ThreaderShop Hayley **1st Place - Element Games SC - UK**

Katsushika 333

ThreaderShop Hayley - 1st Place - Element Games SC - UK

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Tournament report on Acoo

Corp side report

Top 8 Match Vs Blue Sun

Top 8 Match Vs FoodCoats

So it's about a week before the Store Championships. I've been playing a Maxxpocalypse deck for what seems like an eternity and there's one problem - FoodCoats. Whenever I played against a good pilot the outcome was savage. I knew if I actually wanted to win an event and not just do well, I needed an advantage.

It was at this point I decided to tech against the Glacier archetype. Tested various stealth builds then came across this interesting looking list Hayley Smaug: 2nd Place Big Kidz Games SC by voltorocks.

Booting up Jinteki.net I enlisted shanodin to test against various Glacier builds - just to make sure it did what it says on the tin. Fairly pleased with the results she then suggests I test the deck against ouroborosglyx. It would be fair to say the matches weren't close. I was settled after making a minor modification; -2 Paricia for +1 Clone Chip and +1 Film Critic - and hey if it didn't work I have the rest of the Store Championship season to pull my finger out.

SWISS

*Andrew Bogie - Spark Agency

This game was rough and after going through the motions it felt like I'd made a grave mistake. Mostly it seems the cards came out in the wrong order but I also made a very big misplay on the penultimate turn, hitting a TMI (that I knew was on R&D) with a Corroder installed and only 3 credits...Fair play to Andrew know as I ended up diving down the same remote several times (Clot kept him honest) without a full rig, so it was costing my around 6 credits when I was already running pretty low to the ground. He scores out, 7 agenda points to my 5 - sounds a lot closer than it was.

Knowing we're only on four rounds of swiss with 32 players I didn't fancy my chances for the rest of the day after taking such an early loss.

*Cliff Orme - NEH ButcherShop

Cliff went broke early on to overscore a Beale and then an Astro through the same remote. This is how you beat slow runners kids, just rush out.

Unfortunately for Cliff I had a good economy engine going with Aesops/Harbinger/Cache etc and just after he had scored his Astro I completed my set of R&D Interfaces and locked him out. Swimming in agendas...Still I feel lucky to have grabbed the win here. This wasn't the meta I was expecting at all. Where is all the ETF?!

*John Buston - NEH FastroBiotics

John opens up ICEing HQ & RD and sits there with a naked SanSan. I have a Self-Modifying Code in my opening hand so I plonk it down before I start to build my rig and try to find some more economy. R&D gets some more ICE and an upgrade.

He pops a facedown with the SanSan - after Fast Tracking an Astroscript Pilot Programme. I don't know what it is but I get the read it isn't an agenda, this felt like Clot bait. A Shipment from SanSan later and I realise I probably should have just grabbed the Clot anyway and accept the fact that I'm losing it to what is likely a Cyberdex Virus Suite on R&D anyway.

I start hunting for a Clone Chip and can't find it. John powers out another agenda revealing the Cyberdex Virus Suite on R&D when I try to Clot him the second time. R&D was 3 ICE deep so I didn't feel like I could get to it (which would have been the other solution to the problem). Clone Chips still don't find their way into my mitts, it's a short and well deserved win for John.

*Iain Ross - Blue Sun (Overwriters, Punitives, Government Takeover, etc)

Finally, a glacier deck! It's not ETF but it will do. Iain scores an early Glenn Station while I'm setting up and hosts what turns out to be a Government Takeover, I'm happy about this because for a second I thought the triple advanced card was a Posted Bounty and my Plascretes were hiding.

However, I knew this would mean agendas would be slim pickings, so I do what Hayley is best at and set up her ENTIRE rig. The game goes long and it's costing me next to nothing to see three cards a turn in R&D. Wasn't long before the I pulled out the win. Very important to find your Film Critic in this match up - a potential 18 meat damage is hard to dodge. This is one of the few match ups where you may end up spending actual credits on runs although I have been known to install Atman with 10 power tokens...

TOP 8

The future's bright, the future is glacier! There's two Blue Sun & two ETF in the top 8. It's looking good for Hayley.

*Ashley Bullard - Blue Sun (Force of Will)

Team Leeds are a force and a half. His team mate, Ben was playing a Blue Sun Power Shutdown combo deck at the Edinburgh Intercity not long before this event. I figured this would be the same. Video at the tippy top folks. Turns out if you don't run until your ready, they can't kill you. Eventually I find both my Plascretes and a Film Critic but I've run through my whole deck. I reach six points and I stop running R&D. I trashed a June Bug earlier and there's likely two Snares in R&D, one in hand that he keeps bouncing. The only way I lose this game is via net damage. The game goes to time while I'm still 6-0 up.

It's probably important to note that counting the known influence based off my assumptions of the deck, Ashley only has space for one June Bug so it would be correct to run the first card that gets IAA'd. Turns out I wasn't wrong - Ashley's Blue Sun deck

*Dan Sargent - FoodCoats

I finally get to play this match up! Again, it's on the video at the top. In short I win a crucial early Psi game, then R&D lock with little resistance. Ended up installing Atman at 4 to tackle Viper, Ichi 1.0 and Eli 1.0 leaving Assassin to GS Shrike M2. Blame Corroder for not turning up to the party...

Well, that's it folks. The meta call worked out once I hit the higher tables & top 8. If I was to change the deck for MWL I would drop a Clone Chip and a HQ Interface for another Toolbox (sometimes it's just the bottom card of your deck...) and a third Armitage Codebusting. Clot is far too important to drop and it might be worth playing a Sacrificial Construct if FA gets big post MWL.

Hope you all enjoyed the write up!

20 comments
3 Feb 2016 Facecheck

"Ended up installing Atman at 4 to tackle Viper, Ichi 1.0 and Corroder"

Did you mean Eli instead of Corroder?

3 Feb 2016 shanodin

So you figured out to tag users in the write up text? ;)

A deceptively tricky deck, you played it strongly and deserved your success.

3 Feb 2016 evilgaz

'Gratz!

You don't seem to have many targets for Aesop's? Cache, Harbinger, used-up Armitage? I guess maybe unwanted SMC? How much economy do you reckon you gain from it and have you tried more regular econ instead (e.g. Kati)?

3 Feb 2016 Angedelo

Well played man, I've played my Foodcoats against similar Hayley's up here in Edinburgh - really tough and this looks no different.

3 Feb 2016 cwoac

Do not underestimate the power of the econ here - Hayley's ability really makes the cache/harbinger+aesopgs engine sing, Kinda. surprised not to see any tech writers here though; also why toolbox? If for the memory,I'd assume maya might be a sensible swap?

3 Feb 2016 Stiv

Against the Blue Sun, Top 8 match - at 8:30ish

Are you sure you can use cache ability before hailey's ability triggers? I'm quite sure that's not possible.

3 Feb 2016 onibaku06

Just out of curiosity, were you guys using the MWL list for your tournament?

3 Feb 2016 shanodin

@onibaku06 this was pre-MWL

@cwoac this was pre-KG release. Toolbox also helps massively with its recurring creds and link (allowing Shrike to be cloud, so you can sell your Akamatsus to Aesop)

3 Feb 2016 sruman

Armitage seems an interesting choice given professional contacts. Clicking the armitage has opportunity cost of not getting a credit and card which seems harsh. Why not 2 sure gambles instead (already seems like enough hayley triggers)

3 Feb 2016 Stiv

@evilgaz there's plenty. Used up armitages, casts, 2x cache, 4x harbringer, 2x chips once you get rig online. plus clone chips basically return harbringer/cache for another go. Even ProCo once you go through the deck :)

I've been playing this for few hours and it seems fun, and I've been also winning games. FA is a problem, since I've cut the Clot. Not sure if it's needed anyway since most FA will play around it (CVM) so it sometimes does not even help even if you have it.

The only thing I'd consider removing for it is corroder for some shaper non dog barrier breaker.

4 Feb 2016 Katsushika

@Facecheck - Correct I meant Eli 1.0, edited. Thanks!

@Stiv - You're right! I think that's a symptom of offering my deck to my opponent to cut while thinking about my Hayley trigger. Looking at that particular turn it doesn't seem to have effected things much. My bad!

Also don't cut Clot. Making them find the first Cyberdex Virus Suite will slow them down, some Corps may just hope you don't have it. Considering the powerful late game of the deck a Sacrificial Construct would be real nice here.

I'd suggest dropping HQ Interface and Clone Chip for Sacrificial Construct and Kati Jones (as losing the Clone Chip is actually hurting economy).

@evilgaz - The third Clone Chip really boosted the economy thanks to Harbinger Being a Professional Contacts deck it draws a lot of its breakers naturally anyway so the Chips become Harbinger #3, #4 and sometimes #5!

@sruman - early game the deck can end up running really low to the ground with it's money so the low install cost of Armitage Codebusting really helps - particularly with Professional Contacts in your opener.

In addition, you want the smallest amount of events you can manage in a Hayley deck. Diesel & Modded just fit too well.

4 Feb 2016 Katsushika

So yeah, V2 would look like this:

ThreaderShop Hayley V2

Hayley Kaplan: Universal Scholar (Breaker Bay)

Event (6)

Hardware (10)

Resource (14)

Icebreaker (4)

Program (11)

13 influence spent (max 15-2☆=13)
45 cards (min 45)
Cards up to Data and Destiny

Deck built on NetrunnerDB.

4 Feb 2016 Stiv

I think I'd rather remove corroder for something shapery than remove HQ Interface...

But for this week's tournament I'll try without clot and see how it goes.

4 Feb 2016 Leviathan

I tried my build without Clot in an online tourney I've been playing in. I DO NOT recommend it, haha. Then again, your meta may allow it. ;)

Good luck!

4 Feb 2016 Smaug

Hooray, i'm getting famous!

5 Feb 2016 IonFox

What are your thoughts on Artist Colony? It helps against anyone playing news teams and kill decks (throw one pointers for a plascrete), and can help trigger your ability any time you wish.

5 Feb 2016 voltorocks

You and me both, Smaug! Thanks for the shout, @Katsushika, and I'm glad you had some success with this build - sounds like you played the hell out of it!

re: MWL, my preference is to keep the hq interface - I get a ton of mileage out of it, but that may be more luck of the draw. I waffle between cutting corroder or cacharbingers - probably leaning towards the aesops fuel as honestly with hayley and procons just about any zero cost card with work fine.

Maya is an instant slot in this deck. -1 Akamatsu Mem Chip -1 The Toolbox +2 Maya is a no brainer. the memory is so great even if you never use the ability (you will. goodbye biotics! goodbye QPMs! Goodbye news teams! Goodbye scorched earth!) If the easier jump to 6 mem proves reliable enough, I may do some more testing with battering ram, but my instinct is that corroder is still the right call, if for no other reason than the absurdly low setup cost.

also, to any considering it: DO NOT CUT CLOT. I steamrolled against glaciers all day at our SC with this deck, only to literally forget that I had #SlottedTheClot and let my final game of the night vs. NBN slip right through my fingers (also I was completely on tilt after mulling 4 agendas for 4 more agendas in the previous game). I have even considered one or two copies of Sacrificial Construct to just make it eternal (JKJK - though they are decent aesops food...)

I think this archetype has a place in the new MWL meta- I for one will definitely be sticking with it for the time being, glad to see others are putting in some real work with it too!

5 Feb 2016 voltorocks

@IonFox it seems strong, and personally I'm testing it at 1-of and 2-of levels, swapping it out for a bunch of different things. I even have one version with Fan Sites (lol) which honestly is a lot of fun (though definitely janky and not optimal). the cool thing about artist's colony is that once you steal an agenda, you basically don't need to install plascrete- kill decks will just assume that you have it and switch over to trying to score out.

all that said, deck slots are always tight, and it sure does suck to see this card when you have no points and remember that it used to be some other useful card. We'll just have to see...

5 Feb 2016 Katsushika

My justification for cutting the HQ Interface is that late game their remote is so unsafe, agendas will naturally clog up in HQ. You're probably looking at a 2/5 or 3/5 chance when you decide to have s poke...

Mostly however I'd want to spend all my recurring credits on an R&D run every turn. I just don't think anything else is worth cutting.

Maya is interesting for when KG is legal in these parts. Good shout :)

5 Feb 2016 voltorocks

I definitely hear you about the HQI, and I think once Councilman hits it will be much, much easier to drop the HQI since the remote will be much more truly locked.

Meantime, I'm having ok results with battering ram and pretty solid results dropping caches for other money fodder like paricia or the third armitage. 1x artist colony for one of the plascretes (which I'm really liking so far) also helps you get the HQI if you're in a situation where you could get a ton of value for it, especially earlier in the game if you haven't had time to dig for it.