Searching Your Deck for the Truth

This is the Rex Murphy deck that I took to a Labyrinths of Lunacy event in London last weekend. It performed really well and since I spent a lot of time testing and improving it, I thought I'd share it for other people to try! Shoutouts to Frank (zozo) of the Drawn to the Flame podcast (go check it out!) for organising the event and expertly running nine groups at once, and also to the rest of group 1B - you were amazing!

Deck Overview

To put it simply, Rex is an incredibly powerful investigator. To me, he is unparalleled in clue finding efficiency; his ability allows him to discover two clues in one investigation action if he succeeds in the test by two or more. As I'm sure most people are aware, the card that really pushes Rex to insane levels of power is Higher Education, which allows him, when equipped with sufficient cards and resources, to easily boost his enough to be reasonably confident in succeeding by two or more during tests. This deck is focused on providing the cards and resources needed to fuel Higher Education, but it also has capacity to support the rest of your team. I have also found that Rex is far from incapable of dealing with enemies, and this deck packs a few tools to mitigate the magnetic attraction Seekers seem to exert on the enemies in the encounter deck. As this is a deck designed for standalone scenario play, it uses experience to make the deck viable in these challenging scenarios. I think that 19 xp is a good mid-ground choice, as it means only one additional weakness is added while still allowing for the crucial experience cards that allow this deck to function. If you wanted to play this deck in campaign mode, removing Higher Education and changing the upgraded cards to their base versions would allow you to use this deck. Upgrades can be in any order as long as Higher Education is your first priority. I have only tested the deck on Standard difficulty but I think the premise is solid enough to work on hard, though the standalone scenarios are hard enough as it is!

Card Choices

I'm going to go through the reasoning behind the card choices that I have made so you'll hopefully be able to understand how the deck functions and maybe take some inspiration for Rex Murphy decks of your own. Though the cards are grouped into sections, they by no means have only one use; in fact, some cards will appear more than once in different sections. For a more practical description of how to use the cards during a game, jump straight to the Piloting section below!

Getting Clues

Without a doubt, the reason you are playing as Rex Murphy should be to get clues, clues and more clues. These are the cards that allow you to do that, either directly or by supporting Higher Education.

Higher Education: The star of the show. I've mentioned it enough times already but it's just insane, especially as it starts in play. As well as helping to get multiple clues while investigating, it makes almost all tests laughable and even helps strengthen Rex against the encounter deck thanks to the ability to boost at the same incredible one-for-two rate. That is, as long as you have enough cards and, more importantly, enough resources.

Dr. Milan Christopher: The second most important card in the deck, Dr Milan makes investigating easier by providing a static boost while also fuelling your economy by generating a resource for every successful investigation. This essentially makes the first Higher Education use each investigation free (providing you succeed) and also helps you build up resources and prepare for higher shroud locations by generating a net resource gain on low shroud locations where using Higher Education isn't necessary. All in all, a great card and a prime target for No Stone Unturned V if it isn't found quickly.

Lucky Cigarette Case: While not limited to investigation specifically, this card certainly feels like it was made for Rex. Granting a card draw once a turn when you are succeed at a test by two or more, the Lucky Cigarette Case is well worth a out-of-class slot as it synergises perfectly with Rex's ability: whenever you succeed by two or more while investigating you now not only get an extra clue, but also a card as well. This helps to ensure you always have enough cards in hand to be able to use Higher Education in addition to making the deck more efficient by providing free card draw.

Magnifying Glass: Bringing up the rear of the only three assets in the deck, the Magnifying Glass is a staple in almost all Seeker decks. It provides a very useful boost while investigating, is cheap and doesn't even take an action to play. The upgraded version, Magnifying Glass I, can be used over Emergency Cache II to keep the same xp and is useful in the fact that it is completely free to play and can be taken back into hand if you need to use Higher Education and only have four cards in hand. However, since you are mainly going to be using Higher Education to investigate (you can't take it back if there are clues on your location) or for encounter deck tests (there isn't a window to take it back after drawing the card so you would have to remember beforehand), the usefulness of this is limited.

Deduction II: One of my favourite cards in Rex, Deduction II continues the theme of succeeding by two or more while investigating by granting two extra clues if that is the case. As well as providing very useful double icons, this card means that Rex can get a total of four clues in one action - sometimes enough to clear entire locations! A very powerful card and, in my opinion, well worth the xp.

Inquiring Mind: This card really helps with overachieving at investigations by proving a whopping plus three boost to a test when there are clues on your location. I find this most useful during investigations but it is by no means limited to this; the icons mean that it can be used for virtually anything. In any case, as a Seeker you should probably be chasing after clues so it isn't difficult to fulfil its condition.

Emergency Cache, Emergency Cache II, Eureka!, Perception: These are just generally useful cards which could be classed under getting clues, though their uses are much more varied. The Emergency Caches can be used to fuel Higher Education as well as help pay for more expensive cards such as Dr. Milan Christopher. Like the skills listed here, Emergency Cache II is useful in the fact that it replaces itself after use, helping to keep Higher Education online. The only reason for not having two is the xp limit. Perception helps with tests if you become low on resources or want to save them up, while Eureka! provides filtered card draw in addition to three useful icons.

Support

These are cards which can be beneficial to other investigators in the team, though that isn't to say that they can't be used by Rex on himself.

No Stone Unturned V: By far the most expensive xp investment in the deck, the upgraded No Stone Unturneds are part of the reason that this deck might stand out from others of the same type. It is a slightly mind-blowing card that lets any investigator at your location search their entire deck for a card and add it to their hand, at any time, without costing an action. To state just a few uses, it immensely helps investigators that rely on getting a specific card into play, for example Akachi with Spirit-Speaker or Desperate Pete with St. Hubert's Key (both of which were in my Labyrinths team); it helps find generally useful cards that need to be out by a certain point, for example a Guardian's Machete or Lightning Gun or a Mystic's Shrivelling before the inevitable fight with the boss enemy, or finding a clutch card in a pinch, for example a Drawn to the Flame when you need to get those clues now or that one-of Storm of Spirits when you're suddenly swarmed with enemies. The utility of the card is boundless, and in a game where you often can't afford to draw through your deck to find the right card it can be game-changing. In fact, part of the reason that it is so powerful in this deck is that it can be used to find Dr. Milan Christopher, a card that is pretty essential for your long-term economy.

Shortcut: A great utility card, Shortcut allows you to move yourself or another investigator to a connecting location for no cost. It saves on actions so that maybe your Guardian can hit that enemy three times instead of twice or Rex can move himself to the right location to spend his clues after using his whole turn investigating to pick them up. It's just a good card.

Skills: Though not a card specifically, this deck contains lots of skill cards which can be thrown into other investigators' skill tests to help them out. If you are on a location with clues, Inquiring Mind is especially potent but Unexpected Courage and Eureka! can both be used for a wide range of tests.

Evasion: Although far from Rex's strong suit, evasion using Mind over Matter or Manual Dexterity can be used to disengage enemies from other investigators and allow them to move away or do other things. It can also be useful against a boss enemy with Retaliate so the others on your team can attack it safely. It feels good to be doing at least something to help! More on this in the next section.

Dealing with Enemies

Though far from Rex's strong suit, it is imperative that every deck has some method of dealing with enemies drawn from the encounter deck. This deck must be played in a team including investigators which are much more potent fighters, but nonetheless it provides tools that means Rex isn't completely incapable after becoming engaged with an enemy.

Mind over Matter: The classic Seeker tool for getting out of sticky situations. You'll probably use it mostly for evading enemies since it lacks additional damage for hitting things but there are occasions where it's useful to spend your turn killing a two- or three-health enemy or attempting a difficult or test for your team. You can also use Higher Education and your high number of icons to boost your .

Think on Your Feet: Why bother evading enemies when you can stop them spawning on you? This is a cheap and efficient card that in my opinion is well worth the out-of-class slots. It is especially effective against non-Hunter enemies that can sit in a location until your team's dedicated fighter can go and beat them up. It also has useful icons.

Elusive: This card is only a one-of because of Rex's deckbuilding restrictions; Elusive is a really powerful card. Though one use is to dump a load of enemies and jump across the map to a safe location, it can also be used by Rex to immediately move to a newly-revealed location with lots of clues no matter where he currently is, as you don't have to be engaged with any enemies nor does the location you move to have to be connecting.

"I've got a plan!": Another one-of to make up for the odd number of out-of-class cards, "I've got a plan!" is situational and expensive but can be a clutch card in some situations. It is the deck's only real method of dealing damage, and it should be saved where possible until the maximum damage boost can be used. It is probably the deck's main flex slot, but if you enjoy taking a more active role in combats, exchanging one Mind over Matter for a second copy is viable. It will put more pressure on your economy, though.

Manual Dexterity: With a base of three, Rex is far from expert at evading but it is certainly passable when boosted with skills such as Manual Dexterity and can be used in a pinch. The deck's icons are also valuable in protecting against the encounter deck, which often contains many tests.

Honorable Mentions

There are plenty of cards which are valid - if not very good - but that didn't make the final version of the deck. I think that they deserve some recognition at least, and I hope that it's useful to know why I chose not to keep them in.

Anatomical Diagrams: With a massive sanity of nine, Rex has ample opportunity to make use of the Anatomical Diagrams. This card would replace one or two of a combination of Mind over Matter or "I've got a plan!" as a different method of dealing with enemies. It has the advantage of also functioning as a support card if someone else on your team is the one stuck with the enemies. This was the card that was closest to being in the final deck, but it lost out to "I've got a plan!" as it is weaker in the late game - when it is most valuable - as it cannot be used after Rex has taken some horror, which isn't unlikely in the punishing standalone scenarios. Like Mind over Matter, it also fails to provide any extra damage per attack so fighting is pretty inefficient.

Magnifying Glass I: As discussed in the Magnifying Glass section, the upgraded version is good and probably would be included if there was some xp spare within the band but for the reasons I mentioned before I chose not to run these over Emergency Cache II. Still a very good upgrade in campaign mode though!

Medical Texts, Bulletproof Vest: One thing this deck lacks is protection against damage, and Rex's low health is one of his main weaknesses in a scenario. These cards help to mitigate that somewhat, although Medical Texts are unreliable and inefficient and Bulletproof Vests are xp intensive. I prefer to rely on others who might be able to help with Emergency Aid perhaps, or even better, don't get hit by enemies and use your breadth of boosting capacities to pass tests on encounter cards.

Preposterous Sketches, Cryptic Research: Events that burst draw cards. I found that these were overkill with Lucky Cigarette Case and, besides, you have Rex's signature card to do basically the same thing. Not only that, but Preposterous Sketches are expensive and Cryptic Research is very draining on xp.

Burglary: In a similar vein to the above cards, I found this card next to useless once Dr. Milan Christopher was on the table. Yes, it is helpful to get resources before you find him, but with upgraded No Stone Unturned, that shouldn't be long. It's also quite inefficient, despite the fact that you can get an extra clue by succeeding by two or more - you would usually need to pump in some resources to do this anyway. Also, it takes up valuable out-of-class slots.

Pathfinder: Similar to shortcut, this allows you to save actions on moving so that you can do more investigation. However, it's expensive - too expensive to play early after playing Dr. Milan Christopher - and the resources can sometimes be better used compressing actions using Rex's ability fuelled by Higher Education.

Piloting

A brief guide of how to use the deck during a scenario!

Mulligan: The mulligan is one of the most important stages of the game for this deck as there are a couple of crucial cards which need to be set up in order for it to reach its full potential. The one card that you really want to see in your opening hand is Dr. Milan Christopher and you should hard mulligan in order to find him. The only card that should be kept if you don't get Dr Milan is No Stone Unturned V as it allows you to find him straight away. After Milan, the most important cards to have are Lucky Cigarette Case and Emergency Cache. The aim is to get your few assets out as quickly as possible and then rely on them to provide cards and resources for the rest of the game. If you are thinking of immediately striking out on your own, a card that lets you avoid enemies is also something that you should consider keeping.

Early game: As mentioned above, the early game is your chance to get Dr. Milan Christopher, Lucky Cigarette Case and (less importantly) a couple of Magnifying Glasses down so that you're set up and Higher Education is fuelled for the rest of the game. Without many burst draw events, you may have to manually draw cards in the early game to find these pieces but don't be afraid to use No Stone Unturned to find them as fast as you can. This card is also good to allow others in your team to get set up with their spells, weapons, allies or other important cards which they didn't find in their opening hand. Skills such as Perception and Eureka! are also good to use to make use of Rex's ability while investigating as they save resources and provide draw to try to find the important early game cards: Dr. Milan Christopher, Lucky Cigarette Case and No Stone Unturned.

Mid to late game: This is the period where Rex really shines. A single investigate action can provide an incredible two clues, one card and one resource if it succeeds by two or more, making all your turns incredibly efficient. Don't be afraid to use Higher Education on most investigations (you get the resource back with Dr Milan) except in cases were it won't make a difference on the outcome of the test, in which case you'll make money with Milan. You should, with a combination of cards and resources, feel confident in boosting multiple tests so that only can stop you getting multiple clues, especially when using Deduction. If you end up burning lots of cards to pass a difficult test, Search for the Truth is there as a one-time pick up to get Higher Education back online. Cards to help deal with enemies should reduce the pressure on the fighters of the team but try not to stray to far without a solid hand of tools as you can find yourself swamped with enemies if left unattended for a while. Be cautious of damage the longer the scenario goes on for and only kill off Milan if it will save your life. In longer scenarios, you may end up cycling your deck, which is well worth the one horror as it means your powerful events may turn up again. Be wary of a certain card in Dunwich though....

"Boss" fights: Without any clues to find, Rex loses his main focus but he can still contribute by evading enemies - particularly those with Retaliate - or throwing icons at others' combat tests. No Stone Unturned is also really helpful at this point if it hasn't been used already as it ensures other investigators have the right tools at the perfect time.

Dealing with Rex's Curse: I've taken a long time to get around to it but finally we've reached Rex's fatal flaw: his signature weakness. One of the most annoying weaknesses, Rex's Curse can be tricky to get your head around and it can be very punishing. I find that it indirectly taxes your cards and resources as you're forced to commit more to tests to improve the odds that you'll succeed - at all or by the amount you want - as there's a much higher chance of drawing a big negative if you have to pull two tokens instead of one. On harder difficulties, this can be much more damaging (and draining) but on standard it can largely be circumvented by choosing which tests to commit lots to and which to be at the mercy of the curse. The biggest downside that I have noticed is that tests which would already be shaky - say one or none above the difficulty - become nigh-on impossible. If you still have a decent amount of deck left, one strategy to try and get rid of it if you have a spare action is to take investigate test on a location with a shroud of two, three or four without committing any resources. If you end up succeeding you get a resource from Dr. Milan Christopher and there's a chance that it might rid you of the curse if you get lucky with token pulls. If there's not much of your deck remaining, it's probably not worth spending actions to get rid of the curse as you'll probably draw it again before too long.

And that's all folks! Well done for getting this far, this is my first time publishing a decklist and it's turned out to be a long one! If you have any comments on the write up or the decklist itself please let me know. Thanks again to the amazing guys from Drawn to the Flame for running a great Labyrinths event!