"Ashcan" Pete Dark Horse and Bright Dog

This "Dark Horse" Ashcan Pete deck looks like a solid foundation for a solo or two-player run, focusing on maximizing Duke's utility and leveraging the Survivor class's resilience. Let's break down its strengths and potential considerations.

Overall Strategy: Dark Horse and Duke

The core of this deck revolves around Dark Horse, which grants a significant stat boost (+1 to all skills) when you have 0 resources. Ashcan Pete's ability to discard a card to ready an asset (most notably Duke) synergizes incredibly well with this, as it allows you to consistently trigger Duke's powerful actions (fight or investigate at 4 skill) even if you're resource-strapped.

The deck's emphasis on minimizing resources (no dedicated resource generators like Emergency Cache) and maximizing actions with Duke highlights this "Dark Horse" archetype effectively.

Card Analysis

Here's a detailed look at the card choices:

Assets

2x Farol (Lantern): A great fit for a "Dark Horse" deck. It's cheap to play (0 cost) and provides a passive +1 Intellect, which directly benefits Duke's investigate action (making it a 5-skill test) and can also help Pete with his natural 2 Intellect. This is a very strong inclusion.

2x Pala de Sepulturero (Gravedigger's Shovel): Another fantastic 0-cost item that plays into the "Dark Horse" theme. It provides a static +1 Combat and +1 Intellect while you're at your current location, which directly boosts Duke's actions and Pete's own checks. Excellent.

2x Ajar (Open Gate): This card helps with evasion, which can be crucial for Pete, especially if Duke is busy fighting. Its 0 cost also fits the "Dark Horse" strategy.

2x Piedra lunar (Moonstone): An excellent card for Ashcan Pete! It's an Arcane asset that you can discard with Pete's ability to ready Duke, and then play from your discard pile later if you need the Willpower boost. This creates a powerful cycle of discarding for Duke and then recovering for a skill boost, all while staying poor for Dark Horse.

2x Rosario sagrado (Holy Rosary): A classic Arcane slot for +1 Willpower. This helps Pete with his 4 Willpower, particularly useful for treachery tests or if you decide to splash in any Mystic spells later.

2x Gabardina (Leather Coat): A solid source of health soak, which is vital for Pete's survival as he generally has lower health/sanity than dedicated guardians. Its low cost (1 resource) makes it easy to play and maintain the "Dark Horse" state.

2x Madame Labranche: A good economy card for non-"Dark Horse" decks, but here it might slightly contradict the "Dark Horse" strategy by generating resources. However, it can be useful for playing expensive allies like Peter Sylvestre or if you temporarily need resources for a specific card. You'll want to be mindful of how often you use her ability to ensure you stay at 0 resources for Dark Horse.

2x Peter Sylvestre: An absolute staple for Ashcan Pete! He provides much-needed sanity soak, boosts Pete's 4 Willpower for various tests, and can even provide a horror healing action. He's expensive, but worth it. The interaction with Pete's ability to ready him (though less common than readying Duke) is also a nice option.

1x Duke: Pete's loyal companion and the centerpiece of the deck. His ability to fight and investigate at 4 skill is incredibly powerful, and Pete's ability to ready him ensures you get maximum value.

Other (Items/Permanents)

2x Apurando (Stamina): A good option for healing health, which aligns with Survivor resilience. It's a low-cost card that helps keep Pete in the game.

2x Hermético (Hermetic): Provides a passive +1 Willpower, which is great for Pete's already high Willpower. Another good low-cost asset that helps boost skill tests.

Eventos (Events)

2x ¡Qué suerte! (Lucky!): A classic Survivor staple for mitigating failed skill tests. Essential for a class that often pushes its luck.

2x "¡Mira lo que he encontrado!" (Look what I found!): Excellent for clue gathering, especially when combined with Duke's investigate action. This lets you snag clues even if you fail the initial test, making clue-gathering highly consistent.

2x Reaprovechamiento (Scavenging): Very strong in this deck. You have several items (Lantern, Shovel, Moonstone, Leather Coat) that you might discard or play and then lose. Scavenging allows you to recur them, especially the 0-cost ones, helping you maintain board presence while staying resource-poor. This synergizes well with Pete's discard ability and the "Dark Horse" goal.

2x Vivir y aprender (Live and Learn): Fantastic for rerolling failed tests, which can be critical for both Duke's actions and Pete's own checks. The ability to refund an action on success is a huge tempo boost.

Habilidad (Skills)

2x Habilidoso (Resourceful): An absolute must-have for Survivors. It allows you to retrieve a skill card from your discard pile after passing a test. This can be used to get back "Lucky!", "Look what I found!", or even another "Habilidoso" to cycle your powerful skill cards.

Strengths of the Deck:

"Dark Horse" Synergy: The deck is well-built around the "Dark Horse" archetype, with many 0-cost assets and a focus on staying resource-poor. Lantern, Shovel, and Hermetic directly boost Duke's effectiveness while maintaining the Dark Horse bonus.

Duke Maximization: Pete's ability combined with Duke means you have consistent high-skill (4 base + bonuses) fight and investigate actions. This makes Pete a very efficient flex investigator.

Resilience and Recovery: Cards like Leather Coat, Peter Sylvestre, Stamina, Lucky!, Look What I Found!, Scavenging, and Live and Learn provide significant survivability, horror/damage soak, and recovery options, which are hallmarks of the Survivor class.

Consistency: With 2 copies of key assets and events, the deck has good consistency in drawing its core components.

Moonstone Engine: The Moonstone + Pete's ability + Scavenging loop is a clever way to get repeated use out of a skill boost while facilitating discards for Duke.

Potential Considerations / Areas for Improvement

Economy Management with Madame Labranche: While Madame Labranche is a good ally, her resource generation can sometimes work against the "Dark Horse" strategy. You'll need to be mindful of when you trigger her ability to ensure you remain at 0 resources for Dark Horse's bonus. If you consistently find yourself with resources you can't dump, you might consider swapping her for something like Rabbit's Foot for more draw or Cherished Keepsake for more sanity soak, both of which are 0-cost assets that align perfectly with Dark Horse.

Lack of Passive Clue/Combat Boosters (Beyond 0-cost assets): While Lantern and Shovel are great, cards like Magnifying Glass (for more consistent Intellect for Duke's investigations) or even a cheap weapon like Fire Axe (though you primarily rely on Duke) could offer alternative boosts if you find yourself needing more static power. However, adding too many assets might make it harder to maintain 0 resources.

XP Path: As you gain XP, you'll have some excellent upgrade options. Consider:

Peter Sylvestre (2): Provides even more horror soak and a larger Willpower boost.

"Look what I found!" (2): Even better clue-gathering.

Resourceful (2): Allows you to recur any card, not just skills, which is incredibly powerful.

Scrapper (Permanent): Offers a free passive stat boost for Combat or Agility when you commit a card. This would be a fantastic addition to a "Dark Horse" Pete, allowing you to cycle cards for Duke while boosting tests.

Live and Learn (2): Provides an additional icon and is an excellent target for Resourceful.

Lucky! (2): Can cancel even more damage/horror.

Track Shoes: Another movement option that complements Duke's investigation.

Edge Cases for Pete's Ability: While you'll mostly use Pete's ability to ready Duke, don't forget it can ready any asset. This isn't critical for this deck, but keep an eye out for future assets that might benefit from this.

This "Dark Horse" Ashcan Pete deck is well-constructed and plays to Pete's strengths and the Survivor class's identity. It's designed to be highly resilient, efficient with actions through Duke, and consistent in its core strategy. The current card choices support the "Dark Horse" mechanic effectively, and the inclusion of Moonstone and Scavenging shows a good understanding of Pete's unique discard synergy.

You've got a solid foundation for your investigations! Enjoy playing with Pete and Duke!