BATTY GON KIL U

My obligatory take on the Marcus Batty->NEXT Gold kill combo.

The setup is probably obvious: attempt to get 3-4 NEXT ICE rezzed, Batty in a remote server with NEXT Gold on the outside, & at least 10 in the bank (enough to rez Gold & 2 for the psi game). You can even set up the combo on multiple servers, with HQ probably being a better second target because it's such a weakness in Cybernetics Division, though against Shapers RnD might be better.

Economy

I've struggled greatly with the economy in this deck. My current set up has worked in the games I've played but still feels inadequate. Operation econ is a must because we really don't want to make RnD porous. Unlike Jinteki's net damage, all the HB traps fire from remotes so smart runners will anticipate brain damage & hammer RnD looking to trash our ambushes. Plus, we'll struggle to defend a slew of remotes &, on the other hand, we don't want to waste NEXT ICE on protecting a server that's never contested.

Unfortunately, all the really good op econ doesn't fit. Celebrity Gift & Sweeps Week have huge anti-synergy with our ID. Blue Level Clearance too often causes us to discard. Peak Efficiency is alright but only works in the late game if you're already set up, it's a definitive "win more" card not one that helps you when you need it most. Successful Demonstration is underrated but it tends to stick in the hand & we don't have the space to hold onto it. Restructure has the same issue but could work as a 1 or 2 of.

In the end, I settled for the unpretentious Beanstalk Royalties, which works well and is influence cheap, and Green Level Clearance which helps with quick set up. In addition, I can usually get one early Adonis Campaign to trickle down behind a single piece of ICE in the eventual scoring remote.

The ID

Yet another Haas-Bioroid deck that's probably better out of ETF. I do think the ID helps in two subtle ways: one, the reduced hand-size makes a net damage kill more manageable; two, we really want to see our NEXT ICE early so we can boost the Gold subroutine & the smaller deck size assists a bit here. As a fringe benefit, most runners aren't sure what to make of Cybernetics yet so their early play can be overly cautious, especially in pressuring remotes. Most will expect a Mushin No Shin-Cerebral Overwriter style build. By the time we have six NEXT ICE rezzed & have started pushing agendas out of the Batty server, it might be too late.

The weakness of the ID is that HB really needs those ETF credits to operate smoothly. Even as affordable as the NEXT suite is, the ID struggles to rez its defenses without going too broke. HQ is also a disaster. Runners know to hit it & you will get flooded at some point, it's near impossible to avoid. My tactic has been to stash an early NAPD in Archives & also to always ICE Archives, just good practice these days with Security Testing & Anarch everywhere.

Other Card Choices

Read my Recruiting Trip review to understand why I include it; another operation that makes RnD less porous. Interns is similarly great; between the two, you can almost always pull Batty when you need him.

Executive Boot Camp helps with rezzing & sometimes with getting to a Jackson Howard. J How is even more essential than usual in this deck because of how easily HQ becomes flooded.

The agendas are an afterthought but they're not bad. If you're able to score out, it'll be because you've irreversibly destroyed the runner's rig, so the fact that you need to score 4 two-pointers isn't that bad. Project Vitruvius is easily the best of the bunch; if the opportunity is there, over-advancing an early one (possibly as an NAPD bluff) is clutch.

The rest of the ICE are just your HB solids. Only two Mother Goddess because, as an opponent embarrassingly pointed out to me in the middle of a game, they're unique. Architect is so good, especially in its immunity to Parasite, that I'd sooner drop an Eli than one of them.