Best Defense (1st, Emerald Knights Season 2 Store Championsh

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DaWarMage 79

Best Defense is a hybrid kill/glacier deck. In my experience, most wins come from flat-lining. However, the glacier play is critical to put pressure on the runner. Get them to spend their credits. Make sure they're too busy to install Plascretes. Then when they do manage to steal an Agenda, spring the trap on them.

Keys to this deck: 1) Defend against Siphon 2) Tax the runner, try to keep them poor 3) Try to maintain higher credit levels (15+) 4) Watch for scoring windows 5) Try to put together the combo

The art of recognizing and creating scoring windows is key. The runner wants to be able to break in, steal the agenda, and then still survive the counterstrike. Watch their hand and credits and realize when they can't do all that. Sometimes that means you can run out a naked Project Wotan and just advance it, because even if they steal it you'll win. Other times it means you double advance GRNDL Refinery behind 4 ICE, knowing that they can't trash it and still have money to run again next turn. (The only thing better than a GRNDL they pay 12 to trash is a GRNDL that pays you 20+ credits.)

There are loads of tricks to piloting this deck. For example, if you get Jackson, try to discard 6 points to Archives. Many runners will run Archives to force you to pop Jackson. Imagine their surprise when you let them have 6 points. That's the exact moment they'll know they're dead meat.

This is a credit rich deck. Drawing cards is great. If you're clicking for credits something has gone wrong.

Updates: -3 Fenris +3 Rototurret -1 PGO +1 Jackson -1 CO +1 Ash

4 comments
21 Jul 2014 Thike

I've been playing this deck on OCTGN, and loving it. Punitive in HB is something I've wanted to try for a while, but have been too busy trying to make NEXT work to build it myself. This is pretty damn close to ideal. I haven't gotten quite confident enough to run a Wotan naked, but I'm getting there.

Did you ever try AggSec over Cereberal Overwriter? Given that you'd need to land 3 damage to make flatlining that much easier, I often wonder if trashing programs isn't a better way to go.

22 Jul 2014 DaWarMage

Thanks! Glad to hear you've been enjoying it. =D

You know, I'm trying AggSec right now. I don't have a strong opinion yet, and I think it will come down to preference. I think AggSec will be better for creating scoring windows, but Cerebral will be more consistently intimidating. That intimidation factor is pretty key, but I suspect I'll stick wit AggSec.

As a side note: I love finding cards that affect the runner without me even playing them. If a runner spots Cerebral in R&D and then gets shy about running remotes, that's great. If they see a Punitive and back off their aggression, that's great too. If they see some meat damage and Plascrete up, that's great. They're paying something and I'm paying nothing. I'm always looking for those opportunities. :)

BTW, I think

23 Jul 2014 Thike

I find one situation that's been scary has had the runner set up a big rig before I could kill them, and I can't keep taxing them to give me a kill shot. Even worse if they've seen Punitive. AggSec could win those games, where I'm not sure CO ever can.

I'm a big fan of one trap in every deck. An unexpected Junebug can win you games, and one trashed from R&D causes hesitation. Similarly, one Data Raven in a non-Scorched deck is hilarious. Or only using two Snares. WHERE IS THE THIRD?!

The end of your comment cut off.

23 Jul 2014 DaWarMage

Haha, I've got no idea what I was going to say, but I agree with what you're saying. As a general rule, I find the game pretty unwinnable if they get a 2-0 agenda lead early on. (I'd guess ~5% winrate) An AggSec opens up possibilities. It will take a lot of games to really know though.