Dr. Fern: Strong-Willed, Book Smart Guardian

Dr. Fern is a Guardian that looks like a Seeker who can be played as a generalist. If you are playing coop, she pairs best with a Rouge, Surviver, or even another Guardian to minimize card pool sharing.

Starting Hand

Hard mulligan anything that is not St. Hubert's Key. Simple enough right? +1 intellect and willpower allows Dr. Fern to investigate much more confidently while also powering up Shrivelling, Mind over Matter, and "I've got a plan!". If you are lucky enough to get St. Hubert's Key on you opening draw, mulligan everything else for either Peter Sylvestre or Emergency Cache.

Gathering Clues

St. Hubert's Key gives Dr. Fern five intellect, while the Magnifying Glass brings her up to a healthy six intellect that other Guardian's can only dream of.

What good is a Guardian that can't deal with enemies?

While Dr. Fern shouldn't go out of her way to deal with enemies, she can hold her own and does not need anyone to come to her rescue.

• Shrivelling is there as your primary way of fighting back against most enemies.
• Knife is there as a stop gap only in the event that you have not drawn anything else and need to fight. Do not hesitate to discard it for plus two to your attack.
• The .45 Automatic is not necessarily the most efficient card for Dr. Fern but it is in character for her to have it (anyone who read her book "To Fight the Black Wind" will know her father gave her a Colt .45 and taught her how to shoot). Machete is superior in most situations but that is boring and I have a hard time imagining an intellectual like Dr. Fern swinging around a machete.
• Depending on where you are in the campaign, "I've got a plan!" can be used to immediately get some heavy enemies off of you. It is situational though, so don't be afraid to use it as a more expensive one shot version of Mind over Matter.
• Mind over Matter should be reserved for bosses to get the most use out of it. It can also be paired with the .45 Automatic to make for a powerful combination.
• Dynamite Blast is situational but it is a great way of killing things at a safe distance. Use as needed.
• If for whatever reason you have none of these other cards and are about to get hit, Dodge and Hypnotic Gaze can buy you some time. Hypnotic Gaze, like the .45 Automatic, is another card that is here more because it matches with the lore of the character than for efficiency. Feel free to use two copies of Dodge instead if you don't care about role playing.

But how am I supposed to pay for all of this?

This deck runs pretty expensive, but luckily Dr. Fern has the means of paying her own way. Peter Sylvestre is your real money maker, with his effect triggering Dr. Fern's effect for one resource. He can be paired with Painkillers to allow you to heal and get money without wasting an action. Forbidden Knowledge, when paired with Peter Sylvestre, allows you to quickly accumulate resources to the point where money no longer becomes an issue. Two copies of Emergency Cache are also in this deck just in case.

What about Pips?

Two copies of Unexpected Courage are there for versatility, with Foolishness acting as a third copy of this card that should only be used for his skill icons. Working a Hunch also provides versatility and may be used to power up Mind over Matter or "I've got a plan!". Logical Reasoning can also be used for pips to power up Shrivelling.

What should I do with my experience points?

Your first priority should be upgrading your Peter's to Peter Sylvestre 2. This will give you a +1 to willpower and make Shrivelling much more powerful.

Stick to the Plan, while expensive, is worth saving up for early to help improve your chances of drawing St. Hubert's Key. My personal preference was putting two copies of Emergency Cache and one copy of Dynamite Blast so that money does not become an issue early on if you fail to draw Peter Sylvestre.

Beyond that, you are free to do what you feel is best and have fun with it. Here are a few more options.

• Stand Together is always useful (until someone draws a weakness card at least).

• Two copies of First Aid 2 are good replacements for First Aid and Liquid Courage since it provides double pips for Willpower and is better at healing.

• You want Peter Sylvestre as your ally, so if you are planning on picking up any story allies, you need Charisma.

• Normally the upgraded Magnifying Glass is unnecessary since Dr. Fern isn't really using her hands for much but it may be worth looking into if you are planning on picking up story assets.

• Cheat Death is always fun and not a terrible thing to buy late game if you have experience and don't know what to buy.

• Key of Ys is good if you feel like breaking the game. Grab Relic Hunter too so you can use it in conjunction with St. Hubert's Key and really walk past everything and have your partner hate you.