Name: Cthulhu Statuette
Set: New AEon
Type: Artifact
Dimension: Any
Value: none
Attributes: Affects Combat
Sanity: -1 for each use
Artist: Alan M. Clark
Rarity: Common
Special Effect Box: Time and Space become irrelevant. Costs 1 Sanity Point to use. May only be used during Combat. Change the nature of one Ally in Combat. If not Defending, may now become a Defending Ally. If already Defending, may become non-Defending, or may Defend against a different Directed Threat.
With him he bore the subject of his visit, a grotesque, repulsive, and apparently very ancient stone statuette whose origin he was at a loss to determine... One sight of the thing had been enough to throw the assembled men of science into a state of tense excitement, and they lost no time in crowding around him to gaze at the diminutive figure whose utter strangeness and air of genuine abysmal antiquity hinted so portently at unopened and archaic vistas. No recognized school of sculpture had animated this terrible object, yet centuries and even thousands of years seemed recorded in its dim and greenish surface of unplaceable stone. -- H. P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthluhu"
When using Cthulhu Statuette, you choose the affected Ally whether you own the target Ally or your opponent owns the target Ally.
When using Cthulhu Statuette to change an opponent's ally from non-defending to defending, the user of the Artifact chooses against which directed threat the Ally will defend. When using Cthulhu Statuette to change the directed threat against which an opponent's Ally defends, the user of the Artifact chooses the new directed threat.
A defending Ally is still in its owner's Ally area and may be targeted by Artifacts or Spells that affect Allies. Physically moving the card from beside one's Investigator card to facing a new directed Threat does not remove the Ally from the Ally area. A card is moved only to remind players of what the card's status is.
Q: My opponent paid 1 Sanity point, said he was using Cthulhu Statuette, then told me to move Henri Zann from defending against his directed Threat to becoming non-defending. The text on the card says may, Must I move my Ally?
A: Yes. The use of may on the card is used to limit options when Cthulhu Statuette is used to move one's own Ally. When Cthulhu Statuette is used on an opponent's Ally, the may changes to must.
Q: Henri Zann is armed with Chainsaw. During the Commit Ally phase of Combat, I move him to my Threat, as Chainsaw allows. Later I change my mind. May I use Cthulhu Statuette to change Henri Zann to become a non-defending Ally?
A: No. Once Henri Zann is committed to your Threat, he is no longer an Ally but a Monster and cannot be the target of Cthulhu Statuette. This applies to an Ally moved to the Threat for any reason.
Q: My opponent paid the Sanity cost, then used Cthulhu Statuette to move my defending Ally to become his defending Ally. Is this legal?
A: No. Cthulhu Statuette does not permit an Ally to change players.
Q: I didn't name Turquoise Skyhawk to be a defending Ally. My opponent used Cthulhu Statuette to make her a defending Ally. I used my own copy of Cthulhu Statuette to make her non-defending. My opponent again made her defend. I changed her back. How long can this go on?
A: Until one of you decides not to change the status of Turquoise Skyhawk or until one of you goes insane.
Q: If I use Cthulhu Statuette to convert Randolph Carter into a defending Ally to use his command bonus, must Randolph Carter defend against a directed Threat that contains Monsters?
A: No. During the Commit Allies phase of Combat, you may commit Allies to defend against a player's directed Threat which has no cards in it. (Various Spells & Artifacts can add cards to a player's Threat, so defending against potential directed Threats is a wise idea.) An Ally which is chosen as a defending Ally or forced to become a defending Ally by Cthulhu Statuette may defend against a player who has no Threat.
Q: I name Capt. Edward Norrys as a defending Ally. Using Cthulhu Statuette, an opponent changes his status to non-defending. I named him as a defending Ally; do my Allies still receive the bonus from the Captain's command ability?
A: No. The increase in an Ally's value granted by the Captain's command bonus applies only if he is face-up and is a defending Ally when the affected Allies (those receiving the bonus) defend. If he is buried during the Spell & Artifact Use phase of Combat, buried in an earlier battle, flipped face-down by Lassitude of Phein (or other means), or has his status changed by Cthulhu Statuette, the conditions of his special effect no longer apply. This applies to all command bonuses.
They Seem to Have Disappeared The directed Threat your Allies defend against may disappear if enough spells are cast upon it. Use Cthulhu Statuette to divert your Allies to another directed Threat.
I Have Many Friends With the Diabolical Cultist Investigator, Servants of the Silver Twilight Monsters may be played as Allies. Once Allies, the Servants may be affected by Cthulhu Statuette. There are several other ways to play Monsters as Allies, including Call the Unnamed One and Kitab al-Azif.
My Allies Come Back From the Dead Combine Cthulhu Statuette with Remortification. Cast Remortification on yourself. Then move your Allies to defend against a player whose directed Threat is certain to bury your Allies. This trick can also work by casting Remortification on another player, then using Cthulhu Statuette to move that player's Allies to defend. More sinisterly, use Cthulhu Statuette to change to non-defending opponent's Allies who have been remortified.
I Know All The Cthulhu Statuette isn't much good for defense unless you know against which directed Threat your should defend. Use Helicopter, Guardians of the Great Ones, and Summon & Control Spells to determine which Threats are dangerous from which Threats are trivial.
By This Sword A strategy relying on Allies to prevent Sanity loss to your Investigator demands Allies capable of blocking Invisible Monsters. Use Cthulhu Statuette to place Allies armed with Enchanted Weapons where they will stop Invisible Monsters.
I Speak with the Voice of the Gods Expend 1 point of Sanity and use the Cthulhu Statuette to compel an opponent's Ally to defend against a Threat. The Ally is now vulnerable to Command of the Blood Tongue.
I'm Holding a Stick of What? An opponent who places Dynamite on an Ally probably is hoping the two will stay around for a round or two. Use Cthulhu Statuette to compel the Ally joined with Dynamite to defend. After Combat, the Dynamite and Ally will be discarded. An Ally joined to Plastic Explosive suffers a similar fate after combat: the Weapon is discarded but the Ally is buried. Dynamite is required for an Adventure; Plastic Explosive is not.
I'd Die For You If an opponent favors strong Allies with weapons, add both Cthulhu Statuette and Dream Sending of Glaaki to your deck. Cthulhu Statuette compels a strong Ally (for example, Abigail Winthrop Marsh armed with Mist Projector) to defend; Dream Sending of Glaaki compels that Ally to defend for you.
Sleep Now! If an opponent has moved an Ally to defend against your directed Threat, but you wish your Monsters to do Sanity damage instead, cast Lassitude of Phein or Wrack on the target Ally. The Ally is flipped face down and its value is unavailable for defense. If an opponent has moved one of your Allies to defend, but you want to keep that Ally from Combat and you're desperate, cast Enthrall Victims, hoping it will flip face down the Ally you wish to keep. (Since the Ally is face down, its value isn't available to defend, therefore it should survive combat!) Many other Spells also affect Allies.
I Carry a Bag of Idols If an opponent uses a Cthulhu Statuette to change your Ally, use your own Cthulhu Statuette to restore your Ally. You may do this only as long as you have Sanity to spend.
My Dog Buried it in the Backyard Your opponent can't use Cthulhu Statuette if it isn't in play. Use any of the many means to bury Artifacts: Mi-Go, Minion of Karakal, Merchant of Ill-Repute, etc.