On the Run (First Runner Deck)

Miller4h9 13

This is my first Runner deck! (Well technically my second; the first was a Noise deck, but it only took me a few games to realize I had no idea what I was doing.) I'm using Tenma to pursue a strategy of running like no tomorrow.

There are 14 Run events in this deck and 3 Same Old Things, essentially meaning that you have 17 ways to play Run events. (As a new player, having specific Run events helps direct my playing a little bit, which is nice.) The key cards are Account Siphon (obviously), Inside Job (to get through tougher servers), Maker's Eye (to give you the best shot at getting Agendas), and Dirty Laundry (which is essentially another Sure Gamble). You should be playing Run events a lot. They are all VERY cheap with Tenma's ability (thanks Tenma!) but I don't think I have to tell you this because you know Netrunner better than I do.

I stuck in 1 Notoriety because a) I had the influence and b) It can be tricky to get that last point if the corp is in some massive scoring server. This deck is targeting mostly central servers, and for that reason I included the complete Criminal Central server suite (don't know the official term).

Self-Modifying Code is really nice to help your early runs succeed (as long as you have a little cash piled up). Ideally, if you get them early enough you still have the MU, while if you get them later, you probably don't need them anymore. Special Order is there because SMCs cost 3 influence and sometimes you just need that breaker.

I wish the economy in this deck were a tad better. I don't know if that's just how I'm playing it or if it's a problem with the deck itself. There was one game where I had 6 points and a Notoriety but couldn't pay to get through all of the ice on the centrals.

Well, I'm not publishing this to show off- I'm publishing it for advice! Let me know what you see and what could be better!

4 comments
22 Jun 2016 Tsgstarwars

High-Stakes Job is a great economy card, if you have it an/or can make it fire. It's kind of difficult to use, but the payoff is MASSIVE!

Public Terminal and Prepaid VoicePAD both synergize really well with ken, hwere' you're basically playing everything, including your economy events, for free

I think that Crash Space really doesn't do enough to be worth including 3... maybe 1 if you really like it?

I'd much rather run Special Order than Self-modifying Code, since the former won't cost you any influence. SMC is better than Special Order, but I don't think it's better enough to spend 6 influence on. Or, you could just run more copies of your breakers.

I really love the Rush Ken playstyle, and I've built a pretty similar deck that you might want to check out netrunnerdb.com

Another great card for ken you could consider is Apocalypse, since it's a much more powerful effect than notoriety for the same trigger.

22 Jun 2016 Miller4h9

Thanks for taking time to look! I don't know if I'm good enough to utilize High-Stakes Job well. I took out Public Terminal, but that might be worth looking into again. I went with Crash Space first as tag recovery, and then I kept 3 because it's a cheaper Plascrete Carapace. I know that a lot of people use 3 of those in a deck, so I thought I'd stock 3.

Right now I'm not using the Self-modifying Code influence for anything else, and I love the ability to get my breaker mid-run rather than facechecking, special ordering, and running again. If I need the influence, it can probably give way.

While I can only assume you're right about Apocalypse, I'll keep Notoriety for now.

And I'll definitely look at your deck! Maybe I'll download it, give it a whirl, and see how much better it is :)

23 Jun 2016 Tsgstarwars

I'm more than happy to help with deckbuilding, especially because I've asked for help so many times on deckbuilding stuff here on NetrunnerDB. The community here is really nice, and I've been helped out so many times that I'm more than happy to return the favor.

I guess there is a case for Crash Space that's remarkably better then how I seem to see the card, but (afaik) most people will only run 1 Plascrete Carapace, unless they're planning to go ultra tag-me, then they might run 2. The problem with Crash Space is that it doesn't do anything against Midseason Replacements + Scorched Earth, because they can land all the tags in the world and then trash Crash Space, and save the kill combo for next turn. I might go with a 2/1 split (or even 1 and 1) between Crash Space and Plascrete Carapace, just so you have both depending on what you need, especially if it's a game that's going long and you have time to find the right one. The tag-ditching credits on crash space are really nice, but unless you're playing against NBN, they'll probably only fire 3-4 times (since your only self tagging is (Account Siphon and Same Old Siphon). Against NBN though, you'll save a ridiculous amount, so I guess it's not a bad tech card for that.

Now that I look back, you'd probably have to re-build a fair amount to use Apocalypse, since you'd probably want Feint to get into HQ just to trigger Apocalypse (although it could also be used to trigger Notoriety), and you'd also need duplicates of all your breakers, for after then get killed by the Apocalypse. I personally also absolutely agree about playing the cards you like rather than the "best" cards, I've been doing the same and excluding the most powerfull cards in favor of some more janky stuff. One of my favorite decks was acutally Ken with Early Bird, Doppelgänger, and Notoriety, where you'd Early Bird (not costing a click), get a second free run with Doppelgänger, then first click run the last server and then spend 3 clicks scoring all 3 Notorieties in 1 turn.

Self-modifying Code is really nice for facechecking without having to worry, but that's Shaper's job! They're the ones who are supposed to run without caring what happens, not criminals! : )

Clone Chip or Parasite might be other possible includes at 3 influence (2 if you're not playing with Most Wanted List [www.knowthemeta.com) They're both great cards that are really flexible.

Sorry for the blog length post, but I hope there's some helpful suggestions. I hope this doesn't feel like I'm trying to force any choices on you, since I absolutely support playing the cards you'll enjoy playing!

--tsgstarwars

5 Jul 2016 Cycloptic ox

For fast ken, I have used e3 feedback and always be running. I do not know if that would help in this case but might be worth a look. Also, I would tag the cards, but since this is my first post ever, I do not know how to yet.