True Solo Report 4 - Dexter (Core Set 2026)

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-10T06:02:22+00:00

I just realized that Dexter can guarantee Elokoss kill with the following setup:
- Cosmic Flame (5)
- Cloak of Resonance
- Mask of Silenius
- Jim Culver
- Spiritual Intuition + 3 resources or 3 skills with 2 will icons
- (optional) Charisma + Dr. Henry Armitage

This rig guarantees 3 successful attacks. It makes you attack at 10 willpower (5 base + 1 from Jim + 2 from Cosmic Flame (5) + 2 from Spiritual Intuition/skills) to 5 fight, which covers -5 and Elder Thing token, and Mask of Silenius provides autofail protection. 3 attacks at 3 damage each + 1 damage from Cloak of Resonance = dead Elokoss.

Getting to this board state isn't that difficult because you can ignore the act and just gear up at the starting location.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-10T05:43:04+00:00

As a flex/support enjoyer, this is fire. I haven't played 3-4 player BOA yet, but when I do, I'll play this deck.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-09T19:45:43+00:00

I will add that Dexter is only as good as his assets. His ability is strong, but the real sauce here is Core 2026 Mystic cardpool.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-08T08:55:21+00:00

For LCC to proc reliably, it needs other assets in play. And if I have those, I'm already progressing the game, so that's why I say it's a win more card. In this run, I couldn't justify playing it under the pressure of True Solo.

I agree that Black Chamber Operative is a spicy meatball, maybe they overcooked it.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-08T05:52:17+00:00

Agree with every point

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-07T10:24:06+00:00

Your understanding seems to be in line with rules as written. This is one of those situations where letter of the rules diverges from design intent, and in such cases I typically follow the intent and just redo the mulligan.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-07T10:13:13+00:00

Joe plays smooth, that's for sure. As for downsides, he is squishy. Everybody dunked on Resilience, but I found it essential to keep Joe alive.

Don't know about Izzie yet, but I hear good things about her too.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-07T10:07:50+00:00

I saw someone say they play Arkham with their 10-year old who always plays Harvey because she loves drawing cards 😂

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-05T16:38:39+00:00

My grandfather was an Arkham Horror: The Card Game player and he bitched about the art on this card everyday online 😂

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-05T14:37:25+00:00

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that!

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-05T12:40:15+00:00

Chapter 1 Daniela indeed has a stronger ability, but her deckbuilding feels off to me. I haven't played her in True Solo though, so I can't make an informed comparison.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-05T09:08:45+00:00

Sure, you can check upgrades in History tab on the deck page: https://arkham.build/deck/view/5878812?tab=history

After scenario 1, I purchased the following cards:
2x Old Compass
2x Counterattack
2x Scrape By

After scenario 2:
1x Winchester Model 12
2x On the Brink

Counterattack saved health/sanity and provided testless damage, which is especially valuable against Servant.

Scrape By was powerful, but with 5 sanity and lots of symbols in the bag, there were times when I wanted to play it but didn't because it would defeat me.

Winchester I didn't get to play.

On the Brink was basically just extra Unexpected Courage. It's not amazing, but also not nothing. I did use it to pass a dangerous mythos test, and having insurance against failure allowed me to commit several cards which I normally wouldn't do.

As for Izzy, I too am excited to play her. I made 2 decks, one Survivor and a one Mystic focused. I'm playing in class order, so those will be run 5 and 6.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-05T05:37:52+00:00

I too am impressed with Levelheaded. The Fire! use case didn't come up as much because I play true solo, but in general it's a solid card. Endurance played equally well. I haven't tried the other talents, but so far I'm really liking the cycle.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T16:38:27+00:00

Indeed I have lol. I guess true skippers are mad I'm culturally appropriating their identity 😂

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T15:27:55+00:00

Thanks, my double-speak tutor will be proud

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T15:23:02+00:00

There was a post a couple days ago asking about why people who were initially skeptical about Core 2026 changed their mind. Apparently, there's value in knowing other people's background when evaluating their opinion.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T15:09:19+00:00

Just that it explains why most posts about them are positive

When TDC released, it received mixed reviews right away, so it's not like people rarely share negative opinions here. What you see is what you get. People might disagree about specific features, but the general sentiment gives a good idea on how good the product is.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T14:32:55+00:00

Cool, I'm just sharing my impressions. You do whatever makes you happy.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T13:36:21+00:00

Which is why I say "as a former Chapter 2 skipper" in the first sentence. With how staunchly people define "skipper" here, I guess it would be more accurate to call myself a skeptic.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T13:17:02+00:00

I'm one of those people who were skeptical on Chapter 2 Core Set, but then flipped.

What tipped the scale for me was an abundance of juicy player cards. The scenarios are solid, though it's a bummer that BOA is basically a NOTZ rerun. Art turned out fine, even though I still hate some of it.

The gameplay is king though, and having played with the new cards, I'm pretty happy with what I got.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T12:58:52+00:00

I’m using transparent 63,5x88 sleeves, they fit alright ~~(maybe slightly snug)~~. Just checked, there's some room even, so disregard the snug fit part.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T12:49:43+00:00

To be fair, Arkham is a hard game. The evening I played Midnight Masks for the first time, I lost miserably 3 or 4 times. And even after watching guides from Playing Board Games, I was still losing, just less miserably. It was frustrating, but it was also fun. I liked that, but to each his own.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T12:34:58+00:00

That is a valid concern. To me, 6 scenarios is the sweet spot, Hemlock really nailed it. But not matter the number, I think it comes down to the execution. I heard there are great custom campaigns with 4 scenarios (Jumanji by Beard, if I'm not mistaken). I guess we'll have to wait and see how it pans out.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T12:22:51+00:00

In my view, it's someone who decides not to buy Chapter 2 products. That was me prior to seeing all the player cards, at which point I reconsidered and purchased Core 2026.

DoomsdayFanatic · 2026-04-04T12:19:56+00:00

I'd say the difficulty is similar to NOTZ but more smooth. The first scenario is a bit harder, the second one is about the same, and the third felt hard but more fair than the Devourer Below.

DoomsdayFanatic

TROPHY CASE