2025/05 The Showman Dexter Drake (Flex/Fighter)

Showman Dexter Drake deck.

The signature asset Showmanship makes repeatedly playing low-cost assets worth it. The card even makes some rogue weapons like the .41 Derringer decent with Dexter's relatively low base combat of 3. Combine that with Cat Mask and Blood Pact, and Dexter can add +6 to gunshots.

To get the most out of Showmanship, try to trigger the ability on an asset as many times as possible during the turn the asset enters play. This is where extra actions from Leo De Luca and Haste help.

Showmanship is a one-off card like most signatures and therefore it may be hard to find. Always keep it in your opening hand if you draw it. The deck will also discard and cycle through assets quickly and therefore requires a card draw engine. To do this, the deck contains cards like Scroll of Secrets ( Free trigger with taboo list), Lucky Cigarette Case, and Backpack (Backpack can't draw Showmanship by itself, but can effectively thin your deck).

You can use Dexter's ability to discard Blood Pact and/or Abyssal Tome before the doom on them would cause the agenda to advance. Remember not to upgrade Blood Pact to the permanent version.

Upgrades

1st prio:

• Charon's Obol. Optional, but get it first if you want it.
• .41 Derringer -> .41 Derringer 2.
• Backpack -> Backpack 2. There is a ton of items in the deck to look for. Skip if you plan on getting rid of backpack.

2nd prio:

• Colt Vest Pocket -> Colt Vest Pocket 2. Not a particularly exiting upgrade, since you usually want to use the asset on the same turn as you play it to benefit from Showmanship. Still, the upgrade makes the gun more flexible and the +1 is welcome.
• Leo De Luca -> Leo De Luca 1.
• Some card -> Haste. Haste combines well with Leo, since you have more opportunities to take two identical actions in a row. It is not uncommon to e.g. take two successive Sixth Sense actions. Dexter also benefits from repeatedly using the asset that just entered play to benefit from Showmanship. Remember you can take can trigger an extra action from Haste even when using different assets.
• Sword Cane or Backpack -> Abyssal Tome. This removes your ability to dodge with the cane, but provides another way to deal damage. Abyssal Tome is particularly good on Dexter since he can discard the tome with his ability if the doom on it would cause the agenda to advance. You can alternatively replace Backpack with this.

3rd prio:

• Faustian Bargain -> Pay Day. With Haste and Leo, this card consistently generates 5 resources, just like Faustian Bargain but without the curses. If you add a .41 Derringer 2 oversuccess to it, you can even get 6 resources.
• Overpower -> Seal of the Elder Sign. Use this to bounce Colt Vest Pocket back into your hand before it discards, or use with Blood Pact/Abyssal Tome to clear the doom. You can also use this with .41 Derringer 2 to guarantee an extra action. Dexter's provides +2 as well, ensuring success on a -3 difficulty test with this committed.
• Fearless -> Fearless 2. Important if you're running Shrivelling 5.
• Scroll of Secrets -> Scroll of Secrets 3. Another upgrade that's not particularly exciting, but 1 more secret and the ability to look at the top of your deck for a weakness or such is welcome.

Consider:

• Some card -> Bulletproof Vest. If you need more soak.
• Some card -> The Black Cat. Cat.

Arcane Research

• Deny Existence -> Deny Existence 5. 3 xp each.
• Shrivelling -> Shrivelling 3 -> Shrivelling 5. 1 xp each.
• Sixth Sense -> Sixth Sense 4. 2 xp each.