In a 4-player Standard campaign, I always start my deck with 3 of these, and remove them somewhere before the halfway point of the campaign, and it works out well for me each time.

To start with the upside, if I draw 2 Open Gates, it routinely saves the group 3 actions a game, sometimes less, frequently more. In most campaigns' early missions, you're in the "explore" phase of the mystery, where you are wandering around town/campus/jungle flipping locations and collecting clues. Since you're low-xp characters, you don't have much of your jank, but the game accommodates you with easier shrouds and monsters, many of which are beatable with just base stats. It's usually effective for your group to split up, but there's always that Act that says "investigators at <Location X> spend clues as a group to advance/resign", where the party has to get to a specific spot. Open Gate lets at least one teammate teleport there, which may even let you advance the Act a whole turn sooner than you could have otherwise.

As for the fail cases, If I draw 1 Open Gate early but never get its partner, then I'm out a card and resource, which is a fair price for a failed gamble in this game. If I draw it late, I can pitch it to a treachery. It may be suboptimal, but it's never dead.

The card definitely gets worse as the campaign goes on, both because missions start to become "charge forward to your inevitable doom" with no backtracking, and also because your bottleneck changes from movement action economy to succeeding repeatedly at difficult tests, and Open Gate doesn't help with that.

Like Flashlight, I think this is an excellent level 0 card for your starting deck that you swap out later as they become obsolete.

I was wondering - does the "Fight" on this card (and similar Event-cards) triggers effects on Cards like "Frozen in Fear" (https://arkhamdb.com/card/01164) or the "Hunted by Byakats" from Barkham Horror?

They force you to spend something (an additional action / a ressource) to perform a "Fight" Action. Is the "action" you are performing with an Event card not a "Play a card from your hand" Action that just happens to have that "Fight" effect?

Tanks in advance!

December 31, 2020
To provide clarity to anyone checking this page to ensure they're playing correctly, I will ask:
Is this the correct understanding on how the card works?

• If you draw Shocking Discovery naturally (i.e. Upkeep phase, draw a card action, etc), then you shuffle the card back into your deck. That's it.

• If Shocking Discovery is among the searched cards (i.e. Mr. "Rook", No Stone Unturned, etc), then you discard Shocking Discovery. You cancel the search, shuffle Mandy's deck, then draw the top card of the encounter deck. Shocking Discovery is now in your discard pile.

• If you choose to use Mandy Thompson's ability to "resolve 1 additional target of the search" (ex: No Stone Unturned to search the top 6 cards of your deck and draw 2 of the searched cards instead of just 1 card), and Shocking Discovery is among the searched cards, the entire search is cancelled. This means that you do not draw a card at all because the entire search is cancelled. Then, you shuffle Mandy's deck and draw the top card of the encounter deck. Shocking Discovery is now in your discard pile.

Review of parallel Agnes. I played her for 3 scenarios as cluer (our campaign isn't finished) and found her new ability better than i had expected.

Parallel Agnes can be found here. I created alternate weaknesses for all parallel investigator, based on the boss of each adventure which can be found here. Except the weakness for daisy, i haven't playtested them yet so changes are possible.

Stats

Base stats remain the same, but her HP and Sanity have been swapped. High means she excels when using spells and resisting many treacheries but her low other stats mean she can't do anything without spells.

Higher HP allows for more uses of her new ability. When the game was new, needed sanity to endure side effects of Shrivelling. With the addition of new asset spells like Azure Flame or Eye of Chaos that's not necessary anymore.

Ability

Her new abilites read:

• As an additional cost to play a Spell event, you may take 1 damage. If you do, reduce the cost to play that event by 2, and you may shuffle that event back into your deck instead of discarding it.
• effect: +1. You may heal 1 damage.

Like her old ability, it is both a blessing and curse because liberal use can kill you (enemy attacks, trecheries, location effects, Azure Flame,...). Her new ability is more flexible and gets better with new spell events. cards tend to be expansive and with limited charges so the first part of her ability really helps going all out on events. Shuffling them back into your deck is also a huge boon, as you might draw it again (i think i used read the signs 4-6 times in one scenario). Though it makes drawing other cards less likely.

As of writing this review, i'm not sure you can use her ability on spells that cost 0 ressources to shuffle them back into your deck. I'm assuming yes.

New is a straight heal, keeping her alive and allowing for more uses of her first ability. If you make liberal use of her first ability like i did, you will need this. Also note that it heals you if the test fails (so combos nice with fail to win stuff).

Deck Building

Similar to parallel Skids. When upgrading spells (not limited to events), you may keep the lower level version in your deck, which does not count against your deck size. For 2 XP each, you can have 20 Ward of Protection so you never need to worry about treacheries anymore (but the horror...).

Spells events of note LV 0:

• Blinding Light: Evade with and 1 damage. Potentially lose 1 action, which is why i dislike this.
• Deny Existence: Avoid some nasty effects and damage/ horror. Very scenario dependant.
• Ethereal Form: Evade with + , very high chance of success and can't be engaged. Recommended.
• Hypnotic Gaze: Very costly Dodge, may damage enemy. Enemy attacks can be avoided with tactics and effect is not reliable. Not recommended.
• Moonlight Ritual: Useful in doom based decks. Take 1 damage to shuffle into your deck.
• Open Gate: Qualifies for your ability, 1 ressources may not be worth 1 damage. Scenario dependant.
• Read the Signs: Investigate with + , very high chance of success, gain 2 clues and ignore some effects. Recommended.
• Spectral Razor: Fight with + , very high chance of success, included engage action and 3 damage on non elite. Recommended.
• Storm of Spirits: Damages all enemies at your location. Recommended for 3-4 players.
• Tides of Fate: Lots of / tokens. Use only if you need them for other cards.
• Voice of Ra: Qualifies for your ability, so can be shuffled into your deck. Not recommended unless you need ressources.
• Ward of Protection: Cancel a treachery that would ruin your day. Qualifies for your ability, so shuffle it into your deck. Recommended.

Agnes looses access to survivor lv 0-2 but gains Spells lv 0-3 and occult 0-3. Note that these spells are not limited to events.

This includes the following cards, at the time of writing of this review:

• Hallowed Mirror: Your relic slot is heavily contested (Holy Rosary for more ), but bonded Soothing Melodys heal is very helpful. They're also spells for Arcane Initiate and your ability. Pay 1 damage, heal 2 damage and shuffle it back into your deck?
• Hand of Fate: Very costly Dodge, may add . Not recommended, unless you need for other effects.
• Blood Eclipse 1, 3: Take damage to deal more. 1 xp version is relatively efficient but i'd not recommend 3 xp version. I'd only take this if you're the groups fighter.
• Radiant Smite: Combo with Tempt Fate for max damage. Rather unreliable unless Sister Mary is in your group, not recommended.
• Obfuscation: Spell asset that ignores 3 OAs. Not recommended.
• Suggestion: Spell asset that evades with + . Use events or some of the with extra effects instead, not recommended.
• Archaic Glyphs: These require tests, but with her 2 base i wouldn't consider these.
• Cryptic Grimoire: This card's upgrades have not been released as of writing this review. Tempt Fate and Tides of Fate may help to translate the grimoire.
• Both versions of Feed the Mind require tests, so you're bound to fail.
• Occult Lexicon: Hand slot that adds draw/ discard/ damage events.
• Occult Invocation: Fight and discard cards for more damage. Arcane Initiate should keep your hand full, so recommended.
• Segment of Onyx: Another contestant for relic slot, so very XP intense (Relic Hunter). Does nothing until you have all 3 parts and needs search effects to work (Backpack). 3 desk slots you lose for spell events. Not recommended.
• Gaze of Ouraxsh: Testless damage, depending on blurse tokens revealed. Use only if your deck is built around that mechanic.
• Alter Fate 1/ 3: Discard nastry treacheries. Scenario dependant.

In short, her new deckbuilding offers access to more combat spells and blurse tech. However lv 0-2 gives her access to cheap soaks and fail to win combo, which means card draw. Some of note:

• Lucky!: Turn a fail into a success
• Leather Coat: Soak damage from your ability
• Flare to search for Arcane Initiate
• Jessica Hyde: Soak damage from your ability
• Peter Sylvestre: Soak for Ward of Protection
• Take Heart, Drawing Thin, Rabbit's Foot (+Relic Hunter): Fail to gain cards and ressources

Combos

• New ability: Arcane Initiate and Word of Command allow you to search for spells for your ability (and the latter can also trigger it).
• 0-2: Scavenging 2, Sixth Sense (or other investigate spells): Recycle items like Leather Coat, Cherished Keepsake, Abyssal Tome or Heirloom of Hyperborea. Items that soak damage combo nice with your ability.
• 0-2: Flare, A Chance Encounter, Summoned Hound: Extra actions without the risk of Vengeful Hound ruining your day

Note that you MAY use or for this attack, so also works. Helpful for Diana Stanley while her is still low.

Agnes Baker can Flare or Chance Encounter Abigail Foreman from another investigator's deck/ discard.

She can also Scavenge 0 or 2 this book after discarding it. Assuming 1 hand slot occupied, 1 Abyssal Tome in play and 1 in discard, Scavenging 2 in play, she can switch them for 2 ressources, removing all doom.