Reg 45 World Tree (Kami of the Worldtree)

After months of searching for that perfect 4-0 record as an excuse to publish this list with a flourish, I’ve decided to simply accept the fact that somebody else may well be able to take it to greater success than I. If I didn’t have an obsession with off meta corps I may even have placed higher myself! Some friendos and regular tournament companions have expressed repeated interest in seeing the list, and having received plenty of support from my EA Sports teammates, I’ve decided to finally publish my first Netrunnerdb deck. Therefore I present to you my favourite runner I’ve ever played, World Tree Arissana, 45 card Edition.

Results:
3-1 Norwich Co
2-2 Cambridge Co
3-1 Summer Showdown
4-2 EMEA
3-1 Southwest Regionals

Overall: 15-7 - 68 % WR

World Tree Ari has been known for awhile, initially being proposed as a ~65 card Tech Tree list by Metropole Grid, and further taken to astounding heights by many very skilled Netrunners. I however took it in a different direction, falling in love with the spectacular value available by cycling cards that have already gained value, the speed of setting up a powerful rig in the perfect order, and the perfect synergy between Arissana’s Ability, with the timing of World Tree triggers.

Early on in EA discussions, the line of Muse fetching Self-modifying Code, to fetch World Tree, to swap Muse for Coalescence was highlighted, and since then I have loved the play pattern. With simply 1 Sure Gamble/Trick Shot, and 1 Muse/SMC in your hand, you can end your turn with World Tree, Coalescence and 4 credits on Turn 1, very consistently.

The general game plan of the deck follows this common line:

1. Fetch the Tree, almost always on turn 1 or 2
2. Prioritise setting up breakers, usually specifically Cleaver, then an MU card, then Unity, then Echelon
3. Cycle through money while threatening any remote pressure
4. Once rich, pivot to R&D pressure with Conduit + Kyuban

This particular list was the one I played at Southwest Regionals, but there’s a decent amount of wiggle room with influence, and I’ll be making changes myself as I continue to play it.

Card Choices:

1. Liberated Account - Probably the card met with the most surprise, which came after repeated versions of this list found it could perform all the skateboard tricks in the world, but in the end was often credit poor. Cards like Punitive, Self Growth and Manegarm all demand a hefty credit pool, and it certainly makes running that much easier when you both have money, and money on the table ready to take. I almost always find any time I can take just 1 turn off to search for a Liberated with Tree, and click it 3 times, all my concerns wash away.
2. The Class Act - This has been a staple in my list from its inception, and although other lists have abandoned it, I have never regretted its sheer value and adaptability. It’s perfect in every kill matchup, and refills your hand with more tree targets when you’re half way through setting up. The buttery smooth synergy with Lilypad and Class Act filter is perfect to find the card type you need, or the Trickshot what would be perfect, and really makes the mid game a breeze. (Plus I spent enough games as Reg Ari, installing an SMC to search for a Breaker, and then drawing it off of Lilypad, that I can never look back)
3. Triple Nuka and Stoneship - Lots of draw in a deck with constant tutoring is still important, as even if you’re planning on Treeing to find it, you still need the fuel for the fire. Nuka is perfect for bad mulligans that end up without the Tree combo, and great value for a free Diesel before being swapped in the mid game. Stoneship I’ve played less of in the past, but the huge amount of kill decks around have made this invaluable.
4. Miss Bones - This along with 1 Liberated and Buzzsaw have been the flexi influence for me. Miss Bones is wonderful in plenty of matchups - swap a resource on successful run on a stacked server, use almost all of the credits, swap into more money on a later run. I’ve struggled in some games against Manegarm and Annoetic, and with the lack of Asset Spam decks, she may become a Light the Fire.
5. Buzzsaw - I only recently swapped from Unity to Buzzsaw, as there were plenty of times when getting Unity early meant boosting 1 strength for 1, and Buzzsaw was more of an immediate answer. Overall though I still prefer Unity, as being able to effortlessly break 6 Strength Gatekeeper, Piranhas and seemingly Valentao, is more often better than saving 1 credit when breaking 0 strength Gatekeepers.
6. No Spare Hardware - Realistically, there should only ever be 1 hardware swap in a World Tree game, and that’s to find Lilypad. Simulchip is beautifully adaptable, but there’s very rarely a situation where I wouldn’t happily swap 1 for a 3 credit discount on Lilypad. Occasionally you may be forced to swap a DZMZ for MU issues, but those are few and far between, and there’s still more in the deck.

Final Thoughts:

I’ve been an Arissana player since she was released, and so gradually over time have learned the play patterns, tested the limits, and exploited the combos to really fall in love with her and her skateboard tricks. Right now Shaper is in a fantastic place with all the new cards of the Automina Initiative, and it’s never been more fun to play even if the lines can cause some analysis paralysis. World Tree I believe to be a fantastic card that enables these incredible combos, and combined with excellent Meta knowledge (which I simply haven’t put as much time into studying as I could have), can produce great results.

Many people have attested to their belief that World Tree Arissana is the best Runner deck in the meta right now, and I am happily on that bandwagon. There’s still plenty of counterplay to it however in my opinion that has been yet to be explored, and it wasn’t that long ago that people couldn’t help but spread doom and gloom that Hoshiko was the solved meta. To them I say, it’s about time Shaper has it’s time in the sun!

Shoutouts:

EA Sports - My local band of enthusiasts who include some of the most skillful players I’ve ever witnessed, it’s been a pleasure to play alongside you
TAI Breakers - Not only producing some fantastic results playing the most meta breaking deckbuilding decisions in recent history
The Netrunner community - To all the wonderful people who’ve made going to tournaments both exceptional, addictive fun, provided wonderful company, poured all their energy into creating awe-inspiring art and great tournaments, plus provided a genuinely challenging skill level to play against, I say Thank you!

Have a lovely day everyone! KamiKami