(Note: Don't worry about amount of Skill cards you see here, they are replaced quickly as you earn XP.) You may not see so many shiny toys for choosing for Carson when playing with just Revised Core Set and The Scarlet Keys Investigator Expansion. But remember that the game's most primitive team-play feature is committing cards for each other.

2x Vicious Blow + 2x Deduction are THE original tempo boost card. Others don't really want to include these in their deck, they want the effect AND get other useful card on their Upkeep Draw too. Your task as a butler is to make sure you are around to add in these commits at crucial time or even while you force them to do things with your ability.

subclass also grants 2x Working a Hunch + 2x Dynamite Blast, the original testless clue and damage card. You'll find new dimension of trying to use all copies of these cards when playing Carson by sneaking in Draw or Resource action as needed. Since your best stuff is supporting with cards and not testing with Fight / Investigate / Evade action, Carson's Draw and Resource action are legitimately strategic and powers up your entire team each time you do it.

After the test run result I think selecting subclass is great for beginners to wrap their head around this investigator because they can really focus on the essence of Carson using core cards they knew. (Rather than trying hard to boost something like to usable range and use high level weapon, which while could work, can be too gimmicky to learn.)

Make sure your team have a damage dealer and a clue gatherer as well. This deck should be played in 3~4 players. Mainly you should still use most of your to different players.

► About "2 Packs Deck Guide"
　A series of decks made with the new distribution model in mind, requiring a Revised Core Set box + just 1 more Investigator Expansion box. ƴ character on the deck's name means the additional box it uses is The Scarlet Keys Investigator Expansion.
　It maximizes the chance of newcomers being able to build and learn to play the game, enjoying the story on Standard difficulty ASAP. They can then get into deck-building later if they wished to do so. See other decks in the "2 Packs Deck Guide" series here.

If you would like to see 2 packs Carson, check this out : Carson's Footwork (Survivor). (I have yet to crack 2 packs Carson puzzle, sorry!)

(View at arkham-starter.com)

New Seeker Event in TSK are just : Guidance (1) and Existential Riddle. The latter one he couldn't pass the test, so this deck makes Guidance (1) the highlight.

I invest crazy XP into 2x Ever Vigilant (4) and 2x Emergency Cache (2) (12 XP total!) But they are important for assets and events.

Team Recommendations

Carson is a team-dependent investigator, to be effective he shouldn't be built in a vacuum. For this one :

• This deck leans into investigation, so other members should lean into fighting.
• Spare deck space for those wished to include 2x Vicious Blow and 2x Deduction in the team. (Or those wanted to use them but can't.) If you have Dunwich, they can even get Vicious Blow (2) and Deduction (2) themself and have Carson support even more with Lv. 0 version.
• Good with a teammate that utilizes multiple stats, due to Guidance (1) boost. If they add up different stats then it is even better as they effectively gets +2 from it.
• Good with someone who benefit from extra actions, due to Guidance (1) and Police Badge. (Something like Mind over Matter, Fight or Flight, Intrepid, Keen Eye, Pay Day, Will to Survive, Colt Vest Pocket, Sleight of Hand, The Red-Gloved Man, Encyclopedia, ...)
• Good with someone who fight / investigate with irregular stats. (Like spell or attacking with .) He can turn both Vicious Blow and Deduction into with Bestow Resolve.
• Good at saving action to play Asset for others and also spare them AoO, due to Ever Vigilant (4) added as early as 10 XP point. (Usable at about Scenario 4?) This can be good with many assets, such as Colt Vest Pocket, Lupara, refreshing their Spell mid-fight, using Resourceful, etc.
• Good with someone with 5 on health / sanity and 1~2 stats on either or , due to Obsidian Bracelet. Cover your team's weak point.
• 3 players or more preferred, due to his is limited once per round for each investigator. With 3+ players you can use your additional action one and also use your actual action to to one more.

Automatic Winning Events

2x Working a Hunch / 2x Dynamite Blast

Choosing grants Carson privilege of Working a Hunch. These 2 classic cards might be familiar to you, but how we use them in this deck is different. You will be more intentionally collecting resources with goal of playing all 4 copies of them in each scenario. (So 14 resources.)

Carson do not have the stats to succeed in tests, therefore spending spare action (prioritize giving away the once-per-investigator extra action first) to get resource / play Emergency Cache (no test) then use these cards (no test), became a good investment of time for him with existence of these 4 cards.

Emergency Cache •• / Ever Vigilant ••••

The other cards coming later that help you save up for those expensive Event is Ever Vigilant (4). When you play assets cheaper, you have more to play dynamite and hunch.

The upgrade to Emergency Cache (2) later in 20-29 XP range solidifies how often you can dynamite / hunch, by also getting you the dynamite / hunch with the added draw as well as resources.

Skill Plays

2x Vicious Blow / 2x Deduction

This Carson hogs all these popular Skill cards. Choosing grants Carson the ever-useful Deduction... except unless a Flashlight test on 2 shroud he should find someone to use it to.

Even if your team has someone with / access that would like these for themself, it is often better to let Carson commit with Bestow Resolve which gains range (it can go to different investigators in a bind, like a Mystic really needing to neutral punch 2 HP enemy away) and flexibility of icon. (e.g. Legal commit even on Fight / Investigate testing with or .)

This also save deck space for them. Deckbuilder is often troubled to remove Vicious Blow and Deduction from the deck unless it is a straight upgrade to Vicious Blow (2) / Deduction (2) since they are so good. By letting Carson carry them, those investigator can include more utility cards. (Or even add Vicious Blow (2) / Deduction (2) while let Carson commit the Lv.0 version on top.)

Bestow Resolve •• + Barricade : . This can really help the team out just like how good Inquiring Mind is, except it does not care about clues and has 1 location range.

Bestow Resolve •• + Fighting Lessons : Can get also BUT it only works on fighting and evasion test, much less flexible. You can aid fighting or evading with , for example. If you go by my upgrade plan, you can do this for only short time since Fighting Lessons are removed right after Bestow Resolve enters the deck.

Bestow Resolve •• + Working a Hunch / Dodge : As all neutral Skill cards are removed on upgrades, these are all you have left to get in a pinch. A version I tested with Fighting Lessons remaining but Dodge removed can get , but attack or evasion restriction turns out to be too annoying as often you want to help out on Mythos Phase at range with Bestow Resolve. Dodge is better to keep as it can also support fighting enemies by playing normally.

Canceling

• Obsidian Bracelet : The most impactful use of hand slot for Carson in my opinion, strong enough to not build around Runic Axe. Pay 3 resources to be useful automatically. You can even play it on each hand for 6/6 defense! This allow your friends to just not bother committing and put the punishments here. (Sometimes they draw 0 and -1 resulting in actually passing or take very low fail-by.) Not to mention many kind of Treachery that has no test at all.
• Dodge : You had built your treachery defense fortress, by having this as well enemies can't even hit your fighter as Carson tells them which direction the attack is coming.
• Bestow Resolve •• + "As you wish" / Barricade : Not quite "cancel" but on Standard, this is as good as 4x more Ward of Protection (2) (only 1 location range but that's often enough) when helping friends on treachery with tests.

Winning Things?

• Flashlight : Hunt for 1-2 shrouds and win, of course.
• Obsidian Bracelet : You'll feel like you "passed" / tests just by playing this ahead of time. Excellent in a which does not need Weapon on the hand... This is a big reason for not using Runic Axe in this deck, it goes well with Ever Vigilant (4) to keep new copy coming.
• Guard Dog : Carson can get rid of some 1-2 HP enemies slowly with the dog bite.
• Field Agent •• : Automatic clue! Combined with Working a Hunch, Carson has his niche of bypassing shroud and "cannot be investigated" locations.

Tactical Draw / Resource

When you can't do anything, you take draw or resource action. Normally these kind of action were iffy since you don't feel like progressing the game. But that was because other investigators has the stats to progress the game.

I found the most important is to be aware of remaining Dynamite Blast / Working a Hunch in the deck. Supposed that 10 cards gone and not even a copy of them. At this point I would consider having about 3-4 resources ready so they are usable as soon as you draw into them. The hard part is to decide not to bulk yourself up with Obsidian Bracelet / Guard Dog in order to save up for events.

e.g. Many enemies around, you fear that by not playing Guard Dog you might die. But actually, if you have resources to play Dynamite Blast (still in the deck) you would be in better state than playing the dog. Dynamite Blast is not a card that you could start saving up after you draw it. You save up before drawing it.

With Bestow Resolve, maybe take more draw action since that equals more passed tests for the team. For Carson, often drawing into Deduction / Vicious Blow meant an instant progress when you make your friend do stuff.

Techniques

• Police Badge •• + Guidance • : Let other investigator plays for 6 actions with +1 to everything for an entire turn! Also if you happened to have 2x Guidance (1) you can stack to get +2 and even more actions when in a boss fight. Now if you also have some Vicious Blow / Deduction to throw in your friend's test, that's a HUGE sprint of tempo.

• Guidance • + Dodge : Unexpectedly potent combo for flex fighter. Supposed your fighter can evade better than fight but it is possible to kill it in 3 Fight. Turns out he can't, for the final 4th action he may want to exhaust the enemy with a better chance on Evade just to be safe. With Dodge however the fighter can go all out and attempt the final Fight.

• Barricade + Prey Lowest : When enemy has prey "Lowest X" stats, that investigator is likely Carson with his 2/2/2/2. You can take advantage of this by letting Carson stay in Barricade and force 1 distance tie with others. Now it is like the enemy can't move, and also other investigators can work nearby. If this enemy is problematic to Fight, Carson can lower its health with Dynamite Blast from inside the Barricade.

• Ever Vigilant •••• + Guidance • : Someone fighting a hoard of enemies and you are free? Guidance is going to give them an action and +1 to success, and EV4 is going to let them lay down all the assets they failed to play ahead of time that got them into this state. EV4 is an amazing "late/unlucky setup" card.

• + Dodge : When you are engaged, using to give action would provoke AoO. Dodge can cancel this. Most of the time you can schedule such that other can play first to get the engage away and Carson give action later, but sometimes you have puzzle that Carson must have an engage in his turn. You decide whether "buying team an action with 1 resource" is worth it or not.

• + Guidance • : "You handle that one but I'll guide you!" Common strategy of fighting Hunter enemy is to walk into it and hit 2 times rather than waiting for it to walk into you and get a free hit. But Carson can make that fighter have 4 times to Fight instead! Supposed you are together with a fighter on nearby location. Play first and use Guidance on them, then use to give action and have that fighter move in. (Kinda Shortcut-ting them.) Resuming your turn, you are now free to do whatever you want, or even follow in and prepare some helping commits. (Enemy already engaged with the fighter so it is safe to follow now.)

• + Dodge + Guidance • : "Kill this thing!" A combination of 2 previous techniques. This time Carson got an enemy draw with high stats. It would be really nice if your fighter can use Guidance you have to 4-action it with +1, but you must go first for Guidance. Sure Guidance has AoO skipping ability, but what would you do for your remaining actions with enemy still sticking on you like this? You can get out of this by using , cancel the AoO with Dodge, fighter that got an action (Guidance does not activate yet since it is not really his turn right now) take the engage. Now you resume with 2 actions to do whatever you want, and Guidance already given.