I see Skids getting so much flak from AH content creators and it makes me sad. They underestimate the man, and I've always had a soft spot for the underdogs. And I think this is because they're playing Skids sub-optimally.
I'm of the opinion that you should try to maximize an investigator's special ability. Along with their statline and deckbuilding options, an investigator's special is what defines them. Virtually all special abilities are action compression/advantage and Skids' is online from the start without any extra stipulations. You start with 5 resources, so you have 2.5 actions banked. And thinking along these lines, I want to be taking my 4th action as often as I can. This means I don't want to be spending actions and resources playing assets. What I want to be doing with Skids is committing to tests and over-succeeding. Skids loves his Lucky Cigarette Case and the new Thieves' Kit is functionally Dr. Milan Christopher for him.
Between the and cardpool, Skids has some of the best access in the game with Take the Initiative, Quick Thinking, Daring, Calculated Risk, "Watch this!" (basically a icon, honorable mention), Daredevil which you can reasonably guess what you'll hit when you play it and it'll give you info as to when you're more likely to draw your weaknesses, and even Cunning and Steadfast have served me well. Interestingly, despite his 2 , I've found that he's pretty resilient to tests as long as you're willing to commit, and I think you should. Skids should absolutely run Guts and not be afraid of throwing cards at the test, because as Skids you're going to use the tests the game throws at you on it's turn to gain tempo and prepare for your turn.
I actually play Skids a lot like you'd play Winifred Habbamock, overcommit to tests and get rewarded. I'm not opposed to paying 2 resources to draw a card if nothing else presents itself. If I said there was a Permanent card that cost 0 XP, 0 resources, and only read: " Spend 2 resources: Draw 1 card." would you play it? This is often functionally what Skids ability is for me, with the flexibility and possibility of being anything else I need it to be. (Of course, I'm aware of provoking AoO.)
He also has some of the best encounter deck control in the game with First Watch, "Let me handle this!", "You handle this one!", and On the Hunt. I also think Skids is the closest thing in the game we have to a "dodge tank" -- he doesn't really want to fight enemies (guns are expensive, and his is 3) but with 4 he can evade most things, and with 's many, many icons he should have no problem locking enemies down. His signature On the Lam is said to be weak, but on the contrary I think it's very strong. Consider that the designers thought Infighting was worth 3 XP. Whether that's a mis-evaluation on their part or not, Skids' signature is way more powerful than that. And the ability to Taunt enemies off your teammates and then ignore them completely is not to be underestimated. Get enemies off your friends, and laugh as you play "I'll see you in hell!" or "I'm outta here!" after dragging them away.
Which is not to say that Skids can't be a killer. He absolutely can with access to both Vicious Blow and Hatchet Man and the skills his cardpool offers. When I go that route Overpower and Vicious Blow are some of my 1st upgrades. I've had a fun time lately with Sledgehammer one-shotting 4 and 5 health enemies. The new Toe to Toe is also great for him.
My main point here is that Skids likes skills and he likes 0 cost events, and as reviewer AndyB pointed out on his original card page, Skids likes speed. So maximize his special ability. Run low to the ground, setup quickly, and get to investigating. Stay flush with cards (the neutral skills like Guts, Perception, Manual Dexterity help, as does fun stuff like Three Aces and Easy Mark) and use the game's treachery tests as a spring board to powering your turn. That's just my 2 cents.
