Mandatory Theft

Pikeman 289

This is one of the most broken decks I think I've made, and one that I'd absolutely hate playing against as a runner. I frequently get 5 per turn in games with this, and that puts immense pressure on runners. They start to scramble to do anything to get agenda points, running last into Ichi 1.0, which sets them even further behind.

Weaknesses are runners with currents in their deck, though that doesn't necessarily preclude you from scoring Mandatory Upgrades the old-fashioned way. Frequently I'll just drop it on the board unprotected turn 1, and laugh as runners don't face check. Put a Wall of Static in front of it, and score it by turn 4. Or let them take it, and then Media Blitz them--it's lose-lose for them. About the only way to avoid this hell (if they don't have currents) is to steal an agenda or to leave MU on Film Critic the whole game.

Feedback appreciated. To be honest I don't play test this much because I hate fast advance, as I don't think it leads to interesting games or gameplay, so there is definitely room for improvement. If anything, there's probably room for Team Sponsorship, likely by dropping the PAD Campaigns.

7 comments
31 Oct 2015 Bigguyforyou518

Any way you could squeeze an Archived Memories or two in here? Media Blitz + Mandatory Upgrades is nearly unstoppable, but as you mentioned, they can current snipe it or, frankly, nab an agenda from R&D to shut that down. Both of those feats are hard to pull off a second time, so immediately pulling it back and playing it again is absolutely brutal (can also pull back Cyberdex Virus Suite to prepare for the Clone Chip Clot revival in the middle of your turn).

31 Oct 2015 Pilltechre

How often do you get to use The All-Seeing I? Unless I'm missing something you only have the Ichi with the ability to tag.

31 Oct 2015 Bigguyforyou518

@Pilltechre I assume it's because no one really expects tag punishment from Haas, sortof like Jinteki: Personal Evolution decks that run a Scorched Earth just for Snare! hits.

OR it's paranoia from all the Data Leak Reversal/Wireless Net Pavilion/Fall Guy/Paparazzi combo decks.

31 Oct 2015 PapaBear

@Pilltechre You'd be surprised how often Ichi 1.0 tags people and how often those tags stick. I imagine the ability to wreck a resource econ deck is worth the inclusion.

31 Oct 2015 Pikeman

@Bigguyforyou518 - That's a great idea, or even Reclamation Order to really annoy the runner.

@Pilltechre - There's a couple reasons. Mostly it's because Ichi does land a tag every now and then, especially when you have a good asset econ going and they're either clicking through Eli right into an unrezzed Ichi. If that's not bad enough, there goes any resources, and trashing a Film Critic hosting an agenda is priceless.

But it's also there because of Wireless Net Pavilion, which seems to be the latest cool thing to play to float tags and still have some resource econ or utility. This punishes that so badly, that I felt it was the best place to spend that final influence. Of course, if you can think of a better place to spend it, I'm all ears (or eyes, rather).

31 Oct 2015 SlayerCNV

I've Really never traced none with ichi. Have u tested this only online or against weak decks /people?

31 Oct 2015 Pikeman

@SlayerCNV - So far online only (D&D is still being shipped to me at the moment, and I rarely proxy). I'll test at my FLGS at some point, but I really don't plan on playing this very much, no matter how good it is.