Minh MaxX++ (Worlds 2016 runner-up)

Tune in to my youtube channel for a more in-depth discussion of the deck later on in the week.

Preface

I humbly apologise for nearly making a DLR deck win Worlds again (see rant below). Coming in thinking that this would be my first and last shot at attending Worlds, gotta play a deck that would make my one shot count. And boy did it count.

History

Deck is based on Gramble Scrub piloted by Kenny at GenCon earlier this year, which in turn was based on Minh MaxX at Worlds exactly a year ago. Basically the only changes from Gramble Scrub are upgrading Corroder to Paperclip, and swapping an Inject for a Rumour Mill, a perfect fit in a mill deck.

For stream watchers wondering about the alt-art identity: it is a fan art made by @Pandalion for the BABW circuit this year, signed by Minh himself!

Performance

Fair warning to players new to this archetype: this deck plays VERY differently from your typical Runner deck. One does not simply pick this deck up and expect to do well with it. There are many unintuitive decisions to be made, such as clearing tags vs. CTM. This difficulty initially turned me off, but having stuck through the initial steep learning curve, it has paid off for me.

That said, this deck isn't the monster that it used to be. It still wrecks any opponent that doesn't understand the vectors of attack this deck poses, but against competent opponents this deck is arguably unfavoured. Especially so with yellow tag punishment decks being so hot right now - Psychographics is THE mortal enemy of Minh MaxX. Many of my games were won on a knife's edge, hinging on whether my opponent has Psychographics or sufficient credits to win on the final turn.

Streamed games

https://www.twitch.tv/ffglive/v/98949554

9:57:30 Top 4 game

11:58:00 Finals

Rant

The NPE (negative player experience) association with this deck arises from the Runner being incentivised to win by decking the Corp, as opposed to actively fetching 7 agenda points. This passive play is encouraged because making runs and stealing Global Foods is a bad idea in the current Corp climate. Even though I found the games at Worlds against the best players in the world incredibly challenging and nuanced, this should not be a deck that is strong enough to be prevalent at your local GNK or Store Champ, which turns off newer players from enjoying Netrunner at its core.