Daisy Walker for Newbies (PlayingBoardGames)

In this guide, I'll be going over a basic Daisy build with two core sets, then talking about upgrade paths as well as talking about what cards to look for from each cycle, as an aid for newer players who may only have access to one or two cycles. If you do not have multiple core sets, I highly recommend either purchasing a second, or proxying the cards you are missing. All decks from this series will be ignoring mutations as well as the taboo list. I also won't be looking at the cards from the Return To expansions for this, as newer players really should look at picking up most of the cycles before delving into them.

Daisy's basic deck is mostly yellow, with a smattering of purple cards. We've got Flashlight, Dr. Milan Christopher and Magnifying Glass to really push her book stat over the top. Drawn to the Flame and Working a Hunch to grab even the trickiest clues. Mind over Matter and Ward of Protection are here to help keep you safe, and Research Librarian, while unimpressive here, really starts looking good when we pick up some new tomes.

Daisy gets access to some fairly unique upgrades out of the core set. Magnifying Glass and Disc of Itzamna are both handy, but our librarian is the only core set investigator who really looks for Encyclopedia. Cryptic Research is a fine choice as well.

Looking into the first cycle, the Dunwich Legacy is a strong start. Seeker cards here are very strong. Shortcut is a staple and "I've got a plan!" is a good source of damage. Alyssa Graham does some cute things, as does Dr. William T. Maleson. Inquiring Mind is a solid skill as well. This cycle brings Strange Solution and its associated upgrades in addition to Delve Too Deep to pay for them. Deduction, Deciphered Reality and Pathfinder are always good. Finally, it wouldn't do to go without mentioning Higher Education, which feels like cheating.

Next on the list is the Path to Carcosa. Fieldwork looks unimpressive, but it'll surprise you. No Stone Unturned is a strong support option, David Renfield is his own economy, Logical Reasoning is surprisingly flexible and St. Hubert's Key fits very comfortably in your accessory slot. This cycle's mystery upgrade card, Archaic Glyphs has some useful upgrades. Arcane Insight can slot into a neat spell build. Other experienced cards of note include, Forewarned, Shortcut and Ward of Protection.

The third cycle, The Forgotten Age, has a few exciting cards, including the first really strong tome. Here you'll find Tooth of Eztli to help with those pesky encounter cards, as well as Ancient Stone and the experienced versions. You should always be happy to play Premonition. The other purple cards here are a little lackluster, but there's some solid options to buy, namely Counterspell, Recall the Future and Defiance. Finally, the "pièce de résistance": Pnakotic Manuscripts. This baby crushes tests, and Daisy drools over its Tome subtype.

The Circle Undone really fleshes out the tome pool for Daisy. At level 0 the cycle offers Hawk-Eye Folding Camera as a replacement Magnifying Glass, Crack the Case if you're hurting for resources, and Deny Existence as a different, but not better or worse, Ward of Protection (though you should consider playing both). Finally the books: Occult Lexicon, De Vermis Mysteriis and Esoteric Atlas all carry Tome designation and Knowledge is Power helps get full use out of them. You'll notice Scroll of Secrets and relevant upgrade are also Tomes, and while they tend to drag other builds down a little, Daisy's free action actually makes them feel pretty good.

Placeholder for the Dreamlands Cycle

Hopefully this has helped some new players with their deck building and collection buying without being overbearing. I'll be looking at doing this for the rest of the core set investigators, as well as a less comprehensive deck building guide for the other investigators with only cards from two core sets and their respective cycles.

You can find a video of us discussing this deck here: https://youtu.be/0u2NrinN2TU