4 credits for 5 credits initial investment. But remember it also costs a click so it only puts you +3 over the regular click for a credit. Basically a must have in any runner deck though- for the sheer tempo build up it gives you; not much else compares.

Oh... wait a second...

This core-baby needs a review, so here's my 2-cents.

Sure gamble belongs in a small group of elite cards that allow you to mess with the success of a token draw after the fact of drawing it. other members in this group include Lucky!, Counterspell, Wendy Adams, Nautical Prowess and a few others.

The ability to look at a token (mid-test) and just say "No thank you" or "Ah, I'll increase my skill a bit" is tremendous, often the bonus is just a bit extra, 1 or 2 more than otherwise, but the retroactive bonus to turn a lost check into a success is tremendous. More powerful even that the actual bonus is the freedom that having this card grants. if you've ever played with Lucky! then you know what i'm talking about. Risking tests at moderate skill values and not spending resources and cards to max out every test, safe in the knowledge that Lucky! got you covered for the worst tokens you might draw.

Some differences between Sure Gamble and Lucky!:

• Sure gamble has a swingy bonus, and can cover against even the very largest and worst tokens. (Example: Taking tests at +2, and drawing a -6, you can still play Sure Gamble to succeed on the check while Lucky! wouldn't help at all). It does cost 1 more resource and 3 Xp however.

• Sure Gamble is in a faction where large success can be turned into extra benefits. Sure Gamble has the compound benefit that you can try tests at +2 and guarantee the overkill benefits (barring ). Don't make the mistake of trying tests at +1 or +0 only to actually draw a benign token!

• Lucky! does not cost XP and is 1 resource cheaper, for this reason Lucky! is a near-autotake for characters while Sure Gamble is just a powerful but not mandatory upgrade. I do think that any competent should take this at some point before the end of a campaign, especially on harder difficulty, but unless youre Sefina Rousseau you should probably prioritize some useful cards that make the big successes enabled by Sure Gamble worthwhile.

A very good defensive card. With this in hand, even Winifred and Finn can pass Rotting Remains and Frozen in Fear and worse, for when "You handle this one!" isn't enough or in solo. It also pulls double duty as upgraded Daring Maneuver, allowing you to under-commit to tests you need to oversuceed by, particularly in Hard and Expert where it's impractical to cover the -6 -7 -8 otherwise.

Strong consideration for when the campaign feature nasty / treacheries that you need to pass. On my TCU solo Winifred run, this was one of the first upgrades to mitigate Bedeviled and Realm of Torment.

I recently play a rogue with some XP devoted for treachery defense. He can simply not trying at all to boost and tank horror from willpower tests with Elder Sign Amulet (skips about 1-2 tests), or make it go away with cards like "You handle this one!" or Counterespionage. But there is a hole in this defense, if Frozen in Fear already lands there is not much I can do.

Frozen in Fear is an example that this card is a good answer. Like Lucky!, you get to keep this card intact on hand while you try the recurring test again and again, until you see an appropriate chaos tokens, then like its name you surely pass with 2 resources. Much better than going for a big willpower boost (e.g. Moxie pump / Say Your Prayers / Savant) only for the chaos bag to laugh at you with a bigger minus and lose all your investments. You just wait and not waste anything with Sure Gamble. For the sake of variety and same XP budget, rather than doubling up 2x Elder Sign Amulet for consistency only for it to be powerless against Frozen in Fear, 1x Elder Sign Amulet + 1x Sure Gamble maybe better.

The "Striking Fear" set is special that it is somehow used in most FINAL scenario of the campaign. I say this card is not so situational if there is this prominent pattern in campaign design. In the final scenario you either win or lose the campaign and many things in Striking Fear set are BS against Rogue, and it will be sad if your character is on their knee unable to play after such a long journey. I think even 3 XP for one of this card added last minute before the final showdown is a good investment. It is a core set card for good reason.

To make good use of XP, an over-success card with situational benefit like .41 Derringer (2) which now comes together in Revised Core Set can give it an another duty. Unlike Lucky! which only works when you fail, this card sometimes let you choose between regular success or over-success. (In the case if this gun it has 3 kinds of success.) Breaking and Entering (2), Slip Away (2), etc. also has multiple kinds of success.