[Startup TAI] Better than Fujii - Cheesy Flatline Ob

Summary

For just 6 credits and 2 installed cards (ZATO City Grid, Bathynomus and an Agenda), Ob Superheavy Logistics: Extract. Export. Excel. can deal 5 net damage when the runner steals an agenda, scaling up to 7 damage with Angelique Garza Correa:

"ZATO trashes Bathynomus (3 net) -> Ob fetches Tucana -> runner steals agenda -> Tucana fetches Anemone (2 net)".

Deck idea

Why bother trashing the rig with Stavka + Hafrún combo when you can just flatline the runner?

In true Weyland notoriety, this deck takes the "steal agendas, get Punitive Counterstrike'd" to the extreme. With the full combo, as soon as the runner commits to a remote run, they will take 7 damage as a consequence of stealing the agenda. There is no credit war, no tag-and-bag, no extra clicks, only direct brutality.

With Ob Superheavy Logistics: Extract. Export. Excel., assembling combos is not that difficult, but concealing the urge to kill is. Therefore the deck does fast advance pretty well with Slash and Burn Agriculture and Tucana, accelerating the set up while guaranteeing rezzed targets to trash. This will pressure the runner to make suboptimal runs, giving you a better chance of flatlining.

To setting up the full lethal (7+ damage) remote, one needs 4+ pieces laid down, fetching 2 more on the fly:

• (required) 1+ Bathynomus installed
• (required) 1 Agenda ready to score
• (optional) 1 Angelique Garza Correa set up
• (Ob-fetch) 1 ZATO City Grid, fetched by Anvil-ling a 4-cost ICE
• (Ob-fetch) 1 Tucana, fetched by ZATO-ing the Bathynomus (Note during the run you can only fetch either ZATO or Tucana with Ob)
• (Tucana fetch) 1 Anemone in R&D, installed with Tucana on steal
• at least 3 credits and 1 card in HQ to install and activate Anemone and Angelique on top of rezzing everything above.

Damage tally:

• ZATO trashing Bathynomus: 3 net damage per
• Tucana tutors Anemone: 2 net damage
• Angelique: 2 meat damage on access

Total damage: 7+

While the runner can jack out after you firing the Bathynomus, the remote will be safe to score out as they have to draw back up, and with Tucana you can rebuild the Bathynomus after scoring the agenda, making the threat active again.

It's a decent fast advance deck with a gimmicky win-con slapped onto it. And it being a gimmicky deck makes it very vulnerable to tech cards:

Obviously one big weakness is Pinhole Threading, if they trash ZATO City Grid you lose a lot of damage potential. Therefore it is good to have an Anvil at the outermost of the remote before the Bathynomus encounter, just so you can fetch ZATO mid run for a surprise. It is also important to protect your "Do 3 net damage" subroutine from being replaced by Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga!

This deck also cries in AirbladeX (JSRF Ed.) that prevents on-encounter effects granted by ZATO and soaks net damage. Against Light the Fire!... well nobody plays that card right? Right?

Piloting the deck

Spin Doctor is critical. It is necessary to salvage trashed combo pieces (Angelique and ZATO), to keep at least 1 of each fetchables, especially Anemone in R&D, and to recur the expended Slash and Burn Agriculture. Therefore the deck runs 5 1-cost ICE so that you can more reliably tutor it out with Ob's ability.

Even though the deck kills via the remote, central pressure is at an all time high so don't overcommit ICEing the remote beyond the killing combo+1. It is recommended, given Tucana triggers, to install 1 Anvil on each of R&D and HQ. With that, one can more reliably get Ob triggers on both turns to adapt. While Anvil doesn't end the run, it slows down the runner in the early game (especially against event-heavy decks).

To set up quick, one would install Tucana early behind a cheap ICE such as Ice Wall or Maskirovka, scoring early Hostile Takeover or Azef Protocol with Slash and Burn Agriculture (fetching Spin Doctor on score to rescue the expended agenda), then tutor the necessary ICE to defend centrals.

A short list of Ob triggers:

• 1->0: From Ice Wall and Tithe to Spin Doctor, almost always. Angelique should stay face-down as a surprise and does not advance our game plan.
• 2->1: From Regolith Mining License to the 1-cost ICE. Just a transition from naturally finishing Regolith Mining License. Don't touch Tucana unless desperate for ICE.
• 3->2: Part of the Azef Protocol scoring plan can trash Maskirovka to immediately fetch Tucana to "trade up" into ANY piece of ICE (usually Anvil). Don't touch ZATO City Grid or the killing Bathynomus.
• 4->3: Only for the combo to find ZATO City Grid at instant speed.
• 5->4: Anvil.

Finally a few DO's and DON'Ts:

• NEVER fetch Anemone as a 3-cost ICE unless it's lethal, and try not to reveal Bathynomus to the runner unless you must taunt them. If it is drawn to hand, shuffle it back into R&D.
• Don't stack your remote too high, as centrals are more vulnerable targets given our weak ICE. Usually 1 Bathy + outermost Anvil is sufficient for the whole game.
• Do pre-rez your Angelique Garza Correa, even in the case of Pinhole. 2 meat damage for 2 credits is usually worth it.
• Ob ignores install costs, but Tucana doesn't. With Tucana one can fetch an ICE that costs 1 more, then Extract to place the ICE you want for taller servers.
• Do pay attention to how much R&D-thinning has occurred with Ob triggers, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how fast you are going. It is especially dangerous against Esâ Afontov: Eco-Insurrectionist.