Solo Sefina WIP

Regardless of Ally choice, I would run Uncage the Soul instead of Guts or Emergency Cache.

I have my concerns with Backstab. I've ran it before in Sefina and it requires help to work against most enemies you want to play it on. Certainly, once you have Streetwise it's simply a matter of money, but then that begs the question.... why not play something else and grab Adaptable as an early upgrade then swap Backstab in once you have Streetwise.

As to the Ally question, David vs Arcane Initiate. It's a tough call. I've always ran Arcane Initiate since it helps dig out your important spell assets as well as Painted Worlds. But I can see the appeal of David. This deck requires a ton of money. Even fully powered with Hot Streaks, I've always found Sefina can spend it all. There's no such thing as too much. I'd be tempted to run both really... as they both can essentially reset each other. And then just not run Moonlight Ritual. Calling in Favors is something I've seen others dabble with when using David and Arcane Initiate, but I have no experience with this. (And have had primarily bad experiences with Calling in Favors)

Best of luck. I really like the look of this deck. I'd run something very similar myself.

Thank you for commenting, I didn't start the campaign yet (but will in about an hour) so there is still room for improvements. :) Have you tried running Sefina solo? If so, what has your experience been like?

You're absolutely right! Will probably swap in Uncage the Soul instead of Guts.

Agreed on the Backstab too, I could for example run a second Storm of Spirits for a similar combat event, but boosted by willpower which is much stronger in the 0xp deck.

Arcane Initiate has been a staple in a previous run through Carcosa so this time I think I will try David Renfield. Something I like about Renfield is that he offers 2 health which helps Sef's tiny health pool a lot. Additionally, I think he is the best 0xp economy card available to her, while providing a willpower boost. It just fits really well. :) It will of course be comparatively risky to run without the Initiate's card draw but as long as I get a combat event or Shrivelling in Sefina's giant opening hand I should be fine (we'll see what I do when I don't manage that!) Previously I have run Pickpocketing later in a campaign after swapping out the initiate in order to go through the deck quicker.

That's an interesting proposition, running both the initiate and Renfield would be great. If I wanted to continue using willpower throughout the campaign as the main stat that would be the way to go. The current plan for this campaign is to switch main stat from willpower to agility once I get some XP, (swapping in Backstab and possibly trying the Ornate Bow Premonition Double or Nothing Lucky Dice combo for mega crits. Rogue allies Lola Santiago and Cat Burglar also contend on Renfield's spot later and boost her agility. We'll see how it goes, it definitely isn't as stable as just proceeding with a willpower focused build, but it will be an interesting experience. If I fail I will probably try a willpower focused build throughout the campaign.

I'm a little skeptical on how effective Rite of Seeking is as a solo card. I would probably prefer Flashlight so I can save money for Arcane Studies. With the freed-up spell slot I might go for Mists because of the free move it grants, dropping Trench Coat. But I don't have solo Sef experience. Thoughts?

Thanks for your comment and advice. That is definitely a valid choice, and ultimately I think it depends on what campaign you're running and if you will be encountering many 2+ clue locations. For solo they are not as prevalent so using Flashlight instead of RoS feels like a good swap. I would probably try it out if I was starting a new run. :)

I think for the initial scenarios Flashlight will work well, even with Sef's 2 base intellect (as you mention you can use the resources on Arcane Studies to boost it). Drawn to the Flame is in the deck and can cover for the cases where a 2+ clue location appears. Once you have xp you could upgrade to the superb Lockpicks from Flashlight for only 2XP so you don't have to impede on the arcane slots later on either,

About Mists: I have been running Mists in a Mateo deck and think it is really good, the additional movement you get from it is great. So definitely an alternative and also a way to shift over focus from agility to willpower when evading. I agree that if you do that the case is not as strong for Trench Coat. I have tried this deck out up to and including Boundary Beyond, and so far the coat has been handy, mostly from being an additional health soak in addition to David Renfield who is usually quick to bite the dust (finished two of the scenarios with 1 health on Sef left, and that's without much fighting at all.. FA has many other damage sources, e.g. the Eztli Guardians). The coat's +1 agi while evading is a nice bonus and can help bump evade tests to 6 when coupled with Cat Burglar or [Lola Santiago](/card/04196 which in many cases removes the need to boost using Streetwise when playing on Standard.

Spoiler warning for a Return to Dunwich Legacy player card below

Some background on how I wanted the upgrades to go. In the current campaign I am running I am using the xp to upgrade towards an agility-centered deck (the 0xp version uses a lot on willpower) with the choice that I want to run Ornate Bow for damage, meaning hand slots were already taken. Resources are usually not a problem for Sef later on, so the plan was to use an upgraded RoS boosted by High Roller to get clues. As I said above, if I was going to start a fresh run I might swap to flashlight anyway though.

However, my experiment where I decided I wanted to run the bow aside, Sef just running damage events or willpower-centered Sef who uses shrivelling+mists in arcane slots could be a viable/better/easier option and in that case Lockpicks can be used in the hand slot.