Sure, the other reviews are mostly focused on how this card works as an economy card, and I agree that using it to summon Dr. Milan Christopher makes it the equivalent of a fast Emergency Cache which I think is quite good, but I would like to focus my attention on a very important word in this card's ability: Investigate

This card is an investigate action - and one that lets you control the difficulty. Declare a Magnifying Glass and you are making a difficulty 0 Investigate check. "Okay, but why is that useful?" I hear you ask. "You've just paid a resource, a card, and an action to play a free, fast card!"

Yeah, that would be pretty dumb. But here's the thing. Let's say you're Rex Murphy and commit a Deduction. Now you just need a 2 (-4 or better) to pick up 3 clues from that action.

If you want to be even greedier, have your rogue buddy Double or Nothing. It's still difficulty 0, but now the Deduction offers 4 clues in an action. All sorts of silly shenanigans open up when you can Double or Nothing a difficulty 0 test such as Quick Thinking, but sadly not "Watch this!".

But this isn't just about the action compression, the best part is that you control the difficulty, even on a high shroud location, which could reach 5, or even 6 with an encounter card.

Still don't feel like you need this in a pure seeker? You'd rather just pay for Higher Education and Archaic Glyphs Understandable. This is a low enough level combo that it can still be used by secondary - or even tertiary seekers. Roland Banks can struggle to pick up a bunch of clues off a high shroud location without enemies to take advantage of. Even if you're still using Deduction, you succeed with a -2 to Unearth an Art Student and grab two clues.

Is it still a pretty finicky card? Definitely. Do I think you should auto-include it? Probably not. But open your mind to the possibilities, and keep an eye on this card in the future as more synergies become available. I expect this card to eventually be the center of some pretty silly combos.

What does this card really do...

For 1 resource, and a sucessful Investigate (X) action you get to play a Seeker asset of cost X for free. If the Seeker asset has the Relic trait you draw a card too.

There are only 3 Seeker asset at this time with the Relic trait.

• Tooth of Eztli: Mortal Reminder, Cost: 3
• Ancient Stone: Unidentified (1), Cost: 1
• Disc of Itzamna: Protective Amulet (2), Cost 3

Assuming you choose a 3 cost Seeker Relic.

• If you suceed the Investigate (3) check you end up saving two resources.
• If you fail the Investigate (3) check you lose a resource, an action and a card.

Doesn't seem worth it, unless you are playing on Easy.

Additional Synergies:

• Having Dr. Christopher Milan out. (+1 Resource and his +1 Book passive bonus helps with the test)
• Playing Rex Murphy. (Suceed by 2+ to get a clue too)
• Playing Ursula Downs. (Free investigate action after moving.)

Last Chance could work with "Ashcan" Pete after Duke ate all his cards. For other investigators, maintaining a healthy hand size is pretty useful toward having options against the menaces that comes up against you. If you have 3 other cards in hand, Unexpected Courage is a much better pick. I cannot imagine investigator wasting his or her limited off-faction card allowance on this.

Dumb Luck’s usefulness seems really limited, but it might have use for your non-combat investigator. You have to evade and fail against a non-elite enemy, but not failing too hard. Then after you used this card, it will come back again next round.

In solo, maybe you can send this to the encounter deck, and then dont have to worry about which of the new encounter card will mess up your day. If the enemy is really tough, and if you have Alyssa Graham, by accepting 1 doom you can send the enemy to the bottom instead.

In multiplayer if you plan ahead and have your leading investigator be a combat orientated investigator, this could work well. You would know it is coming, so the investigator can get his or her weapon or other assets out, preparing to murder this upcoming enemy. Ambush would be a really good combo here as well.

If you dont use it for the card effect, this card could replace Manual Dexterity for the same 2, minus the card draw. But it will be more flexible when you absolutely need this enemy gone for the round.

Agility has perennially been one of the hardest skills to leverage usefully in gameplay, this card is one of several new cards printed that fixes that issue somewhat.

Since the game first released we've had cards that turn a skill into another, Rite of Seeking for example turns your into and "I've got a plan!" turns into . The only initial options to do that with were Backstab and Sneak Attack, and both of those were for combat only! Well since then we've gotten Lockpicks and Cheap Shot, an upgraded Sneak Attack and not much else. I.E. four different ways to turn agility into and just one way to turn it into .

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So, Eavesdrop, this is the second card ever to turn into . players rejoice! Oh and Wendy Adams too!

Oh wait, the skill check used to trigger your net benefit is an check?! So the plan is to: Use your High stat to encounter and evade an enemy, this shouldn't be an issue for a Rouge, and then you use your, probably average 3, stat to try and net two clues? Two actions for two clues AND you spend a card AND you're still hinging all of this on a stat that isn't even your major stat?

So, when on earth is this useful? It's bad to review a card in vacuum like this. Obviously there can be a large difference between location shroud value and enemy evade value, pulling 2 clues from a Shroud 5 spot for example is pretty good, assuming that the evade value is pretty low. More importantly perhaps is the fact that you ARE playing so perhaps you can double up on the clue mayhem with a Double or Nothing?

I tried this card a bit with proxies, I tried it on "Skids" O'Toole and on Finn Edwards, the latter gets his free evades so that makes this infinitely better for Finn Edwards but even so, seriously consider taking just a humble Flashlight rather then this card, or take both and have them supplement each other.

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If you take 2 Flashlights, 2 Eavesdrops and 2 Perceptions then you've got yourself a decent Clue-specialized package for level 0, supplement this with out-of faction cards as is appropriate ("Skids" O'Toole can gather Evidence! and Finn Edwards can be very clue efficient with "Look what I found!" and/or any number of different cards). As you gain XP drop the Eavesdrops for Lockpicks and hoover clue's like a Faux , especiially if your Investigators name is Finn Edwards.