Lemme Axe You A Question

Credit: FFG

Introduction:

Are you tired of fighting monsters with mundane weapons that just can't seem to get the job done? Stop being the unga-bunga and get a weapon that can help you take down the largest of beasts AND uncover clues, all in the blink of an eye! Look no further, because the Runic Axe is here to save the day!

This powerful weapon is imbued with ancient runic magic, allowing it to teleport you to your desired location and engage even the shyest of monsters.

Move faster than a archeologist, chop harder than a sailor, engage more than a cultist, and find more clues than a reporter, and all at once! (Disclaimer: These statements are for illustrative purposes only. Relics Against Indescribable Horrors does not make any representation as to the accuracy of these statements and does not accept any responsibility for lost friendships)

The axe's razor-sharp edge and sturdy handle make it the perfect weapon for a newbie officer. So why wait? Splurge on the Runic Axe and give yourself the upper hand in any battle. And don't stop there - buy another one...and another one...and another one...and another one...and another one...and another one...The fun never ends!

Table of Contents:

• Overview

• Main Strategy

• Mulligan and Chance of Obtaining Runic Axe Turn 1

• Bumping Off Your Axe

• Other Cards

• Upgrade Path

• Make Your Own Deck!

Overview:

Main Strategy:

• Get and play Runic Axe, either from your hand, Backpack, or with the many cards that recover Items from the discard pile, such as Professor William Webb, Scavenging, Salvage, or Resourceful.

• Spend the charges on Runic Axe by either slowly using charges on Runic Axe (boooo!), or splurging all 4 charges with ONE action on Runic Axe to get 3 of the 6 options (or any combination thereof):

  • +7
  • dealing 4 damage
  • drawing 3 cards/healing 3 total damage/horror
  • discovering 3 clues
  • moving and/or engaging 3 times
  • dealing a 3 damage AOE

• When the Runic Axe runs out of charges, bump it out of play by playing Ice Pick, or any other hand slot item (Alas, Runic Axe is unique). Using Act of Desperation fully refunds the axe and deals damage.

• Repeat for as long as there's a scenario (which shouldn't be too long with such an OP build ;)). From my own experience, a 2 player game will require ~3 axes, while a 4 player game (w/ 1 dedicated cluever and fighter and 2 flex) will require ~4 axes.

Mulligan and Chance of Obtaining Runic Axe Turn 1:

• Because we are taking Short Supply, the initial draw is essential. In the base deck, there are 10 cards that will let you get Runic Axe on turn 1. During mulligan, aim for at least 2 of these cards, in order of priority: Professor William Webb, Runic Axe, Salvage, Resourceful, Scavenging

• According to the simulator on ArkhamDB, the chance of obtaining at least X of Professor William Webb, Runic Axe, or Salvage in your mulligan is: X = 1: 93%, X = 2: 65%, X = 3: 28%, X = 4: 7%

• If Resourceful is added: X = 1: 97%, X = 2: 83%, X = 3: 52%, X = 4: 21%, X = 5: 5%

• If Scavenging is added: X = 1: 99%, X = 2: 93%, X = 3: 72%, X = 4: 40%, X = 5: 15%

• After the Short Supply discard, if you neither drew or discarded the above cards, you can use Backpack, basic draw actions, Take Heart, or the other skill cards to dig through your deck.

(In case you are wondering, the chance of drawing none of the 10 cards, and then subsequently discarding all 10 of the cards is less than 1 in a million).

Bumping Off Your Axe:

Since Runic Axe is unique, you can't play Runic Axe while you are holding it. You have to remove it from play first.

• Ideally, you use Act of Desperation to deal damage, get a refund on the axe, and discard it.

• Otherwise, you can play Ice Pick, Obsidian Bracelet, Old Keyring, or Becky to bump it off.

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Other Cards/Upgrades:

• Glory: If the campaign is on the heavier side of dealing damage/horror, you may replace the Heirloom or Elder upgrade with this.

• Fury: If the campaign has lots of enemies, you may replace the Heirloom or Elder upgrade with this.

• Brute Force, Dynamite Blast: If you want to lean more towards a fighter role than a flex role.

• Ever Vigilant, Emergency Cache: If you want more economy than what Tommy's ability can provide.

• At a Crossroads, Glory: If you want more card draw.

• Scrounge for Supplies, Tetsuo Mori, Well-Maintained: If the scenarios are very long and you want more recursion. Tetsuo Mori can either be added by replacing Scavenging or Professor William Webb. Good thing about Tetsuo Mori is, when he is defeated, you get to draw Runic Axe (from deck OR discard pile) AND get the resources for it too.

• Stick to the Plan: You can attach Act of Desperation to it, along with any other Supply or Tactic cards, such as the aforementioned Ever Vigilant, Dynamite Blast, and Emergency Cache.

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Upgrade Path:

Link to the 0xp deck

(View at arkham-starter.com)

Link to the full xp deck

Make Your Own Deck!

Thanks to Valentin1331 for the template. To create your own guides, find the template Valentin1331 has created here.