[Startup] Headshot PE v4 (10-0 on Jnet)

HolyMackerel 1495

Rebellion without Rehearsal is out, and I want to commit first-degree murder in Startup again. How do I do that?

Don't sweat it. The best kill in Startup is back, and it's just as infuriatingly powerful as before. Possibly even more powerful.

So how do we kill the runners?

I refer to this as Headshot PE, because we don't care about thousand cuts gameplay. We're gonna deal 6 damage in one turn. The fork is between Punitive Counterstrike and Neurospike. If they steal, shoot them. If they don't, shoot them. All we need now is money and card draw.

So how do we get money and cards?

Operations, and fear. Jinteki got a new economy option in Charlotte Caçador in RwR, and she goes great into our gameplan of keeping a single remote server where we place the agenda later. She turbocharges our money and helps us draw into the combo pieces we need.

Fear is the other deterrent. People, for some reason, are real frightened of our ICE. They look at the pretty cards in their hand and don't want to lose them. Between Phoneutria, Attini, and the new hotness Cloud Eater, they're right to be scared. But it also means that we rarely have to rez more than 2-3 pieces of ICE in the early game, letting us build up economy unmolested.

But is it really that strong?

I'm currently 10-0 with this beast, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Steelskin Scarring rotating away has helped us tremendously, as has all the Sabotage business leaving. Give it a try, play carefully, and infuriate the brains out of your friends.

2 comments
16 May 2024 Council

Fear is our greatest asset

Absolutely lovely

16 May 2024 HolyMackerel

@Council Fear is a real asset you have to keep in mind. The second a runner hits a Snare, or faceplants a Cloud Eater, they're not gonna run for a turn or two, and be much more cautious. One can absolutely see this as a score-and-kill window.