The Revised Core provides a much better ideal starting point than the original Core for whoever wishes to delve into the universe of Arkham Horror The Card Game. One of its many improvements is a very clean and logical distribution of the cards in several distinct packages. Among those are the five pre-made and ready-to-play investigator decks. As soon as this was announced, many expected them to be improved versions of the original starter decks, since the limitation of the single class cards no longer applies to the Revised Core. Alas all the prepackaged decks are exactly the same starter decks suggested in the old Core with no change whatsoever. It is commonly agreed upon that those decks are very underwhelming and that a much better distributions of the available cards can be achieved.
This series of decks aims to provide a better alternative to the pre-made decks found in the Revised Core by redistributing the cards in a more sensible manner, while keeping them 100% compatible among each others and preserving their ready-to-play nature.
For the rest of the decks, follow these links:
Strategy Tips:
Roland Banks is a very versatile investigator capable of efficiently dispatching enemies while still being very proficient at gathering clues. This deck is designed to capitalize on both of these fronts. It can therefore work optimally for solo play, but it can also work for team play, in which case the focus should switch mainly to enemy management.
Including his signature card, Roland has access to 4 very good weapons, plus 2 Knife cards to use in a pinch. Physical Training can be used in order to further boost his excellent against the most fearsome enemies. But with 2 Magnifying Glass and 2 Flashlight he can also make very good use of his 3 to efficiently gather clues from most locations. For the most difficult ones he can further boost his skill with Perception and he can even gain two clues in one action thanks to Deduction. With his ability he can then gain clues without losing tempo and Evidence! can allow him to gain multiple clues this way in the same round or it can provide a consistent boost for other types of skill tests.
If multiple enemies are present, Roland can use Dynamite Blast as a trump card. It's costly, but he has Emergency Cache to aid him with that. Guard Dog can provide a mean to deal further damage without the need to spend actions or pass skill tests (useful to quickly dispatch those pesky Acolyte). However Roland isn't without flaws. While his isn't too bad, his sanity is very low and he needs to be very careful, least he'll meet an untimely demise by failing a skill test on Rotting Remains. To this end he can once again make use of Physical Training, but Guts is also an option. Additionally Dodge can completely nullify an enemy attack, and Roland especially wants to neutralize those that cause Horror, but he can also use it protect his team members. In a pinch First Aid can help healing both Horror and Damage, but since it's a very action expensive card, it shouldn't be used unless strictly necessary.
Suggested Upgrades:
If Roland is paired with a clue gatherer like Daisy or Wendy, he should aim to improve his fighting power and get more protection from the encounter deck. Shotgun is a very powerful weapon, but it starts in play with only 2 ammo. It is therefore advisable to get Extra Ammunition as soon you get your first copy of Shotgun. Extra Ammunition can also be used to load the other guns in Roland's possession. Switching Guard Dog with Beat Cop is also an option if you wish to avoid two-handed weapons, but you can keep both allies and invest in Charisma. Remember that allies are also valuable to soak Horror and Damage. If you want even more protection, there's I've Had Worse which can also simultaneously provide Roland with resources. With that card Roland no longer needs to fear drawing a on Rotting Remains or Umôrdhoth's Wrath. If Roland is playing solo he should probably avoid Shotgun entirely, but Magnifying Glass can be played and safely retrieved at no cost whenever you need to free your hand slots. Encyclopedia is a powerful tool to boost any kind of skill, but using it causes AoO and so it isn't very viable in combat and when you need to evade. Police Badge can improve Roland's and then whenever you need it the most you can discard it to gain two extra actions. If Roland suffered 2 or more mental trauma, however, you should consider Elder Sign Amulet for the Accessory Slot instead. Finally Seeking Answers is a very handy card to use when you need to gain clues from afar from a location with a shroud of 4, especially if affected by Obscuring Fog and Locked Door.
Replacing Cards:
Barricade and First Aid are the weakest ones and should be the first to be eliminated. If you are focusing on fighting, Magnifying Glass, Flashlight should be your next pick as they don't mesh well with Shotgun. Evidence! is also not strictly necessary, but Deduction should be conserved as it can still help your party members. Knife is also not really necessary, so it can be replaced instead of the clue gathering tools if you want to keep them. Finally Dodge can be removed if you still need space, especially if you have I've Had Worse.
Improving the Deck:
While this deck is primarily intended to be ready-to-play as is without any need for deckbuilding, it is certainly possible to improve it by taking cards from decks that aren't being used in your current campaign. In this case it is certainly a good idea to take skill cards from those, especially Unexpected Courage and Overpower. If Skids's deck isn't used, .45 Automatic, Beat Cop, Vicious Blow and Dynamite Blast should be retrieved, especially in a fight oriented role. If Daisy's deck isn't used, however, there aren't many cards that you want to take. Dr. Milan Christopher can be considered, especially in place of Magnifying Glass, but you'll probably need Charisma in order to play him alongside Guard Dog and Beat Cop. See the paragraph above to decide which cards to remove to make space.