Wilson Richards- The Power Tooling Starter Deck

Welcome, Wilson Richards naysayers, to the Power Tooling Starter Deck.

The idea with this highly coherent, asset heavy flex build is to lean deep into Wilson's tool facilitating special abilities and powerful signature card; promoting fast set-up, steady resource efficiency, scenario spanning tempo, and deep card draw, while potentially utilising every single one of the 19 assets in your deck to their utmost effectiveness.

You'll find the deck to be highly responsive to a bespoke range of workmanlike clue gathering and fighting demands, with many layered pivot points underying a broad, yet elegant, decision space, which enables a high degree of genuine flexibility.

The upgrade path is designed to be smooth, achievable, and consistent with the starter deck's design philosophy throughout. Each higher level card addition is presented as part of a side deck, for ease of parsing.

▪︎ Here's the theory, presented in a card by card format. First beginning with the cards in the starter deck, then focusing on their higher level replacements--

■ AD HOC- Wilson's signature event is the centerpiece of the deck, and must absolutely not be overlooked. In the most prosaic analysis, if you see it early, its reaction ability will allow you to gather approximately two full rounds of tempo through free on assets discarded from your hand via its . Though the seamless versatility this move enables will undoubtedly generate even more efficiency in practice.

With this supreme value potential in mind it is vital that you never mulligan Ad Hoc away. Conversely, the deck will respond favourably to harder mulligans where Ad Hoc is absent; As a general rule of thumb it is advisable to redraw every other event in your opening hand in pursuit of Ad Hoc, and as many assets as possible. Though do bare in mind that Lanterns & Gravedigger's Shovels in particular get the best value from this card when retained in hand.

The card is best attached to an asset you intend to stick around, so Hatchet, Chemistry Set and Enchanted Blade are the best options.

■ IN THE THICK OF IT- Allows access to Hatchet (swings for 7 at 2 damage) and Ever Vigilant(1) (significantly enhances tempo and resource discount in asset heavy decks.) The efficiency is worth the sacrifice of 2 points of health.

■ GEARED UP- In this 19 item deck the chance of nailing three items into your play area right off the bat is huge, making Geared Up equivalent to an actionless Emergency Cache in the large majority of cases. However, the inclusion of Backpack (the assets are played one at a time, so you can play Backpack first, and whatever Bacpack searches with its ) and a cheap spread of various slot fillers, and non slot fillers, means that there's a good chance you'll be trading your first round for even more value. There can be loads of decision space in this proxied first round, and the most correct play selections will vary from scenario to scenario, so don't think of it as a round wasted. Just remember not to toss out Ad Hoc.

■ BACKPACK- Prefered over Tool Belt in the body slot due it synergy with Geared Up (potentially play up to 5 assets, or more, with greater frequency in your proxied first round) and Ever Vigilant (play three assets for one action with potentially no resource cost), where good draw evolves into fantastic tempo efficiency. The 19 item deck also makes Backpack a reliable milling tool, though the down side is that items stored in your Backpack cannot be discarded by the tempo boosting facility of Ad Hoc's reaction ability. So, if you do find a Backpack in your opening hand, play it first, then play out any duplicates of assets it searches from the Backpack rather than from your hand, so the original copy is accessible by Ad Hoc's triggered reaction when it arrives.

■ POCKET MULTI TOOL- Included as a treachery foil. Use it in the Mythos Phase, but if you don't have to, boost a test later.

■ GRAVEDIGGER'S SHOVEL- Swings for 6 with Wilson's tool related +1 bonus, which is good enough for most early campaign non-elites, especially as an efficient finisher in conjunction with Hatchet or Enchanted Blade. Wins testless clues on stubborn locations while smoothly freeing up hand space for other assets. This potentially grabs 6 testless clues in conjunction with Pushed To The Limit, though with a 4/8 additional action/resource overhead in the most prosaic calculation, considering the involved basic play actions and discounted tool cost (if steady, once per phase play actions are applied) along with the resource and action costs of playing 2 Pushed To The Limits, though of course these costs can be offset by I'll take That, Geared Up, and Ever Vigilant. However, the synergy and flexibility of Ad Hoc changes this equation significantly, meaning that, once Ad Hoc is in play, 6 testless clues can potentially be discovered while generating four points of positive tempo by discarding the Shovel from your hand for completely free activation actions. With this in mind it is better to be patient and hold Gravedigger's Shovel back when other weapons are available.

■ LANTERN- You'll effectively be investigating at 5 thanks to the Lantern's -1 and Wilson's +1 tool bonus. What's more, the shroud reduction provides the healthy potential for a stetson full of virtually guaranteed clues in concert with a Matchbox, or two. Moreover, what applies to Gravedigger's Shovel, in terms of its testless and actionless clue generation, also applies to Lantern in terms of testless and actionless damage output in combination with Ad Hoc. Which you may find useful in juggling your Hatchets, or just maintaining efficient forward progress in conjunction with your Guard Dogs.

■ HATCHET- For just a single resource, in most cases, it swings for 7 and 2 damage by adding Wilson's Evade value and his tool related +1 bonus. Combines efficiently with Gravedigger's Shovel as a reliable 3 health enemy crusher. Recurable for a free attack with Pushed To The Limit, fast and often free With I'll Take That, a free fire and forget with Ad Hoc. Its stickiness will occasionally provide opportunities for efficient item juggling too.

■ ENCHANTED BLADE- "Perhaps the curious old epee was bought back from Havana by Wilsons daddy, after his service in the war with Spain." But, regardless of provenence, it functions as a tunable companion to both Hatchet and Gravedigger's Shovel, swinging for 4, or an alternative 5 and 2 damage, at the additional cost of one of its three charges. The 2 point Fight pump of Wolf Mask and occasional +1 bonus provided by Pocket Multi Tool will oil the hinges of your sword arm here, too. However, giving in to the frivolous temptation of commiting spare tool and weapon cards to attacks to boost less than convincing attacks in the moment might deprive you of the opportunity to take a valuable free action in the future, via Ad Hoc's reaction ability. Similar to Hatchet, its resource cost can be mitigated by I'll Take That, while Pushed To The Limit provides recursion and potentially wrings out another couple of pseudo charges, which makes pushing this card into the discard pile feel far less final. Enchanted Blade also has immunity to Wilson's signature weakness, and the relic trait matters too, against a few enemies.

■ CHEMISTRY SET- Prefered over the formidable Fingerprint Kit due to its accessible cost (considering synergy with the action compression provided by Geared Up and Ever Vigilant), its lone utilisation of the accessory slot, its resource generation, and its potential to boost card draw in combination with Magnifying Glass and the odds tweaking utility of a Matchbox or two. This card is the second centerpiece of the deck after Wilson's signature card. Playing it early will boost your draw and resource generation significantly. And, should you be lucky enough to find Ad Hoc early too, Chemistry Kit is often the most efficient attachment for it in many scenarios, especially with a Guard Dog in play. Just be careful, in this case, that you don't squander both assets on a catastrophic shroud test. Recurable with Pushed To The Limit, should the stars align in terrible conjunction. But steady and scrupulous use should mean this will never happen, especially with your Matches at hand, where the shroud reduction positively enhances both draw and resource generation potential, while ensuring you can never lose Chemistry Set to an on a two shroud location.

■ MATCHBOX- It's slotless, which also means it improves the value potential of Geared Up and Ever Vigilant by not competing for slots with other items, especially when you draw Backpack in your opening hand. It also has no resource cost for Wilson, no matter how it finds its way into his play area. As previously mentioned, its synergy with Chemistry Set also tweaks the odds of resource generation, extra card draw, or even the odd bonus clue in your favour (be mindful of the chaos bag and scenario card to hit those good, test positive, numbers more often here, especially with two Matchboxes in play.)

■ MAGNIFYING GLASS- Free action cost, free resouce cost. You're investigating at 4, or (in cumulative sequence); 5 with Chemistry Set, or Matchbox (effectively); 6 with 2 Matchboxes, or Lantern (effectively), or 1 Matchbox & Chemistry Set; 7 with 1 Matchbox & Lantern, or 2 Matchboxes & Chemistry Set; 8 with 2 Matchboxes & Lantern, and a further +1 to all previous subsets with an unused Pocket Multi Tool bonus, for a maximum virtual 9 investigation, without committing a single card. This is all very achievable, very quickly, thanks to the tool wrangling assets and events at Wilson's fingertips.

■ WOLF MASK Another slotless (or pseudo-slotless) asset which makes the most of your opening hand (think of it as a welder's mask, if it helps- Wolfbrand TM, perhaps.) Big Fight numbers equate to higher efficiency and Evasion becomes a plausible alternative to assault in tight spots. But Locked Doors and other targettable Treachery and location card bottlenecks might mean it's worth keeping an offering in the chamber. The only downside is you can't push a mask out of your play area due to its slotlessness, but the second copy is at least good for a commitment bump.

■ GUARD DOG- A three health ally is a good thing when you've sacrificed 2 health to In Thick Of It, but a three health ally that bites back is better. Especially when it retrieves your Hatchet from a fallen foe in the Enemy Phase, or as the result of an attack of opportunity. "Good boy, Ripper."

■ I'LL TAKE THAT- Included for the tempo value of the free play action, though the actionless resource discounts generated might also buy you extra time, especially when applied to Enchanted Blade, or Pocket Multi Tool. The Evade bonus provided by Wolf Mask might find some occasional niche value here too, though an established suite of investigation tools will surely do better.

■ EVER VIGILANT- Unpack your Backpack for but a single action at extremely low resource cost (assets are played one at a time in the same manner as Geared Up.) The commitment icons can be handy. Worth holding off on until maximum impact is achieved, but don't forget Wlison's additional tool discount. I won't remind you again.

■ GLORY- Murder a cultist; immediately draw two cards. Stomp on a rat; immediately draw another two cards. Or, if it's late in the day, just boost your score by two by committing it when that pesky boss shows up. But remember, Ad Hock can really lay down the damage with spare weapons in hand, and that Glory will help winkle Ad Hock, and those weapons out of your deck.

■ PUSHED TO THE LIMIT- The non attack provoking recursion and tempo neutral actions are powerful, even when the Sledgehammer is out in the truck; Retrieve the Hatchet, Lantern, or Shovel you lost along the way, reinvigorate the esoteric energies of your Enchanted Blade, rebuild the Chemistry Set you melted, and all while killing enemies, grabbing clues, and who knows, even drawing the occasional card. As discussed in detail, its synergy with Ad Hoc only magnifies its impressive utility.

■ TINKER- Prefered over Tool Belt for its fast play action and the absence of competition for Backpack's body slot. Best reserved for your Pocket Multi Tool in order to keep your other, more proactive hand slot fillers moving with the smoothest efficiency, while maintaining enhanced Mythos resilience. But also useful for a second Chemistry Set, a Hatchet, or even a second Multi Tool, when you really need to take the Fear out of Frozen in Fear.

■ HASTY REPAIRS- What the tempo generating power of Ad Hoc giveth, so the pain in the butt of Hasty repairs taketh away. Just bare in mind that Wilson's testless Shovels & Lanterns, the shroud reducing facility of Matchboxes and Lanterns, and the attack options provided by Enchanted Blade and Wolf Mask means that he can often defer even a rushed job in a tight spot. And, in a not entirely uncommon corner case, Chemistry Set can also still be used to virtually guarantee extra resources on 2 shroud locations while twin Matchboxes are in play. But remember, "set your base skill value to zero" means "set your base to sill value to zero", in other words, there's no +1 from Wilsons tool bonus here.

▪︎ Well, that's wrapped up the starter deck. So now, let's go on to look at the higher level cards and their application. After which I'll offer a few final thoughts. The precise order of upgrades and new inclusions are largely left to your discretion, but an asymmetrical upgrade path is probably advisable-

■ POCKET MULTI TOOL (customised)- The consistent two point bonus to Treachery tests, investigation attempts and attacks is just too to good to overlook. However, the Pry Bar customization is the most significant. Make sure this is the first point of XP you spend, then gradually begin to fill out your other customizations after you've purchased at least one Enchanted Blade(3) and one Backpack(2), continuing with Spring Loaded to extract maximum value.

■ ENCHANTED BLADE (3)- A significant improvement over its level 0 namesake. Always swings for 5, but allows you to spend one of its three charges, only after a successful attack has been determined, to resove an additional point of damage. However, should this attack defeat an enemy Wilson heals one horror and draws one card. This is the perfect combination of buffs for many Guardians, but finds especial value here in locating and feeding the deck's powerful keystone card. A good candidate for the earliest possible upgrade.

■ EVER VIGILANT(1)- Intended to replace Magnifying Glass as a consistency improver once Multi Tool's Springloaded & Magnifying Lens customizations are in place. Where the inclusion of Fire Extinguishers and Emergency Caches will create greater tempo positive potential for the card.

■ BACKPACK(2)- Searching 12 cards deep gets the tools you need in place, in their place, and quicker. But, if the odd piece was out of reach, it provides the potential to float them up to the top of the deck after a reshuffle. Provides even more flexibility once Emergency Cache(2) has been incorporated. One of the first targets for a level 0 upgrade, but holding off on the second one for a while is probably advisable.

■ FIRE EXTINGUISHER- In line with the majority of assets in the deck, it's a cheap tool with versatile applications. Intended to push out Glory as Multi Tool's Magnifying Lens and Enchanted Blade(3) begin to accelerate card draw. Swings at 5 for 2, with Wilsons +1. But it's main value lies in its Cunning Distraction equivalent, universal testless Evasion ability. What's more, it can be Exiled in a final, or desperate late campaign scenario to discard every non-elite enemy at your location, Dynamite Blast style. An absolutely terrific card that's even better in Wilson.

■ EMERGENCY CACHE(2)- Generates the usual 3 resources but with a 1 card draw compensation. Intended to push out I'll take That after tempo has improved and a second copy of Ever Vigilant has been incorporated. Prefered over Stand Together for its more realistic XP load, its go-it aloneness, and its synergy with Backpack's supply search. However, the per investigator 2 draw and 2 resource generation provided by Stand Together might be a more appropriate alternative where XP is more plentiful and investigator co-operation more involved. But of course, there's no reason you couldn't include a single copy of each.

So, that's the whole bag of tools oiled and sharpened. The dogs are in their kennel, and the combustibles stored safely out of reach. But before I go, I'd just like to say that I don't think Wilson is one of the game's stronger investigators; His card pool is limited at the moment, he's fairly vulnerable to Treacheries and, like so many Guardians, he lacks mobility (or rather, he lacks the feasible opportunity to incorporate movement enhancing cards into his deck.) It's also frustrating that his weakness is more or less a straight action tax. That said, he is an interesting and unique challenge, and in that regard I hope you enjoy this uniquely fun Wilson Richards deck. One final piece of advice though, and that is to be patient and methodical while piloting it. Hold out for the Ever Vigilants, Backpacks, Glorys and Ad Hoc, and concentrate on maintaining forward momentum while growing your hand and thinning your deck. Hold back your Shovels & Lanterns where possible too. Because the longer you can hold out, the greater your chance of seeing a big rush of positive tempo. Now go forth and fix cultists, hammer ghouls, and screw Great Old Ones.