[NEO] Nightcrawler

This deck is an edit of one of my own Startup decks, Nyctalope’s Master Plan (itself an edit of the incredible Sneaky Boys Don’t Gamble). Now that the Neo format is here, I decided to go back and dust off some of my old Ashes Startup decks. This one plays much like the original, but with some minor changes:

• Cybernetics are IN: Az is a cyborg, so of course he’d be all about cybernetics. What’s that? Masterwork (v37) isn’t a cybernetic? Let’s fix that.
  • Zenit Chip JZ-2MJ gives us even more card draw. Perhaps too much?
  • WAKE Implant v2A-JRJ Adds in some multi-access that was missing before.
  • PAN-Weave makes that 1 run a turn hit so much harder.
  • Tremolo brings everything together by synergising with Az’s new gear
• A Fistful of Agendas: We have much more multi-access now, thanks to:
  • WAKE Implant v2A-JRJ, as mentioned above rewards our typical one run on HQ a turn with some multi-access counters for R&D
  • Docklands Pass means these regular runs see even more of HQ
  • Mu Safecracker can spend our stealth credits from Mantle and Penumbral Toolkit if we don’t need them for Afterimage
  • The Twinning rewards us for spending those stealth credits, especially since we can trigger it on the Corp’s turn using Prognostic Q-Loop and Mantle
• Armed and Dangerous: Corporations beware! Az has a whole new arsenal of weapons at his disposal!
  • Poison Vial has many niche applications, from aiding Boomerangs, saving clicks on bioroids, even just facilitating Tremolo or Afterimage breaks
  • Time Bomb is a new target to try and install after a HQ run, much like Penumbral Toolkit. Beware! It can get in the way of our regular Prognostic Q-Loop installs since we can’t install it on the Corp’s turn, so try to plan around this one.
  • Hush is here to silence a particular piece of ice should we encounter an errant Tollbooth, Mestnichestvo, Akhet or Envelopment… Just don’t use it on any Bioroid ice.
  • Cat's Cradle and Tremolo replace their older equivalents. Should we be running Bukhgalter? Probably, but we’re a Nightcrawler, not an accountant!

How does it play?

In the larger format, I was interested to see how aesops az functioned and so threw in more multi-access to try and speed up our wincon. However, I feel this may have tipped the deck a little too much into one direction, with potentially more setup required for payoff and a tougher time just doing our regular gameplay loop. That said, if we’re lucky enough to draw our essentials (Masterwork (v37), Prognostic Q-Loop, Aesop's Pawnshop and Mantle) early on, then it is possible to ride that wave to victory.