Hello friends!

Edited with updated deck: https://arkhamdb.com/deck/view/134986

First, I want to link a deck I've just built for Carolyn. She's very interesting. I can explain my choices, but I'm focusing on her as a tank and healer that can investigate. I did opt to give her a gun option because I'm giving her teamwork so she can always pass it off to a more capable fighter if they need it along with any excess resources she may have stored up.

Note that I only have a single core, so there are some obvious 1 card includes like Peter Sylvestre that you may suggest be upped to 2 copies (I can always include the upgraded version as a replacement instead of an upgrade down the road).

My primary question for all of you is whether you prefer decks built with versatility having many single copies of a card, or decks that have more reliable pulls but less options and include primarily 2 copies of each card (only 15 different cards in a deck!).

I want to hear your reasons and if they are a playstyle choice, or if you feel they have more reason behind them than it just being what you like. Also, if you have any suggestions for replacements to my starter deck, I'd like to hear your thoughts.

NOTE: I just swapped around a couple of cards last minute. I'm still trying to settle on a few. Should I replace some cards with more healing options? What cards would you suggest? I want her to be able to be a bit self sufficient also. What good is a support that needs supported?

EDIT: Thanks for pointing out that Peter Sylvestre is not core. I'm still unsure if I should include 2 in the starting deck. Thoughts?

Just a quick side note, Peter Sylvestre was in the Dunwich deluxe box, so you should have a play set of him if you want to include 2 copies.

4 minutes ago, Somatose Boy said:

Just a quick side note, Peter Sylvestre was in the Dunwich deluxe box, so you should have a play set of him if you want to include 2 copies.

That's good to know. I thought he was in core for some reason. Should I include 2? He seems pretty essential for her.

Yes on two Peters; his synergy with your ability is very strong. He also combos very well with forbidden knowledge, since you can move a secret off it for a dollar and put the horror on Peter, who will then give you another dollar when he heals it. Two dollars for a free action is typically pretty good value. Also, if you want her to be able to fight on her own more consistently, shriveling is a strong include.

Regarding your other question about deckbuilding, it's the opinion of my group of friends that every deck should be able to do everything at least a little bit. Focus is good to have, and decks should have a role in mind during construction, but there are going to be times when a treachery whisks the tank away from your clue-hound, who then draws an enemy. Conversely, a monster-killer with no monsters to kill can't just spend their turns twiddling their thumbs while everyone else gets clues; time is of the essence. For these reasons, my multiplayer decks typically have double of pretty much every card I need to do my job, and a few copies of more off-spec cards to fill in the gaps. Also, the "cantrip" cards (Guts, Perception, etc) are extremely powerful and should not be overlooked.

Also also, take two copies of liquid courage instead of clarity of mind; it's cheaper, faster, and has more charges, and doesn't take up a spell slot. The drawback is not as bad as it seems, unless you're Finn.

7 hours ago, Soakman said:

My primary question for all of you is whether you prefer decks built with versatility having many single copies of a card, or decks that have more reliable pulls but less options and include primarily 2 copies of each card (only 15 different cards in a deck!).

I normally use about 50/50 mix of both options. I decide on the role I want my investigator to take (or in case of solo play I decide on the means of investigating and dealing with enemies) and select the cards most suitable for that role and take 2 copies each (if available that is, I also only have a single core). The remaining cards are generally chosen to enhance the investigator’s abilities or just because they’re fun.

I case of a healer type Carolyn, I would probably max out on Emergency Aid, First Aid and Peter Sylvestre (possibly also Inspiring Presence).

9 hours ago, cheapmate said:

I normally use about 50/50 mix of both options. I decide on the role I want my investigator to take (or in case of solo play I decide on the means of investigating and dealing with enemies) and select the cards most suitable for that role and take 2 copies each (if available that is, I also only have a single core). The remaining cards are generally chosen to enhance the investigator’s abilities or just because they’re fun.

I case of a healer type Carolyn, I would probably max out on Emergency Aid, First Aid and Peter Sylvestre (possibly also Inspiring Presence).

I thought about emergency aid, but I really think the extra resource generation from Carolyn's ability is going to pay off over the course of the game so am focusing on horror heals.

I've got Peter, Logical Reasoning (x2), Fearless (which I might replace because it only heals you, not the person whose test you're committing it to), Liquid Courage, Clarity of Mind, and True Grit (x2) for the damage soak. That's 6 horror healing cards out of 30 total, and 2 for damage. Liquid Courage and Clarity of mind have multiple uses which means multiple resource generation.

Theoretically, I would like 2 dynamite blasts and 2 Peter Sylvestre's, and probably 2 forbidden knowledges, but that's a lot of cards and I only have 1 core.

Now that I'm looking at it though, First aid is just flat out better than Clarity of mind, so I'll probably swap those.

I prefer having 2 copies of important cards (I have 2 cores) and put singles only if the deckbuilding pushes me to (as with Dunwich gators and Carolyn).