A small joke about this: the "Spirit" trait is translated to the word meaning "bravery" in Chinese localization. While it works fine on other cards, it is quite funny when you look at this one. To get out of shit do require some trick, but that comes nowhere near bravery (Well, I guess you can say that it takes a brave man to acknowledge his own powerlessness, maybe?)

: Resign. Heavy spoiler incoming, get outta here before it's too late.

Jokes aside, let's take a look at how many scenarios in each campaign have an escape option, and which ones are good for this. I will categorize every resign option into one of the 4 groups:

• Objective, where you win the scenario by resigning;
• Panic button, where you are required to do things and then resign, but if things go south you can always just say "I'm outta here!";
• Failsafe, where you technically can resign but gives a bad outcome (at least you are not dying from Obol);
• Non-option, where resign must NOT be used.

As of now I only completed NotZ, Carcosa, Innsmouth and EotE, so ratings for the other 5 campaign are only theoratical. Comments welcomed.

Night of the Zeal: 2/3. Conclusion: Hardly worth the deck space

• The Gathering: Failsafe, only available in act 3
• The Midnight Mask: Panic button
• The Devourer Below: Non-option.

The Dunwich Legacy: 6/8. Conclusion: Don't take it until you get to the finale; but in the finale, it's well worth a slot (and 1 XP, if you don't have Adaptable)

• Extracurricular Activity: Failsafe
• The House Always Wins: Objective; if the front door is gone, you need to find the back door first; extra points for securing the VP on back door (normally when retreating you will drop all your remaining clues on the location and thus deny that point of VP)
• The Miskatonic Museum: Failsafe
• Blood on the Altar: Failsafe
• Undimensioned and Unseen: Failsafe
• Where Doom Awaits: Non-option
• Lost in Time and Space: Objective, extra points for circumventing the "Spend 2 clues" restriction and for an extremly annoying map

The Path to Carcosa: 4/8. Conclusion: take at deck creation, drop after finishing Oath

• Curtain Call: Objective, only available in act 3; do note that you can't get out until the stranger is dealt with, because until then the lobby doesn't have ": Resign" (note the difference in wording compare to No Asylum)
• The Last King: Panic button
• Echoes of the Past: Failsafe
• The Unspeakable Oath: Objective, only available in act 4; extra points for circumventing the "no ready enemy" restriction and for a relatively big map

The Forgotten Age: 4/9. Conclusion: take at deck creation, keep it at least until finishing Eztli, drop no later after Elders Part 1

• The Untamed Wilds: Failsafe
• The Doom of Eztli: Failsafe (Act 1&2), Objective (Act 3)
• Threads of Fate: Panic button
• Heart of the Elders, Part 1: Panic button
• The Depths of Yoth: In the campagin guide it says there's a resign ("each investigator resigned or was defeated" in the resoultion section), but there's no relevant card
• The same goes for Shattered Aeons.
• Since Turn Back Time use the same locations with The Doom of Eztli, there is a resign option. Obviously, Non-option.

The Circle Undone: 5/8. Conclusion: take at deck creation, keep it at least until finishing Doorstep

• At Death's Doorstep: Objective, only available in act 3
• The Secret Name: In the campagin guide it says there's a resign ("each investigator resigned or was defeated" in the resoultion section), but there's no relevant card
• The Wages of Sin: Panic button, extra points for circumventing the "above resign ability cannot be triggered" restriction on the spectral side.
• For the Greater Good: Failsafe
• Union and Disillusion: Panic button
• In the Clutches of Chaos: Failsafe

The Dream-Eaters: 3/8 (1/4 for Campaign A, 2/4 for Campaign B). Conclusion: take only if you have slots to spare, and drop as soon as you need one

• The Search for Kadath: Panic button
• Waking Nightmare: Failsafe; note that, like the case in Curtain Call, you can't play this once the room is infested and loses the ability
• A Thousand Shapes of Horror: Objective, only available in act 2 and after revealing the bottommost Stairs; do note that with the exception of those two Stairs, you can NOT resign with outta here while in each of the other Stairs unless that location's restriction is lifted.

The Innsmouth Conspiracy: 6/8. Conclusion: some situational use in the 1st, 3rd and 6th scenario, swap in with Adaptable if needed

• The Pit of Despair: Objective, only available after finding the place; extra points for circumventing the "controls the green key" restriction and for a relatively big map
• The Vanishing of Elina Harper: Failsafe
• In Too Deep: Objective, only available after someone reach the station; extra points in multiplayer for the option to split up in a huge and annoying map
• Devil Reef: Failsafe, extra points for circumventing the "in the Fishing Vessel" restriction
• A Light in the Fog: Panic button, extra points for circumventing the "If The Moon Room is unflooded" restriction (I would argue that Diving Suit is not essential in the finale)
• The Lair of Dagon: Failsafe

Edge of the Earth: 5/10 (or 3/5 if you go the shortest run). Conclusion: take at deck creation, drop whenever you need the slot after finishing 1-1

• The Crash: Objective, extra points in multiplayer for the option to split up in a huge map
• Lost in the Night: Panic button, extra points for a huge map
• Seeping Nightmares: Failsafe, extra points for circumventing the "spend 4 clues" restriction and for a huge map
• To the Forbidden Peaks: Failsafe, only available after someone reach the peak; extra points for an annoying map
• The Heart of Madness, Part I: Panic button. Extra points for a relatively big map

The Scarlet Key: 7/10. Conlusion: get one (buy or swap) before 56-Y if you have trouble with a or (4) test; otherwise, it hardly worth the deck space

• Riddles and Rain: Failsafe
• Dead Heat: Failsafe
• Sanguine Shadows: Failsafe
• Dealings in the Dark: In the campagin guide it says there's a resign ("each investigator resigned or was defeated" in the resoultion section), but there's no relevant card
• Dancing Mad: Failsafe, only available in act 1&2 for v.I, or act 2 in v.II
• On Thin Ice: Failsafe
• Shades of Suffering: Failsafe
• Without a Trace: Failsafe (act 1&2), Objective (act 3); extra points for circumventing the skill test

Side Stories: 4/9. Conclusion: good to have for Casino Heist

• Curse of the Rougarou: Failsafe
• Guardians of the Abyss: Failsafe, extra points for the option to resign whether or not the train is sabotaged
• Murder at the Excelsior Hotel: Failsafe
• Fortune and Folly, Part I: a resign option is available on Casino Floor location, sadly ADB don't have the card in the database. Panic button
• Fortune and Folly, Part II: Failsafe in act 2, Objective in act 3; huge style points for break into the vault, everyone else resign (in multiplayer), then you grab the key and vanish into thin air

Parallel: 4/5. Conclusion: a good idea to have one if the team decides to go any of the parallel except Baker's; a VERY good idea for O'Toole and Wendy Adams to bring one into their own parallel

• Read or Die: Panic button for everyone else; Failsafe for Daisy (or Non-option if you can't bear the advanced weakness)
• All or Nothing: in act 1, Panic button for everyone else; Failsafe for O'Toole (or Non-option if you can't bear the advanced weakness); In act 2, Objective
• By the Book: Panic button; Roland gets the upgrade as long as Grey is dead but he isn't, so you can resign the minute Grey is gone if you can afford the entry fee
• Red Tide Rising: Panic button; Wendy Adams gets R1 as long as she doesn't die, so you can even resign right at the begining if you can afford the entry fee

Final conclusion:

• If you are not taking Obol, most of the time this is just a worse Manual Dexterity, with some situational shine
• With Obol (and ideally in multiplayer), it's a good failsafe that well worth a slot considering the consequnce for dying
• If your investigator have an annoying weakness that spawns way out of reach, this can be include as a solution
• Save for one exception, it's always a good idea to swap this to at least a Manual Dexterity in the finale

I just came from a 4 player game where we drew this when all investigators were under 3 damage/3 horror. The investigator who drew this was running Soul Sanctification and was at full health. Taking a step back, I can't imagine a 24 action swing being worth 6 charges + some incidental healing. We chose to remove the doom.

This seemed like a pretty chance situation, so I have a genuine question - is anyone taking the first option voluntarily? Depending on player count, is everyone healing 3 and 3 worth losing a turn vs. gaining a turn and taking 1 and 1?

In the ideal scenario with 4 players at full health all running Soul Sanctification still can't be worth 24 actions, right?

From a theoretical perspective, this card is underwhelming and possibly overrated.

Counting 1 resource as 1 action, the first usage of scrying costs 3 actions, resp. a full turn. On that basis, let's evaluate what you get for that.

1) Use against encounter deck.

You get a slight chance of postponing something unfortunate, or possibly get a slightly smoother transition through the encounter deck.

Depending on the size and content of the encounter deck, there is a good to great chance that this card does nothing. If you hit a threatening encounter card, it'll just be delayed.

If you hit something that makes you feel smart (i.e. putting Obscuring Fog on top so that it lands on an empty location), there was a 33% chance that you would have drawn it in that order without playing Scrying in the first place.

All in all, there is a non-zero chance that this card does nothing.

Also consider this: you are investing at least the equivalent of 3 actions. While I can't estimate it precisely, I wager that I can handle a good chunk of the encounter deck for fewer actions than that.

2) Use against the player deck.

I believe this is simple. The first usage costs an equivalent of 3 actions. The player you use it on might as well have drawn 3 cards.

While consecutive uses get cheaper (as the upfront invest of 1 resource and 1 action to play have been paid), there is also the hidden cost of adding this card (with poor skill symbols) to the deck in the first place.

In the end, you are given a basic choice:

1) Draw the best card out of the top 3 cards for 2 actions. 2) Draw a random 1 of 3 card for 1 action.

From an action economy perspective, you are almost always favouring option 2).

In the end, action economy is the bane of Scrying. The feel good moments it creates obfuscate its inefficiency. An example: You scry top 3 and Paranoia shows up. You send it to the bottom of the 3 stack and spend your next 2 turns dumping resources, essentially countering your basic weakness. What a great effect!

Again: You spent 33% of your turn (and a measurable fraction of the entire allotted time!) doing that, for a slight chance (depending on how deep you are into your deck) of pulling this trick off. Furthermore, you must discount the odds of drawing Paranoia while being out of resources anyway.

Theoretically, this card isn't great. Practically, it's always sitting in my hand, eventually getting used for a skill check.

Edit: There is a further hidden cost of blocking a spell slot for something essential, which again, makes this card even worse.

Definitely a nod to the Deck of Many Things from D&D. Like the Tarot cards, this adds some randomness that you may or may not enjoy in your games.

Of note are The Champion and the Sword. These say from your collection, not from your hand or deck. That means you can open up your binder and grab whatever 5xp Exceptional item/ally and throw them down. It doesn't even reference deckbuilding restrictions, so you can grab anything. That's pretty bonkers and again can be pretty swingy.

Most of these options are more beneficial if they proc early in the game, with King of Hearts, King of Clubs, and definitely Ace of Spades being exceptions.

Oh, hey look: it's a quote from Michael McGlen! Guy still hasn't shown up on in the the LCG as for 2023: crossing my fingers he, Kate, Agatha, George, Hank and Wilson will show up in the upcoming expansions!

Oh yeah, I need to review the card?

I disagree with the sentiment that Daring Maneuver is just a worse Unexpected Courage: this card is not meant to help you win, this card is meant to help you cashout with Rogue cards that care by how much you win: even at level 0, many do come in mind (Breaking and Entering, Cheap Shot, Slip Away, Lucky Cigarette Case, Switchblade. Quick Thinking, Opportunist .41 Derringer, Mauser C96, etc.). There are also many cards of other classes, level 0 or above, that also care by how much you win (All basic leveled up non-Unexpected Courage skill cards including the rogue one, both Scavenging, both Alchemical Transmutation, level 2 Deduction, etc.).

I think this makes it superior to unexpected courage in some situation if you can at least gurantee in some other ways you can succeed in the first place, because commiting unexpected courage may not be enough to win by the amount you need to get the extra effects, and you cannot know when you commit a card by how much you would succeed (not counting shenanigans with Premonition or Scrying Mirror). Daring Maneuver will never be wasted because it is played after the skill test succeeds: if you won't succeed by enough to trigger anything you can just choose not to play it!

At the end of the day, whether you will add this card to your deck or not depends on how many cards that care by how much you succeed by you have in your deck, but do keep in mind that succeeding by two is enough to benefit from basically all effects of level 0 cards that trigger on over-succeeding (with the exception of opportunist, for cards above level 0, you may want to look at its upgrade), and it costs no resources to play either!

So yes, niche card, but very good for a specific deck archetype.