you play a support character or probably for some niche game effects. And for these cases 4 xp is a quite high cost — Tharzax · 1

On the Lam

On the Lam

Even if you are on regular On the Lam all along you can go Advanced for free on the final scenario since you don't have to bother paying Advanced Hospital Debts there! The added ninja smoke bomb effect seems useful for many such final scenarios as far as I've played this game.

5argon · 10761
I don’t understand what you mean about having regular On the Lam in your deck, then “going advanced for free” in the final scenario. Do you mean the Skids player should play his Challenge Scenario, “All or Nothing,” right before the finale and hope to win the right to upgrade On the Lam? — Holy Outlaw · 269
Agree with Holy Outlaw. There is no way to voluntarily change the sigs to advanced sigs in between scenarios. You have to keep what you picked at deck construction, with the exception of the Challenge Scenario. Sig cards have no level, so you can't change them with Adaptable (or by paying XP) either. — Susumu · 371
The rules in the parallel investigator missions specify that signature cards can be upgraded after any scenario during a campaign for no experience (as long as you upgrade the weakness as well), but they can not be downgraded after that point — azazeloth · 1
Yes, like @azazeloth said. "....if you choose to upgrade On the Lam, you must also upgrade Hospital Debts. Doing so costs no experience, and may be done after playing any scenario during a campaign. However, once this upgrade is made, it cannot be undone unless you are instructed otherwise." You can do the same with Roland Banks since you likely don't care about Advanced Cover Up in the final scenario. — 5argon · 10761
Oh, my mistake. I missed that rule. You’re right that for Skids and Roland there’s no downside to that strategy. How weird that the upgrade is legal at any time but the downgrade isn’t. — Holy Outlaw · 269

Bulletproof Vest

Bulletproof Vest

An extremely simple yet powerful card, Bulletproof Vest remains at the pinnacle of efficient defensive options in terms of cost, value, and flexibility. As a 3xp card, this can easily be slotted into any investigator's deck without much thought:

Need a way to circumvent Azure Flame (5) from burning your Father Mateo? Take Bulletproof Vest and watch those self-destructive flames turn to ashes. Your Norman Withers took a bit too much Physical Trauma over the campaign? Slap on a Bulletproof Vest and watch his effective health nearly double in one action.

In terms of action efficiency, Bulletproof Vest is a simple 1 action, 2 resource card, with no setup needed other than simply drawing the card and having a body slot open. For Mystics, this slot competes with Robes of Endless Night (which is only for Spell-Mystics), and Astral Mirror (for Arcane-Mystics), neither of which are highly used even in their own respective archetypes. As for Seekers, their alternative tends to be Lab Coat, which is a possible +1 on skill tests and is good if your Seeker tends to be doing more skill tests that are closer to DC match.

SwarmOfRats · 3