The Bank Always Wins

River 27

This is the first deckbuild I've hosted here (and also my first post since registering, all of 30 minutes ago).

I'm looking for some tips to refine it perhaps.

Cards used come from 1 Core Set, Order and Chaos, and The Underway.

I don't usually play defensively, but the aim of this deck is to play the "long game", so to speak.

Tips, comments and thoughts are all appreciated!

6 comments
4 Aug 2015 Mechanoise

If we're going only by the cards you have - Lose Satellite Grid and Underway Grid as I doubt they will be all that supportive. Lose Searchlight unless you want to punish the runner from your tags, which could include Scorched Earth or Closed Accounts. Lose a few Fire Walls as well, and your Checkpoints, since the Bad Pub is already going to be stacked against you and you cannot afford to give them so many free credits :)

So let's look at what cards could help work with this identity and help tax the runner. For ICE, Tollbooth is always a good splash, Data Raven if you want to lay on the tags, (and freak them out thinking you have a Scorch), and Space ICE! Always with the Space ICE! especially if you're running Firmware Updates. You also need to give yourself Early End-the-run ICE, so consider Ice Wall and Enigma.

Titan Transnational: Investing In Your Future is all about getting extra advancement tokens, so Mark Yale would be a great asset here, as spent counters generate money fast, and synergises well with Firmware Updates. Marcus Batty needs good targets to attempt the PSI games with, and Archer is the only viable target you'd want to use him with - so consider some HB destructive ICE too.

Melange Mining Corp. is ok for getting a great injection of cash, but without reason for the runner to be fearful of unrezed cards they might just go and trash them - so consider PAD Campaign instead. Contract Killer might be a decent shout, but then I'd look into changing some of your cards into SEA Source / Scorched Earth, to give yourself an alternate win condition.

1 Cyberdex Virus Suite can go a long way, especially since they trigger on access, even from archives, which makes the Anarchs very sad. Housekeeping is a must to really hamper the Runner's tempo, and instead of Satellite Grid you could consider Constellation Protocol to help move your tokens about, especially since Rezed Space ICE can now move their advancement tokens about and be extra useful.

To wrap up - if you want to play the long game with Titan you need fortifications, and that'll come through strong constellation ICE, ICE that can be strengthened, (Shipment from Kaguya could be useful), tempo disruptions for the Runner (Archer, Closed Accounts, Housekeeping), and reasons to make the Runner overly worried about constant server attacks, (Aggressive Secretary, Snare!, Scorched Earth). You could fast advance with SanSan City Grid but as you only have 1 and no 3/2 agendas it will be difficult at this time.

Currently your opponent will be able to get into all of these servers, and Archer will only fend them off long enough for them to find alternate ways around, or Parasite / Emergency Shutdown the thing. ICE and Money are key for this, and traps could go a long way.

Hope that helps :) and best of luck.

4 Aug 2015 DarkMite2

With your limited card pool, the biggest change I would make is your ID. I know that goes against your theme, but without agendas like Project Atlas or Geothermal Fracking and Mark Yale you aren’t getting the most from what the ID wants to do.

The other issue, as the previous commenter stated, is your ICE. #1 there isn’t enough of it and most of it doesn’t End the Run. You need at least 18 – 20 ICE – (IMHO)

I wish you the best, but you need to push the reset button on this one.

5 Aug 2015 River

@Mechanoise Thank you for your tips. I hadn't thought my deck could be destroyed so easily. I think that this perhaps comes from the fact that in the vast majority of my local matches I've always won, (Pride before the fall?).

Underway Grid is a necessity for me as the local scene is still saturated with Inside Job's and Femme Fatale's. Sattelite Grid was only included as a cheap buff and to keep them guessing, but can be dropped along with Searchlight as I don't have anything with which I can flatline the Runner. As for the Checkpoint's, I'm reluctant to drop them as the Bad Publicity isn't really an issue at the moment. If it were, I would probably just throw in a couple of Exposé cards.

I'd considered including Tollbooth, so that'll definitely be a change I'll implement. I've shied away from the Space ICE so far due to it's high rez cost, even though it can be lowered via advancement. Enigma might also be added to the deck again.

I hadn't thought of using Constellation Protocol to move tokens from rezzed ICE to unrezzed. Silly me! That's a card I'll definitely shuffle into the build, along with the Space ICE.

Thank you for your tips!

@lroach2 How so, and if I were to change it, which ID would you recommend?

As for the ICE in my build, I don't like running heavy ICE. Sure, it's great to completely lock the Runner out if you're playing a Glacial strategy, but that isn't my aim. I prefer to bar them completely from the centrals and 1 remote, leaving 3 ICE for me to install over / create a new server depending on my draw luck.

I do agree that I need more "End the Run" ICE.

Thank you too!

5 Aug 2015 Mechanoise

@River Glad to be of help :) trust me, Space ICE is always worth a shout as the lowered Rez cost makes a big difference. Rezing a 7 strength code gate for free that can resolve any other sunroutine is a tremendous advantage, and one they 'have' to break - Remember, it's all about taxing the Runner as well.

Also remember that you need to keep them out on the cheap in the early phases, and as Weyland are renowned for their Barriers you can use Enigma as an End-the-Run ICE that forces the Runner to search for their Decoders. Weyland tend to be the safest at face-checking ICE, and you need means around this.

I stand by Checkpoint, I do love it, but if you're desperate to fire it and you ever boost the trace strength then the Runner may be inclined to just jack-out and re-run. If you have a few Snare!s in your deck and the Runner hit Checkpoint, then they're always concerned about a potential flatline. Against a mostly vegan deck, I'm fine with taking 3 meat damage when I've got duplicates in my hand. Bad Publicity can go a long way, especially if they can use that credit to boost their own rig, and it will add up. Exposé is not meta high right now with us, and in-spite of its potential it's still the set-up time, the fact you may need it again if you get another bad publicity later, and that it might just get outright trashed.

Try putting 3 Snare! in your deck, removing Marcus Batty, and adding 2 Scorched Earth. If the Runner ever face-checks either, they will be more cautious in running, and that's what you want to give you time to do what you need to do.

If Bypassing is a big thing in your meta, then Underway Grid is something you need. If you really like this identity, consider finding the data pack containing the agenda Project Atlas, as that will be THE agenda you will want in this. :)

5 Aug 2015 DarkMite2

I completely agree w/ everything Mechanoise has said. However, I think it would be a major overhaul to add in a Flat line strategy. So… here are my suggested changes without completely changing your deck, but adding in the needed space ICE:

netrunnerdb.com

The additional ICE isn’t about building a glacier. It’s about making sure you actually see ICE to play. There are only 3 more pieces of ICE in this retool, (18 total) but that change means you will get a piece of ICE every 2 – 3 cards. With 15 total ICE you see them about every 4 cards.

FYI - If I was going to change the ID and put in the Snare! and Scorch Earth & etc... I'd make the ID Building Better Worlds.

7 Aug 2015 Mechanoise

@lroach2 has a good deck composition there for you. If I was to alter it I would change out the Satellite Grid with Constellation Protocol, and include Mark Yale in there as he synergises with the ID to give you money, which I think will come out stronger than a passive 1 credit for each transactions, but those are minor variances. My suggestion wasn't to fully change into a kill deck, but to have a few options - a secondary plan.

If I were you, try @lroach2's deck idea and change it up yourself, but it's a solid concept.