SimonModernism v1

This was my take on the SeamusModernism v3 deck. I took it to our local regionals (placing around 12th), and did quite well at a couple of small monthly tournaments.

This version is 54 cards. I found I was struggling with tag punishment in matchups where the Runner was happy to go tag-me. So I went to 54 cards mainly to include Dedicated Response Team. It also had a side benefit of confusing the Runner's agenda count in a couple of matches.

Cards I Dropped

• Posted Bounty - I never found myself in a situation where I forfeited Posted Bounty. So I figured a different 3/1 with an ability I would actually use would work better
• Casting Call - I rarely found I wanted to play it, and when I did, it never really had the right effect. Plus, Film Critic makes it a waste.
• Fast Track - Another card I can quite get the hang of. You can usually over-advance an Atlas, which is a better situation.
• Ice Wall - Since I wasn't going to waste the time advancing it, I figured there was better low-strength barriers to include

Cards I Added

• Chronos Project - I found I rarely scored either, but at least Chronos Project has the chance to make the Runner cry
• Aggressive Secretary - Shattered Remains is super-useful, but having something else you can advance for a bluff is great, and while not every Runner has critical hardware, they all have critical programs.
• Elizabeth Mills - a 1-of to deal with Wyldside. But also super-handy to get out early if you're facing a Val/Blackmail deck
• Vanilla - I originally had Bailiff, but a 0-cost EtR saved me a couple of times early game
• Quandary - I swapped out an Enigma for a Quandary just to give me another low-cost option early on

Play Notes

I like playing this deck because it lets me start fast, but I have enough options to try to hang on if the Runner manages to drag things out.

I typically try to rush out an Agenda on the first turn - so either score out a Hostile from hand, or ice a remote, install an agenda and go. Most of the Agendas are focused around getting you back the money you spent on them, so provided you can hold out for that first score, you should be setup.

I don't tend to worry about icing HQ or R&D very much in the early game. Argus' ability can discourage the Runner from trying to get more than 1 agenda a turn, and Snares can be enough of a surprise for anyone doing big R&D digs.

As the Runner starts getting setup, your Snares! Aggressive Secretary and Shattered Remains come into play. Timing can be a little tricky, but if you can get the Runner to expend a bunch of resources to get into a server that's got an Aggressive Secretary, you should open up a nice scoring window.

Another trick I like is naked-installing of a Snare and a Dedicated Response Team. The Runner will usually pick one, so 50% chance of making them very sad. A rezzed Dedicated Response Team in Argus means if the Runner hits an Agenda, they have the choice between 2 Meat Damage or 2 Meat Damage AND a tag.

Mother Goddess can be super-useful in a meta without a lot of AI breakers. To the point where I have won games by installing over rezzed ice so my scoring server is unbreakable. The flip side of that is Swordsman into an EtR for ant-Faust joy.

Things That Make This Deck Sad

Film Critic. Jesminder. Employee Strike. Anything else that basically shuts down Argus' ability.

If the Runner manages to get setup before you're in a solid position, things can be hard. The traps and other assets can help you by bluffing the Runner into wasting their resources, but you can find yourself in a situation where you can't risk putting an Agenda down because it will be stolen.

Running out of cash can make things very hard. You don't want to be in a situation where you have to click for credits.