TheBigBoy's Max Security

Card draw simulator
Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
Repartition by Cost
Repartition by Strength
Derived from
None. Self-made deck here.
Inspiration for
Nexus Reina returns (Euros 2018: 168th)
Rebirth Max Security (best Reina @Euros 2018, 72th)
US Cambridge Regionals - 1st Place (4-1 + ID)
08/07/2018 Nexus Reina (Antwerp Regionals)
TBB's Maxx Zero
Minimum Security (3-0) Seattle GNK
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TheBigBoy 8949

It turns out Maxwell James is a totally broken card, and Anarch is a totally broken faction. So I got this idea...

Maxwell is nuts because he's an Inside Job + Emergency Shutdown or Permanent DDos, depending on the situation. He beats any gear-check and hits the Corp's econ really hard at the same time. He shores up our early game and lets us get away with a really greedy econ setup. He also gives you a link for no reason.

When people make late-game control runners they make 3 critical errors in philosophy/deckbuilding/play.

  1. They ignore the Corp's economy and let them get away with cutting corners by not running, not trashing econ assets, and even playing Peace in our Time. This lets the Corp assemble absurd servers which delay the point in the game at which your set-up blanks theirs.

  2. They don't play enough cards to beat early game gear-checks. This obviously leaves you at the mercy of the corp drawing and scoring 7 before you are ready to contest anything.

  3. They play win-more cards that only add to their setup time and which have no utility before the late-game. This includes things like excessive link or recurring credits, extra MU, and Maw (#Mawsucks)

This deck succeeds where others have failed:

  1. This deck applies a bunch of econ pressure with Reina, Mining Accident, Maxwell, and Employee Strike (depending on Match-up, of course). This isn't an oppressive package but it's a really big speed-bump which buys you the time you need to get to your strong point.

  2. We beat early game gear-checks with Maxwell and Anarch draw/bin breakers + Stimhack. Often the corp can play around all these tools, but only in such a way that they gut their own econ. Games commonly get to a point of the corp up 5-0, but at no money and with us bringing in 3/4 a turn. At this point Nexus comes down and they never score again.

  3. Our late-game cards are powerful, but not blank early. The drip econ cards take a while to pay off, but they aren't too big of a tempo hit. Maxwell and Stimhack let us get away with not installing Nexus for a long time, and there is nothing else fancy in the deck (except for The Archivist, which is just there for Underworld consistency and if you ever do get a Bad Pub off him it's pretty nuts).

Reina may seem like an Odd choice, but I'm sure she's the right ID for this deck. She commonly drains 5-8 credits from the Corp and does so at the points in the game where you are weaker, often slowing the Corp by just the one turn you need to lock down their remote, get that first steal, and seal up the game. We need a link ID so that we don't have to run Rabbit Hole, which is expensive in terms of credits, slots, and influence.

If you are finding the deck a little slow (maybe your meta has a lot of fast assets or rush), cut 1 Underworld Contact for 1 Liberated Account. Maybe even another card for a 2nd Liberated if you have to. I don't think the deck needs it but it was a close call in testing and there were times where I wanted/was glad to have a Lib in the deck.

This deck seems really frustrating to play against. People cringe when they get Maxwell'd on the same ice for the 3rd time, each rez taxed by Reina. The games start rocky, but you have a ton of tools to stop the Corp from running away with it. If you can make them stumble just a little, you can sit back and watch them slowly drown...

23 comments
1 May 2018 triorph

Maxwell James 4/10.

1 May 2018 onibaku06

Really interesting deck. A few questions for you.

Do you feel that Employee Strike is worth the Inf/Slots?

Is there anything that you would recommend against Titan FA, especially at that critical 5-0 Audacity finisher?

1 May 2018 Rahrhino

I built something) similar a while ago. Now I realise I didn't give enough credit to Maxwell - a brilliant include!

1 May 2018 TheBigBoy

@onibaku06Estrike buys you time vs titan if you time it right. The match-up is bad though and there's not much you can do about it. Estrike is good against every corp. It's a key card in both AgInf and CtM match-ups.

1 May 2018 BlackCherries

Why Maxwell James gives link is the question of the century.

Love using him to turn on Underworld Contacts.

2 May 2018 onibaku06

Thanks @TheBigBoy. I appreciate it.

3 May 2018 TheBigBoy

I have been receiving reports that some cheeky players are slotting Guards to counter this deck. Feel free to slot a 2nd MKUltra and then laugh at their terrible card.

4 May 2018 Xh4rx4d

@TheBigBoyNot just this deck. Security Nexus is really popular at the moment, especially after Credit Kiting came out.

4 May 2018 Angelofdeath

I have run -1 TTW +1 hernando Cortez, he makes players cry!

4 May 2018 TheBigBoy

@AngelofdeathI really like Cortez here. If there is not much FA in your meta then you don't need TTW and this is a cool change!

5 May 2018 Dapperatchik

I feel like this deck would be better with Street Peddler - I think you could shave a few events and then Stimhack out your Nexuses. It's so good with the drip econ cards too. If half your deck is a hit only 12.5% of Peddlers will miss, if 60% of your deck is a hit only 6.4% of Peddlers will miss.

5 May 2018 RepoRogue

I like this deck! Maxwell James is generally underrated. I have seen people on the top tables of tournaments illegally use him to derez central ice, so I guess a few people overrate his abilities.

What's your plan if they put a gear check ice on HQ and then put another one on a remote?

5 May 2018 TheBigBoy

@RepoRogueMaxwell forces them to do exactly that, and putting a gearcheck on HQ against a drip deck is a huge setback for the corp. Making them put a remote server ice on HQ and then rez it (at +1), buys you the time you need for your drip to take over.

6 May 2018 RvdH83

Played this at a GNK tournament today and it went 4-0 (PE, AgInfusion, AoT, SSO), without me having played the deck before.

Early game Scarcity is rough, especially if you cannot find an Employee Strike. I paid through Scarcity several times for some drip economy; you really need it in the end.

The Archivist is a really great card in this deck and I'm always happy to see it turn up. It gives you a bad pub or it makes the corp pay, either way is fine. Mining Accident matters, even if early game you may think the corp has enough money. Don't ditch it if you don't have to. It's almost always value.

Maxwell James is insane. Even the threat of him makes corps play less aggressively and ice their servers differently than they otherwise would, which is hugely in your favor. They also tend to defend R&D less well, which makes The Turning Wheel all the better. Almost all wins were from R&D accesses.

And best of all: it's fun to play. Great deck!

7 May 2018 mao

Seems like mine but yours has 3x Maxwell. I find it a good card but not so indispensable to need it 3x.

8 May 2018 HiggsBozo

@Dapperatchik

I dunno. Seems to me like the events are some of the highest-impact cards in the deck (Accident / Strike / Stimhack), and Laundry, while not all that high-impact on its own, really smoothes over early TTW installs and Mining Accident plays.

9 May 2018 Ber

I'm looking at the deck, the description, and I just can't quite get it - how is Maxwell James an Inside Job + Emergency Shutdown? Or a permanent DDoS?

All I see is Emergency Shutdown as a resource (plus link)? Which is fine, but how is it also an Inside Job? Or a permanent DDoS?

9 May 2018 triorph

The latest errata of maxwell james means it can be used during any paid ability on a turn where HQ was run. If you wait until step 3.1 of a run, then you can derez an ice after their last opportunity to rez it, but before the subs fire. Because the ice is derezzed, the subs don't fire and you can continue to the next ice. This is the same paid ability trick that Flashbang uses, except Maxwell is much more powerful and cheap at it.

9 May 2018 Ber

Ah, right. Yep, that all makes sense then. Including that it's totally broken. Yikes.

9 May 2018 onibaku06

This deck has been kicking my ass in my meta.

30 May 2018 Therebrae

@TheBigBoyIs Hippo an obvious slot in here with Kampala? If so, what are the cuts? I'm trying to think of how to make it work, but it's hard without gutting the econ package or other cards that make the deck run. Thoughts?

6 Jun 2018 5N00P1

I've taken this deck for Euros, getting best Reina ;-) could have won some more games. Only change I made, was switching Career Fair for Rebirth which I found very valueble.

6 Jul 2018 binarydogs

Using the latest cards I've cut the Earthrise for 2 x Zer0 which has helped setup speed against the fast corps. Swapping out the Career Fair for Caldera/FF also helps in the net damage match ups.

@TheBigBoy - I'd like to fit in a single Mad Dash here somewhere - running into Azmari on 6 x 5/3 agenda suites can prove to be a frustrating experience. Any preference on a potential cut to make the slot for it? I have been considering losing a Mining Accident.