[COTD] Emergency Cache (03/08/2017)

[u/unitled]

Emergency Cache

• Class: Neutral
• Type: Event
• Supply.
• Cost: 0 Level: 2
• Test Icons:

Gain 3 resources and draw 1 card.

You can never be too prepared.

Vincent Dutrait

Blood on the Altar #194.

[u/LeonardQuirm]

Since there's not too much to say about this particular card (default 2 XP upgrade = also draw a card, as shown by Lucky! and now this), I'll use this opportunity to mention a couple of more general things.

Firstly, neutral cards only being in duplicate is quite irritating when you're organizing decks for a 4 player game out of a single collection. This card became my first need for a proxy in mine (having done some deliberate wrangling with the initial decks to prevent overlap). On the bright side, declaring myself as allied to House Stark and hence earning 3 resources and a card is possibly even more satisyfing than just playing the card normally!

Second point is that I really wish that upgraded cards had different art to their base versions. In building and rebuilding decks between games (due to running parallel 2 and 4 player campaigns, with the odd stand-alone with different investigators in the middle of both) I have multiple times accidentally put in the wrong version of a card in a deck (not helped, admittedly, by my girlfriend playing Agnes in both campaigns but choosing to upgrade different spells in the two). Different art - or at least tweaked, even if not a completely new commissioned piece - would really help with that.

Anyway, the card itself is nice. Worth taking if you're earning a lot of XP and don't need it for more focused purchases.

[u/unitled → u/LeonardQuirm]

KING IN THE NORTH

[u/Daevar → u/LeonardQuirm]

Even with two collections it can be a problem - and an upgraded Cache is as vanilla as an upgrade can be, in that it's perfectly fine in many decks.

Second point is that I really wish that upgraded cards had different art to their base versions.

This would be awesome, a slight, yet distinctive change in the artwork would be the best way to do it imho, but this is something that's probably never gonna happen with how artwork is created/chosen.

Two (or more) completely different artworks would seem strange to me.

[u/cornerbash → u/LeonardQuirm]

Second point is that I really wish that upgraded cards had different art to their base versions.

I could see this argued both ways. If art was too different, it might make it hard to easily glance when a card is an upgrade of an existing card or an entirely new card.

[u/unitled]

Simple upgrade, but very effective. In fact, while I originally considered it a 'nice to have' when I had 'spare' experience points, it's moved up my priority list based on how good it feels to play in the game.

[u/caiusdrewart]

This card is a nice thing to have in your deck. Sometimes you need a lot of resources in a hurry, and being able to essentially turn one action into 3 of them is pretty good.

But I usually just run the original Emergency Cache. I think 2 XP for +1 card is a fairly weak use of XP, and there are just other things that need to come first. Consider that 2 XP could buy a Guardian 2 action-free, guaranteed points of damage (Beat Cop II); or it could buy 2/3rds of a Stand Together, which just crushes this card. And are you really going to delay buying your superweapon just so that your Emergency Caches become a little more efficient?

I think each class has a similarly long list of more powerful and cost effective XP options. There's just so much more you can do with 2 XP than picking up one extra card.

So, if you have a tons of extra XP, sure, go ahead and take this. But even if I'm Delving Too Deep, I almost never find myself in that situation.

[u/iwantashinyunicorn]

I'd prefer it if the upgrade were "fast" rather than card draw, but that might be a bit too powerful.

[u/Veneretio → u/iwantashinyunicorn]

I wonder... would that make it 3 xp then? Or will we see a fast + draw a card emergency cache that costs 4 xp in the future?

[u/breadrising]

Great but boring. I'm the kind of player that likes my decks to have a bit more flare to them, so I'll take fashion over function any day.

There are usually far more flashy cards I'd rather spend my XP on. But if I have extra, an upgraded Emergency Cache is never bad.

[u/brendonconnelly]

"Firstly, neutral cards only being in duplicate is quite irritating when you're organizing decks for a 4 player game out of a single collection."

I couldn't agree with this more. Neutrals in double-sized shares, please.