Scrying

From a theoretical perspective, this card is underwhelming and possibly overrated.

Counting 1 resource as 1 action, the first usage of scrying costs 3 actions, resp. a full turn. On that basis, let's evaluate what you get for that.

1) Use against encounter deck.

You get a slight chance of postponing something unfortunate, or possibly get a slightly smoother transition through the encounter deck.

Depending on the size and content of the encounter deck, there is a good to great chance that this card does nothing. If you hit a threatening encounter card, it'll just be delayed.

If you hit something that makes you feel smart (i.e. putting Obscuring Fog on top so that it lands on an empty location), there was a 33% chance that you would have drawn it in that order without playing Scrying in the first place.

All in all, there is a non-zero chance that this card does nothing.

Also consider this: you are investing at least the equivalent of 3 actions. While I can't estimate it precisely, I wager that I can handle a good chunk of the encounter deck for fewer actions than that.

2) Use against the player deck.

I believe this is simple. The first usage costs an equivalent of 3 actions. The player you use it on might as well have drawn 3 cards.

While consecutive uses get cheaper (as the upfront invest of 1 resource and 1 action to play have been paid), there is also the hidden cost of adding this card (with poor skill symbols) to the deck in the first place.

In the end, you are given a basic choice:

1) Draw the best card out of the top 3 cards for 2 actions. 2) Draw a random 1 of 3 card for 1 action.

From an action economy perspective, you are almost always favouring option 2).

In the end, action economy is the bane of Scrying. The feel good moments it creates obfuscate its inefficiency. An example: You scry top 3 and Paranoia shows up. You send it to the bottom of the 3 stack and spend your next 2 turns dumping resources, essentially countering your basic weakness. What a great effect!

Again: You spent 33% of your turn (and a measurable fraction of the entire allotted time!) doing that, for a slight chance (depending on how deep you are into your deck) of pulling this trick off. Furthermore, you must discount the odds of drawing Paranoia while being out of resources anyway.

Theoretically, this card isn't great. Practically, it's always sitting in my hand, eventually getting used for a skill check.

Edit: There is a further hidden cost of blocking a spell slot for something essential, which again, makes this card even worse.

ChrisKox · 5
Deck of Possibilities

Definitely a nod to the Deck of Many Things from D&D. Like the Tarot cards, this adds some randomness that you may or may not enjoy in your games.

Of note are The Champion and the Sword. These say from your collection, not from your hand or deck. That means you can open up your binder and grab whatever 5xp Exceptional item/ally and throw them down. It doesn't even reference deckbuilding restrictions, so you can grab anything. That's pretty bonkers and again can be pretty swingy.

Most of these options are more beneficial if they proc early in the game, with King of Hearts, King of Clubs, and definitely Ace of Spades being exceptions.

Taevus · 775
We are absolutely thrilled by The Champion and The Sword ! When it says "from your collection", does it include signature cards and story assets (specific of any other campaign) ?? — KaiserKlaus · 8
Daring Maneuver

Oh, hey look: it's a quote from Michael McGlen! Guy still hasn't shown up on in the the LCG as for 2023: crossing my fingers he, Kate, Agatha, George, Hank and Wilson will show up in the upcoming expansions!

Oh yeah, I need to review the card?

I disagree with the sentiment that Daring Maneuver is just a worse Unexpected Courage: this card is not meant to help you win, this card is meant to help you cashout with Rogue cards that care by how much you win: even at level 0, many do come in mind (Breaking and Entering, Cheap Shot, Slip Away, Lucky Cigarette Case, Switchblade. Quick Thinking, Opportunist .41 Derringer, Mauser C96, etc.). There are also many cards of other classes, level 0 or above, that also care by how much you win (All basic leveled up non-Unexpected Courage skill cards including the rogue one, both Scavenging, both Alchemical Transmutation, level 2 Deduction, etc.).

I think this makes it superior to unexpected courage in some situation if you can at least gurantee in some other ways you can succeed in the first place, because commiting unexpected courage may not be enough to win by the amount you need to get the extra effects, and you cannot know when you commit a card by how much you would succeed (not counting shenanigans with Premonition or Scrying Mirror). Daring Maneuver will never be wasted because it is played after the skill test succeeds: if you won't succeed by enough to trigger anything you can just choose not to play it!

At the end of the day, whether you will add this card to your deck or not depends on how many cards that care by how much you succeed by you have in your deck, but do keep in mind that succeeding by two is enough to benefit from basically all effects of level 0 cards that trigger on over-succeeding (with the exception of opportunist, for cards above level 0, you may want to look at its upgrade), and it costs no resources to play either!

So yes, niche card, but very good for a specific deck archetype.

Good assessment. — Cyke · 1
Good assessment. Found you can get a decent listing of all the cards it combines well with, searching ArkhamDB for the text x:"by 2 or more" gives a list. This won't list some other cards that it can combo with, though. For example, it also makes the old Core big gun, Shotgun, extremely good in a Leo Anderson deck. Not sure if there are any other Investigators with deckbuilding that can take both these cards. Unlike standard committed icons, you can hold this card in reserve until it will make a difference, and provide 2 additional damage (which is essentially more action compression). Would have the same effect with Rogues' Sawed-Off Shotgun too, I suppose, and that's a card combination available to many more Investigators. — Cyke · 1
Dark Prophecy

Just realized this car + Armageddon) is insane? Can I get a rule check on if attacking with Armageddon) then using Dark Prophecy and revealing 3 curses means that Armageddon) hits for 5 damage if I succeed? This makes me think that Dark prophecy would be absolutely bonkers with Armageddon) and favor of the moon up.

Not to mention the power of Eye of Chaos.

, · 565
Ignored tokens are not revealed tokens, refered from the QnA of Grotesque Statue. Thus, although several curse tokens were revealed via Dark Prophecy, only chosen curse token (and additional revealed curse tokens due to the effect of chosen curse token) contributes to the damage/clue of those cards. — elkeinkrad · 499
Hidden Pocket

I just realized there's no "limit one per item" text on here.

That means with 2x hidden pockets + 2x .25 Automatic (2) + 1x .41 Derringer (2) + 1x any one handed gun + 1x dirty fighting (2) + 1x stealth (2) you could have a round in which you attack 7 times.

As I typed it out I realized you technically don't need the second hidden pocket to pull it off, but the visual is much cooler if they're dropping two guns to pull out two new ones, trenchcoat flared out behind them, like Neo attacking the lobby in the first matrix.

Kahnjl · 1
If you want seven attacks in a turn this is also possible with Tony with double haste and either derringer (2) or quick thinking sounds only a slightly bit less complicated (which is a 3 card combo vs this 9 card combo). — PowLee · 15
Fair, but this makes it possible for any Rogue to cosplay as Tony. — Kahnjl · 1
Plus, except for stealth, all these cards are illicit, meaning Underworld Market greatly increases the chances of being able to set it up early in an game. — Kahnjl · 1