Apoc Dziad (~80% @ jnet, 3-0 @ online Polish league meetup)

apo 430

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Why Apoc?

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Corps spiral out of control using their board state, so having a reset button is invaluable. Apoc threat means they need to slow down or probably lose and slowing down is usually good for the runner, especially one that can wipe out the tableau. Playing an anarch apoc deck is by no means an autopilot task, so you are not wasting your time - skill ceiling is high for sure.

Cards

  • Eater is a staple here. Singlehandedly opens the Apoc/Wanton door, shines vs net damage decks (accessing zero Snares from HQ on Apoc turn is pretty good).
  • Botulus - a new player in town. Helps to contest first rush remotes, saves $ on expensive ice during Apoc turns. I think it is a great fit.
  • Wanton Destruction - sometimes a defensive card (fishing for HPTs or Game Changers), but usually just a tool to convert a winning board state (i.e. no-state).
  • Stargate - post Apoc win converter.
  • Amped Up is a card I would love to play as just a 1-of, but I can't due to AgInfusion matchup. It is required to land an Apoc here in the first place and you really need a second chance against them if they know what they are doing (i.e. not letting you to use Eater on HQ run during the Apoc turn, so you eat Snare and lose Apoc).
  • Wildcat Strike is basically a Sure Gamble that needs to be played on the first click and stops working as the deck runs out. I play only two copies for that reason.
  • Moshing - MVP? I love it. Get cards and creds with no upfront cost? You bet. Just don't be afraid of ditching cards. You have to know what you need in a given situation and it will shine.
  • Overclock - a really good card. But I feel it's fine as a 1-of. This deck likes to setup and sometimes poke here and there - for both Overclock is not that useful. It is great when you have a clear purpose before you (i.e. Apoc turn, Bellona steal, remote contest) otherwise it just clogs your hand.
  • Resources - those are needed for cards and creds. But playing them is tricky - if you invest heavily the corp will sniff that Apoc won't come soon. This is another skill-heavy aspect of the deck - e.g. if you can't allow the corp to think that they are safe for a turn it is better to moshing your resource away than play it.

Where's DDoS?

Well it's gone. It was supposed to be an auto include in Apoc decks, but now when it rotated it looks like the deck got even stronger. Lose DDoS, gain more econ cards. Lose DDoS, gain more poking opportunities. Lose DDoS, make corp poor by forcing rezzes. Turns out Apoc-ing away rezzed ice is better (surprise!).

General Tips

  • Don't just Apoc ASAP early just beacuse you can, you need to wipe a substantial amount of the board for it to pay off.
  • Plan a few turns ahead so during an Apoc turn you don't loose too much on resources and you still have fuel post-Apoc.
  • If HQ is open, Wanton on the first turn is usually the best play.
  • Don't fix yourself on pure setup, poke! Forcing rezzes and stealing points early is good. Just not over-poke, a right balance is necessary.
  • Sometimes Apoc threat is enough. Don't overcommit on Apoc plan, usually corps setting up anty-Apoc tableau leave weaknesses elsewhere, especially since you are Omar (e.g. twin towers strategy won't work, they really need to invest on archives).
  • When challenging Border Control / AgInfusion try to play Amped Up safely (i.e. with 2 Apoc on hand)
  • Use Botulus early to contest rush remotes and Rashidas, use it later to have a discount on centrals.
  • Don't play Stargate too early. This will only hamper your own development. Remember - this is a win converter, so you need to be in a winning position to use it.
6 comments
2 Jun 2021 Dagguh

Playing against Apocalypse feels like brink of death on every step. Kind of like Runner-side Hard-Hitting News. The back-and-forth tempo exchanges make for some nail-biting moments!

WDYT about -1 Overclock for +1 Labor Rights?

2 Jun 2021 apo

@Dagguh Apoc 6 times? That is bullying right there. Let's Apoc them 6th time even if they don't have any board state ;). Being serious though, I've never felt any recursion is necessary. Out of over 50 games (jnet + IRL) maybe two or three saw the stack empty. So on average this swap would weaken the deck reducing econ for seldom needed longevity. Actually it might be good vs AgInf with Snares, but I feel enough tech is already in the deck (2nd Amped Up, Eaters, Wanton without spending clicks).

3 Jun 2021 Swiftie

@apo I play two Labor Rights in my apoc deck, but its not for recursion. More for a tempo play.

I generally run 9 bin breakers to avoid #anarchproblems so milling 1 of them and chuffling back some easy econ like wildcat or sure gamble i've found good. I can see your a fan of Moshing but I would suggest cutting a couple to try out a value labor rights.

4 Jun 2021 apo

@Swiftie I think #anarchproblems are covered here with 2x bin breakers, 3x Eater and 2x Botulus. Actually I am even willing to try cutting one more MKUltra. One copy along with 2x Botulus should be enough to cover rare situations when the win is in the bin and an ETR sentry is on guard.

Regarding Labor Rights - I can see your point, and this might be good with 3x bin breakers style. Get a card back, possibly dump a bin breaker and improve your stack composition (sets up a brighter future). Moshing on the other hand works here and now - improves your hand composition, gains creds and can act as an econ bounceback tool when thigs go wrong. Also helps to avoid situations when you would need to install a bin breaker from hand for some reason. It is also better for digging for something. Playstyle is a factor when choosing between those I suppose.

5 Jun 2021 Shorty

Does all the Apoc decks (that are one of the very few runner decks that seem to have consistent, good winrates) mean that we are missing real winconditions nowadays on the runners side?

6 Jun 2021 Havvy

Loving the deck, I ran an Omar Apoc deck for a bit and I loved the results from it, having a T1 Omar vs rush decks felt really good!

Great job the tournament :)