Contempt Hoshiko (3rd/5th @ NANPC Boston 2024)

This is almost identical to the Ashnikko shell, tweaked by Snare Bears in the weeks leading up to NANPC Boston based on the following three principles: contempt for your cards, contempt for your opponent's game plan, and contempt for yourself.

1. Contempt for Your Cards

Ever since Big Maxx, we've understood that Anarch cards are generally busted, so it doesn't matter that much which ones are in your deck. What matters is whether you can quickly gain access to them. The Price, probably the MVP here, allows you to disdainfully blaze through your stack to set up your rig as fast as possible. You can't be precious with these cards, as they are just weakness leaving the body. We considered cutting Ashen Epilogue, as it felt like we were giving to much respect to the cards in the deck, but ultimately realized that playing it gives you double the amount of cardboard to throw away in a game.

2. Contempt for Your Opponent's Game Plan

Disruption used to be a crucial part of the Anarch color pie, then Knobkerie got banned so we had to go back to an old favorite, Maw. You don't actually have to respect what your opponent wants to do. Simply touch cards and let their win condition fall apart. Some Snare Bears may want you to run a Stargate, but that's giving way too much respect to your opponent's game plan. The Twinning is pretty awkward multi-access, so it works best paired with Maw. Most of your big installs come from The Price, so I leaned harder into Mystic and added a Legwork, which won me three game in the dramatic fashion.

3. Contempt for Yourself

You're playing Hoshiko, and you practice almost exclusively on Jnet, so you're going to miss a lot of triggers. Resign yourself to the fact that your deck is better than you are. Simply The Price into Steelskin Scarring and Strike Fund and you won't even need to think about your econ. You can't ever remember that Piranhas is a code gate and not a sentry, but it doesn't matter because Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga allows you to turn your brain off for rounds at a time while you poke centrals. You have to constantly ask yourself if you're washed at this point in your Netrunner career, so lean into these busted cards to high roll your opponent to victory (see also: Blame... Blame Never Changes). Most importantly, remember that you are surrounded by an awesome community, and getting 40 Netrunner players together for a fun weekend is worth every minute of contempt.

Shoutouts
Rongydoge for pushing contempt, arguing slots, and living the lifestyle.
The rest of Snare Bears for jamming and theorycrafting Hosh, especially cablecarnage, DeeR, kysra, tbu3k, and ysengrin.
Whiteblade and NotAgain for running a fantastic tournament. It really felt like the prestige and community of regionals again despite the Pacific Northwest spiking the hell out of us.