Card Reviews · ArkhamDB

Quickdraw Holster

Quickdraw holster does a nice thing:

It saves you a fight action.

It means that your first gunshot per turn is a free action, use it with a Lupara or Sawed-Off Shotgun, maybe Vicious Blow, to nuke moderate enemies or chunk a boss right as you step into their location. Use it with smaller guns like .45 Automatic to do 4 fights in a turn or clean up chaff efficiently.

But.

It costs 4 resources.
It does nothing by itself. Nothing! You still need to find the gun and pay for it.
It's 4 XP.
It has trouble with timing. (if you have, say, some tools or a 2-hand gun in play, playing a 1-hand gun will kick out something existing.
Again, it does nothing! Often support cards that supplement a playstyle come with some niceties like a health or sanity tank, bonuses on tests involved.
It costs 4 resources, again.

All that put together, Quickdraw Holster is very much the cumbersome capstone to the whole "1-hand firearm" archetype. At which point you might ask, "what, there's a 1-hand firarm archetype!?", which is a good question, because there is not!

Maybe if there were better 1-hand guns around with useful and intuitive support this card would be useful unto itself, a capstone to a build, but in the current cardpool this is a lone wolf with no pack to hunt in, But until then, you'dd be better served spending these 4 XP on Charisma + Leo De Luca, they wont get you that extra hand slot, but it'lll get you that extra roundly fight action, and then some!

6/12/22

Tsuruki23 · 2535

I think the main useful target for it is a Finn. In a UC deck (which is great for Finn), it's only 4xp and much easier to get out when you need it. Finn's signature is a 1h gun, as are a few rogue weapons Finn can use quite well. — Maseiken · 1 6/13/22

attacking at fast speed means you can attack hunters as they move into you or attack during someone elses turn, don't know why people have this blindspot for quickdraw holster. — Zerogrim · 292 6/13/22

People tend to miss all three of the player windows in the Enemy and Upkeep phases -- Delilah O'Rourke working on enemies that had just attacked also had to be pointed out for most of the community to realize it. — Thatwasademo · 58 6/16/22

I'm flirting with asking my Tony Morgan to upgrade to Quickdraw, since he already has two signature guns under his belt. But I have not done it yet, I am playing expert and 4xp for $4 is a steep price to pay for having an additional but unessential ability even for Tony — liwl0115 · 41 6/20/22

I can’t wait to start my Wilson Richards deck and figure out when the right time to buy this upgrade comes. I my campaign he will indeed be the one-hand gun archetype! And now I have to go check and see if he has access to Crafty as well. — Staticalchemist · 1 1/1/24

Prismatic Phenomenon

I now hate this card.

Just playing Dream Eaters as Zoey with Luke and I've drawn this several times so far (and to rub it in Luke hasn't drawn it once) and it's just devestating to fighter. Fast cards, lol forget about them.

I wish that instead of discard upon a successful investigation it discarded after a clue was discovered (cancelling the discovery of the clue) or the option to take a bit hit of horror to discard it.

6/12/22

screamingabdab · 93

I recommend most decks to at least run a couple of 3 Wild commit cards for situations like this. Also, regarding to Fast cards, from the RR: "A fast card does not cost an action to be played and is not played using the "Play" action." — Nenananas · 257 6/12/22

One note is that it does not specify a *basic* Investigate action. So if you have Sixth Sense you can still ditch it relatively easily as a Mystic. I could even see burning a charge or event on it. — Maseiken · 1 6/12/22

Honestly the benefit of making it "instead of discovering a clue" would be pretty rare. Working a hunch, Roland and Finn, Stirring up Trouble. Other clue discovery effects tend to get less worthwhile as a Trade. — Maseiken · 1 6/12/22

@Nenananas thanks for the heads up on that one, that makes a whole lot less crippling. — screamingabdab · 93 6/14/22

Also note that because it is phrased 'instead of discovering clues', it refers to that outcome of an investigation and not the discrete situation of ACTUALLY discovering a clue. This means that you can still do the replacement effect when investigating a location with no clues on it, which can provide some options for picking a lower shroud location to make it easier. (Compare to the FAQ on Burglary.) — Death by Chocolate · 1453 6/14/22

Crisis of Identity

I don’t see why this card gets so much hate. At some point during a campaign I’ll be in charge of enemy management and wish I was a seeker clue getter. Sometimes as a clue getter I’ll wish I could just go back to being a guardian and hit things.

This card solves that. Up to twice a game you get to switch things up and break the monotony. How anyone could justify playing a flex deck but spit on a great utility card like this is beyond me.

6/12/22

SorryLaurie · 594

Maybe because you can draw this card in your seeker role if you want find clues? Also you discard all cards of your current class so hope you don't have some important or expensive assets out in play. For example with a. 45 magnum and beat cop you loose 8 ressources and 2 play actions which is much more than the usual 2 to 3 action/cards/resources which a weakness costs you. — Tharzax · 1 6/13/22

.45 Magnum & Beat Cop are great if you want to fight, but what if I don't want to fight? What if after shooting down that ghoul I realized it had a family? What if there was a better way? Maybe we can win the scenario without guns, maybe we can't and we'll lose, but we'll never know if we don't try to change. — SorryLaurie · 594 6/14/22

@SorryLaurie: Ghouls are the good guys, so thank you for your willingness to introspect. — anaphysik · 95 6/14/22

But why did you throw your new hiking boots after your trusted partner Dr. Christopher? Just because you don't know who you are? — Tharzax · 1 6/14/22

Deduction

I’ve heard say this card’s not as strong in true solo but I think it’s even stronger there. For swift resolution of game winning ”if there are no clues on location” locations it’s excellent. You can often survive one action of attacks of opportunity there, enough to clear it, but rarely two. Super card in either solo or multi player.

6/11/22

Skrattmas · 9

I think people probably look to Working a Hunch instead since it's fast and gets you a clue without a test; effectively turning a 2 clue location into a single action test. Which, as you describe, is the goal. — LaRoix · 1643 6/11/22

Since both are great, I play both, if possible. Thank you for your comprehensive reviews, LaRoix. — Skrattmas · 9 6/12/22

No true, there are plenty locations with 2 clues in solo too, so Deduction still shine: the most clues you will find in one location in solo is 3 though, usually — HeroesOfTomorrow · 52 7/3/23

*are — HeroesOfTomorrow · 52 7/3/23

Pocket Telescope

For investigation focused Rogue doing campaign replays that can get to 4+ (Streetwise, Gené Beauregard, Monterey Jack, etc.) to succeed without depending on Flashlight shroud reduction, but not intended to remove Flashlight from the deck either, they can grab Adaptable and then use 2 swaps to go back and forth between 2x Flashlight and 2x Pocket Telescope depending if the scenario is in fog-of-war style or not. Now you have got a flashlight-telescope built with 1 XP!

With Crafty this can turn into a very potent unlimited investigation tool.

6/11/22

5argon · 10146

So just to be sure. This card doesn't reveal the location with its lighting bolt ability, just lets you look it and then place it unrevealed? — Folomo · 20 11/14/22

Yes — 5argon · 10146 6/15/23