Written by Pietro Desirò

A hooded figure leans over its victim. The two faces confront each other. On one side, shadow; ocorn the other, bewilderment, pink like a baby’s bottom, emerging from a tangle of dark machinery. The scene is suspended in palpable tension.

Imagination runs wild, anticipating the pain, the inevitable transformation about to occur. We do not witness the act itself, but we feel its weight. In the waiting is when the image strikes hardest: it does not show violence, but rather suggests it with a subtle, psychological cruelty. This is how Anson Maddocks returns to the tormented world of Gothic, with his unmistakable style.

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An image that does not seek excess, but instead builds unease through composition, contrast, and visual Silence. The result is an Avatar destined to leave a mark. Not only will Interrogator see plenty of competitive play, but it also embodies the soul of the set: dark, oppressive, and deeply unsettling. So who is the Interrogator, the new avatar who embodies toxicity in its purest form?

Interrogator is a concentrated rush of traumatic flashbacks from Commander games where, on turn two, your opponent slams down Rhystic Study and, after every action you take, the inevitable question arrives:

“May I draw?”

Here, however, there is no option to pay a mana to stop the draw. Instead, you can pay 3 life, knowing you can never exceed your starting life total of 20. It’s a brutal choice. One that hurts.

Your opponent will find themselves facing an existential dilemma as either their life total plummets or the Interrogator’s hand refills.

MaGoose YouTube channel.

My Journey With Interrogator

I come from an existential crisis. I’ve been a devoted Deathspeaker player since day one. Gothic expanded Deathspeaker’s genesis suite, giving it new tools to carry out evil schemes.

On paper, it looked like it would be Deathspeaker’s moment. And yet, it is not. Aside from the growing cemetery hate, the Spellbook size increase felled Deathspeaker.

I needed a new home. Savior? Extremely interesting. Tested, built countless versions, but an endless grind wore me down. Massive projects like Candlemas Monks or Roots of Yggdrasil at the release of Gothic? Too demanding, no time, no mental space. I wanted change. Something lighter and capable of generating the value I’d grown to love from Deathspeaker.

Above all, I like drawing cards.

Why Interrogator

The Interrogator might as well have “Charge!” printed on it. Embracing Gothic’s new minions with Charge, Interrogator has a single purpose: go straight to the opponent’s Avatar and ask the fateful question:

“May I draw?”

Experimentation

My testing began in collaboration with Giovanni Marino, one of the MaGoose and a prominent player in the Italian scene. The first home was air threshold fire threshold built to swarm the board every turn with as many minions as possible and send them straight at the opposing Avatar.

Accessibility & Cost Efficiency

Summoning Sphere, Jihad, and Magellan Globe are exceptional for more aggressive positioning in the Realm. Spore Spouts enables a turn two Wild Fanatic or Ignited, both of which have Charge.

Spore Spouts — Ordinary Site

Genesis → You can cast minions with 2 or less power to any site this turn.

If the opponent doesn’t cast a blocker by turn two to contain the aggression, the game quickly spirals out of control.

Darkest Dungeon — Unique Site

Genesis → The next time an ally strikes an Avatar this turn, drag both here if able.

Darkest Dungeon allows you to reposition the enemy Avatar closer to allied units so they can attack. Dragging requires declaring a path, meaning the effect is checked step by step. This can enable unexpected watery traps.

Nimbus Jinn

During testing, I often played with a full hand. As a longtime Deathspeaker player and a lover of Nimbus Jinn combos, I couldn’t resist; it went straight into the deck.

Initially, I ran Nimbus Jinn in an air threshold fire threshold Charge version with the Summoning Sphere package. It worked, but it was clear it could be pushed further. Why not give it Charge to fully synergize with the Avatar?

If we’re playing Evil Presence, we’re playing Spirits. Leaning out to mono- air threshold made sense. Nimbus Jinn has an innate synergy with Interrogator:

Evil Presence in the Realm
Nimbus Jinn attacks with Charge for 4 damage
Interrogator trigger

The opponent is susceptible to 7 damage regardless of the choice they make — either they lose 3 life by denying a draw or take 3 damage from discarding the card drawn, plus another 3 damage if the Evil Presence that returned to hand is discarded.

My Current Deck

The final deck is mono- air threshold with a Spirit subtheme — some non-Spirit minions are included for a more explosive early game and to provide more efficient trades.

Being mono- air threshold keeps the strategy singularly focused on the direct game plan; the trade-off is including a more limited set of answers.

I’ve made this choice because the primary sites deliver devastating acceleration and enable explosive early-game play, including:

Turn one: Forsaken in an opponent’s corner.
Turn two: Blink, attack their Avatar → Interrogator trigger
My Atlas allows potential acceleration of three-cost, minions on turn-two drops, like Phase Assassin.
Acceleration is abundant.
- Ghost Town is phenomenal, generating extra mana on genesis.
- I run three copies each of Dark Tower, Lone Tower, Gothic Tower, and Ghost Town.
- Beacon is also another solid option.

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Kamikazes

Recurring Specter + Evil Presence
- Four mana for 4 damage, or 1 damage plus a card draw.
  - Repeatable. Devastating.
Fine Courser
- Two mana for 4 damage, or 1 damage plus a card draw.
- Not a Spirit and not repeatable, but tremendous movement flexibility, including for your Avatar; a real threat, especially with The Rack.

Key Cards

The Rack
- Damage amplification
- Accessibility
- Control over the opposing Avatar’s mobility
- More strikes → more stretched Avatar → more damage → more access → more Interrogator triggers
Whirling Blades
- Exponential damage in combination with The Rack and Interrogator triggers
Sphere of Animosity
- Locks down the opposing Avatar
- Prevents life gain
- Allows your units to strike with impunity
- I’m considering Lord of Fear

Weaknesses

My arch-nemesis: Troll Bridge.
Any strategy that controls the Realm or creates hostility in the Realms is a problem.
Strategies based on:
- Multiple blockers
- Ward
- Challenging with their own aggression
Magic Missiles and Arcane Barrage are crucial for breaking Ward and removing the most annoying blockers.
- Whirling Blades fill a similar role.
Root Spider
- It’s why I play three Gossamer Ghost in the Spellbook and a fourth in the Collection.

Future Interrogator

The mono- air threshold version is incredibly fun and explosive, but easily countered. The same applies to fire threshold .

What is the Interrogator’s true identity? Will it remain tied to Spirits or find its definitive form with water threshold and shifting toward board control?

With water threshold , Interogattor wouldn’t need to chase the opponent. Troll Bridge and Darkest Dungeon are powerful and sneaky tricks with Led Astray and Coy Nixie.

A common thread among all water threshold variants is Realm control; manipulating the opponent’s minions to set up future turns. This would skew Interrogator toward Midrange, with inconsistent Interrogator triggers. Coy Nixie Lures the opposing Avatar to collide headfirst with a Lord of Lies, potentially taking 9 damage.

Plague of Frogs enables the elegance of 7 frogs asking the same fateful question. In water threshold fire threshold , why wouldn’t you play Sir Agravaine? You won’t ask the question every turn, but when you do, it will hurt much more.

Conclusion

The competitive meta is still forming, so ot’s still unclear which version of the Interrogator will ultimately be definitive. One thing, however, is certain: Interrogator will see a lot of play. So be ready to assume it as your Avatar or stand against it in the Realm.

Above all, know how to answer the fateful question: