Lord Preston McFairmont (Big Money Streetwise)

My take on a Big Money Preston deck

This deck stacks ressources, and later through upgrades, number of actions. It is focused on investigating in a multiplayer campaign, although its core can allow more combat cards, and can use them effectively.

It contains a mix of cards allowing to avoid drawing tokens (Intel Report, Lola Santiago), and assets which empower skill values (Eye of the Djinn, Pocket Multi Tool, Well Connected, Streetwise, Trial by Fire), scaling with our ressource-stacking, or big spending.

Some scaling is required, and this deck isn't as effective in the very early game, while also being very vulnerable to the encounter deck and its willpower tests. Luckily, the defining strength of Preston (Family Inheritance) allows you to play any asset you draw without worrying about its cost, and you can draw fast enough to complete your set up in a fair amount of time.

• Once the core cards are in play, you are able to pass any test reliably.
• Once you have stacked enough ressources to get a big bonus out of Well Connected and Money Talks, your are able to over-succeed on some, and can make use of strong cards such as Double or Nothing and Lucky Cigarette Case (3).
• Once rich, you keep getting richer. This allows you to play expensive cards all game long. Passing tests is something all investigators can do, but almost no other deck can spend this much every turn. The added value of this deck compared to others simply comes from playing more expensive (thus more powerful) cards.

A typical turn: pass your first test using Eye of the Djinn, your second test using Well Connected, with the help of Streetwise whenever necessary, exhaust the Lucky Cigarette Case, grab a clue with Lola Santiago, move using your Track Shoes to either move twice, or move once and trigger Drawing Thin, and use your last action, courtesy of Leo de Luca, to build your fortune, or draw cards.

Additional notes:

• Pocket Multi Tool, with its final upgrade, is an additional safety net if you were to miss a test by 1 (or 2 when upgraded further), and allows you to not need to reach the safety threshold on all your tests.
• Backstab allows you to dispose of the occasional enemy, if your combat-oriented partner is away, or busy.
• If you already removed Lodge "Debts", you can use the last turns of a scenario to spend your money and pay your way through.
• This deck uses Double or Nothing as a bonus and doesn't rely on it in any way, it can easily be removed if you want to abide to its forbidden status.

Mulligan strategy: Look for Eye of the Djinn and Leo de Luca above all.

Next upgrades for my ongoing TSK campaign:

• Lucky cigarette case (3) x2 for drawing key cards - 6xp
• Pilfer (3) x2 for permanent investigating - 6xp
• Eon chart (4) x2 for free bonus actions - 8xp
• Relic hunter (3) x1 to combine accessories - 3xp
• Well connected (3) x2 for faster scaling - 6xp
• Double, double (8) for the final touch - 8xp

Remove list:

• Manual dexterity x2
• Pocket multi-tool x1
• Drawing thin x2
• Track shoes x2
• Trial by fire x2
• Double or nothing x2