Reverse Engineering - Exploratory Romping

Hello again! In case you missed the first issue, Reverse Engineering is an article series about the benefits and process that goes into quality Netdecking, and how those lessons learned can increase your player skill in evaluating decklists and designing your own. This article was written soon after getting back from the Niles, IL Regional on May 10, where both decks I played I had built from concepts I found online. Hopefully anyone inclined to scowl at me for that can suspend judgment long enough to let me share with you the thoughts and decisions that were my own, and this will serve as an object lesson in how and why to netdeck.

Arguably the reason I started writing this series in the first place is a Cerebral Imaging deck I developed based on one by Dodd Harris of Team Covenant. CI has gotten a lot of attention in the past month or so, primarily variants on a "Cerebral Giraffes" build that leverages a chain of Efficiency Committees and Shipments from SanSan to chain-score seven points. I’ve been evolving it on my own for about four months, though, so mine isn't a descendant of the new hotness. I've tried it, but I like mine better.

On the runner side, I took a Chaos Theory list and turned it into more of a toolbox approach by adding a large number of 1x and 2x cards, giving it a bit more versatility. What had been a tag-floating Siphon deck turned into more of a classic Shaper approach, for better or worse. It's decisions like that, real evaluations, that I think take netdecking to the level it should be.

This Machine Scores Agendas

Flying Purple People Eater: Cerebral Imaging

Agenda (10)
3x Accelerated Beta Test
1x Efficiency Committee
3x Project Vitruvius
3x Corporate War

Draw/Recursion (9)
3x Jackson Howard â–  â–  â– 
3x Green Level Clearance
3x Archived Memories

Economy (11)
2x Pop-up Window â–  â– 
3x Celebrity Gift â– â– â–  â– â– â–  â– â– â– 
3x Hedge Fund
3x Restructure

Fast Advance (3)
3x Biotic Labor

ICE (16)
2x Ichi 1.0
1x Swordsman â– 
2x Viktor 2.0
3x Rototurret
3x Eli 1.0
2x Enigma
1x Viper
2x Hudson 1.0


This Machine: Cerebral Imaging

Agenda (10)
3x Accelerated Beta Test
3x Project Vitruvius
1x Efficiency Committee
3x NAPD Contract

Draw/Recursion (11)
3x Archived Memories
3x Green Level Clearance
3x Blue Level Clearance
2x Reclamation Order

Economy (13)
3x Hedge Fund
3x Celebrity Gift â– â– â–  â– â– â–  â– â– â– 
3x Restructure
3x Subliminal Messaging
1x Closed Accounts

Fast Advance (3)
3x Biotic Labor

Ice (12)
2x Ichi 1.0
1x Swordsman â– 
2x Viktor 2.0
1x Rototurret
3x Eli 1.0
2x Tollbooth â– â–  â– â– 
1x Viper

Early CI builds were very comborrific and unreliable, and even Cerebral Giraffes still needs to put together Biotic Labors, Shipments, and the right Agendas to work. Early on, Dodd hit on the idea of using tax ice and just scoring from hand with Biotic Labor, which is the approach I favor. My version can start scoring sooner than if I'm trying to find pieces of a five-card combo. The original deck list is pretty solid and was super fun to play, but you can see that it dates from Mala Tempora, and it could stumble a bit early on.

I made changes with every subsequent pack: Blue Level Clearance is stupidly good in CI, Subliminal Messaging took the place of the Pop-Ups for drip econ, and NAPD Contract went straight in because I rarely score my 4/2s and there's no better "filler" agenda in the game. Reclamation Order is hands down my favorite card in the deck: all of a sudden I didn't need to shuffle cards back into R&D for recursion; I can just Reclaim my Biotics and swathes of operation econ all day long.

Some changes didn’t stick. I tried 3 Sweeps Week instead of Celebrity Gift. I experimented with Hive but it’s too expensive early, and gets less good as the game goes on since I'm steadily scoring 3/2s. Jackson Howard was more and more of an afterthought. Sensei, Hudson, Minelayer and RSVP had their chance to see if they were worth including, but ultimately didn’t pull their weight. Overall I found I could get away with less and less ice, since I'm only icing up centrals. I'd draw more ice than I could play, instead of operations that advanced my win condition. Dodd also updated the list more than once; some changes I adopted, others didn't work for me.

So now, it's changed almost 30% from the original idea. The core mechanic is the same, but if you take the delta from what went away, what came back, and why those decisions were made I think it comes to more like 40-50%. I also tend to play the deck somewhat differently than Dodd, and that impacts my card choices. For example, I actually like to give up information to the runner. Celebrity Gift, Reclamation Order, and Subliminal Messaging disclose that HQ is chock-full of unscorable cards. It also sends a very strong economic message that I've got more money cards than I know what to do with,

The last change gave the 1x spot back to Efficiency Committee from Corporate War, because even if I have to double Biotic, the next turn I can take six clicks to play Reclamation Order and have four clicks left over to rake in cash, and I'm ready to score again next turn. Corporate War costs net $5 to fast advance if you have a big enough bankroll, but it still leaves you on your back foot when it comes to recursion.


Blame It On My ADD Baby

On the Runner Side, I thought I would be here saying that I had a lot less to change. I wanted a fast CT Big Rig because I’ve played that archetype, so I filtered on a few wish-list cards I wanted, and I found I later learned was built by Spags on BGG:


CT:T IW (Krakow Store Championship Winner)

Chaos Theory: Wünderkind (Cyber Exodus)

Event (20)
2x Account Siphon (Core Set) â– â– â– â–  â– â– â– â– 
3x Diesel (Core Set)
3x Sure Gamble (Core Set)
3x Test Run (Cyber Exodus)
3x Quality Time (Humanity's Shadow)
3x Scavenge (Creation and Control)
3x Levy AR Lab Access (Creation and Control)

Hardware (7)
2x Plascrete Carapace (What Lies Ahead)
3x Dinosaurus (Cyber Exodus)
2x R&D Interface (Future Proof)

Resource (6)
3x Professional Contacts (Creation and Control)
3x Same Old Thing (Creation and Control)

Icebreaker (4)
2x Corroder (Core Set) â– â– â– â– 
1x Torch (Mala Tempora)
1x Garrote (True Colors) â– â– â– 

Program (3)
3x Magnum Opus (Core Set)


Blame It On My ADD 2.0

Chaos Theory: Wünderkind (Cyber Exodus)

Event (23)
1x Account Siphon (Core Set) â– â– â– â– 
3x Diesel (Core Set)
3x Test Run (Cyber Exodus)
3x Quality Time (Humanity's Shadow)
3x Scavenge (Creation and Control)
2x Levy AR Lab Access (Creation and Control)
2x Planned Assault (Honor and Profit) â– â–  â– â– 
1x Indexing (Future Proof)
1x Escher (Creation and Control)
1x Exploratory Romp (Creation and Control)
1x The Maker's Eye (Core Set)
2x Lucky Find (Double Time) â– â–  â– â– 

Hardware (5)
2x Plascrete Carapace (What Lies Ahead)
3x Dinosaurus (Cyber Exodus)

Resource (5)
2x Professional Contacts (Creation and Control)
3x Same Old Thing (Creation and Control)

Icebreaker (4)
2x Snowball (Trace Amount)
1x Torch (Mala Tempora)
1x Garrote (True Colors) â– â– â– 

Program (3)
3x Magnum Opus (Core Set)


I ran the list basically unchanged at the Pastimes SC in March, and only belatedly realized that I was underplaying Account Siphon and Same Old Account Siphon. Perhaps if I had, I might have done better than 5th place; as it was I was the #2 seed going into the 5th round of Swiss and got swept by the eventual winner.

Returning to the same site for Regionals, Honor & Profit had been released and I wanted to make at least a few revisions. The first thing to go in was two Planned Assault. This actually cracked open the door to a slightly different thrust to the deck, a lot more toolbox oriented approach. I’m not sure if it’s better, but I was surprised at how different it was.

Having access to the Run tutor made it more beneficial to have access to on-demand Indexing and Maker’s Eye, which frankly wins games. The big increase in Jinteki in the meta meant I wanted a copy of Escher to screw with Inazuma/Chum placement and god help me, Exploratory Romp to disrupt traps and Mushin No Shin. Twice I scored an agenda because the corp dropped a 3-advanced card into an unprotected remote thinking I wouldn’t dare go after it. Account Siphon was there for me, sure, as were the Same Old Things, but I was playing more like a Shaper than Criminal-on-St.-Patrick’s-Day like the original build.

Adding the Escher made me think Snowball would make a worthy addition to save Corroder’s influence, and it works fine. Before, I had little defense against a 2-cost Power Shutdown, and I wagered that Weyland would be more hesitant to mill four cards instead of only two. I also don’t like Sure Gamble in a Magnum Opus build because it is a dead draw to topdeck it and play it—you could have just clicked Opus twice and drawn something useful. So, Lucky Find went in. I’m still not sure that’s totally worth it in my specific deck; but its lower play cost is an advantage.


Attack of the Clones

I apologize in advance for not remembering names. Unfortunately my Audio Recorder app burped and I lost everything except my notes from the first round, so all I know at this point is the IDs I was playing against and a few names of people I either know or had cause to remember.

Round 1: ETF/Whizzard (4-0)
I played Corp first if I remember right, and after mulliganing into an ungodly strong hand I got going pretty well. She pulled at least two agendas during the course of the game, but the machine scored its agendas on time. While her ID was blanked, the Parasite recursion is not something I want and I went to great lengths to keep my ice alive, even using up precious recursion on a Cyberdex Trial. On the runner side, I wound up siphoning her on three different occasions, and one big play was when I did the math and YOLO'd into a remote that I knew had a 5/3 in it that was guarded by an Ichi and a Red Herrings. I accepted the program trash and a braintrace but for three points it was worth it to be at match point.

Round 2: Tennin/Silhouette (4-0)
I don't feel so bad about getting swept this round because my opponent went on to win the tournament overall, and these games could have gone either way. Again, I played Corp first, and what can I say, things were going swimmingly until I lost. He pulled two consecutive agendas off of R&D before I could get it iced up properly, and I just couldn't keep him off two more scores before I sealed the deal, and a Legwork run took him to match point. I was holding the winning agenda and biotics when he pulled the win off a single R&D access. I was mad, but in that "you beat me fair and square" kind of way. On the runner side I couldn't draw into a Scavenge to save my soul and I wasn't willing to risk my rig facechecking until I had my Decoder and Killer up, and Barriers kept me out. He wound up getting six Tennin counters on ice, and it was only then that I realized that they were as good as Astroscript tokens as I'd seen a Reclamation Order and he was running Trick of Light. A Grim kept me out of R&D and Caprice from HQ for a good long time, and while I ran wild the second half of the game I couldn't find the agendas before he did.

Round 3: Mac/PE (6-0)
Honestly I don't remember much of these games save that we both won Corp--my runner game is a blur, I just remember that I screwed myself with a blind Escher; turning R&D from Wall of Thorns-->Chum-->Quandary into Quandary-->Chum-->Wall of Thorns. Plundering R&D is a big win condition for me and he was able to score out winning agendas even though I'd actually drawn into Escher again after a Levy. Corp side I remember a 4-Atman giving me a bit of trouble but without Datasuckers it was manageable. I think I had a devil of a time finding my Biotic Labors because we went to time and on my very last turn, I topdecked either the agenda or the operation I needed to get 8 points and prevent a tie result.

Round 4: CT/RP (6-0)
I lost both--the RP build had a lot of drip econ and I lost a lot of tempo trying to pull an agenda off R&D and also getting in to trash multiple Sundews, eventually she scored out agendas behind ETRs I hadn't been able to find answers to in my deck as fast as I should have. I did win the Psi game to get a Future Perfect out of R&D, but I only was able to get to 5 points. Corp side likewise, I simply lost agenda points too early and she found the points before I could score out.

Round 5: PE/Express (6-0)
He had some trouble with his rig Runner side but in the end I just didn't have enough ice on HQ to keep him from Inside-Jobbing his way in, letting him Emergency Shutdown my Tollbooth twice. Same weakness revealing itself, I'm vulnerable to early agression before the ice gets 2-3 deep. Not going to lie, my runner deck got crushed. I'd pitched all my recursion and Levys while strip-mining my rig, and let myself get tag-Scorched with my very last Same Old Thing still in my hand. I had absolutely no way to get Torch out and while I had Opus, Snowball, and Garrotasaurus installed, I didn't have the hit points to endure playing against Vanilla Jinteki as aggressively as you have to. It was going grand up until that point, and Exploratory Romp took the steam out of two agendas he laid down with Mushin No Shin thinking I'd never risk running on three advancements. Eventually he scored out to match point behind a single Quandary and I decided to die with my boots on, running past Komainu into HQ onto a Fetal right after time was called.

Round 6: MN/Express (10-0)
This was much better--his Express deck was just too slow and while he did some fancy footwork with Security Testing, Desperado, and Dirty Laundry to amass credits, he didn't seem to realize what my game was, wasting installs on useless hardware instead of trying to find agendas. The second game was pretty epic--he scored an early Astroscript, drew into another one that he scored the same turn with the first token and a SanSan, then Fast Tracked a third one to put himself ready to win any second. I'd gotten five points off of various accesses myself, and his last card in HQ was a Corporate Shuffle. A Guard on R&D had kept me out, so I did the math, took a bunch of money and then waited to see whether he would mulligan into a win. Fortunately not, but with five fresh cards in HQ, my only hope was to take one last Opus click, Test Run out my Garrote (trashing my Opus as I'd never gotten my console out), and make one last hail Mary run on centrals. R&D came up empty, and I spent the last of my cash to get into HQ and steal the one two-point agenda he was holding. He was super bummed, as he'd driven from Toledo to Chicago and the tournament was overbooked such that only the top 64 even got the alt-art Corporate Troubleshooter.

Second Thoughts

So, what have I learned? Well, porous tax ice doesn't get the job done all the time. I lost two games to Legwork and while I managed to avoid death by Account Siphon, I still feel like in this competitive environment I tended to give up scores a bit too readily early on, which late game is the difference between winning and losing. At least two losses were when I was at six points myself and getting ready to win, so maybe I do need to reconsider Jackson Howard for draw acceleration when I'm flush, and maybe throw a Hudson back in since Legwork was extremely common. Canny players will also gather that if I'm holding nine cards and I reveal six of them with a Celebrity Gift, then three of the remaining eight are likely agendas, and will run HQ. They're often right, even though I dislike revealing Ice with CG, so perhaps that strategy needs more thoughts.

On the runner side, maybe the toolbox approach is the wrong way to go. My rig is great, but by eschewing Clone Chips, SMCs, and any other technique that entails paying more than retail price, I give myself a different set of tempo problems. Keeping my eye on the ball for Account Siphon might have made more of a difference. I tended to do better in games when I got that cash infusion (at least when they didn't draw into a Scorched Earth immediately after.)

So, there we have it. I had a great time, I learned a lot, and I have more ideas for new decks and for changes to these, should I ever dust off these lists again.