Gag Reflex - 1st Adelaide Regionals

PowerBunz 486

"I wish you'd play Skorpios rather than this" - Martin Monis 2k19

I didn't make this I swear

This list is based on the Store Champs list I piloted way back when, featuring the additions of Mumba Temple, Surveyor and Marilyn Campaign thanks MWL 3.3 and SDS Drone Deployment, Afshar and CSR Campaign thanks to Downfall. These changes almost doubled the number of keepable opening hands, particularly since the original list, Tooplard's 46th at Worlds 2018, mentioned that it could use more cash. Hedge Fund is for wimps.

Last minute changes were cutting 2x Thimblerig for the Archived Memories, and switching from Arella Salvatore to Amani Senai. All these changes proved vital in almost every game, even if I accidentally forgot to trigger Amani to remove a program, allowing an SDS score to lose me the game.

Game plan is to rush rush rush and use Team Sponsorship and Amani Senai to make everything you do a lot more annoying while also threatening to blow the runner up if they get too poor. If you can keep a Bankers on the board, you're probably winning. This is one of those corps where your mediocre starting hands can equal or beat excellent runner starting hands.

I'd been playing this for a few months and had gotten it pretty nailed down against most runners. Val isn't even a particularly bad matchup because if they're too busy giving you bad publicity and trashing your stuff, you should probably be too busy scoring out and winning the game, and clever Border Control placement can deal with Apoc. Most of my winning opening turns involve a Border Control protecting Oaktown Renovation. I'm not entirely convinced it needs currents, since Standoff is usually enough to clear them, but I got hosed on the day by not having a Death and Taxes or something.

TLDR: Gud Dek, wins gaems.

Round Rundown

Round 1 - Accidental bye! Thanks to my friends, one of which I taught the game to the night before, that I dragged along for giving us odd numbers! I spent this time having my 3rd and 4th shots of coffee in 2 hours.

Round 2 - Johnny on Patchwork Maxx. Hacktivist was down from turn 1. I got flooded and lost.

Round 3 - Cayden, on Reg Maxx that I built for him. Accessing 2 cards from HQ with Turning Wheel, I remembered to rez Amani Senai but forgot to remind him that accesses are best taken one at a time, but also forgot to trigger Amani when he hit the Oaktown Renovation and SDS Drone Deployment. Entirely my fault since I taught him the game and built his decks. My pride is destroyed.

Round 4 - Jaiden on Khumalo. Some of the best Netrunner I've ever played. Fighting tooth and nail to control the board, I eventually managed to get keep some assets down, make some money and score out. Very tense and tight right up to the end, when I managed to have 2 Divested Trust scored, as well as Amani Senai rezzed. This was the most tilted I'd ever seen Jaiden. I felt beautiful gleeful schadenfruede. I won.

Top 4 Game 1 - Denzil on Khumalo. He installed Knobkierie and Aumakua turn 1 and ran. I blew him up.

Top 4 Game 2 - Johnny on Patchwork Maxx. I think I blew him up?

Final Game 1 - Johnny on his awful Ag list. I lost as runner.

Final Game 2 - Johnny on his decent Reg Maxx list. He had what sounded like the worst opening hand possible. I blew him up, but not before losing a very stressful 5 points.

Excellent games played by most (hard @ Martin Monis) and big thanks to Jaiden for TOing, reading my terrible handwriting on my deck list, and ignoring my dumb judge calls, to Johnny for being a lovable scumbag, and to Cayden for learning the game the night before then falling asleep on my floor.

6 comments
10 Aug 2019 martinimon

As much as I hate Gag, this deck works and is consistent. was nice seeing you lose with it against Cayden, then hear "blew em up" heaps in the following games. shame you didn't get to test this agaisnt Nasir.

10 Aug 2019 PowerBunz

@martinimon look I don't want to toot my own horn too much BUT I feel like this probably has a decent matchup against Nasir thanks to the cheap/midrange ice and general awfulness.

10 Aug 2019 ggDropbear

I, for one, welcome our new Weyland overlord.

10 Aug 2019 PowerBunz

@ggDropbearTwirling

10 Aug 2019 SpaceIce

Weird that this deck got destroyed by Johnny and Cayden but beat the megaboss fusion of the two of them.

Also I've played against this deck every Thursday for six months and I hate it.

11 Aug 2019 PowerBunz

@SpaceIce 6 months worth of practice and you were still asking me how to beat it. At least you got to see each MWL make this stronger and stronger.