Big Ice Can Work v2.1

mhoroszowski 8

1 comments
28 Mar 2014 bubo

I see where you are going with this deck, but I have several concerns with your Bioroid Efficiency Research and ICE selection. You have a total of 7 Bioroid ICE that can be targetted by BER, and out of those 7 Wotan is a Unique that occupies 3 card slots. Honestly, due to the low number of subroutines and the fact that the Runner will know what they are heading into, I would only use BER on Wotan or Janus as both styles of Viktor will get broken quickly, resulting in a loss of BER. To me, 3 card slots devoted to a potential 2 rez per game just seems like inefficiency to me, especially with PriReq and Accelerated Beta Test present. Having 3 Wotans also seems inefficient, I would cut it down to 2x instead.

What is Tsurugi's role here? That's an expensive Jinteki card to import, both in influence and rez cost, for only a 2 strength card. This feels like it wants to be a classic ICEberg deck, and I'm not sure that damage would really do a whole lot for your game, but if you want to keep the net damage then look at Shinobi instead of Tsurugi.

I'm concerned with how porous your ICE is during the first couple of turns. Unless you pull a Hedge Fund in your opening hand (4% pull in the whole deck leads to very few hands with Hedge Fund available), then unless you do nothing but install and pull credits your turn 1&2 rezable ICE is Wraparound, Enigma, Pop-up Window, Viktor 1.0, and Caduceus (maybe Bastion and Rototurret or BERing a larger ICE, but that leaves you 1 credit to do anything with besides pull credits or install). Due to alternate bypass methods (Viktor and Pop-up Window), and the expense of completing the trace on Caduceus, you really only have Wraparound and Enigma to seriously keep the runner out. At only 3 cards out of 49, that's pretty poor odds.

Have you play tested this build yet? I pulled a few hands out of the simulator, and the tempo feels off for it, especially in Phase 1. BER, Successful Demonstration, and Biotic Labor are Phase 2 cards after you have the economy and ICE installed to support them, and your 5 advancement counter ICE is taking a serious risk in a meta heavy with Inside Job even if you manage to BER a Wotan on turn 1 with an Ash installed, just due to the lack of credits in hand at that time (this is just one example, but I can think of quite a few other scenarios with the same risks due to lack of credits). Your economy engine can get started in Phase 1, but again is seriously at risk with the credit or click commitment they need. I can see this deck starting to pull it's weight in Phase 2 or Phase 3, but I'm worried if it can overcome any Phase 1 setbacks in Agendas or Economy that it experiences.