CorvusLibrarius · 220
~Ossuary Man~
I recognize that Jim Culver isn't a popular investigator, his 4 and -centric ability appear underwhelming, gimmicky, or niche. Not every investigator is going to have broad appeal, but Jim still has some fans, myself included. His overall theme speaks to my love of the Gothic, and even though newer, more exciting investigators continue showing up, I keep going back to old, reliable Jim.
~Fishing for Skulls~
This deck was created specifically to take advantage of Jim's = 0 ability. At level 0, Olive McBride, Dark Prophecy, Jim's Trumpet, and to a lesser extent The Chthonian Stone are the foundation. Once The Chthonian Stone is changed out for Grotesque Statue Jim's engine starts picking up steam. Song of the Dead and Jewel of Aureolus are mid-late campaign upgrades that round out Jim's Skullfishing tackle box.
~Enemy Management~
When I first read about Azure Flame, I thought of Jim, it's something he's been waiting for since he arrived. Paired with Wither, for poking odd-health enemies, and Spectral Razor, for killing odd-health non-elite enemies (the auto-engage is especially good against The Man in the Pallid Mask), Jim can take just about any threat. Arcane Studies serves as a backstop against under-performing on tests.
~Investigating~
I decided to lean into Jim's 3 to keep his Arcane slots open for combat. Just like most decks that run it, Flashlight is a workhorse. Read the Signs and Arcane Studies will cover multiple clue and high Shroud locations respectively, but Read the Signs can pull double duty if needed. Enraptured is primarily for keeping Azure Flame charged, but can help if you're low on resources.
~Economy~
Lone Wolf and Robes of Endless Night enable the deck to succeed, get them out as soon as you can. These two leave you with enough resources to make Arcane Studies a viable strategy.
Tooth of Eztli is another early board play, that should give you extra card draw about two out of three turns. The and boost during treacheries is nice, so don't need to upgrade it to Jewel of Aureolus if you find the card draw consistent enough.
~Everything Else~
St. Hubert's Key is the bog standard play when using both and . Upgrading this to Crystalline Elder Sign is best, as it will take out the +1 token for your Azure Flame tests and make it slightly easier to pull out of the bag.
Ward of Protection is what it is. Use for treachery cards you can't or don't want to deal with. Special mention for tests, which Jim has a hard time passing.
~Upgrading~ 31(55) Experience Needed
1 - Relic Hunter 3 xp
2 - The Chthonian Stone > Grotesque Statue 4 xp (Grotesque Statue 8 xp)
3 - Arcane Studies > Arcane Studies 4 xp
4 - Azure Flame > Azure Flame 6 xp (Azure Flame 10 xp)
5 - Robes of Endless Night > Robes of Endless Night 4 xp
6 - St. Hubert's Key > Crystalline Elder Sign 6 xp
7 - Wither > Song of the Dead 4 xp
8 - Tooth of Eztli (Jewel of Aureolus 6 xp)
9 - Ward of Protection (Ward of Protection 4 xp > Ward of Protection 10 xp)
~Notes~
You may be asking yourself why Dr. Elli Horowitz isn't in the deck. Two reasons: experience costs and available slots. Putting Elli in the deck also means Charisma and potentially Versatile. That's five experience I could cut from the deck to slim down on costs. As you can see above, 31 experience is the first benchmark, which is already pushing you toward the late campaign. Tooth of Eztli's card draw isn't as good as Dr. Elli Horowitz's search and hold, but the deck needs the consistent draw more. What do you take out for Elli anyway? I don't see an easy answer, and I'd rather have the consistency.
Please let me know what you think of the deck, good or bad. Even though I feel the deck is in a good place, the card pool keeps growing. Thanks for your time.