Practiced Sniper - Multiplayer Guardian (Taboo 6.28, Hard)

The 6/28 Taboo list is out, and one of the biggest winners to come out of it is the Springfield M1903. Now, with a free Telescopic Sight, the weapon truly defines action economy. While the Flamethrower remains an extremely powerful weapon, using it is generally both exp intensive as well as action intensive (move, engage, fight), making it difficult to help out multiple allies when enemies start swarming the field, especially when they are spread out across the map.

As one of the few 3 damage weapons available at 4 exp, the Springfield is a great asset to action-starved guardians in larger player counts who need to deal with enemies in multiple different locations. You often at the minimum save the move action required to reach an enemy, and being able to ignore aloof helps deal with the pesky cultists and townsfolk that you normally have to parley with. If you find yourself consistently being partnered up with a helpless seeker that forgot to run Occult Invocation, or a rogue that is dual wielding Lockpicks, who both insist on running to different corners of the map in search of clues, this is a deck for you.

With the Springfield M1903, your setup is generally faster (no need for Safeguard or Riot Whistle), and the reduced exp cost means you can afford to get other powerhouse cards like Stand Together.

Stick to the Plan - Attach Ever Vigilant, Custom Ammunition, and Act of Desperation. Combined with Well-Maintained, your first Springfield is good for 10 shots.

The deck works best when at least one other member is good at evading enemies (otherwise Elite Massive Enemies can become a pain to get through), but with Take the Initiative, Daring, and Sophie, Mark can easily hit 8+ by himself. Elusive in a pinch also lets you dump non-hunter enemies and move around the map to where you need to be.

First Watch is a phenomenal card in 4 player games - you often "cancel" at least one treachery by dealing encounters to those least affected by them, and it allows you to position enemies on allies for you to shoot off with the Springfield.

This deck is best utilized as the primary fighter in 3-4 player games. In 2 player games, you're going to want to use a different weapon (Flamethrower/Lightning Gun comes to mind), and put a greater emphasis on clueing (adding in Scene of the Crime, Perception, Flashlight, or extra healing for Sophie). Due to Mark's innate 5 and ability to hit +1 damage up to 5 times per deck cycle due to Practice Makes Perfect, you often don't need to upgrade weapons in smaller player counts, freeing up exp for powerful supportive cards like Leadership or Stand Together. Leadership does have the Practiced keyword, so you are able to grab it and commit it to another player's test with Practice Makes Perfect, while netting you both some extra cash.

I run the deck a little healing light, but up to personal preference cards like First Watch or Shortcut can be cut for extra healing until you can draw through to your Hallowed Mirror

Level 0 Deck -

-2 Springfield M1903 +2 Enchanted Blade OR .45 Thompson

-2 Beat Cop +2 Beat Cop

-2 Stand Together +2 Stand Together OR Emergency Cache

-1 Well-Maintained +1 Second Wind

-1 Custom Ammunition +1 Elusive

-1 Ever Vigilant +1 Emergency Cache/Emergency Aid

Further Upgrades -

Versatile (+Astounding Revelation, 1-2x .45 Thompson/Enchanted Blade, 1x Safeguard, 1x Emergency Aid)

Take the Initiative -> Leadership

Overpower -> Overpower (2)

Vicious Blow -> Vicious Blow

.32 Colt -> Any Weapon

1x Act of Desperation -> Extra Ammunition / Custom Ammunition