Minh Takes on Carcosa (Muffin Edition take 2)

Modifications

I originally chose "Look what I found!" over Lucky! because we only had two copies of Lucky and they went to my partner's Yorrick deck, but I think it makes a better choice for this deck anyway. Two clues on a failure is sometimes even better than a success.

This deck doesn't really need the resources, but Dr. Milan Christopher also has the advantage of offering a static bonus to Intellect when the encounter deck or The King in Yellow prevents you from contributing pips. I traded it in for Overpower. With a Guardian friend and combat solutions based off of Intellect, I never needed to make a Strength check in Carcosa.

Inquiring Mind seems useful with 3 question mark icons to contribute, but I found that the requirement to have clues on the location was too restrictive, especially when clues end up on creatures instead of locations (such as almost every location in scenario 2 of Carcosa). A Glimmer of Hope is more versatile, especially when you can bring back all 3 copies from the graveyard for a single resource. I traded out my second Laboratory Assistant to get a complete set. The Assistant is kind of nice for card draw, but I never found the need to keep the hand size boost.

What Stays the Same

I initially traded out Perception instead of Preposterous Sketches when I upgraded to In the Know, but this was a mistake. Even though you rarely need this much , you need the ability to completely destroy a skill test when The King in Yellow enters play. Once Strange Solution is upgraded, some combat options can be swapped out to bring back Preposterous Sketches.

Other Options

If you find the Strange Solution early, you can trade out Mind over Matter or "I've got a plan!" for In the Know directly instead of temporarily getting rid of Preposterous Sketches. This saves some XP as well, because there's not much advantage to the upgraded version. It took me two or three scenarios to discover the Strange Solution.

Actually, the better solution to this issue, if you have access to it, is Ancestral Knowledge. This card looks amazing and well-worth the 6 XP. Minh wants skills most of all, so this basically gives you 5 free turns of an extra draw that can't be a weakness and 5 extra cards for your deck.

Upgrade Path

Knowing what I know now, my upgrade path would probably be:

Preposterous Sketches In the Know Get this early. 2 XP for the set.

Strange Solution Strange Solution - Acidic Ichor Once you've solved Strange Solution. 8 XP for the set.

Ancestral Knowledge. Not only does this not take up a card slot, it lets you add 5 more cards. I'd bring back Preposterous Sketches, get the second Laboratory Assistant. I'm unsure what to do with the last two cards. Maybe Cunning Distraction or Able Bodied, or maybe Inquiring Mind now that the parlay scenarios are likely over. 6 XP.

There are also a few cards well worth upgrading: Deduction Deduction. 4 XP for the set.

Perception Perception. 4 XP for the set.

Preposterous Sketches Cryptic Research. 8 XP for the set.