Sunny Lock Down

Card draw simulator
Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
Repartition by Cost
Repartition by Strength
Derived from
None. Self-made deck here.
Inspiration for
Sunny 302 lockdown
Sunny Cont(r)acts
Momikaze v1.9
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Amakaze 444

V3: Oh wow! Deck of the week! Thanks to my local gaming group for really helping me whip this into shape. Final adjustments: I have dropped Clot for a second Vamp, as I found it wasn't coming up enough to be meaningful against fast advance, need another solution there. Also, since I've been asked about MLW, I'll be dropping second clone chip and a quality time to bring back the second modded and 1 Visage.

V2 Edits: -1 Modded, -1 Symmetrical, -1 Legwork, -1 Same Old Thing. +1 Film Critic, +1 Quality Time, +1 HQ Interface, +1 Kati Jones

HQ Interface proved better than legwork as we run on HQ often when there's nothing else to do. With Legwork gone, dropping down to one Same Old Thing for Vamp is wise. Dropped a modded, which I loved to see, but needed a second film critic to handle problem matches against NBN. Used spare influence bringing Quality Time count to 3 and swapped Symmetrical Visage out for a third Kati Jones. Getting her out early has proven to be the burst the deck needs to get its rig set, after which it can rely on drip.

Sunny Lebeau. Everyone’s favorite mini faction in the previews, but once everyone had their hands on her they got less impressed in a hurry. Be warned: Meta opinions are hard to shake and this is the type of deck that tends to lose badly when it loses (if the corp can score out before the lock is in). As a result, you’ll put up with a lot of well-meaning advice as you pick up your cards. ‘Yeah, I wanted to like Sunny, but she’s too slow to ever be competitive’. Forgive them, for they do not know.

On the bright side, you shouldn’t lose often enough to hear it that frequently. This Sunny can hold her own against any deck in the current meta game, though some are more challenging than others (If there’s a deck out there that beats NBN 95% of the time, then I haven’t heard about it).

So lets get to it. This is a control deck. It’s designed to put the corp into a headlock where they simply can’t stop you. However, unlike the Reina headlock, it executes in the mid game rather than try and hold the corp in the early game. Slower start, more reliable headlock. We opted to ditch Jak Sinclair (Dead draw in too many matchups, though you can bet he’ll be back with Turning Wheel) and Security Chip (Takes up a fair amount of space and only really comes into its own late game. We’ve got the late game on lock, its speeding Sunny up that we want to do). Influence is spent providing some gas to Sunny’s set up, your goal is to get her rig out as cheaply and quickly as you can. Career Fair and Modded help bring out your tools as deep discounts, and quality time and street peddler are there to help burn through the deck quickly. Multithreaders are an integral part of the lock because the recurring credits, combined with your drip econ, usually allow you to make one run through an entire server of ice and still be at a net credit –gain- in the following turn. They’re also helpful early to keep your costs down as you try to slow the corp. Legwork is legwork. The clone chips let you play loose with the peddlers and, if not needed for that, keep the Clot threat up to slow down NBN. Film critic helps you put pressure on Weyland and NBN in the early game without letting them have agendas just to avoid the midseason scorch player, and combines well with new angeles to keep the convenience shop threat bottled. Vamp is the killer. A successful vamp usually ends the game in your favor, putting the corp into a hole they can’t get out of.

Still with me? Good. Lets talk tactics and I’ll give you a little insight into corp matchups.

Early Game – As you might imagine, this is all about set up. Ideally you want a strong econ and draw engine in your early hand, as with most runners, though against NBN I’ll often keep a decent hand with Sherman or Security Nexus and Modded, to help keep early pressure. Sunny is a good place to practice an important lesson of runners: If you’re going to draw, draw first. There’s nothing worse than playing down daily casts or data folding and then drawing the career fair. Favor permanent drip econ off your peddlers, I’ll almost always take data folding or Underworld contact over anything else unless I need that tool right this second (Remember not to dump both copies of security nexus or global security clearance though. You don’t have levy, so you’ll be sad later). Once you have a bit of drip econ going, get aggressive with asset denial but don’t worry much about central pressure. You want to target Jackson and econ producers as much as possible. Slow the corp down. Every turn you buy is credits, and often cards from Earthrise hotel, into your hand. You’ll find the slow drip provides a nice cushion against the cost of keeping their assets down. Security nexus, or one breaker and a multithreader, can often let you run a bit rampant in this stage without sacrificing your board state.

Mid Game – Your drip econ is running but the corp is beginning to set up to score. This is the trickiest time for this deck. Don’t exhaust yourself, which might mean the corp scores out once or twice. This is something to be avoided if possible but if you set up properly you can stop them from scoring out again, and often enough scoring will put them into an econ disadvantage. Finish your setup. Dig for the breaker you need and get a second multithreader on the field (Remember if you have all three out you’d better have Nexus or you’ll shut off your data foldings). Global Security Clearance should be up right now. Use it whenever you have the spare click but don’t feel you have to let it fire every turn if you have a remote that needs dealing with. Any time an agenda comes up, go for R&D. Free points are free points. Your mid game ends either when you’re fully set up (Breaker suite, nexus, and global security clearance) or when you take money off kati and drop a big vamp. (Most corps will guard remotes because of multithreader ease of access and R&D because of security clearance. HQ is often wide open).

Late Game: The Lock is real. Now you have them where you need them. Use clearance every turn. If its an agenda, run it. Otherwise, hit the remote if they’re pressuring you or HQ if they’re not. Between multithreaders and 3-6 pieces of drip econ and a kati, you will be able to run –every- turn and STILL be gaining money overall. This free drip econ means that click compression doesn’t work much on you, you can go everywhere you want. Big ice gets nexused. Little ice gets multithreadered through and you only ever run R&D if there’s an asset you hate or an agenda. Ride the lock to victory.

Alright, you’ve got the general idea down, but I hear what you’re asking. How does this fair against the meta these days?

NBN – Okay, bad news first. NBN has been the king of corps for a long while now and, unfortunately, this deck won’t change that. NBN will remain your biggest challenge and every so often they’ll just astro chain straight to victory. This is a thing that happens. To make it worse, the resources in this deck make it very vulnerable to a successful midseason in the early game and NBN is the most likely to be packing it. The good news? They often run relatively light on credits, around 8-10, and its fairly easy for you to shut off both the tag traces and other ones they might be running (resistor, data raven, archangel, ect.) by having a high enough link and getting that econ advantage. In addition, you burn through your deck quickly and can come up with your one clot and a few clone chips to keep their astro train in the station. If you draw film critic and/or new angeles, use them wisely, particularly if you suspect convenience shop shenanigans. But there’s some good news. Global Security Clearance is your bomb in this match up. NBN’s ice is permissible but taxing in other ways. I know I’ve be stymied by nothing by a pop up on R&D to avoid giving the corp money. Being able to run only when the run will turn into an agenda can be devastating against NBN’s higher agenda density, and you’ll rack up some points quickly yourself. In addition, tollbooth is often their one method to tax the runner in the late game and security nexus will usually get you right over the top of it for 2 credits instead of the three for running into it. NBN is by far the corp you’ll end games without a full rig up, but they also tend to be the least affected by your full lock. But you can certainly win, often, if you play your cards right (literally!).

HB – Here’s your good news. There’s no corp more vulnerable to this type of lock down than HB, which is swinging up to become the second most common corp, with the age of foodcoats. In fact, in some metas, the predominance of nasty Anarch builds has created a surge of HB, which handles them a little better than the permissive NBN. Why is it so good? Well, HB doesn’t typically have that much burst econ. They rely on getting out and defending their campaigns for a few turns before they can score out. This means they typically give you the time you need to get rolling, and the combination of bioroids and your drip econ usually means you can fight them pretty effectively in keeping their assets down. Turing is a bit of a pain, breaking for 6 with Striker, but if you have some drip and a hotel clicking through isn’t the worst thing in the word, and even one multithreader can reduce that cost down to something more manageable (Security nexus, of course, reduces it down to chump change), and most of their other expensive ice (Ichi 1, Next Silver, ect.) actually bring out the efficiency of the Sunny breakers. Once they are set up and ready to score, their agendas are typically blank points, so they don’t benefit too much from the one or two scores you might let past. Ash is easy to get past as Sunny, forcing them to pour money into the trace to keep it effective, and a good vamp (to kill any Caprice shenanigans) combined with remote lock down on the hunt for campaigns will usually shut them out of the game entirely. Just have a care. They’re also the corp that can lay ice 5 thick without feeling it too much ,and even your multithreadered rig might not be able to run that every turn effectively. Keep them econ locked or they will wall up nastily.

Jinteki – Less common these days, you’ll still see them in the form of IG and PE. (RP seems to be on the outs. Drip econ helps fight click compression so, while still not a cakewalk, it isn’t your biggest challenge). These decks pretty much nullify the runner selection. Either you run when you should and don’t when you shouldn’t, or you’ll probably die. Global Security Clearance pulls weight again, by allowing you to keep tabs on the cards entering the corps hand. Mushin is a lot less scary if you knew before hand that only ronins were in the corp’s hand. Draw for your tools, but remember to preserve some of your deck as HP against the inevitable net damage taps.

Weyland – The least common these days, a good Weyland rush can be challenging. They can get to a strong economic advantage early (you have no particularly great way to stop Blue Sun’s curtain wall opening) and typically have end the run ice. Sunny helps nullify Caduceus as a threat, and Sherman can usually manage once a few multithreaders come out. Just remember to drop a new angeles city hall if you dare to make a run without econ advantage. You have no plascretes, so it pays to be protected.

And there you have it. I know, it looks a lot like your standard sunny build but give it a try. I’ve had great success with this one, and I think you will too!

Mommy’s home!

33 comments
29 Dec 2015 Heartthrob

I admit I was a Sunny doubter and have shunned her due to her slow setup. But honestly I think the power draw and drip econ packed into this deck makes her setup just as quick as the Val DLR and Hayley builds I've been playing. This Sunny's late game is a vicious lock...devastating on the level of late game DLR. Great build

29 Dec 2015 NetrunningAmok

@Amakaze

I like the look of this build. It looks pretty fast. 1 concern is that setting up your drip econ can leave you pretty poor in the early game. Do you ever have trouble paying trash costs? Also, in the mid to late game, do you usually run and trash econ assets if they are revealed with Globalsec Security Clearance?

Thanks in advanced, I'm excited to try the list!

29 Dec 2015 NetrunningAmok

As an afterthought, what do you think about HQ Interface over Legwork since you plan on repeated HQ runs in the late game?

29 Dec 2015 Amakaze

@Gilgamesh_KoH Good question! Yes, you're right, the early game can be tricky for exactly that reason. Generally, you want to avoid installing down to absolute zero if you can (unless you've got a kati ticking away). If you can stay around 3-4 credits, you'll usually have enough to pressure the remote. Though I've had to bounce off a turing, let them rez the adonis, then head back in the next turn more than a few times. However, between Street Peddler, career fair, and daily casts supplanting the strict drip econ, you'll find asset denial is not too painful. It feels a lot like playing whizzard.

As for hitting non agendas on R&D, it depends on the situation. If its cheap to get in or if I know there's no agenda in hand or anything to worry about on remote, I'll head in. I'll also take out problems like caprice, but typically no. Heading into R&D means they're drawing a mystery card rather than the one you know about and unless their remote is massive I'd rather just catch them installing it than risk an agenda slipping past.

29 Dec 2015 Amakaze

@Gilgamesh_KoH Also a good thought. I certainly wouldn't debate anyone who wanted to trade in HQ Interface. The reason I went legwork is because I want same old things for Vamp, but don't have much else to use them on, and occasionally in the mid game a good legwork when I'm partially set up can rip the agendas out of hand and buy me a few more turns. That said, I may just try it with the interface and see what I think!

29 Dec 2015 NetrunningAmok

@Amakaze

Thank you for the quick and thorough replies. That makes a lot of sense actually. I like the comparison to Whizzard, that is a good way to think about it. I suppose once you have a couple Compromised Employees or Data Foldings down, using those credits to trash assets doesn't really lose too much tempo. Unlike whizzard though you get the credits whether you trash something or not. :D

I'll give this a few swings on Octgn tonight and report back! If you do test out HQ Interface, let me know how that works for you. I want to get used to playing the deck as is before I start tinkering around with it. Cool list, way not to give up on Mommy!

30 Dec 2015 AkAnderson

If you did switch the Legwork for an HQI, would you drop the Same Old Things since you have less targets? If so, what would you put it in? I thought about it and couldn't really find an influence free thing that is good, but the SOT seem like wasted card slots in that case.

30 Dec 2015 Amakaze

@AkAnderson I'm currently running a tweaked version that uses HQ interface instead. I dropped one of the same olds (Left the other one in mostly in case Vamp ends up on a Peddler, but a second vamp is never a bad thing). I dropped the other one in exchange for symmetrical visage, but I am debating going up to 3 Katis instead. I am noticing I win a lot more if I get Kati early, as it gives the deck that early big burst econ to get the rig out, and then rely on drip.

31 Dec 2015 FlyingZergling

I've been trying to make Sunny work for a while now and I can second the constant "let me tell you what's wrong with your deck" that we get when we do that whole "losing hard" thing.

Have you considered Overmind as a way to put early pressure on corps? I've had more than a few games where they see my ID and think "oh look, the slowest ID ever" and will proceed to do something like Agenda-Quandary to try to rush out the agenda they have in their hand while we're busy playing resources over and over. You also run at a fairly high amount of MU all game long because of the cloud attribute on the breakers so the card stays relevant all game long and can do some cute things like break Wraparound for free once Sherman is deployed.

Do you really like GSC over Maker's Eyes and RDIs? Maybe it's my Shaper background but I just couldn't let go of those cards. Maybe it's time I did, the influence would be nice.

31 Dec 2015 Amakaze

@FlyingZergling I thought about it, but the multithreaders DO take up memory and running enough overminds to make sure I have them in the early game would be a lot of space. I'd be tempted to replace Striker with one...but Turing is a code gate. Its tough. I have found modded into security nexus will nip that early agenda out a fair amount, but sometimes I have to let them have it and try to punish them with runs on R&D and HQ while they spend two turns rushing out that early agenda. It can be a problem.

Give GSC a try. I, too, love deep R&D digs and had trouble letting go, but the surprising thing I found is that GSC, by itself, does a passable imitation of an R&D lock. They can't casually draw and score an agenda, which is what you're worried about, and the freedom to ONLY run on R&D when there's an agenda on the top leaves you free to destroy remotes and harass HQ constantly. Whereas RDI tempts you to keep using your runs over on R&D. Better believe Turning Wheel will go into this deck though, and I think it will be the best of both worlds for Sunny.

31 Dec 2015 Heartthrob

So what's this look like with the NAPD Most Wanted List changes? I think it still has life...

31 Dec 2015 Amakaze

@Heartthrob Tricky, but I think it still does. Worst case scenario is to drop the other modded to pay the clone chip tax and be otherwise identical, which I think the deck can take in stride. However, The Source might be a viable alternative...

1 Jan 2016 yeoda

Keep the clones... clones so good

2 Jan 2016 LeaPlath

Have you considered SMC as a way to fetch a breaker, clot or multithreader?

2 Jan 2016 Amakaze

@LeaPlath I would like to find the room, the influence is the doozy. At three a pop, putting enough to draw them consistently would mean cutting down on my actual draw, like Quality Team and Peddler. While I can occasionally be stymied by the need for a particular piece, two of each breaker and a security nexus for emergencies has thus far usually gotten me into priority remotes respectably well, though not as reliably as a fully stocked Shaper

3 Jan 2016 NinjaLemon007

I'm concerned about your match up against kill decks. Pulling off the combo seems slower than running plascrete which would save you influence.

You say this deck is fast so maybe it can pull it off faster than I think.

3 Jan 2016 Amakaze

@NinjaLemon007 It's a good question. Kill decks don't usually bother Sunny. Against your traditional midseason/sea source kill, there's a very limited window for them. This deck takes and maintains economic advantage easily and those cards very soon become useless, bolstered by Sunny's base link and Nexus if its on the table. So they have to draw their tools early AND goad me into running/stealing an agenda AND me not have the tool (Film critic or NACH) to block it, which is not often. Against 24/7 news, its a little tougher, since you need both pieces on the board to protect yourself. With 2 of each and a big draw engine I can usually turn them up quickly enough, though I'll grant a sync that starts with a double breaking news score and sweeps week can pull it off, but in my experience it hasn't been any worse than drawing for your plascretes.

5 Jan 2016 astrodog

I really love this, thanks :p

Do you consider bringing in a unique Wireless Pavilion instead of the Visage ?

5 Jan 2016 Amakaze

@astrodog It's a good thought, but mostly I tend to be worried about mass removals like All-Seeing I. The only thing that hurts to get knocked out individually is Kati, and I suspect the corp is perfectly willing to do that at 4 as well as 2. But the symmetrical is definitely the easiest traded out for something else, mostly a placeholder.

5 Jan 2016 astrodog

having tested this for two days, i can say it s the best sunny deck out there, ut getting these breakers out is a pain in the ass. do you think going to 53 cards and having 3 copies of each would help ? any cut we could make ?

5 Jan 2016 Amakaze

@astrodog Hmm! I definately wouldn't want to go to 53, as a 50 card deck is already impacting consistency. I usually find I have my breakers before I have the cash to play them (don't forget to be aggressive with the card draw). The said, now that we have a second vamp, I'd probably drop SOT and Visage. Maybe go 3 Shrike, 3 Sherman, and stick with 2 Striker. It tends to be the least efficient of the three and the one you'll want to nexus through in the early game.

5 Jan 2016 astrodog

ur right about 53. SoT can ben super efficient when in a tight spot though. you re right : we need to be more agressive in the draw. i realize everything is really well structured. to help tutoring stuff, i added another peddler - cheap and good to install at discount during a run (got a clone chip out to fit in another film critic and peddler). let's see how it goes !

6 Jan 2016 LeaPlath

I keep playing Vamp and finding it lack luster. Without a good eco start you cannot pop Sundew out of RP, Campaigns out of HB, and Blue Sun can quite happily "store" credits in its ICE. Other decks either go out of Vamp range or get drained rezzing everything to try and tax my rig out.

Have you considered an extra clone chip to fight the various Marcus Batty decks that are springing up? Even a single batty can be really hard to combat, as you lose all pressure. That also gives a spare pip for a 3rd Street Peddlar.

6 Jan 2016 Amakaze

@LeaPlath This is the reason I went up to three Kati Jones, as I found she helps a lot in gaining that econ advantage, and then regaining it after a vamp drain, but admittedly that early-middle game is balancing act. You need to play reasonably aggressive with their assets to stop them from opening up a lead on you and feeling comfortable rushing agendas, but if you spend your time running instead of getting drip econ going, you won't have the econ you need in the late game. That's why modded keeps its slot, as it helps throw out the breaker you need at minimum cost for that early pressure. As for another clone chip I think that will be hard to afford with the MLW coming soon. Batty can be a pain if Next Gold is coming back, though keep in mind for things like Ichi that when they knock out your Shrike you can fire off nexus. Win or lose, you avoid the followup rig destruction of slamming into the destroyer. Also, that is where vamp comes in. If you suspect Batty or Caprice is on a server you can disarm them with a drain and a quick clean up, make them set up their trap again.

6 Jan 2016 Dydra

Didn't read the entire wall of text, just some chunks. Am I understanding correctly that this entire "lock" is based on Globalsec Security Clearance and you looking at the top card of R&D? Really?

6 Jan 2016 AkAnderson

@Dydra once said to a door: am I understanding correctly that this entire "lock" is based on a deadbolt and you sliding it to the left? Really?

He/she appears not to know what a lock is, so I wouldn't worry about their comments.

6 Jan 2016 astrodog

wow @AkAnderson, that was a really nice thing to say ! :p

6 Jan 2016 Amakaze

@Dydra Not so much just the Global. Global lets you ignore R&D unless there's an agenda on the top, leaving you free to harass HQ or a remote every turn. Multithreaders and your drip econ usually mean you're gaining money rather than losing it while running wherever you want, and that's what the 'lock' comes down to. The corp can't reliably play to a remote, it'll get picked out of their hand eventually, and Sunny running on R&D means they're about to lose another agenda.

6 Jan 2016 Tomonaldo

I've been playing Sunny a fair bit recently. My own deck was reasonably close to this, but you have a few cards which really make her sing. Vamp is really great, as is Global Security Clearance.

It's still very slow, but once you're set up, you've basically won the game – the ultimate glacier killer.

I've not played against NBN with it though, and I fear for it. But, I don't think Sunny is ever going to be Tier 1.

Best Sunny deck I've seen, well done.

8 Jan 2016 astrodog

ok question time : i end up paying the extra 2 for nexus all the time, which would be very convenient if i had more link - after all, this is sunny's thing. how do we fit rabbit hole in there (i m using nexus more than 3 times in a game, so the cost is not really an issue and the free clicks to install are worth the thought). any other option ?

9 Jan 2016 Amakaze

@astrodogHmm, tough call. I find bypassing big ice for 2 credits most of the time to be benefit enough. Its less about the cost than the opportunity costs on the deck space and the influence. This deck has no shortage of money, but every additional trick is another thing to build up to install. Modded is certainly the most expendable, though I find it awfully useful for getting the rig out quickly. However, come Khala Ghoda I plan to switch to the University to cheapen installs, my initial testing has shown this works wonders. I spent the influence on more card draw, but I could see switching into rabbit hole at that point.

8 Feb 2016 onlyasandwich

I've been playing this deck (modified for mwl of course) with a single datasucker in place of one of the multithreaders. It's a lot easier to get out early game, stores up its savings for later, and each sucker token does extra duty when rounding off ice strengths for sunny's breakers.

The biggest adjustment playing this deck has been managing the tempo while drawing through to everything I need and keeping up pressure. I switched a QT for another peddler to help keep preserve that tempo, and it's made a good difference.

6 Dec 2016 IKnowKungFu

Been having a lot of fun with this deck but had to modify it to start winning (maybe it's the way I played it, but either way I think my modifications improve the deck in SOME ways, so let me know what you think).

First off a major (huge) change: I dropped Nexus. It was hard to set up, and if you wanted to keep it in hand that was a hassle too, and I felt that late game there's enough money for runs. Instead I went for 2 Logos. The mem and the ability are nice, but the +1 card in your grip is what really made me go for it, because it improves...

Flow: I dropped Same Old Thing, Clone Chip, and Peddler. Let me get to my resources already, enough fiddling around. Another important thing is I dropped Quality Time because it costs 3 creds and makes you draw cards you may need to trash unfavourably, so instead I simply went for Diesel. Bam, 3 cards 0 cost. I think it really fits this deck well. Put in 2 Easy Marks there, too, for early game tight spots, and mid-to-late game, hey, free money.

Another couple misc changes I made were to put in 3 Another Day, Another Paycheck, mainly to combat annoying corp currents (Hey, speaking of flow, the current that makes you pay 2 more for resources can really put a dent in it), but also to net you some money in the post-vamp phase of the game. One last thing is I put in 3 security chips because those can help you in the late game when there's an important run and you're just shy of swimming in cash. :)

I'm fairly new to this game and I feel like maybe I could've put some better cards in this deck mod, but I managed to get great early game flow with it, set up my breakers fairly quickly, and win games.