Cyclopean Hammer

Cyclopean Hammer

This card is so overpowered, that you basically take it in any mystic or guardian deck and that's it, all-mighty monsters are no longer any threat to a team.

No charges, no ammo, no special mechanics to balance such a power, just a +2 damage weapon with on average +3 to your main skill, meaning that you do not even need to boost your weapon with a Beat Cop or Holy Rosary to make it effective.

Why would now Akachi use any battle magic, if she never runs out of charges with this card and in terms of the damage it is comparable to the latest version of Shrivelling but without any magical drawbacks? Why would you collect 5-10 cards to make a Shotgun work on Leo when you can just take this endless hammer?

Even old granny Gloria Goldberg will easily become your ultimate monster hunter, smashing monsters with this giant hammer in her hands, because any card that increases your willpower strengthens this weapon too.

In other words, this card is so good that it simply makes a lot of other interesting cards and mechanics completely useless.

My friends and I have already played 3 campaigns with this card, and compared to previous playthroughs, this card actually feels like cheating.

Otki · 19
I very much agree, it is a strong contender for number 1 on the list of cards that should not exist. Just don't use it. — Trady · 173
100% agree. It's boring. Card games are generally fun because of build-arounds and synergies, whereas this card just independently dominates everything without any thought. I won't be using it again — snacc · 1025
With the benefit of hindsight (a lot of early reviews were pretty cold on this card) we can see this card might have the 'honor' of being the second card to become forbidden. — dezzmont · 222
If you want a "homemade" taboo that you can apply now, try making the bump mandatory, meaning that every time you hit, you have to move (engage an Aloof enemy), and attack again, and if you hit the bonus, the enemy is bumped 2 locations away, which can be a pain if you need to finish it. — Valentin1331 · 81913
@Valentin1331 that's very creative! I would love to see that as the official taboo. — snacc · 1025
A big issue with that is 9/10 times your attacking a non-elite enemy that can survive more than one hit is to remove it from your location, not because you want it dead for its own sake, and bumping it is either as good as a kill (if its a non-hunter and you don't backtrack) or still makes you massively more efficient than having to get a full kill (as while the enemy is alive you still only ever have to invest one attack per-enemy per-turn and the next time it comes back around it probably dies, so you don't even have the 'build up' problem evasion toes as a primary strategy, it just combines the best aspects of evasion with attacking PLUS it usually just instant kills). The change doesn't solve the underlying problem that this trivalizes encounters, and while it does make bouncing enemies more common it ultimately is good enough to bounce an enemy that it would probably still be a 'bonkers strong' weapon if it was 2 damage flat and forced bounced every hit. — dezzmont · 222
They should at least taboo this as exceptional, similar to Key of Ys. At least making the player to think twice before buying it. — liwl0115 · 42
for the fact that this card is turning expert difficulty into easy. — liwl0115 · 42
Agreed. And this makes playing Guardians really boring. No challenges and no-brainer moves. — Chiungalla · 2
This card is literally putting me off the game. I love playing Guardians, but using the Hammer is extremely boring, while not using it makes me feel as if I'm purposely making my deck worse. Awful, awful card. — ratnip · 68

Written in the Stars

Written in the Stars

It has been said by Elkeinkrad already, but I want to point out how this can be good in any investigator that has around 10 skills or more in their Deck.

Digging your deck with the Scroll of Secrets (3) allows you to do the following, without spending a single action:

• Look in your deck for Written in the Stars and place it in your hand

• Place the skill you've chosen on top

• Potentially discard a weakness

• And then immediately use Written in the Stars.

Also, the fact that the Secret is spent during the trigger makes it a perfect synergy with Abigail Foreman who can trigger it twice, and the fact that you use the cards at the bottom of your deck makes sure that you don't take the same cards again (unless you chose to return one card at the bottom of your deck).

Also one quick mention to Eidetic Memory that can give you extra uses at the end of a Scenario though I'm not so sure it's the most effective way to spend your XP.

It is of course better to use this in Astronomical Atlas-Norman or Amanda as pointed out, but also:

• Deck-cycling Harvey Walters can benefit from this, especially as it helps deal with that terrible weakness

• Minh Thi Phan who is the Skill- would love it too (imagine finding Sharp Vision), and can also Scavenge it!

• Mandy Thompson loves digging her Deck and would love to find Eureka! (even though it doesn't use the "search" words so it doesn't trigger her )

• Rex Murphy would love Perception (2) to draw a lot of cards while triggering his

• || Daisy Walker loves a Tome,

• Daisy Walker can also use Parallel Fates, Alyssa Graham and why not use Written in the Stars on Enraptured to fill up the Scroll with even more Secrets

• Joe Diamond is happy to have an Insight to recur with his

• Ursula Downs to get rid of that crippling Call of the Unknown though she's not the best user of this combo.

• Luke Robinson, Jim Culver could also use the card with Alyssa Graham and Scrying (3) but it seems less worth it.

Valentin1331 · 81913
I wonder why nobody mentioned Alyssa Graham, which is an option for seeker/mystic investigators. — Tharzax · 1
Oh right, I will add her! It's quite an expensive way to look at your top card though, 4 resources and 1 Ally Slot, but she works every turn which is good. — Valentin1331 · 81913
You mention Scroll of Secrets (3) letting you scry your deck without spending an action (which assumes the taboo mutated version) AND then also mention Abigail Foreman who only trigger on activate actions.... which tabooed Scroll no longer has??? — synkout · 1

The Red Clock

The Red Clock

Just a small review to say how good this card is in Jenny Barnes.

• Get an additional resource at the beginning of every round if you decide on taking it each time as you can collect the cash before placing the Charge.

•• It brings you rather easily to +4 resources each turn with Lone Wolf, making you as rich as Preston Fairmont, but with a 3-3-3-3 stat-line instead of 1-1-1-1.

• Get a +4 to your first Test each round, which brings you to 7 at least at any skill.

•• This is the equivalent of 4 resources sinked in one of your test boosters like Hard Knocks, Arcane Studies or Physical Training.

• Collect a second Charge to get 3 move actions (so no AoO if you trigger it), which is amazing to go Searching for Izzie

If you have that card in your collection while playing the Dilettante, give it a try, you won't regret it!

Valentin1331 · 81913
And only 10 xp! — MrGoldbee · 1497
Preston earns +5 resources each turn though, although I agree having Jenny's stats and flexibility to spend it whenever you want is a huge boost. — Nenananas · 273
But if you want to use the clock as a resource-generator and not that much for its bonuses just take the 4xp variant. It gives you a lesser bonus but you can spent 6 more xp on other things — Tharzax · 1
I know MrGoldbee, what a discount right?? — Valentin1331 · 81913
And to Tharzax, in the 4xp variant, you either place the charge or collect it, so you eventually get 1 resource every 2 turn, when this ones gives you 1 resource every turn. So the 4xp variant is of course leading to this one, but the 10xp one should be the end goal. — Valentin1331 · 81913
Good catch but even then I'm not sure if I would spent the additional xp since you still get 3 ressouces every 4 rounds. — Tharzax · 1
Should take a pull: for 10xp, will you take this or the Key of Ys? Which one is stronger? — liwl0115 · 42
Good question, I personally never played the Key of Ys because I consider it broken. The Clock also offers more flexibility, especially when Searching for Izzie — Valentin1331 · 81913
Question: on the turn you play this, do you get to place a charge? I'm guessing n you don't get to take the resource for it, as that's a beginning of turn trigger, but am I correct in thinking you at least get to start off with +4 to the first test, then gain first money if you will at beginning of next turn cycle. Otherwise this does nothing for 10xp on first round? Any clarification is greatly appreciated. — Quantallar · 8

Dark Prophecy

Dark Prophecy

Just wanted to note that this card is great in a Diana deck with Sixth Sense, as it both increases the odds of getting the right kind of chaos token, and as it has an 'ignore' effect, you can stuff it under Diana to boost her will, get the spent resource back, and another card.

Benwobbles · 13
this should be a two of in every Diana deck and played at literally the first possible moment, its just a free cards that cycles and boosts your willpower by 1, even if it didn't help you pass tests it would be an auto include just for that. — Zerogrim · 296

Predestined

Predestined

Unfortunately, this is probably one of the worst cards in the game and on the same page as Kukri as that it will never ever see anybody play it if they want an optimal deck. It is a shame that this card has one of the most beautiful artworks i have seen but can never find space in any deck that i make.

If they changed it to something like "After this test ends : Add 2 bless tokens to the chaos bag and remove 2 curse tokens from the chaos bag" it would still not see much play, but atleast you could maybe squeeze it in somehow if you are having fun with bless and curse mechanics. We already have Tempt Fate that for fast action give you 3 of both, so maybe this card could have been something similar, but with it not having any icons and requiring you to fail a test so you can get 2 pesky curse tokens out or add just 2 bless ones in if that is what you need is just a complete nonsense!

Very sad, and in a way a complete waste of already limited space that was saved for player cards in The Innsmouth Conspiracy, i wish we have gotten something playable!

Blood&gore · 443
Hopfully, we get an upgraded version in Return to that will be worth it — Nenananas · 273
I don't agree this opinion since Predestinated could be recurrently committed with Grisly Totem(3) and Drawing Thin(3)*2. Additionally, there are very few cards with curse removing effect. — elkeinkrad · 504
Yeah but if i already bought Grisly Totem(3) and Drawing Thin there are other better cards to combo it with, and even if we did buy it all it means we need 10-ish xp to actually use this card which gives us 2 blesses or 2 curses out? lol not worth it — Blood&gore · 443
I think, it might be a decent "scenario tech" card for the last two games from an Innsmouth campaign, where the game adds a lot of curse tokens into the bag on it's own. If you don't have decks that get value from the curses on their own, and in particular with Wendy, Preston or Bob, who can adapt into Predestined late without spending XP, these might be useful. But then again, Innsmouth is such an easy campaign with the current card pool, it is not strictly needed to win, and there are certainly more flashy options than this, though maybe not that many in red. — Susumu · 383
Totem+Drawing Thin combo is utilized with Take Heart, but sometimes we have the chance to use Predestinate. — elkeinkrad · 504
Moreover, you insist this card is one of the **worst** card in AHLCG. Do you really think that Predestinted is as bad as Book of Shadows(1) or Henry Wan? I think not, although Predestinate may be below the average. — elkeinkrad · 504
Yeah i still think it is one of the worst cards in this game. Henry, Book of Shadows, Kukri etc. as that it will probably never see any play, which sucks because of how limited space there is for player cards so when they make a card as bad as this i wonder what were they thinking — Blood&gore · 443
Fast speed, no cost, draw an elder sign is good no matter how many copies you have. — Zerogrim · 296
Yeah, it's versatile. — MrGoldbee · 1497
Zerogrim's comment is the best I've seen in ages — Valentin1331 · 81913