Infinite Sapphire (Infinite Loop combo)

grogboxer 428

A few of us on Seattle slack discovered this infinite loop with a low cost to trigger (PandaPersona, me, Jakodrako). We then tried to figure out a reasonable first list. This is one example of what nonsense you can do! CJFM corrected some dumb errors in my first list, and here's what we are thinking for degenerate goodness.

NEXT Sapphire + Twins = Infinite Loop! You draw your entire deck (or not, it's "up to") You bring NEXT Sapphire back from Archives and Twins them again and again and again. Run the loop for (cards in R&D)-1. There's no ETR so they can't terminate the loop.

If you have 2 NEXT ICE, then you are guaranteed to have all Archives and (after Corp draw) your entire deck so you can safely dump your whole hand to Helheim. If you have only 1 NEXT Sapphire you can still combo but you don't get any cards back from Archives except NEXT Sapphire.

You then do normal CI7 combo stuff on the next turn!

In principle you don't need multiples of the tech cards like CVS or Mirrormorph since you draw the deck. Ideally put this combo on HQ since you will have your whole deck (or you could just draw the combo pieces if you'd like). It's important to note that you can literally make HQ equal to EXACTLY the cards you wish to have by theoretically running this loop ad infinitum. But, in a tournament, practically you'd want to just draw the (cards in R&D)-1 unless you want to time out for some reason.

Helheim is there to ensure Sapphire fires as it's until the end of the run so it works even when you Twins them. Navi Grid is there for D4V1D but that can be anything. Tennin is there if they decide to not run for fear of the combo, but I think that could easily be any number of other cards.

Possible changes:

  • Add Excalibur or third Helheim

  • Swap Tennin for Crisium (for sifting) + Currents like Targeted Marketing, Paywall (for E. Strike).

Other ideas:

  • Make a Rewiring combo deck. That was actually the first idea and it might still be good. I just like MoGo in here for the restricted card slot as it adds to X of NEXT Sapphire.

  • Jako thought of a nifty Chief Slee version if you put it behind IQ or something that they can't break (i.e. combo on a remote)! Hit them for infinite damage!

  • CJFM suggested modifying the Brainstorm+Helheim deck. Just find 3 influence for The Twins and cut the worst 6 cards and add Twins+Sapphires

  • Jako/Panda also had the idea to use the Foundry to 7-point combo out of IDs they never expect to combo!

  • My other thought was hard-hitting CI since you draw Load testing (x2) and HHN and Boom via the combo. Hard-hitting ruse indeed!

  • Pandapersona suggested even skipping HB entirely and do any AgInfusion (for 17 inf) to run them through a server of Sapphire-Komainu, where you loop Sapphire until you can Helheim Komainu to trash their hand (+scored House of Knives counter to kill or Neural EMP, requires Whirlpool/Labyrinthine counter ).

  • It might be useful in the Bluebird503/Timmy Wong AgInfusion loop deck.

The sky's the limit!

(Yes, it probably loses to Rumor Mill.)

14 comments
2 Mar 2018 Runaway

What happens if the runner breaks the subs? Don't they just get through? Can't they Kongamoto / Grappling Hook through this even with Helheim up?

2 Mar 2018 grogboxer

Navi Grid hard counters both Grappling Hook and Kongamoto from firing. You do have to find Navi in that case, so if that's a strong concern then play multiples in place of the Shipment from Tennin.

2 Mar 2018 BlackCherries

Infinite loops~

2 Mar 2018 gumonshoe

It's a codegate with only two stressed. Sounds like as much work as cell portal. So, fine I guess.

2 Mar 2018 mcbeast

This is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen and I love it.

2 Mar 2018 grogboxer

Still kicking myself for not naming this "Run the Jewels" :( :( :( :( :(

2 Mar 2018 EnderA

If you need to replace Mother Goddess with something, Loki works quite well - it can become NEXT Sapphire 4-6, and defend servers effectively early game.

2 Mar 2018 EnderA

Ah, just realized they can just let the run end via it's final sub, so you can't combo with it, but it'll count as a NEXT if they pass through it first.

2 Mar 2018 EnderA

Oh, also the ruling for Loki says that Loki doesn't know what "X" is, so it's 0. So... it's not very useful, nevermind.

4 Mar 2018 Cpt_nice

Security nexus outs this, or am I mistaken?

4 Mar 2018 EnderA

@Cpt_nice Only if you have less than 5 link, which will let the runner force an end the run. (This will force them to rez the upgrades on approach, but won't require them to discard anything.) Otherwise Security Nexus will automatically bypass it once, but The Twins can force a re-encounter.

Femme Fatale installed preemptively is definitely the best counter since strength doesn't matter (installing it via SMC/CC mid-run is risky due to Navi Mumbai City Grid). D4v1d is a good counter (only break the return from Archives sub to conserve counters), unless the corp has Navi Grid on the server (hence it's inclusion). Same goes for Political Operative.

Rumor Mill shuts it down completely as long as it lasts. Interdiction helps, since the corp is forced to either telegraph the (unique) upgrades or risk you preventing them from rezzing them, letting you hammer other servers or clear the chosen server, respectively. Hacktivist Meeting could get randomly lucky, but probably would do nothing.

4 Mar 2018 EnderA

Actually I'm slightly incorrect. Nexus fires on encounter, which is after the last window for the Corp to use Helheim Servers prior to breaking, so the corp would have to commit discarding before you choose whether to win the trace. Thus Nexus with less than 5 link is a good strategy vs this.

5 Mar 2018 grogboxer

This is all true regarding counters. There are lots of counters to the actual combo.

CJFM played this a bunch on Hidden Assets stream on Saturday with the Rewiring version. We're pretty certain that deck is still insane-- the combo part here just means the Runner has to respect the loop (i.e. draw the right breakers) or they likely die next turn when the Corp draws every piece. The standard counters to Rewiring would work, though. In this case play the Rewiring suite and cut MoGo for Excaliburs.

Also adding Anonymous Tip is a good idea.

5 Mar 2018 grogboxer

Timmy (@tmoiynmwg ) published his Rewiring version below. Go check it out!

netrunnerdb.com