Hard(ware) at Masterwork (v37) - Six to Midnight

aenimosity 56

Hard at Masterwork (v37)

Geist is one of the most fun to play runner IDs in the entire game, however I'd been struggling to get decent mileage out of him for the last couple of MWL iterations. Pirate Geist was good, but influence limits and the loss of Underworld Contact constrain the build somewhat.

Off Campus Apartment improves his draw, however when Scarcity of Resources is a thing it actually slows setup speed, proving to be a liability against rush decks.

I was at a loss and needed to return to basics. His key strengths are precise runs and an extremely powerful mid-game. To play to these strengths he needs to set up quickly with the potential to make scoring runs as early as possible, increase the length of the mid-game, and triggers. Lots of triggers.

So how do you make an ID that is made to draw cards run through the deck faster than it already does?

Three little cards: Masterwork (v37). The Class Act. DJ Hayley.

Six to Midnight

Card draw: With Masterwork (v37), Geist now not only draws a card when you use a trash ability, he also draws a card with the first hardware install each turn.

Click compression: MW (v37) and Hayley. Hayley is already an incredibly efficient runner. With the console in play her efficiency is bumped up another notch. However The Class Act can improve on this again:

Click 1 - Initiate run. Triggers hardware install via MW (v37), triggers draw, triggers The Class Act. Filter non-hardware to the bottom of the stack, trigger Hayley to install the second piece of hardware you just drew.

That's 4 clicks for the price of one. Not to mention that at least one of the pieces of hardware you installed is usually able to be trashed immediately, drawing more cards and providing money from Tech Trader.

Bonus points if you install The Class Act on the same turn you LARLA.

Breaker suite: Nothing extraordinary, trash-able breakers for the ID ability, efficient breakers for alternatives.

Tech cards: Tagged? Flip Switch draws a card while you're getting rid of them. Stealing a QPS behind Data Raven also provides much enjoyment. Falsified Credentials is like a Spy Camera for remote servers. And if the corp doesn't think you have damage protection and Mushins a Cerebral Overwriter? Run it blind and install Recon Drone on the way in.

WTF?: Akamatsu Mem Chip. Is a one pip mem that along with the console allows a copy of every breaker, and two Demaras for the third run through those pesky high strength/multiple sub barriers protecting a Border Controlled server.

This is an early iteration of the deck and I'm sure it can be improved upon. Because I'm so generous I've even left a spare influence for you to play with.

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