Rash Decisions

Nemamiah 4137

WARNING - the following deck is not guaranteed to be good. It is fun and it is interesting, for reasons that I'm going to tediously expand on below.

Cast your mind back to October 2016, when the world was a definitively better place. Part of the reason for that, possibly even the main one, was that CtM was indisputably the best Corp deck. Now, that iteration was obviously built around certain key interactions, most notably hugely impactful swing plays built around Breaking News, that have since been cruelly denied to us by FFG. That's why the modern CtM lists rely much more on bluffing, forcing the runner in to mistakes and playing a long, grindy game.

However, if you asked me exactly why 2016 CtM was so good I'd have said that it was the ability to out tempo the runner and dictate the pace of the game. You played high value assets which vastly accelerated your board state if left unchecked, then used CtM's ability and Hard Hitting News to wreck the runners tempo if they tried to disrupt you. This approach is notably lacking in the most successful CtM lists since rotation.

Part of that is, again, the loss of two key cards that both generated a lot of tempo, in SanSan City Grid and Sensie Actors Union. We have now seen replacements for both of these cards in the form of Calibration Testing and Rashida Jaheem, so this list is an attempt to see if we can get back to that tempo attack archetype that I miss so much.

Both of those new cards have a significant issue, which is that they create tempo but don't sustain it because they are one use only. That means that we play three Team Sponsorship, because then when everything's going to plan you can turn each burst of tempo in to more tempo, thus accelerating away from the runner.

The cost of all this is primarily in slots, so we have to lose some tag punishment and some ice, but we have more draw so in theory that's an acceptable compromise. The ice, by the way, is the least refined part of this deck. Data Raven, while a key part of most modern CtM lists, is not good at exchanging tempo so might be best replaced with something else.

Our best plan against Val is to score an AR Enhanced Security early, so we have three of these and we also have the full collection of Calibration Testings to help with that. We're moving away from the Install Advance Advance bluff game, so we only have one Quantum Predictive Model and no NGO Fronts. Both of those plays aren't great for tempo, so they don't fit the deck.

Everything else is as you'd expect, and you can fall back on the old taxing remote, never advance plan if your tempo fails to materialise.

There are probably improvements and refinements to be found in this list, but I think it's a good example of a decent Corp, and in particular is built to exploit Rashida, which I'm convinced is one of the best cards we've seen for quite some time. Be aggressive when playing it; every move you make should be made with generating more tempo than the runner in mind.

Most importantly, have fun.

(As an aside, part of the reason that I'm publishing this is because I think there are too many cliques and secret decks in Netrunner. I'm going to publish any deck I play at a tournament straight away this year, and if I haven't been to a tournament but have found something interesting I'll publish that too. I believe the game is a better one when everyone has access to the best decks. Thanks to Alex White and Alice Rees in particular for helping me formulate this view).

23 comments
17 Apr 2018 emilyspine

My top tip is to play this deck like you already have a bankers up and an AR Security scored, even if you don't.

17 Apr 2018 Eskimo Sniper

Out of curiosity, if you were to replace the Data Raven, what would you want to put in it's place? Would it be more sentries or use the slots for a different ice entirely? My first thought was IP Block but I don't play enough CTM to know.

17 Apr 2018 Nemamiah

Another Turnpike and IP Block are the two that instantly spring to mind

17 Apr 2018 shanodin

<3 Aw. Best decklist shout out

17 Apr 2018 Ar00nDELL

Thanks a lot for sharing. Your final thought about list sharing is heart-warming (and I think a great service for the whole community)!

18 Apr 2018 Manadog

I've been playing a swingier Christmas land version of this out of NEH with the premise of being faster CTM. The influence differences being -1 bankers, +2 Illegal Arms Factors, +1 Architect, +1 Marilyn. It's done surprisingly well, I think largely in part to seeing AR very early and the jnet casual room not stimhacking Illegal Arms very often. I only mention any of this because to your last point, as someone not part of any deck building cliques it's very nice to see what more successful players are thinking. So thanks for that.

18 Apr 2018 dr00

i've been totally on Azmari since it released, but this is making me sleeve up CtM again

18 Apr 2018 tzeentchling

Definitely liking this, and agreed that Rashida is bonkers in a deck that can protect her/punish the runner for trashing her. Leaning towards maybe a bit more ice with cuts elsewhere (and NASX in place of a PAD, at least), but this is solid.

18 Apr 2018 presheaf

Thanks for making this writeup. It was very helpful and interesting to see the thoughts which went into the card choices - really hoping this trend catches on. Regarding ice choices, would you consider Jua? I have a hard time evaluating it, but it's an aggressively costed sentry. Having a hard time imagining how useful the sub would be in this deck, but I think I'll try to fit a copy.

19 Apr 2018 Nemamiah

Yeah, I had a Jua in the first draft of the list but it got cut as I realised how tight on slots I was. It's a really tricky card to evaluate, but it's cheap and has a face check so it does do the things you're looking for. It's worth a try, at the very least.

19 Apr 2018 presheaf

I'll try to cut 2x Data Raven for 2x Jua, I think. Do you have any playstyle advice, re: ice placement in particular?

21 Apr 2018 spags

Bravo Chris. Always down for 3x ARES.

I have my own secret ‘team’, which is more of just a private Slack channel for dorky friends of mine. I’m always glad to share dex and tech, always playing openly on JNET, giving dex away in #general, or contributing to the Stimhack forums. The latter is where I cut my comp. teeth in this game, and I’ve tried to contribute more there and give back.

Glad to hear a player of your caliber doing that.

21 Apr 2018 errantmage

Have you considered Amani Senai for more tempo hits? It might lead to using Museum of History with more, smaller agendas.

21 Apr 2018 Nemamiah

@spags - Yeah, I don't want to stop people taking to their friends, testing with their team or having fun with the game. And I definitely don't expect everyone to share this opinion. But I think it can be very hard to play and enjoy the game at its highest level when there are cabals of top players holding on to the best decks if you're not in one of those groups.

@qninja- Yes, there's definitely an argument to use Amani in that fashion. I didn't end up with her in this list because 1. the slots are tight 2. You might need to defend her, which is tricky and 3. I'm deeply resistant to change and new cards have to be really good before I'm willing to accept that I should change my deck.

21 Apr 2018 Breaker

What was the reasoning behind using Endless EULA instead of an IP Block?

22 Apr 2018 Nemamiah

It's just in the for testing at the moment. EULA is extremely good in certain situations, but I'm dubious whether those situations are common enough to justify the six rez cost. Switching it for an IP Block may well be correct.

23 Apr 2018 Sixtyten

Been trying and enjoying Azmari for the last few weeks. This already feels stronger and more punishing against the runner. Perhaps I'll have to turn to the dark side after all.

25 Apr 2018 FreqKing

Nice deck. I appreciate the open-source approach to deck building, I do the same (but don't win much so it's more about the ethos for me). I think many follow this path quietly (as evidenced by this tremendous site) and it's a great part of the community so glad you are discussing it more openly . Also, occasional secret decks are cool folks, you're fine! Keep fighting the good fight.

26 Apr 2018 rojazu

the Team Sponserships should be Marilyns. You deck is money hungry and they do nothing in the early game

27 Apr 2018 Dr_Madhatter

@rojazuYou must be joking? The team sponsorships are vital for recursion and maintaining momentum. They are essential.

3 May 2018 b3ar

Do you have any advice for playing against Val? I struggle when I cannot land a HHN after she trashes an early Bankers and I lose 5 to a Mining Accident. Should I give her the bad pub instead? Even if I don't have HHN?

3 May 2018 b3ar

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I'm already playing Hedge Fund instead of PADs.

15 May 2018 Murse

Thanks for your views on sharing decks. I am a dad of a 3 year old and an infant and can't play as much as I used to. This helps me still feel connected to the competitive world. Really can't overstate how kind this is. Super kind.