GET SPIDERED ("undefeated" "at" "worlds")

bblum 4783

I put huge scare quotes up there because it's not like I made the cut or anything, and my SOS was 2.8 so I didn't face the strongest opponents, but it is at least true. This went 6-0 on day 1, and my runner 2-4 (rip), and then on day 2 I rolled to play runner twice for both my 241s and spags boomed me on turn 4 (double rip). Ultimately I placed in the high 50s but if I had rolled to play corp (or had played shaper...) I might well have made the cut. If memory serves, it was also 4-1 at KOS, where we finished 9th. This deck is an absolute monster.

I had been testing to decide between obo and food when SamRS handed me a surprising list with no restricted agendas, assuring me I had been undervaluing SSL, and it turned out I was. Allen Haas is originally to credit for the idea. SSL's power is that when you go broke making a remote play you are back on your feet threatening anansi and clicking MCA the very next turn. With obo and food you can get stuck clicking for creds, and they also just make the game longer and grindier (and y'all know my history with going to time). I think the obo builds are good as well, but for food at least, I honestly think SSL paying for one more spider makes up plenty for food's 4 runner steals ability, which doesn't stop you from losing once you're already stuck poor. Likewise, you're much happier to score a sales team with MCA than philotic, and runners had to play around philotic anyway (before the cut at least).

MCA is the glacier+rush win condition that makes the deck tick, replacing the traditional (and too money-hungry) ash. Don't listen to anyone telling you to spend 6 inf on news hounds or whatever -- you need this card. Also, prefer to score SSL with it as your first agenda rather than nisei, if possible. As long as you got money your remote is safe on its own; I used nisei tokens mostly for stopping multiaccess. Code replicator over batty because there's not enough actual end the run for batty, battying a spider doesn't do 4 net, and batty also sometimes does nothing. If I had 1 more non-ice slot it'd be the 3rd replicator. Shuffle these cards back with preemptive before anything else.

There's not much to say about the ice suite. Spider is the best card in the deck, so just stay on 8+ credits and runners will let you rush out whatever you want. Sand storm is also bonkers. Every time I drew that card it was like, "wow, a free extra nisei token, guess I win". People kept asking well doesn't david break it? and the answer is no, david was always empty after 2-3 spider encounters. One game I won by rezzing literally no ice on the remote ever except 1 sandstorm on the last turn (the fear of spider alone getting me through the early game). The only change I'd make in retrospect is dropping the koma for a 2nd one. Uhh, lastly, don't forget your thimblerig triggers (which present so much decision density as to rival bootcamp blue sun of old).

I've been a lifelong glacier player since honor&profit and I think Mti (not necessarily this build alone, obo builds as well) is probably the most powerful glacier deck netrunner has ever seen. It was so, so gratifying to run this at the last official worlds.

Shout outs to NISEI, keeping our game alive.

1 comments
12 Sep 2018 bblum

timmy wrote up our runner list, with which i had the misfortune to face 5 weylands on day 1 - netrunnerdb.com - if you want to play it please swap patchwork for turntable