Recurring Runic Axe Tommy

Card draw simulator

Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
Derived from
None. Self-made deck here.
Inspiration for
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Crazly · 156

Lemme Axe You A Question

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Credit: FFG


Introduction:

Are you tired of fighting monsters with mundane weapons that just can't seem to get the job done? Stop being the unga-bunga and get a weapon that can help you take down the largest of beasts AND uncover clues, all in the blink of an eye! Look no further, because the Runic Axe is here to save the day!

This powerful weapon is imbued with ancient runic magic, allowing it to teleport you to your desired location and engage even the shyest of monsters.

Move faster than a archeologist, chop harder than a sailor, engage more than a cultist, and find more clues than a reporter, and all at once! (Disclaimer: These statements are for illustrative purposes only. Relics Against Indescribable Horrors does not make any representation as to the accuracy of these statements and does not accept any responsibility for lost friendships)

The axe's razor-sharp edge and sturdy handle make it the perfect weapon for a newbie officer. So why wait? Splurge on the Runic Axe and give yourself the upper hand in any battle. And don't stop there - buy another one...and another one...and another one...and another one...and another one...and another one...The fun never ends!


Table of Contents:

  • Overview

  • Main Strategy

  • Mulligan and Chance of Obtaining Runic Axe Turn 1

  • Bumping Off Your Axe

  • Other Cards

  • Upgrade Path

  • Make Your Own Deck!


Overview:

 
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Enemy Management: ★★★★☆
Clue-getting: ★★★☆☆
Encounter protection: ★★☆☆☆
Survivability: ★★★☆☆
Economy: ★★★☆☆
Card Drawing: ★★★★☆

Main Strategy:

  • Get and play Runic Axe, either from your hand, Backpack, or with the many cards that recover Items from the discard pile, such as Professor William Webb, Scavenging, Salvage, or Resourceful.

  • Spend the charges on Runic Axe by either slowly using charges on Runic Axe (boooo!), or splurging all 4 charges with ONE action on Runic Axe to get 3 of the 6 options (or any combination thereof):

    • +7
    • dealing 4 damage
    • drawing 3 cards/healing 3 total damage/horror
    • discovering 3 clues
    • moving and/or engaging 3 times
    • dealing a 3 damage AOE
  • When the Runic Axe runs out of charges, bump it out of play by playing Ice Pick, or any other hand slot item (Alas, Runic Axe is unique). Using Act of Desperation fully refunds the axe and deals damage.

  • Repeat for as long as there's a scenario (which shouldn't be too long with such an OP build ;)). From my own experience, a 2 player game will require ~3 axes, while a 4 player game (w/ 1 dedicated cluever and fighter and 2 flex) will require ~4 axes.


Mulligan and Chance of Obtaining Runic Axe Turn 1:

  • Because we are taking Short Supply, the initial draw is essential. In the base deck, there are 10 cards that will let you get Runic Axe on turn 1. During mulligan, aim for at least 2 of these cards, in order of priority: Professor William Webb, Runic Axe, Salvage, Resourceful, Scavenging

  • According to the simulator on ArkhamDB, the chance of obtaining at least X of Professor William Webb, Runic Axe, or Salvage in your mulligan is: X = 1: 93%, X = 2: 65%, X = 3: 28%, X = 4: 7%

  • If Resourceful is added: X = 1: 97%, X = 2: 83%, X = 3: 52%, X = 4: 21%, X = 5: 5%

  • If Scavenging is added: X = 1: 99%, X = 2: 93%, X = 3: 72%, X = 4: 40%, X = 5: 15%

  • After the Short Supply discard, if you neither drew or discarded the above cards, you can use Backpack, basic draw actions, Take Heart, or the other skill cards to dig through your deck.

(In case you are wondering, the chance of drawing none of the 10 cards, and then subsequently discarding all 10 of the cards is less than 1 in a million).


Bumping Off Your Axe:

Since Runic Axe is unique, you can't play Runic Axe while you are holding it. You have to remove it from play first.

Other Cards/Upgrades:

Upgrade Path:

Link to the 0xp deck


 Cost  Total
   In the Thick of It  →  Salvage •• 2 XP 2 XP
   In the Thick of It  →  ☑ Inscription of the Elders 1 XP 3 XP
 
CORE UPGRADES 3 XP
   Runic Axe    ☑ Inscription of the Hunt 1 XP 4 XP
   Runic Axe    ☑☑☑ Ancient Power 3 XP 7 XP
   Refine  →  Salvage •• 2 XP 9 XP
   Runic Axe    ☑☑☑☑ Scriptweaver 4 XP 13 XP
   Runic Axe    ☑ Heirloom 1 XP 14 XP
   Flashlight  →  Ice Pick 1 XP 15 XP
   Professor William Webb    Professor William Webb •• 2 XP 17 XP
   Flashlight  →  Ice Pick 1 XP 18 XP
   Professor William Webb    Professor William Webb •• 2 XP 20 XP
 
LUXURY UPGRADES 20 XP
   "Look what I found!"  →  Dynamite Blast ••• 3 XP 23 XP
   "Look what I found!"  →  Ever Vigilant 1 XP 24 XP
    →  Stick to the Plan ••• 6 XP 30 XP
   Overpower  →  Well-Maintained 1 XP 31 XP
   Overpower  →  Well-Maintained 1 XP 32 XP

(View at arkham-starter.com)


Link to the full xp deck


Make Your Own Deck!

Thanks to Valentin1331 for the template. To create your own guides, find the template Valentin1331 has created here.

5 comments

May 18, 2023 Valentin1331 · 55132

Nice, I like the idea! And happy to see my template being useful!

I like that you get a mechanic and fully commit to it, with also the right amount of consistency to it.

For the deck itself, how do you plan on succeeding the investigations for Scavenging and Professor William Webb? Also, the Obsidian Bracelet is good in Tommy overall, but here it feels really expensive if its only role is to bump your Runic Axe, right?

May 18, 2023 Crazly · 156

Thanks for the comment!

Initially, Flashlight and Old Keyring (and committing "Look what I found!") are used to help pass investigation tests. In scenario 1/2 (depending on xp), this deck generally only recurs 1-3 times. Afterwards, to recur the axe, you can use Salvage and Resourceful in most cases, and use Ice Pick and Old Keyring if there are low shroud locations. With harder difficulties (and sometimes easier difficulties) it is recommended to replace Scavenging with Tetsuo Mori.

Obsidian Bracelet can pay for itself (and part of the cost of another axe) after bumping off the Runic Axe, especially in multiplayer. This is efficient in the early scenarios. In mid/late scenarios, you are right that Obsidian Bracelet is last in priority for bumping off the Runic Axe. In fact, in a lot of cases, it is better to hold onto a 1 charge axe than replacing it with Obsidian Bracelet (except in cases where you or an ally are low in health/sanity).

May 18, 2023 ghastlybob · 1

How necessary is Heirloom? I want to have more abilities than reducing cost, but does increasing cost harm the engine too much?

May 19, 2023 ElseWhere · 3777

Awesome writeup, Crazly!

I agree with the questioning of Obsidian Bracelet, though–once you have Scavenging and a single Ice Pick, bumping the Axe is easy and fast (literally). I would recommend swapping it for something that doesn't consume a hand slot, like a Composure (Plucky could be pretty handy to help with your investigations, and Combat Training is just fantastic value), or if you're particularly attached to communal soak the Tetsuo Mori add you mentioned. Charisma is only 3xp, after all!

Looks like an extremely fun deck, and Valentin's template is great for conveying info. I should really start using it...

May 19, 2023 Crazly · 156

@ghastlybob I found Heirloom was actually quite replaceable, especially in multiplayer. In solo mode it is more necessary.

@ElseWhere Good call on Plucky and Combat Training. They can definitely replace Obsidian Bracelet as a source of resources and stats for another version of the deck.