Retaliation Guaranteed v0.6.2 (ChkDisk April 2015, York)

So I came 14/16th with with getting (if I remember correctly) 4 of a possible 10 wins: 2 as the corp, 2 as the runner.

General Notes

• I added 2x Gemini for this and didn't draw a single one so I cannot comment on actual their effectiveness. However, given that all the runners were terrified of losing cards through damage, I would imagine at 3 to rez they would have been a welcome addition to the servers.

What Didn't Work

• Although this wasn't the worse thing in the world, the Agenda spread was troubling when I had lost tempo. I really felt the struggle on needing three turns to score a 5/3 when all I actually needed was 2 points. As such, the next iteration will very likely contain 2 more copies of Project Atlas in place of 1 Government Contracts. Three turns to score an agenda is sometimes impossible.

What Did Work

• DAMAGE. The combination of Argus Security: Protection Guaranteed, Hostile Infrastructure, Checkpoint, Punitive Counterstrike, Checkpoint, The Cleaners and Housekeeping (although the latter is not actual damage but rather forced trashing) kept all the runners honest. I even managed to double Punitive Counterstrike for 10 meat damage in one turn after they stole a 3 pointer agenda thanks to earlier scoring of two The Cleaners.
• The Root: these fuelled my economy. I tried not to rez one until I had a Hostile Infrastructure out just for the added burn if it was even trashed. It pays for itself as soon you you use 2 credits (as if the Runner does trash it you both will have spent one click and a net loss of 4 credits). With the hostile out, even better.
• Elizabeth Mills: brilliant for removing the bad publicity that Checkpoint gives. I had one game where I bluffed her out as an Agenda behind a Checkpoint and thanks to the root only paid 3 actual credits to rez both her and the ICE. I had one game against Valencia Estevez: The Angel of Cayambe where I got Mills out early to avoid the Blackmail, then using Executive Boot Camp and Jackson Howard I was able to recur her with little effort.

Changes to make next

• -1 Hostile Infrastructure they worked as an excellent counter to Account Siphon but at 5 to rez, I don't need 3.
• Use up the 2 missing influence on some ICE, replacing 1-2 Wall of Static
• -1 Government Contracts
• +2 Project Atlas needed the 3/2s

All in all I was very happy with how it performed, I just need more practice :)