Reina: Corporate Meltdown

ZadokDJ 3

I've been playing Adam: Compulsive Hacker for the past 3 or so months - He was the first Runner I took a liking to and invested in. Now i'm wanting to try a different ID and I like what Reina Roja: Freedom Fighter is all about.

This is my first draft of the deck and it's highly likely I've included cards that have done well with me with Adam but may not be necessary for Reina (I'm hoping to get feedback to help me refine my choices).

So the idea of "Corporate Meltdown" is to hinder the Corp player mainly with protecting their servers using cards like Security Nexus, DDoS with Forged Activation Orders and amping up the cost of the Ice with Xanadu and Reina 's ID ability.

I suppose everything else in the deck is there to help break through any Ice I have to deal with, give me econ and offer protection from tags and Scorched Earth.

11 comments
8 Jan 2016 trogdor

I'm not understanding the use of Forged Activation Orders here. I don't see anything to deny econ to the corp, so they may very well have the funds to rez the ice. Or is that the econ denial itself? I know I'm missing something

8 Jan 2016 bubbathegoat

I'm not sure Xanadu is worth 3 slots as a unique card, but if it is critically important to your game plan to get it set up early then that is how it goes.

@trogdor Forged Activation Orders combos with DDoS to kill the outermost ICE and strip a server down to 1 ICE so the runner can make some free runs. It is a little like False Echo, but more permanently destructive and less telegraphed.

I don't know what Networking or Wireless Net Pavilion are doing, since I don't see any self-tagging in here.

Security Nexus with link is strong, but it is a way to deal with rezzed ICE, but with DDoS and FAO, the ICE needs to be unrezzed. I don't know what e3 Feedback Implants is doing for this deck, it looks useless until the runner hits some Bioroids.

There is no killer in this decklist, only Crypsis to deal with sentries, wich is a bit expensive to use. Mimic + Datasucker is very powerful and efficient, both in terms of clicks and credits.

Account Siphon is popular in Reina to keep the corp poor, as is Vamp, Headlock Reina is a powerful archetype to prevent the corp from rezzing any ICE by denying them the credits to do it.

8 Jan 2016 GrantZilla1979

FAO in Reina can be good, especially backed up by DDoS runs. The problem here is that you don't have anything to really capitalize on it. You're running 3x Cyberfeeder and the only virus program you have is Crypsis. I like where you're going with the Security Nexus, but you have to make those runs hurt more. There's no Medium, Nerve Agent, Demolition Run, or at least Lamprey to punish repeated access.

If you're going to lean on a horribly inefficient breaker like Force of Nature, as well as boosting link through Rabbit Hole, and continually beating the corp on trace for Nexus, you're going to need a bigger economic advantage than this deck currently puts out. Liberated Account can help.

8 Jan 2016 GrantZilla1979

Also, I'm seeing something in your other decks - a reluctance to take tags. A skilled Corp deck pilot with sniff that out and capitalize on your hesitance.

With decks like these, I most often win wearing Mr. T-like amounts of tags. If the Corp is broke, it doesn't matter how much they've tagged you. If you've got a Medium up with 7 counters on it, a wide-open server and a Demolition Run in hand, it doesn't matter how much they've tagged you.

If you wait until you have all of your 'safe' pieces out on the table, even the most poor Jinteki deck will have built up an economic advantage or exploited multiple scoring windows.

Embrace the chaos. Own the tags. TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

8 Jan 2016 ZadokDJ

Hey all, thanks for the comments. I know I have the right concept for this deck - but I'm aware i'm lacking in what the right methods are... ...so if something seems an odd choice, it probably is for no good reason.

So lets address the Tags issue - Yes. Tags scare me. I've mainly been playing as Adam: Compulsive Hacker, I'm run like crazy but I also clean the tags off me as quickly as possible. Most of the games I lost with Adam were because I got a tag and then immediately got hit by Scorched Earth. So now I have this mentality as a Runner that if I have a Tag, i'm going to be Scorched Earth,

This way of thinking shows in this Reina deck. I'm not sure if I should be thinking about self-presevration or as Grantzilla put it..."Embrace the Chaos" and wear Tags like Mr T.

Bubbathegoat - I love the idea of Mimic and Datasucker. I saw mimic and just saw theres no way to up it's strength. Datasucker! problem solved.

I've seen people use Account Siphon with Reina - I was discouraged due to the tags...but the other issue is I wouldn't be able to use Forged Activation Orders, it would have to be one or the other?

I only thought about Forged Activation Orders so I can trash the ice, and then that generally means it's gone for good. With Account Siphon I can only really make them lose 5 and to some Corp decks...that's chump-change and can afford to lose it, they'll be Rezzing that issue next turn regardless.

Force of Nature is in there because I'm not sure what else I could use for Codegates - unless thats what I dedicate Crypsis to...?

Rabbit Hole is amp up my Link - so traces don't hinder me, and I can get Nexus working. Rabbit hole also allows me to thin my deck out - so i can get to other cards faster - that what I was thinking anyway.

I can understand the benefit of keeping the Corp poor - but is that mor e short term view than a long term view? OR by using this strategy you're spending your first click or two to make sure they are out of money - so you can spend your remaining click to run on servers.

That makes sense penny drops - as before I was thinking. It great to keep the Corp poor but it's the agendas that I need to win.

As for Xanadu, I didn't see it was unique. good spot. Haha.

8 Jan 2016 GrantZilla1979

0-5 credits is the hardest spot for the corp to be in. Reina is very good at keeping them there with programs like Lamprey. Siphons too, look at Crescentus which is pretty much Classic Red Queen.

8 Jan 2016 trogdor

@bubbathegoat Maybe I'm misreading the cards, but Forged Activation Orders is outside of a run. DDoS applies only during a run. So, you could DDoS one turn and Forged Activation Orders the next, but you would need some way to keep them poor enough to (Lamprey, Vamp, Account Siphon) so that using Forged Activation Orders would kill the card. Unless the plan is for them to rez the card and keep them poor that way. Or I'm misunderstanding. Which happened once before...lol

8 Jan 2016 ZadokDJ

Ah. I see what you mean. It does say "during a run". The original thought was DDoS and then Forged Activation Orders to trash the ICE.

I also thought Forged Activation Orders would be good with Reina because they might not be able to afford that extra and so bam! that ICE is trashed.

I like the popular plan of Account Siphon but i'd have to be able to make that successful run...

8 Jan 2016 bubbathegoat

@trogdor Ah, you are correct. I hadn't considered the FAO + DDoS together before, and had mistakenly thought it was a really strong combo. That exact interaction is probably why the 'durring a run' clause was added.

8 Jan 2016 GrantZilla1979

DDoS - Account Siphon - Forged Activation Orders - Lawyer Up if you're worried about tags. Me, I'd just keep them and then hit something else.

8 Jan 2016 bubbathegoat

The big lesson here is tags are a lot less scary when the corp has 0 credits. Wear those tags with pride!