Keystone v1.3

And now for the most in-depth explanation of how to play Weyland available on Netrunnerdb.com:

There is not much to say for this deck- speed is key. In practice I named this copy "Back to Basics", although GRNDL deck I have been playing in one version or another since its release has always been known as Keystone.

Because of the tightened influence, I opted to not run the Accelerated Shutdown combo. The best way to open play on this deck is to secure an over-advanced Atlas. I typically use Atlas as a way to threaten Scorch while my money runs high, or for Power Shutdown when money is low and I need a scoring window. Weyland as a whole, more so than other corps, has to know when they have a scoring window. Because of your easy to break binary ice, you rarely have more than 1 turn to squeak an agenda out. That's where the program trashing edge of this deck shines, namely Power Shutdown which is an amazing card. AMAZING card.

Things you can Power Shutdown:

-Datasucker for 1

-Corroder for 2

-Passport for 1

-Clone Chip for 1

-My personal favorites, Faerie and SMC both for 0.

Runners are not idiots. You have to have HQ defended, have a remote set up, and be ready to give them the IAA. Wait for them to play a breaker or integral piece of their rig, then drop an agenda and advance it when you're holding a Power Shutdown or a Scorch/SEA source. Force them to run on you, and then punish them. This is what being Weyland is all about.

You dictate the pace of the game as Weyland. You start with 10 credits, so being Siphoned is basically the worst thing that can happen to you. Always expect it, even out of faction. Just do NOT let them have your HQ. You don't want them knowing you have 'the combo' ready.

Early game, resist the urge to score that Hostile Takeover. Your priority is scoring that Atlas at 4 to get a single token on it. That token represents your control of this game. As long as it is unused, the runner will have to respect you. If they play a plascrete and run at you, you play the Power Shutdown game. If they refuse to run until they have the cash to match you, you put another agenda down and either score or make them run. If you know they can get in to that remote, bluff your agenda by playing a Hedge Fund/Restructure click 1, and then installed a Hostile Takeover for Click 2 and advancing it once. Let them burn themselves out for a single point, this gives your your score window when you Shutdown a key breaker on your next turn, then install and advance the next Atlas (or Geothermal if you don't have an Atlas).

Jacksons serve multiple purposes (as usual, that's why he's so good). Install him on your last click early in the game to keep your opponent guessing, hoping they'll face check the remote with the Grim or Archer, which usually won't, until you have already scored an agenda out of the remote and put the pressure on. If you have the balls to, with the Jackson down Shutdown for 5 and kill that early Opus (but seriously, probably don't do that :P). I primarily use Jacksons as a way to recur Power Shutdowns. Yes, they're that good for this deck.

Biotic "fixes" this deck. I have yet to see this much from other Weyland players, but I myself have conservatively hundreds of hours playing exclusively Weyland, since Creation and Control was released, and one of their problems is their late game presence. You have 20 credits, but they have 2 Plascrete down, and now you are essentially neutered into trying to get all 3 subtypes of ice on that remote and slamming an agenda down as fast as possible, because their money and rig is growing larger and larger. Biotic should only be used once you're at 4 points, mayyyyybe 3, because it drains you of money you desperately need mid-game to threaten the flat-line, and to rez ice while still being able to afford to play a Hedge Fund or Restructure. Clicking for credits is basically the WORST thing Weyland can do. Seriously.

So you put that Atlas down last click, bluffed as a Jackson? Biotic next turn, get it over-advanced. Now shore up defenses, drop a Jackson, recur it into your deck, Atlas search it back out, all without spending a click. I have played Weyland for long time and I have never felt as effective as I have in the 12 solid months I've exclusively played them; GRNDL's early economy lead and Biotic Labor together give you the lead you need early to slam out your 3 or 4 agenda points, and Biotic puts you up over the top.

Taurus was added as yet another avenue to threaten a runner. Geothermal and Hostile Takeover, on top of strong economy operations, mean you have a large amount of credits being floated most of the game, since your ice is very inexpensive. This gives you leeway to dump credits into that Taurus early to hit the Plascrete (which for this deck, is the only thing you should rez Taurus to hit. It is NOT worth it to Taurus a Clone Chip).

A problem for new-intermediate Weyland players is committing too much to the kill, and passing the "all-in event horizon" where you have drew too many cards and pooled money for too long and messed up your tempo to dig for the kill cards while you have the money and kill window, and then screwed yourself for long term. That problem does not exist with this deck. Posted Bounty + Biotic means an unchecked remote could result in a triple scorch while the runner sits on 30 credits and a plascrete and you are sitting at 16 (though this is unrealistic, you get the picture). I will usually use Posted Bounty to bait a server run to enable Power Shutdown to score a better agenda, unless the opportunity presents itself to use it to lead to the tag and bag.

Do not force the scorch. This is how you lose. Every runner has been scorched before, so don't telegraph that you have it OR that you are looking for it. Just play the game. You lead the charge as Weyland, playing reactionary only in the sense that what the runner does and how they behave decide if you install that Taurus, whether you install that Posted Bounty or that Atlas, whether to ice R&D or play a Power Shutdown. Command this game like you are its Admiral. You give it orders, and it obeys without question.

On to Matchups:

On that note, criminal is your hardest matchup, because you can't flip a Grim and trash an event. Know how to bait the Inside Jobs. Shutdown their first Faerie or Corroder and see how they react. Andromeda is still very popular and still very dependent on Datasucker, which is an easy shutdown, and in the world of deck tuning very few people still run Lemuria Codecracker or Inti specifically for Shutdown protection anymore, so you can guarantee trashing that first Datasucker. Security Testing (not alone, but in the Andromeda uber-work-compression deck) IS something you need to deal with. The deck is built around counting on those credits to function (mostly), so it is well worth your time to put binary ice on all open servers to force her to play a breaker to get that money. Then Grim, Shutdown.... you know the story. Just remember you are there to score agendas and win, not "counterspell" her breakers every time she plays one.

Shapers require speed. Seperate your binary ice across centrals so they can't have an SMC out, and then Indexing/Legwork you in a single turn. Remember that shapers poke ice to find what to search for. This often means letting them in until you're ready to make them search for the breaker YOU want them to find. This is a hard thing to do well, there is some inherent risk involved. Look for scoring windows, and don't take too long, because Shapers pick up speed quickly but (pre-paid Kate aside) usually run poor due to their efficient breakers (talking 8 credits or less usually before making a run).

Anarchs are, well, anarchs. Ice destruction sucks for this deck but isn't a giant problem because of the abundance of binary ice. Biggest risk here can be the Reina+Caissa deck that hardly anyone plays (except for me) and the Noiseshop, or really Noise in general. Weyland does NOT like to hemorrhage cards from R&D. Once again, as with shapers, move as quickly as possible. Anarchs are the easiest to scorch because of their economy, and anarchs with good economy take too long to get it set up. Your hardest loss if the game runs to time comes from anarch, once they hit critical mass and you simply can't keep them out and still have clicks to install ice/play operations/advance agendas.

Things to avoid:

-An opener that involves 2 code gates or 2 barriers installed as your first two ice on HQ and R&D. Special Order and Test Run exist, and Siphon and Indexing are still in about 50% of every deck under the sun.

-Remember that a runner knows you will set program trashing ice in front of ETR ice. This can be important to know when it comes to Inside Job and Test Running a Femme. Let them Inside Job an ETR in front and walk into a Grim and onto R&D. They'll be spending a lot of credits to break through the Grim, even if they do get the access. Weyland has inherent risk involved.

-Don't telegraph what you have in HQ.

Example 1: Do not play 2 Restructures and then set 'something' in a remote. These brazen attempts to 'call out' the runner are asking for trouble. You will get account siphoned. They will Security Test it. Or typically, they will just run it and then last click drop a Plascrete and ruin your plan B. Subtlety is key. You dictate the pace of the game, and your strength lies in what they runner thinks you are capable of. This is why is is paramount to guard HQ more than R&D when only 1 is viable.

Example 2: Do not telegraph that you have "the combo in hand" by drawing no more than once a turn, but not playing anything but redundant ice, or additional economy cards. Agendas are being drawn, and they are going somewhere. Not into remotes... so where? Archives? Or HQ? You can NOT stop moving, or you'll be overtaken by the runner. Do not force the scorch opportunity.

Set your remotes up with varying ice types with the goal of getting a Shutdown off on a key breaker, and then use that scoring window. Enigma is best served on centrals, because losing a click doesn't particularly matter when they're running your remote. Get the Quandary on a remote as a 1 cost ice they have to fish for a 4 -5 cost decoder for. Don't let them have a breaker suite. Separate your ice variety across key remotes and centrals so that the runner has to choose which server to focus when fishing for breakers or using their recursion to bring them back. Best of luck trying the deck, and remember, PLAY FAST AND CONTROL THE PACE!