I, Robot V2.0 (Rockford GNK)

Directives

• Always Be Running is probably going to be picked the least by far. The perk is great but the requirement to run first click is brutal. Especially with Logic Bomb encouraging you to want to run last click whenever possible. I’m not saying I’d never pick this directive, but I am saying I haven’t yet.
• Find the Truth is your most important directive in my opinion. If they leave any server at all open, you can run and find out if it’s worth expending credits/clicks/resources to dive into R&D. Couple it with RNG Key and you have a tiny econ engine. If used wisely this directive can also help prevent you from being forced to trash an expensive card due to Neutralize All Threats. It’s unfortunate that there are no surprises for the Corp past your starting hand but most of your plays aren’t going to be surprising anyway. You’re a consistent monster, not an impulsive one.
• Neutralize All Threats is terrifying and great. It’s probably the strongest of the three standard directives but it’s also my least favorite by a pretty large margin. Multi-access is fantastic. Making the Corp extra concerned about HQ is great. Having to trash the first card with a trash cost you access is what’ll keep you up at night. Did you know that Too Big to Fail costs 5 to trash? Blegh.
• Safety First is how we do. Vomit that starting hand out on to the table to get down to two cards and draw your free card. Don’t forget to show the Corp what your new prize is. You’ll be more vulnerable to sudden death for a bit but once you get an agenda or two (with Brain Chip installed) you’ll be better than ever. Don’t break yourself to try and get the free draw from this card but certainly keep it in mind. Don’t draw last click (you shouldn’t anyway) to bring yourself to max hand size. You deserve better than that.

Events

• Career Fair is amazing. I’m going to be super sad when/if that rotates. With the Adam draw from Safety First, RNG Key, and Earthrise Hotels you offset the opportunity cost from having played the extra card to play the resource. Feels like your birthday when you get to play an Earthrise Hotel for one credit or a Liberated Account for three. It’s also really good value at bringing your starting hand down to two card on your first turn so that you get a free draw (and don’t have to discard for being over) to get back to your max hand size of THREE.
• Dirty Laundry is your standard great click efficiency econ card. It has the added bonus in Adam of temporarily making you poorer if you use it to make an early game run into an under-protected HQ. That Neutralize All Threats downside is really brutal when you hit a four or five trash cost card.
• Emergent Creativity is fantastic. Mandatory 3 of. If you can leave the dream and ditch the Paperclip from hand to play out Engolo you win life. Don’t forget that it also works on hardware if you need your Brain Chip (you need your Brain Chip).
• Employee Strike is on the restricted list for a very good reason. I wouldn’t swap it for any other current/restricted card. Cost to value is insane.
• Stimhack is a very good card but I’ve yet to have a game come down to needing the money during a run. The surprise value is negated thanks to Find the Truth, but if you’re running with agendas scored and Brain Chip installed the damage is irrelevant. If I were to swap this for another card my first instinct is to use that influence on another Career Fair or The Turning Wheel.
• Sure Gamble is no gamble. Turns out money is good.

Hardware

• Brain Chip is possibly the most important card in the deck. Unless something crazy happens and your gut is tingling and telling you to hold your starting hand, mulligan for Brain Chip. With the downside of Safety First and the prevalence of murder you need to get your hand size up ASAP. The extra MU is cream cheese icing on the cake.

Resource

• Corporate Defector is downright silly in Adam with Find the Truth. If you made a successful run, you know what their mandatory draw is. If they draw again, the Defector forces them to show you what it is.
• Daily Casts is standard. See Sure Gamble.
• Earthrise Hotel is one of my favorite resources in the game. Cards are good. Click-less draw is good. The cost is a bit of a set-back (four is no joke) but if you can Career Fair it you’re doing swell. With the extra hand size from Brain Chip and draw from Safety First there will be turns you get three free card draws. The value.
• Liberated Account shows up as a three-of in almost every Anarch deck for a very good reason. It’s super click efficient and (once again) if you can Career Fair it out you feel like a golden bioroid god.
• Logic Bomb IS REAL BROKEN. Not only will it get you in, it’ll force the Corp to evaluate their ICE decisions in a similar way that Leela or Quetzal’s ability does. It’s not always super visible but it makes them think much harder about what ICE goes where and how many pieces deep they’re going to make that server before trying to score out. The more choices they make the more likely it is that they’ll make a wrong one.
• Symmetrical Visage is a not-always-played way to help increase your click efficiency. Clicks are a huge theme with Adam. Thanks to Logic Bomb, you will be running last click so you need to get your ducks in order before that run.
• The Shadow Net is hot tech against Sportsmetal and sometimes NBN. Imagine using The Shadow Net to remove 15 minutes from the game for 9 credits (Sure Gamble). Or removing Meridian from the game for the same. Practice that @#$% eating grin – you’ll need it.
• The Turning Wheel is great. Multi-access is great. Forcing the Corp to think about where they’re putting simple “End the run” ICE is great.

Icebreakers

• Aumakua is one hell of a turtle. The value is ridiculous. He’ll take you places like the carpet in Aladdin. That said, he can disappoint you faster than that second Crunchwrap Supreme you bought at 2AM after a night out thinking “Oh boy. I’m really hungry. And if this is great at one, it’ll be FANTASTIC at two.” Narrator Voice: "It wasn't."
• Engolo is your hardest working employee. Code Gates are all the rage and this kicky devil is your way of imposing government mandated Anger Management classes on the Corp.
• Ika is not great. It’s also not bad. With Aumakua, Engolo, and Paperclip leading the icebreaking way, you won’t likely find use for this program often. It does break Archer for 6 though (once it’s hosted) which is nice.
• Paperclip is bad/better Corroder. As detailed earlier, you can use it to fuel Emergent Creativity for maximum efficiency. This card is the reason a lot of people don’t like conspiracy breakers. No surprises here. Move along.

Programs

• Misdirection is an unfortunate necessity. Adam is super bad at staying rich early (downside of Neutralize All Threats) and by and large needs to run to build up his rig/hand size. Your resources are incredibly important to you. If you find yourself in a weird hole after Hard-Hitting News has laden you with tags and have six credits it’s not a terrible idea to Emergent Creativity first (and second) click to install this and then use clicks three and four to clear your way to safety.
• Multithreader is very, very good. There’s a reason Bad Publicity in large quantities is terrifying for the Corp. If you can fuel those runs without dipping into your real credit pool you can sustain pressure almost indefinitely.
• RNG Key is the weirdest bread and butter card you’ve got. With Finding the Truth you get to find out what the card on top of R&D is before you “guess” your number. Easiest three credits/two card draw you’ll get. The Corp is probably going to ICE up HQ first (see Neutralize All Threats) which increases the chances you’ll get to fire this off turn one.