[Official FFG] [Core + H&P] Reversal of Fortune

This is an official FFG sample deck, as shared in this article http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4696

It may not be the most competitive deck out there, but it is a viable deck created from only a single core set and Honor & Profit, and vastly better than the nonsense deck provided in the Honor & Profit insert. So it's an excellent option for new players who only own these expansions so far.

Historically, in Android: Netrunner, Criminals have relied heavily upon their events, including a good number of run events, like the ever-popular Account Siphon and Inside Job. With a number of such events at their disposal, Criminals are never without surprises, and they can push hard and fast against Corporate servers. Accordingly, most Criminals maintain high-tempo, high-pressure strategies designed to attack a Corporation’s economy even as they plunder the Corp’s agenda points.

Such strategies, however, are also relatively high-risk. As a risk-adverse Runner, Iain Stirling presents another approach. Created from one copy of the Core Set and Honor and Profit, this sample deck explores how Iain Stirling might call upon his network of contacts in order to stall the Corp, fund his runs, and dive deep toward the root of a corporation’s central servers.

As with the Corp deck that we posted in our earlier preview (http://netrunnerdb.com/en/decklist/11896/-official-ffg-core-h-p-bait-blast), nearly half of this deck comes from Honor and Profit, and it marks a radical departure from most existing strategies, especially those Criminal strategies that live and breathe events.

Much of this departure is due to the inclusion of Donut Taganes who increases the play cost of all events and operations by one. Even though Donut Taganes heavily punishes those Corporate economies that rely heavily upon their operations, few Criminals would ever call upon his services because he also increases the cost of the events that comprise a majority of most Criminal decks. Still, Donut will likely have a role to play in many Shaper and Anarch decks, and he plays a role in this deck, as well, because it doesn’t rely so heavily upon events.

Instead, in this deck, Iain Stirling focuses primarily upon calling together his resources, including the pool of contacts that will help him generate quick cash flow and increase his hand size. Then, as he uses his network to build his economy, Iain Stirling looks to stall the Corp through the use of Account Siphon, Forged Activation Orders, and Donut Taganes.

Ultimately, Iain Stirling is happy to let the Corp get ahead early in the race for agenda points. In fact, he’ll even help it get ahead early through the timely use of Data Dealer because all the time that he’s behind, he gains two free credits at the beginning of his turn.

Traditionally, Android: Netrunner players recognize three different stages of a game. In the early game, the Runner has the advantage since he can run and feint and force the Corp to strain its economy rezzing ice or risk letting the Runner access valuable agenda points. In the midgame, the Corp has protected its servers with ice and bought itself some time to install and advance agendas while the Runner seeks to build a rig capable of breaking through the Corp’s defenses. Finally, in the late game, the Runner has fully developed his rig and his economy and can run once or more every turn, drilling through Corporate servers almost at will.

This is where Iain Stirling and this deck diverge from most Criminals and their strategies: While most Criminals seek to extend their early game advantage as long as possible, Iain Stirling seeks to race through the early game and midgame as quickly as possible in order to enjoy the benefits of an early and extended end game.

With Logos, Iain Stirling can apply the credits he gains from his ability directly toward the cards he wants the most. In turn, he can assemble a rig dedicated toward a strong end game. Using cards like Medium and Legwork, Iain Stirling can quickly transform an early deficit into late game runs that quickly access numerous cards and secure final victory.