Atlanta Regional 2015 - 1st Place Runner

Weird mix of breakers in my opinion. But if it worked for you, then great.

Congrats on the win! This is a very interesting take on stealth. I was hoping you could answer a few questions as designer and pilot. -What experience made you switch away from cloaks and a refractor in favor of your current build? -Do you find that the 6 stealth pieces are enough to support the switchblade? -How is Atman used in various match ups? -How do you win against a scorch/punitive threat?

Thanks again!

Would assume atman on 4 for any match up with lotus field (which will go on remotes once they see passport).

Any matchups against Blue Sun. Piloting and pressure might equalize things but with no plascrete and security testings probably being turned off early, it would seem to be a tough matchup.

@DarlingSensei I think that it's not just the 6 stealth pieces. A lot of sentries are low strength so the Datasucker token can free up those stealth creds used for boosting the strength of Switchblade.

The only problem is with RP which packs not only Lotus Field on remotes but Excalibur on central as well.

@Cryoclasm A femme or Crypsis would probably be a nice include. Maybe cut on sec test?

I don't know about the Atman yet, I think switching it to Gordian Blade and taking out the passport should be fine, or am I missing something ?

@juliandark it is a bit, yes.

@flowerscandrink Yes, Atman is most frequently set to 4 during games in which Lotus Field is revealed or expected on a remote.

Femme is only effective against Tollbooth. However, Yogo is also effective by reducing it to a $3 tax, as well as Atman reducing it to a $4 tax. $9 as an upfront cost is hugely prohibitive for such a narrow encounter that is more easily addressed through the other breakers. Admittedly, Atman’s $7 is likewise expensive when coupled by the $3 tax from Tollbooth, but Atman addresses other ICE more effectively.

Crypsis is more expensive than Femme, so I would avoid its inclusion here. I think that both will often leave you in undesirable positions with regards to funds, as well as memory should you attempt to include Femme.

Security Testing is absolutely critical as a 3-of in the deck. The primary means of economy for the deck originates from the conversion of Silencer credits and Datasucker counters into real credits through Desperado and Security Testing.

@sruman in the absence of Plascrete Carapace I try to rely on making more money than Blue Sun. However, shutting off Security Testing is not as easily done. Their early ICE is often a mix between Caduceus, Datapike, and Ice Wall. The breakers included herein are effective against those particular ICE.

Identifying whether the Corp has included Scorched Earth or abstained from taking that line is paramount. The agendas of the deck and the ICE composition can usually identify which variant you have encountered. Kati Jones is often needed in this matchup.

@Humanoids you are correct.

@Cryoclasm Excalibur on a central server is not very effective unless you happen to run that particular central first on a critical turn. You can redirect your Security Testing run to your final click on that server as opposed to beginning the turn there. In this circumstance, the Corp may discover that a presumably three-deep central is too expensive.

@mcpba I did consider including Gordian Blade instead of Atman. But given that Gordian Blade would only be optimal for encounters with Lotus Field, the collateral damage to Eli, Tollbooth, and other strong 4-5 strength ICE suggested that Atman is superior.

Freeing a slot from Passport is a boon, but probably unnecessary. There are certainly stronger cards to include should the benefit of more consistent early pressure be determined as unneeded.

@DarlingSensei Thank you very much! I moved away from Cloaks and Refractor due to the ability of the Corp to overtax your stealth with Code Gates. I have included copies of The Personal Touch in the past, but Atman serves as their replacement due to its ability to be fetched by Special Order. Datasuckers supplement your stealth credits as well. Between these nine cards, you have sufficient stealth.

Atman is an inferior breaker to the rest of your suite except against Lotus Field. I avoid installing it when possible as memory is better used for Datasuckers. In the event that it is installed, it is most frequently set to 4 in order to answer Eli, Lotus Field, and Tollbooth in an efficient manner. Other ICE is largely irrelevant or answered through the other breakers presumably already drawn.

Winning against meat damage-flatline decks is done through identification of the matchup and superior economy. If you are able to perform both you should be in a good position. Those decks are not hugely popular, but running in the initial half of your turn is better so as to avoid the worst of Janus and Snare. Additionally, you do not want to run to score necessarily. Simply enabling Security Testing is often better, as scoring is most often required in the current metagame. Punitive and Midseasons are the principal ways for the Corp to punish you so just avoid situations that lead to scoring unless you have the economic edge.

@webster How did the one-of Kati Jones work for you? Was the single copy enough?

@Humanoids the Kati Jones is only good some of the time. It really only shines against Blue Sun or when you have a poor draw that yields meager amounts of other economy. I rarely play it because it is difficult to lock out Security Testing - but when you need economy outside of a run, it is your best option. I would say that a single copy was more than sufficient for this tournament at least.

Great deck. Is a 1x Symmertrical Visage effective? I'm a fan of making as many cards 3x as possible. In this case, Inside Job, Earthrise Hotel or Dirty Landry. =)

@lroach2 I think that visage is effective as a singleton. Hotel is quite clunky at a $4 install, and you can't have too many of that kind of card otherwise your openers will become less consistent. Inside Job is not exceptional in this deck, as it seeks to initiate runs that are very cheap anyways. Often the threat of inside job is sufficient. Dirty laundry is fine, but security testing often serves the same function such that the repeated use of testing reduces the value of midgame sure gambles. And when testing becomes difficult, laundry suffers. After the first turn, its value drops significantly. But your mileage may vary. All of those cards are worthy includes. Out of those you mentioned though, I think that inside job is the best option as the corp can threaten to rush against you which can require money (laundry) or breakers (hotel) or both (inside job). So it kind of gives you the flexibility of all three cards in one.

I played it today, before I saw your reply, using a second Inside Job. It went fine. I only got to play a single copy of it. I want to see how a 1x of Visage will work. (Your original build) I think you have the right idea. THANKS!

MU problem?

@say200426 - You have to manage your programs. You'll get Corroder, Switchblade out, with no issues. You only have Faerie & Passport on the table until you get Switchblade running & Yog.0 on the table. Atman is here to get you around Lotus Field; you have to drop a program at that point. However, this deck was made before Chrome City. Now, that Net Ready Eyes is out, you don't need Atman anymore. That solves the program juggle.