Dream Vacation

GreatGreedyGuts 446

What executive wouldn't enjoy a retreat to a facility where the sun is shining, the grass is green, the celebrities come to fundraising events, and the future seems -- in a word -- perfect?

I saw people talking about an all 5/3 agenda split Medtech deck before the full spoilers for H&P were released, but I haven't seen anyone follow up on it. [EDIT: This is, in fact, not true. I have seen and COMMENTED on other decklists since the full spoiler came out, I just apparently have an apparently TERRIBLE memory.] I don't imagine it's going to be as competitive as a lower-density AP spread, but it's worth a shot, and looks like fun!

This is a rush deck, pure and simple. Your goal is to rush out two Agendas before the runner can score them -- no easy task, but not utterly impossible. The Future Perfect is somewhat safe until you install it, which gives you something of an edge.

There are three main plans, as I see them, with this deck.: -Use Mushin/SfSS to score big Agendas on the cheap. -Use Aggressive Secretary and Grim to reset the runner's rig -Get the runner to access and take on a Shi Kyu, so that they have to score fully half of your Agendas.

The first two plans support each other fairly effectively -- put Grim in front of servers they'll need to run so that the cheap ETR can keep them out. Use Aggressive Secretary if they're too set up for Grim to work.

Mushin should USUALLY be followed up by placing Ice in front, as it MUST create a new server, and leaving something empty is asking for trouble (either the runner nabbing your Agenda or ignoring your trap, and if there's a 50/50 chance, it'll be the one you don't want). If you want to play mindgames, feel free -- but that's not the point. Aggressive Secretary is something they'll be pressured into running -- and if they don't, trick of light can recoup some of the sunk costs.

The last strategy is the reason for Inazuma and Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Both FORCE the runner to access archives if there isn't Ice behind them, and both are more than capable of sticking a hit, at least once. If you've got 2-3 Shocks there, Shi Kyu becomes much cheaper, and more likely to land. I'd suggest dumping Shocks first, then the Shi Kyu, so it can keep your hand safe, but if they run into them in R&D, they'll be harder to trick.

I'm not entirely settled on the econ or Ice, just yet, but I haven't had the chance to test it out much, and I think this is going to be potentially very fun to play. Goldfishing has shown that the actual biggest problem is drawing an Agenda in time for your scoring windows -- especially early.

I might add another Fast Track to help manage that, but it's much less helpful here than in decks where it can lead to scoring that same turn, or even the next. Here, unless you follow-up by Mushinning out an Agenda (that you've just revealed) naked, there's no way to get the points to score it next turn, as there're no Biotic Labors to work with. If that prove to be a problem, I'll try to find a way to slot one in -- removing a Secretary and... I'm not sure what else -- to do it. Two would be pretty close to impossible, I think, without cutting heavily into econ/consistency/reset support, all of which seem equally necessary.

Medical Research Fundraiser might be tolerable in this deck, I'll have to see if the econ demands its inclusion. Mental Health Clinic appeals, but will get trashed on install, I'd assume. Still, a way to use a former scoring server, perhaps.

6 comments
1 May 2014 bubo

"I saw people talking about an all 5/3 agenda split Medtech deck before the full spoilers for H&P were released, but I haven't seen anyone follow up on it."

Then there's my recent Leadership deck which only breaks the 5/3 agendas to fit a Philotic Entanglement into the mix. Leadership also incorporates the Inazuma and Susanoo-No-Mikoto trick as well as Shiro, and has a link to the ruling from Lucas regarding how the Runner must access.

1 May 2014 GreatGreedyGuts

Well, apparently it is because I am BLIND AS A GODDAMN BAT.

Thank you very much for the links, there!

1 May 2014 GreatGreedyGuts

...I even commented on one of those. Apparently, the heat has gotten to my brain. Thank you very much for the correction and other suggestions!

1 May 2014 bubo

LOL I just figured it would help with research. As far as this build is concerned, I would have gone with Project Junebug over Aggressive Secretary, but that's a matter of personal preference really. As you can see in Leadership I went with more investment in the Inazuma, Shiro, and Susanoo-No-Mikoto capabilities, but that's again a personal preference.

Fast Track worries me in a Jinteki build, because it advertises that you have an Agenda in hand. I believe that it signals the Runner to pay close attention to what remotes you are building after the play.

1 May 2014 GreatGreedyGuts

I feel like Junebug is seriously unlikely to kill anyone, whereas Secretary will hurt them pretty dang badly, or at least (in theory) create a scoring window for me. I had Cerebral Overwriters at once point, but swapped them for SfSS and another Secretary.

Fast Track is in here largely because of the issue with not hitting Agendas properly, and possibly using it to lure out a run on Secretary. Having said that, without Biotic Labour, I'm not certain it's actually worthwhile, upon further goldfishing/playtesting, because of how little can be done that same turn. I might well yank it, though I'm going to give it another go, first, and see.

I don't think I've got enough to make Shiro worth it, and I won't without adding in some Snares, which I'm hesitant to do with my current economy. I like the look of Leadership, but was trying to do something more Rush-heavy than kill-heavy. At the same time, I think the move away from the kill might be hurting me a bit -- at the very least, some net damage Ice (especially Swordsman, looking at the strength of my ETR breakers, to avoid one AI breaker ruining everything).

1 May 2014 bubo

I think you've hit the nail on the head that I realized when I was playing with rpgdmcash's Jinteki Matchpoint series. With 5 cost agendas in an environment where you only need to score twice to win, the luck factor raises too far outside of my control for my preference, especially since it's weighted in the Runner's favor. I believe that Rush under Harmony would require a higher agenda density to ensure reliable availability, but this would also require a different mix of ICE and assets. I just could not find a 5/3 Rush build that I could keep under enough control.

You may find some seeds for a better Harmony Rush deck if you review my Party Planner deck. Decrease the RSVP combos in favor of rush pieces and a rebuilt Agenda mixture, and I think you'll have the start of your own version of a fine Harmony Rush deck. Just don't forget to replace the Medical Research Fundraiser if you decrease RSVP.