Card Review: For the Greater Good

Looks like it's that time again already. For the Greater Good is here, bringing with it some much-anticipated cards. We have the class-specific upgrades for The Secret Name's dual-class cards, as well as the official release of a much-maligned Arkham Nights promo card, updated for a modern era. Let's start with the Neutral this time, because most of this article will be comparing the different upgrade paths:

The Council's Coffer

When this card first showed up at Arkham Nights, it was universally panned. It's certainly understandable that FFG wouldn't make a powerful card an event exclusive, and the game was new enough that you could hardly blame the randomly-selected attendees for valuing form over function. In the meantime, it's had some much-needed overhauls. Is it worth it now?

First off, the only changes are the cost dropping to zero and the initial locks scaling by player count. Those are some very good changes, but the regrettable double action to unlock it remains untouched. Thus, in true solo, you're looking at three actions total to trigger its effect, up to nine actions total with a full group. The initial action can be defrayed with cards like Joey the Rat or Elli Horowitz, but it's always going to be a significant investment.

Luckily, it's no longer a significant financial investment, so you can easily get some good value for your actions. If you're playing true solo, then spending three actions to get out a Lightning Gun or Timeworn Brand for zero resources is a no-brainer, to say nothing of the search effect. Higher player counts start relying on everyone having an expensive asset to search for with this, generally making it less useful.

The skill test remains brutal. You don't want to waste two actions on a test you're going to fail (not even with a downright degenerate Drawing Thin + Rabbit's Foot (3) build), so by the time you can actually open the blasted box, you've probably got your board set up. Its main use would seem to be mass recursion: Play it early, then crack it open so everyone can pull back some high-value allies or expended weapons or the Seal of the Seventh Sign late in the game.

The exile effect pretty much limits it to a late-campaign push to either break through one of the TPK bottlenecks or finish the last scenario. Survivors can take it earlier (it's even Dark Horse compatible), but you probably want to save your XP for when it'll make the biggest splash. It's not exceptional, so you can take additional copies if you want, but you probably shouldn't unless it's the last scenario or you've got some sort of Scavenging build that appreciates the wild on an Item.

All in all, it's a dangerous card that tempts you into wastefulness with dreams of incredible power. But, on the other hand, it's not blatantly horrible anymore, so at least it's interesting. I'd be willing to give it a shot.

.45 Thompson

Guardian

The Guardian version has the unique effect of turning all ammo spent into resources. Now, this is markedly different from turning it into a 1-cost card (in particular, it's going to be a little tricky to use Contraband on it for maximum wealth), but it does guarantee you'll be able to afford a replacement when it runs out. This turns it from a major tempo hit into a solid early play. It also makes ammo-eating cards like Eat Lead and the previewed Warning Shot much more economical. Heck, it can make Eat Lead into an outright lifesafer if you suddenly need an influx of cash. Just empty the gun with it, and instantly gain a nice pile of resources alongside your guaranteed hit.

All in all, a very solid upgrade with a lot of combo potential (and don't forget that Mark and Finn can use it with Act of Desperation!). That combo potential will likely determine whether you take it or not, because it is still a two-handed weapon with only +1 damage.

Rogue

The Rogue version is 1 resource cheaper and lets you leverage your class's succeed-by-X effects to wing another enemy in the crossfire. Obviously, you can combo this with other succeed-by-X effects: If you're trying to trigger All In or Opportunist anyway, you can also get a free testless attack out of the deal. More importantly, anyone wielding this weapon (except a werewolf) is going to have a mediocre base combat. That means you're often investing a lot into each shot, which means overcommitting has a serious cost. With this weapon, you can safely cover even the worst tokens, knowing that you can leverage the best tokens to double your damage output.

Where this weapon really shines is with Skids. The bonus effect deals "this attack's damage," meaning it effectively doubles the effectiveness of one-off damage boosters like Vicious Blow (2) and Marksmanship. He also has access to Extra Ammo and Well-Maintained to get as many bonus shots as possible off, along with Reliable and Beat Cop to actually land them (plus the Rogue economy to afford all that). If you can team up with Mateo or Carolyn for some Custom Ammo, you can melt through hordes of 3+ health enemies at speeds that make Flamethrowers jealous.

Of course, the big downside here is that you need multiple enemies at your location to use it. Otherwise, you're spending 3 XP for -1 cost. That's not a big deal at high player counts, but it makes it virtually useless at lower ones.

Scroll of Secrets

Seeker

The Seeker version overhauls the card into a limited-use Old Book of Lore that also discards weaknesses or redundant cards and stacks your draw deck. Or you can use it as a Scrying that lets you discard nasty effects. Either of those effects would be very good; this card combines both flexibility and power in one incredible utility package. And, of course, it's downright insane in Daisy.

Mystic

The Mystic version lets you look at the top of the deck if you feel so inclined. You're a Mystic. You have roughly a million ways to look at and manipulate the top of any given deck. As far as I can tell, it's a worse version of Scrying (0) that takes up a hand slot instead of an arcane slot, and also costs 3 XP. Why anyone would ever buy this instead of Scrying (3) is beyond me; if someone can explain, I'd be most impressed.

Tennessee Sour Mash

Rogue

The Rogue version gains Fast, +1 willpower, and +1 damage with its attack. The speed is great for a strictly defensive asset like this; you have no idea when you'll need it, but you probably will need it eventually. The extra willpower is great as well; even Finn can occasionally shrug off a treachery with that bonus (though it's best saved for Rotting Remains and similar effects).

The attack action remains amusing, but a +3 2-damage attack is nothing to write off. Most Rogues have a decent shot of hitting 3 fight enemies with minimal commitment. This can really save your Guardian some work, or save you some bullets if you're carrying a tommy gun.

Don't forget that dumping extra supplies onto this with E-Cache (3), Contraband (2), or Venturer (for Skids and Jenny) is more efficient than spending those resources on Moxie. If you're playing a campaign like TCU, where willpower treacheries are common and brutal and will easily overwhelm your meagre uses of "You Handle This One!", this can be a real lifesafer.

Survivor

The Survivor version gains -1 resource cost, +1 supply, and automatic evasion with its attack. A cost of 2 makes it perfectly playable in a Labranch Dark Horse deck even after emptying your pockets. Dark Horse users will also appreciate the resource-free stat boost which, combined with Dark Horse itself, gives every primary Survivor (except low-horror Calvin) a decent shot of passing most treacheries.

For non-Dark Horse users (aka Drawing Thin users), it's still pretty nice. Even if you've already got Dig Deep (2) in play, the Sour Mash is more resource-efficient at boosting your willpower (though it is, of course, limited in its effect). Giving it extra supplies with E-Cache (3) isn't quite as efficient as for the Rogue version, but it's still an upgrade (assuming you expect to make enough test to use all those supplies, which is quite possible in TCU). Venturer is less valuable; sure, it's technically as efficient as the Cache, but you probably won't be able to spend 7 supplies (and Yorick can just smash and recur it anyway).

The boosted attack is actually pretty good. Rita's skill value with it is on par with her Track Shoes-boosted evade, and Yorick, Pete, and Calvin get higher than their own evade values. Sure, most enemies have higher fight than evade, but you only need one pattern-breaker to make it worthwhile. Plus, Yorick can use it just to recur the Sour Mash.

Enchanted Blade

Guardian

The Guardian version has an extra +1 combat baked into the unempowered fight action and removed from the empowerement. More importantly, spending a charge is now retroactive and heals horror if you kill an enemy with it. Needless to say, this is a pretty big deal. You'll never waste a charge. You'll never miss and deal 2 damage to your friend. Most importantly, it's free horror healing for the most horror-vulnerable class. Pair it with Bandolier (2), and you can be quite mentally resilient.

Mystic

The Mystic version gets an extra +1 combat and +1 charge, and lets you spend 2 charges to double the empowerment effect. That means you can get off two +4 3-damage attacks. For the 3-combat Mystics, that's a pretty big deal. Sure, it occupies the arcane slot, but you only need to use it twice before discarding it. The only real downside is that your Guardian friend might just use Teamwork to steal this for themselves!

Grisly Totem

Seeker

The Seeker version remains straightforward as ever. You (usually) get +1 to a skill each round and (usually) draw +1 card each round. It's a very good effect, but there's not really much to say about it.

Survivor

The Survivor version is much more interesting. It gets -1 resource cost (making it Labranche Dark Horse-compatible), but more importantly, the card you target gets pulled back to your hand if you fail. In other words, you can commit a skill card and make sure it's not wasted (with the obvious exception of the succeed-by-X skill cards).

So, what makes this card worth taking over Try and Try Again (3)? First off, it still gives you a +1, meaning you're more likely to succeed at the test and not need to recover the card. Any test that you commit a card to (except Take Heart) is a test you'd rather pass in the first place. Second, it works on any card, not just skill cards. That's great if you've got cards like the level-2 skill boosters, with flexible icons that are practically skill cards in their own right. It's also handy if you find yourself desperate enough to commit a card you'd have liked to play later. If you end up drawing the autofail, you can keep the card and play it later.

Also note that you might technically be able to use it to enable infinite uses of Take Heart. That's probably a gross technicality that violates all forms of RAI, but if that's the sort of thing you enjoy doing, get your fun in now before they errata it.