Laramy Fisk: Poppin' Bottles Remix

akonnick 2081

This is the Laramy Fisk list I have settled on after testing the concept I published several months ago. The biggest difference is the release of Paparazzi and Wireless Net Pavilion, which combine with Data Leak Reversal, Fall Guy and Josh B to form probably the strongest win condition in the game today. It is no accident that this archetype has been successful out of at least 4 different IDs that I am aware of - it is just that good. Rather than going through the reason why the archetype is so strong (we've just seen it win the World Championship), I'll focus on what Laramy Fisk brings to the archetype that is different from other IDs.

In my experience playing the deck, many of my wins come from milling out the Corp deck at a pace that is faster than any other ID. While Laramy's ability seems small relative to the other runners, I assure you that 10 extra card draws over the course of the game (which has been pretty common) makes a big difference in terms of milling the corp. Having this additional threat opens up another win condition that isn't very interactive (much like Data Leak Reversal), which makes it so strong. Fisk Investment Seminar followed by an Account Siphon early in the game usually puts the Corp under a ton of pressure that snowballs out of control. Even if the Corp stabilizes a little, you get time to Deja Vu back a Fisk Investment Seminar and start the power drawing all over again. Eden Shard has also won me a ton of game and is a great surprise finisher that the Corp never expects or plays around. There are certainly games where you end up helping the Corp find the Jackson Howard they need, but it puts the Corp on a quick clock.

Another nice feature of playing this archetype out of Criminal is that you aren't completely reliant on AI breakers. I've tested this with a lot of different breaker suites and have found the Passport and Breach invaluable in setting up an early game Siphon or a game winning archives run. While playing the deck out of Anarch gives you Corroder, you don't have as versatile an option for a Code Gate breaker, which is a big deal when you have to have an answer to whatever HQ ice the Corp has early game. You also get Special Order to speed up your ability to land the first Account Siphon, which is a critical part of the early game. Inside Job serves as a poor man's version of Blackmail. While I will be the first to admit that Blackmail is a superior answer to access remote servers or archives, Account Siphon into Inside Job (with or without Faust) usually gets there (it's been working since the Core Set and is still good).

The rest of the deck is pretty standard and nearly card for card identical between Drug Dealer, DLR, Fall Guy, Drug Dealer, Josh B, Paparazzi and Wireless Net Pavilion. While you only play 1 Josh B in this deck, the 2 Hostages serve as your 2nd and 3rd copies, so I consider it pretty on par with the Anarch decks in terms of consistency of drawing him (he is insane in this deck). I also like having Hostage to give you the flexibility to get and extra Drug Dealer or Fall Guy if you already have a Josh B.

The only cards that I consider flexible in the deck are some number of Sure Gambles and Easy Marks. I've tested this with an Alias and 1-2 Legwork to give me some extra versatility and another win condition. I ultimately found that they didn't do much for the deck and often sat in my hand. Sentries rarely stop an Account Siphon from landing, which is all you really care about early game. Legwork also becomes somewhat dead as smart Corps heavily invest in protecting HQ from Account Siphon. I've found it more effective to just have Account Siphon as your HQ pressure and focus on Fisk Investment Seminar and Fisk's ability as your main source of secondary pressure.

This deck has been a lot of fun and I highly recommend it to those of you wanting to try Laramy Fisk. As much as people assume that you just hit the DLR button and win the game, some of the most technical, complex games I've played have been with this deck. It gives you the true Criminal experience of running aggressively and living on the edge while trying to finish off the Corp. As I mentioned in my original deck post, have fun and keep poppin' them bottles!

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