Judy Hopps – Detectives, Ramp & Payoffs

A new Coconut is in beta: Judy Hopps – Uncovering Clues. I want to explore what the matching character Judy Hopps – Uncovering Clues can do alongside it. For me, the starting point is simple: cheap Detectives on the board, quest and ramp. Then we need strong ramp payoffs – and answers that keep the board clear. I am starting with Sapphire, Emerald and Steel.

Start with Detectives

Dawson – Puzzling Sleuth and Basil – Practiced Detective each cost 1 . Darkwing Duck – Drake Mallard brings Ward, while Nick Wilde – Sly Fox Sleuth adds another cheap Detective. I want several Detectives early, so I can choose between playing more characters and ramping. Whenever one of my Detectives quests, the Coconut lets me pay 2 to put the top card of my deck into my inkwell facedown and exerted.

Reinforcements from Hyperia City

In the new set Hyperia City, Judy Hopps – Day Camp Instructor looks like a lovely fit to me. She costs just 2 , is a Detective and has Support. If I have already played another character this turn, playing her lets me put the top card of my deck into my inkwell facedown and exerted.

I would happily play a cheap Detective first and follow with this Judy. That gives me extra ink immediately and another Detective for future quests. I budget another 2 for the Coconut ramp when she quests.

Judy keeps the investigation moving

When I play Judy Hopps – Uncovering Clues and whenever she quests, she looks at the top three cards. I may take one Detective from them into my hand. A high Detective count helps her find the next piece of my plan. Together, character and Coconut connect questing, selection and ramp. I budget an extra 2 for every ramp trigger I want.

A six-ink turn

Two Detectives are already in play, ready and allowed to quest. With six usable ink, I quest with both and spend 4 on the two Coconut triggers. Two cards enter my inkwell exerted. The remaining 2 can pay for another cheap character. My inkwell now holds eight cards; the two new ones normally become usable next turn. I also gain the lore from both quests.

Payoffs for adding ink

Gramma Tala – Spirit of the Ocean gains a lore whenever a card enters my inkwell. With ten cards in my inkwell, Belle – Strange but Special gets four additional lore when questing. Basil – Disguised Detective is a Detective too: during my turn, each new ink card lets me pay another ink to make a chosen opponent choose and discard a card. The Coconut plus Basil sequence therefore costs 3 per trigger. Jafar – Power-Hungry Vizier can deal a damage whenever I add ink during my turn.

Protect the board and keep cards moving

Inspector Tezuka – Resolute Officer is both a cheap Detective and a Bodyguard. During my turn, Zipper – Astute Decoy grants another character Resist +1 until my next turn whenever a card enters my inkwell. Steel Coil lets me draw and then discard for each such card. That improves selection without increasing my hand size. I want these tools to keep my exerted investigators around.

Spend the larger ink supply

Basil – Undercover Detective is a Detective who can return a character to hand on play and makes an opponent discard at random when he quests. Later, Mufasa – Ruler of Pride Rock can ready my entire inkwell by questing. His entry first exerts all my ink and returns two random ink cards to hand, so I need to prepare that turn. I will choose expensive cards carefully and keep the cheap Detective core.

Keep the board clear

Ramping alone is not enough for me. I want to use the extra ink to keep the board clear and let my Detectives keep questing. Under the Sea fits that idea nicely: it puts every opposing character with 2 or less on the bottom of their deck. My own Detectives stay in play. For stronger targets, I want to reduce their strength first.

I also want some Steel removal ready. And Then Along Came Zeus deals 5 damage to a chosen character or location. Let the Storm Rage On deals 2 damage and draws a card. These are the actions and songs I want: they solve a problem so the Detective plan can continue.

For Under the Sea, I can pay 8 or Sing Together with total cost 8. Characters that sing cannot also quest that turn without being readied again. The board decides whether I clear a path or keep ramping.

My first list

The sample list contains 60 cards: four copies of the linked Judy character and single copies of everything else. Every playable card shown here is included. The generated variants have their own targets for cheap Detectives, inkwell payoffs and finishers. Removal, protection and Draw support that plan. This is a first build to explore how much ramp I can actually afford at the table.

Open the sample list

Official Coconut 029 · Beta 2 · Jennifer Park. Cards and text: official Ravensburger catalog, retrieved 16 October 2026. First Impression & Theorycraft.