Joey "The Rat" Vigil

I think Joey "The Rat" Vigil was the most unusable rogue card in the game until this version of him appeared in weaver of cosmos. Now, "The Rat" is one hell of a card, especially for Tonny Morgan. It is not only the cost that is reduced (4 to 2) but also a new fast ability that is added (Discard an Item asset from play: Gain two Resources) This new card gives a new refreshing strategy to rogues to get money super fast by discard assets from play that have no charges/supplies/ammo and play a new one (or even an exact copy of the same card from you hand) by paying the cost plus 1 resource. And it is fast! This opens a whole new world for rogues, as they can now explore a whole new bunch of cards that where never used. Such as Colt Vest Pocket. Also "The Rat" can create some sweet combos that can change the game drammaticaly - I will explain what I mean later on. I play the Dream Eaters B Campaign with Tonny and Mandy. Tonny is an amazing investigator with insanely number of actions and he is heavily combat oriented. Some weapons such as .41 Derringer and Switchblade are essential for him and other such as Chicago Typewriter not so much. He has also 2x Tony's .38 Long Colt. In his collection of guns, I have added 2x of Colt Vest Pocket and using the ability of Rat, this card has now a meaning, because it is a gun bomb which is used normally for 3 attacks (maybe 4 if you put a bounty in an enemy) and before discarding it at the end of the turn, you just discard this asset and get the money back like you have never played it. The +1 damage is sweet and the bonus +1 strength gives a great 6 to handle weak enemies like Rats, Zoogs and overall enemies with Swarming. With this combo you won't need to use your best arsenal against them and you keep bullets for the fatties. Think Rat as Sleight of Hand, but with a reward. The advantage of Sleight of Hand is that it gives you the asset again in your hand so you can circle it again, the advantage of Rat is tha he gives you resources. You can choose which scenario is better for you or you u can use both because Rat is an unlimited source of Sleight of Hand. This can literally save you when you draw an encounter card and you are low on ammo. Also, another thing is that if you want to play a new asset that takes a slot that is already occupied, instead of discard it and get nothing from it, you can use Rat's ability and benefit from both cases - get 2 resources and play this asset fast! Finally, a great combo with Rat is to circle a gun which has Well-Maintained. Just put this sweet fast card underneath the gun and when it is out of ammo, discard it, get the 2 resources and then take the gun back to your hand, to play it again (fast or not) or even commit to a test. And the best part for Rat is that both his abilities can be used UNLIMITED in the turn. You don't exhaust him!!! Combine him with Charisma and Delilah O'Rourke and Tonny becomes a killer machine!

Sotosprotos · 86
Add Scavenging 0 or 2 to get discarded assets back into play? — Django · 5162
Scavenging is great card but I think this is kind of situational depending on the investigators. I am not sure if there is an rogue investigator who has access to level 2 scavenging. Tony can get only the scavenging 0 level, but if you want to include this in your deck, you have to add #streetwise in order to benefit the most from this card. For the heavily strength oriented investigators, investigation actions are kind of limited, not to say forbidden, except if you play some events. — Sotosprotos · 86
Take note that Preston can take up to lvl 2 survivor cards. He also has access to items that cost 0 (cherished keepsake, and leather coat). Talk about free money for Delilah, Lola Santiago, and streetwise — jdk5143 · 98
@Sotosprotos Tony can only take skills and events from his off-class, not assets. — SGPrometheus · 847
@jdk5143 I haven't played Preston yet. My bad! — Sotosprotos · 86
@SGPrometheus I know that Tony gets only skills/events. Did I imply the opposite in the review? — Sotosprotos · 86
i think what SGPrometheus was saying that Tony can’t take level 0 Scavenging because it’s a Survivor Asset. — iceysnowman · 164
Also best cost:soak ratio of any Rogue ally — Zinjanthropus · 230
Monstrous Transformation

Carolyn Fern absolutely loves this card and it’s paired supposed “weakness.” She can clue with her base stats and then hulk out midway through a scenario to take on the inevitable enemies. Meanwhile, your likely horror-healing deck thrives off the dependable horror from the paired weakness, feeding your Keen Eye stat boosts with the generated resources.

Also, unless I screwed up the scenario rules, it lets you absolutely CRUSH one of the scenarios in FA.

cstraw · 5
This is even better if calvin teams up with carolyn and he has this and the weakness. Use solemn vow to move horror to carolyn (or her peter sylvester). — Django · 5162
It's also really good with Preston. It would be especially good if you can manage to get permanently Yithian'd. He would definitely appreciate Horror Healing Support, though. — Zinjanthropus · 230
Through the Gates

I guess in a Mandy Thompson's deck, that weakness becomes a very powerful card. If we draw Through the Gates (with Mr. "Rook", for example), we'll trigger a search in ALL THE DECK, but that "search" will be canceled if we have Shocking Discovery in the deck. So... we'll have removed two weaknesses at the price of one card from the deck and one card from the encounter deck. I really think it's worth it.

Flazzy · 6
Sixth Sense

Do all parts of that "as if" from the FAQ apply here?

Don't attacks of opportunity occur before you reveal the chaos token? ("An attack of opportunity is made immediately after all costs of initiating the action that provoked the attack have been paid, but before the application of that action's effect upon the game state.")

This card specifically says "You are now investigating as if you were at the chosen location", so surely the attacks of opportunity don't happen here?

Phoenixbadger · 199
Critical question for this card: if I am at a location with 1 shroud and no clue and a connecting location has shroud 7 and a clue and I investigate using this card and draw a skull, do I get to collect the clue on the high shroud location? I don’t see a reason why this shouldn’t be allowed, just like Burglary, and makes this card even more valuable for clearing high shroud spots, Obscuring Fog, etc. — mbooradley · 7
@Phoenixbadger I'm nearly certain you are correct, though I'd have to read the "as if" entry again to say why. @mbooradley You are also correct; you're investigating the high shroud location but using the low shroud value. — SGPrometheus · 847
even if you are investigating "as if" on another location, it does make you engaged with enemies on that location — Adny · 1
I'm no kind of authority or anything , but I think Attacks of Opportunity happen the way the OP describes. "Immediately after all costs ...are paid" defines the timing point of AOOs right? And since the only cost of initiating a Sixth Sense investigation is the action itself, AOOs should be pretty much the first thing to resolve in the timing sequence, so you'd get them at your original location but by the time the "as if" kicked in the timing point for AOOs there has been and gone. Conversely though, the "as if" stuff is in effect when you actually discover the clue so you wouldn't be able to e.g discover a clue at a location with an enemy with doom were Words of Power in your threat area. That's my take, at any rate.. — bee123 · 31
everything as you wrote, except AOO is not tied to enemies at your location, but to enemies engaged with you — Adny · 1
Does this mean that unenganged ready enemies at the other location engage you? — Django · 5162
(my previous comment was missing an important word O:-) ) even if you are investigating "as if" on another location, it does NOT make you engaged with enemies on that location — Adny · 1
Take Heart

An incredible card when teamed up with my current investigator: "Ashcan" Pete. He often gets a free test he doesn't care about when Duke takes him off to go off investigating at other locations. (When he uses the Duke investigate action to move to another location and investigate, he is effectively using one action to "move", but if there are no clues there, he still investigates, and only minds failing if there is a nasty chaos token - he's just indulging his trusty dog, who's going off sniffing around the place.)

It is especially strong when teamed up with a few more survivor cards, such as one or two Drawing Thin, to "improve" the chances of failure, by making the test 2 or 4 steps more difficult of the test, and add further economy to a test that effectively didn't even cost an action. I love the way it turns the game on its head and you really don't want to draw an elder sign, in case you waste your card.

On top of that, that you can use it with the upgraded Grisly Totem to return Take Heart to your hand afterwards, and do the same thing again next round!!

I'm currently playing my (non-taboo) "Ashcan" Pete deck and have just upgraded my Grisly Totem. Together with Rabbit's Foot; Relic Hunter, and two Drawing Thin. I'm looking forward to getting them all out, using a "free" action to investigate and deliberately fail. If i get it right, for the cost of exhausting a few assets and moving, I'd get 6 resources(2 from each Drawing Thin, 2 from Take Heart, draw 3 cards and get Take Heart back into my hand. (or using the other choice for Drawing Thin, gain 2 resources, draw 5 cards and get Take Heart back).

Do that combo for a couple of turns in a row and your hand is full of cards, with resources worthy of a rogue, ready to boost the skill checks you want to succeed with Scrapper; Fire Axe; Plucky or Dig Deep; and all those lovely skill cards you just drew.

Phoenixbadger · 199
Duke exhausts to investigate, just like he does to fight. Why are you wasting Duke's investigate on just moving, rather than moving first and then Duking it to a location you do want to investigate? Or if you don't want to investigate, save Duke for a fight. — TheNameWasTaken · 3
you don't always need to fight or investigate, early in the game you might want to play cards, late in each scenario you are often moving around with clues already hoovered up or no longer relevant. Sure if you anticipate a fight, then don't play take heart. If you need it then use it, but if you don't need it, then it is a free test that you don't mind failing. Its like having track shoes and not needing to move two spaces - its an opportunity to fail a free test and benefit from Take heart and Drawing Thin. — Phoenixbadger · 199