Mass Effect

locusshifter 1674

In an age where Noise decks are common, I hesitate to publish this deck. The thing is, I've won 15/16 with it. Because I'm sure so many builds are very similar, I'll just talk about the differences.

  • No Wyldside. I'm shopping but I still do not like the card. It costs me clicks. Yeah, you get a double draw...until you don't want it any more and are praying for a shop. Perhaps that's just my luck, but between Dijinn, the bursty draws of Diesel, and simply clicking, I always seem to get what I need.

  • Why Diesel? It's FREE. All econ arguments aside, it's still a burst of draw for nothing. Honestly just seeing one is perfect.

  • Mass Install is AMAZING. Mill 3 instantly, and God forbid it's more than one Cache, because here comes the run. I like to mulligan for it every now and again if I'm feeling extra saucy. I've had multiple occasions of first turn Mass, Cache, Cache, Lamprey. Then if they don't have HQ iced? Bye Bye 3 credits.

  • Lucky Find over Sure Gamble? Yep, though it's a double click it breaks one of the few rules I play by in this deck. I don't want to waste clicks or be forced into using them like Wyldside. The other rule I built by was keeping it cheap, and with the exception of Crypsis, everything costs 3 or less. The result is that I can keep credits and even after a closed accounts or simply an expensive run, I'm almost always right back into the green on credits.

  • Hemmorage over Nerve Agent? Originally I had it because I liked it, and I also thought against Jinteki it would be nice to have a tool to affect HQ safely. Aggressive running and trashing, coupled with Hemorrhage, wins games simply because there is a tipping point were the corp is force to draw far more just to keep critical cards in their hand.

  • Sometimes splashing a single card wins games. Every time I think I want to take out the lone Stimhack it pops up and becomes the key piece that wins me the game.

  • No clone chip. Nope. Nada. Not what I'm trying to do. Yes, I know it's instant speed Parasite or Knight, and I love that idea, but more often than not I've hurt them enough with mills and trashing that standard parasites work just as well.

This deck rarely needs more than a single breaker. It's a question of aggression, something every Anarch player knows already. I just feel this build does it all a bit faster, cheaper, and recovers more quickly.

11 comments
20 Oct 2014 structuremole

Dies to wraparounds, run a Corroder.

20 Oct 2014 locusshifter

No, it doesn't. Knight kills Wraparound.

21 Oct 2014 sebn83

Low cost viruses with Mass install makes sense for a mass mill turn, have you thought of including Hades shard? Beats up on Jackson if used on your turn and gives effectively a free click/access once you have built up their archives.

21 Oct 2014 locusshifter

I would love to have a Hades in the deck, it's just a question of what I drop for it. That single influence is a killer, and the only one influence cards in the deck are Cache, which I don't want to drop any of.

21 Oct 2014 rickalp

What do you do when the corp trashes the ICE hosting Knight? This is a common problem I've run into with this card.

21 Oct 2014 locusshifter

DeJa Vu is the solution there, or simply try and draw another. The corp is more than welcome to trash their ice. Sure, Wraparound is cheap, but they will still create openings.

Early and frequent pressure; I run early and often in this build. God forbid I start getting through with Lamprey because it's likely that between that, the mills, and Hemorrhage that they'll be able to keep throwing up roadblocks.

I think a major help is an early Mass Install, followed by a De Ja, followed by installing the viruses again. In 5 cards you're going to hit ice and economy, and again with Lamprey and/or Hemorrhage up, it will be tough for them to cover all the bases.

Face checks on first click to force rezzing. Don't forget to simply draw. You don't always have to have Djinn, Diesel, Quality Time, or Wyldside to do the heavy lifting. If you're running flat-out you'll find plenty of openings to click for cards and even credits to tip the balance.

21 Oct 2014 locusshifter

Edit above: It's unlikely they'll be able to keep throwing up roadblocks.

25 Oct 2014 slevin38

What about Blue Sun killing your knights with taking back ice?

27 Oct 2014 locusshifter

I haven't played against Blue Sun yet, but I don't think my strategy would change much. There's always a degree of finding the right amount of mill pressure and run pressure each game, but this deck gives you the flexibility. I think against Blue Sun it will be a bit more mill pressure since it will be a bit harder to hurt their econ.

It would be no different than what I'd do if they corp trashes ice to nuke the Knight. Crypsis is there, and recursion is there. I'm still milling the crap out of them, and to that end I'd probably focus on virus recursion more, lean on Crypsis a bit harder, and give them less encouragement to return ice for credits. I'll simply take the Knights as I naturally drawn them; which is what I most often do rather than keep recurring them.

29 Oct 2014 Dothanite

I'm looking over this deck and I really, really like it. Hemorrhage is a favorite card of mine, and to see it here with a purpose to use it, not just play it, is really awesome.

I truly wish there were Clone Chips in this deck, even if you say that's not the goal of this deck. Knight Recursion is important to me. That said, your influence spread is so perfectly done that I don't know what I would take out.

I honestly see Noise as a good response to Blue Sun. When is milling not a viable option for control? You want to give them few options with their economy, and Noise definitely does that.

Overall, great deck. I'm going to sleeve it up soon and try it out.

29 Oct 2014 locusshifter

Thanks. Sure, I'd shoehorn Chips in if I could. I'd even love a Hades Shard too. Can't have it all I guess. :)