Card Reviews · ArkhamDB

Switchblade

BEST WEAPON IN THE GAME this weapon is so strong that it is envied by the guardians. It costs practically nothing (1 resource), it gives you +2 in strength and if you are strong enough you will also have +1 additional damage! Rogues generally have a lot of agility and high intellect, but if you have at least 3 strength and your investigator is keen to fight, you will be obliged to choose this weapon.

10/6/20

Tony Morgan · 80

I don't know about best in game, but for the action spamming namesake of this review, it is my favorite weapon on him. — StyxTBeuford · 13030 10/7/20

For me must have for all Rogue and any other character than can use this, fast keyword is the game changer. — Heroes.84 · 31 12/26/20

Fast and 1 cost is pretty amazing. +2 boost is also very good, though you need to succeed by 2 to get bonus damage. Better to hit for one than to miss, though, and Rogues certainly have enough ways to boost their stats. — Zinjanthropus · 229 1/6/21

Best weapon in the game? You misspelled flamethrower. — AussieKSU · 1104 6/28/22

Seeking Answers

2xp to get a 1-cost Deduction with some frills. The frills being that you can skip moving into the target location, which can save you 2+ actions or even your derriere.

I like it. It barely needs more explanation.

10/6/20

Tsuruki23 · 2560

It's really good for Crystallizer of Dreams Ursula (and probably Trish) with those double agility icons. Ursula can even use her extra action to play it. — Zinjanthropus · 229 10/7/20

Esoteric Atlas

Very solid multiplayer upgrade.

3 Locations away is a routine situation that you might find yourself in. From the exit, from an important location, from a friend. You can use it to bypass intervening enemies. The only issue is the revealed requirement, which is why it's mostly a Multiplayer card.

You can teck this like a silver-bullet against scenarios that you know involve heavy backtracking or back and forths.

10/6/20

Tsuruki23 · 2560

Occult Invocation

This is a brutal card.

To make this card work you need a worthwhile card-engine. Seekers got that in spades! Grisly Totem or Feed the Mind or Cryptic Research or whatever other card draw you like will find you this, fill your hand with chaff, and you discard the chaff for great benefit on this card.

The attack is accurate and powerful, you typically hit at +7 or better which is a golden number both in Standard and Hard to ensure that the hits land, 3 damage will remove the vast majority of threats, although it'll leave some of the most tricky opponents in the game alive.

So long as you have any sort of sustained card draw in your deck, this card is great. And even when your card draw is so-so, this card is okay.

10/6/20

Tsuruki23 · 2560

Could also be a way for Ursula or Minh to get a Moonstone into play. — Zinjanthropus · 229 10/7/20

It took think card seeing print for me to realize how good Persuasion is in retrospect! — Yenreb · 15 10/9/20

Cryptic Writings

You're just never going to draw it during your turn.

Finding it is nice, but most of the time you will just feel bad and annoyed. It's not important enough to try and search for it with search effects. And the rest of the time it's just a bad Emergency Cache and you'll be cursing it in anger!

The card is quite decent in Norman Withers decks, and I could imagine it in a deck with Scroll of Secrets.

10/6/20

Tsuruki23 · 2560

Heavy disagree. If you build your deck to cycle quickly, you will frequently draw this during your turn. Even Crack the Case require you actually clear a location to get the burst. This is just gas in a draw heavy deck. — StyxTBeuford · 13030 10/6/20

Yeah, a typical draw-heavy deck will draw 2x, 3x, or even 6+x as many cards during their turn as during the upkeep. — Death by Chocolate · 1487 10/6/20

And at worst, you've got 2 int symbols, the best non wild symbols to have in the game. It hurts less than accidentally drawing Astounding Rev, which you should still run despite that risk in a search deck. — StyxTBeuford · 13030 10/6/20

I agree with Styx. Harvey with his Vault of Knowledge out has got great odds of drawing this during his turn. If it's early in the game, you'll be glad to have the resources. If it's mid to late game, those icons are beautiful. A great card either way. — Pinchers · 131 1/8/21

@Death by Chocolate, can you link me a deck that draws 6 cards every turn? Curious. — flamebreak · 22 2/3/21

@flamebreak simple example: any Seeker investigates commiting PMP, drawing Perception (2), exhausting Gristly Totem, passing, gaining +4 cards in a single skill test; investigating again commiting the Perception, gaining +2 cards. Exhausts a Taboo'd Scroll for +1 draw. Exhausts Rook for +1 draw. Exhausts Dream-Enhancing Serum for +1 draw. Plays Cryptic Writings for +3 more. Spend 6 secrets from the Necronomican for 6 more cards. Of course, this will be spread out in a few turns to avoid running into the hand size limit...or you might not care becuase you have the Dream Enhancing Sereum in play. — suika · 9491 2/15/21

@flamebreak uh oh you're actually talking to the maker of such a deck. Death by Chocolate made the legendary Trish goes brr deck and it does just that actually. — kellyhoang92 · 1 7/1/21

Question....Is Cryptic Writings a dead card (aside from it's 2 book icons) in your opening hand? My reading of it says YES because drawing your opening hand is not "on your turn" — BillyB · 21 12/30/21

@BillyB You are correct. "Your turn" refers to a specific time within the investigator phase, however your opening hand is drawn before that. — snacc · 1008 5/7/22