An Offer You Should Refuse 2.0

Crowe 234

I've been playing this deck for a while now and I've had a fair amount of success with it. This is my second iteration of the idea, with a few notable changes that change the way it plays.

Essentially, Mushin No Shin + Cerebral Overwriter + Back Channels is your economy engine. I have gained up to 30 credits using this method. If you suspect your opponent is playing drive-by, then it's a little more risky, but in every game I've played I've managed to invest very heavily in Cerebral Overwriter, and often in Plan B. Just make sure you've always got 3 credits in the bank to fire it and you're set. This is also a pretty good way of getting Plan B to trigger, and you can often score Mandatory Upgrades via this method, especially if you bait your opponent into it by accidentally losing your credit pool (by rezzing ice, for example).

I previously ran Jackson Howard, but removed him because there were never any moments when I wished to use him. I may remove at least one Plan B for an Archived Memories to plug the hole, but I don't think it's necessary. Most of the ice is dangerous to run if you play An Offer You Can't Refuse, but obviously it is best used in conjunction with Ryon Knight. The agenda point you score with An Offer You Can't Refuse is perfect to sacrifice for that surprise Enforcer 1.0.

I've also added Cybernetics Court, to mitigate the downside of the ID, and allow you to play a little slower if you need to, which is necessary at times with this deck. There are a few pieces that need to come into alignment, but with the smaller deck-size you'll get them so long as you play smart.

Although there's a lot of brain damage, this isn't a kill deck. You don't have any reliable way to flatline the runner, unless they fall for one of your traps, so the brain damage is there to really slow the runner down. You create viable scoring windows by reducing the runner's hand-size to the point where they'll be struggling to make runs, build their rig, and pump up their own economy during the same turn. If you get a Mandatory Upgrades scored either by faking it out as a Cerebral Overwriter or via Plan B, then you're set for the game.

Just waiting for that dream game where I get to play Defective Brainchips and play An Offer You Can't Refuse on a server with an unrezzed Janus 1.0 installed. :D I've often been in the position economically, it's just the stars simply have not aligned.

14 comments
22 Sep 2015 Retraux

Cool deck! Love the Musin + Back Channels econ and the Plan B + Mandatory Upgrades combos.

22 Sep 2015 Dr Bees

What would happen in a game where the runner has (worst case scenario) 5 brain damage and then you score Self Destruct Chips? I assume the runner is not flatlined, since it doesn't force him to discard.

22 Sep 2015 Crowe

@Retraux Thanks :) @C6H6 If you score 5 brain damage then the runner is flatlined anyway, because of the ID. However, as is the case with Valley Grid, if the runner has a hand size that is less than zero at the end of their turn, then they are indeed flatlined (page 20 of the rulebook).

22 Sep 2015 Phoenix

Hand size less than zero means the runner would flatline (although hand size checks are at the end of the runners turn so they would have a turn to win or find a way to survive)

22 Sep 2015 Phoenix

Ninja'd

25 Sep 2015 Scrub!

I'm a little unclear on how Plan B works as a disguise for Mandatory Upgrades. If the card has 6 advances on it, why would a Runner ever decide to run on it?

Either it's a super-advanced Cerebral Overwriter, or.... what else could it be out of HB? Something funky like Thomas Haas or Alix T4LB07? (in which case they wouldn't run it anyway, no real point).

I still like Plan B in this deck, I just am not following this specific combo.

25 Sep 2015 Crowe

@GordonsBeardYou're right, that bit isn't particularly well written. I meant to say that Mushin + Plan B can often catch people out in general if you lose your credit pool (allowing you to score any 3 or maybe a 4 pointer in HQ). Mandatory upgrades can be scored via Mushin (not Plan B) purely because it can look more like Cerebral Overwriter than an agenda.

However, it is possible the runner may want to run a 6 advanced card purely because I've been using back channels all game, they may want to trash the card before I take advantage of it, and may not expect the Plan B.

25 Sep 2015 Scrub!

I'm all for the Mushin No Shin into Cerebral Overwriter or Mandatory Upgrades, but unless I'm missing something - there is never a reason for a Runner to run on a 6 advanced card out of HB.

If it was out of Weyland they might think it was a Government Takeover, but out of HB I cannot think of a single time a 6-advanced card wouldn't come to wreck all heck on the Runner.

I'm still going to build the heck out of this deck though, I love the idea of using Back Channels to get rid of dead Mushin'd traps.

26 Sep 2015 Crowe

@GordonsBeard If you have no credits in your credit pool, then a 6 advanced card doesn't seem all that threatening. I have played games where I've noticed the runner seriously considering running a 6+ advanced card (after I have rezzed ice/account siphon) just so they can trash it and stop me gaining so much from Back Channels. Plan B can come as quite the surprise.

I hope you have fun with the deck! :)

26 Sep 2015 Scrub!

Oh my god I just realized Plan B doesn't cost anythin!g I take back everything I said about this deck, that's so dirty it's great!

27 Sep 2015 Tolaasin

I tried to pilot this a few times on Jinteki and am coming up blank - but then I'm relatively new to NR, so it's likely inexperience. The limiting issues seem to be economy - if you don't draw Back Channels early enough, plus Cerebral Overwriter or Plan B,. I rarely had enough money to rez ice, and with no Jackson Howard, I ended up with nowhere to put agendas. The combos which end in brain damage haven't yet fired. I'm wondering about using the currents for more economy - if you don't have 3 credits in hand, then Cerebral Overwrite can't be fired.

27 Sep 2015 Crowe

@Tolaasin It may need more econ - I have previously ran Melange Mining Corp., and it has been fairly effected. I have used back channels with agendas (like Self-Destruct Chips) purely to gain money with this deck, and keep things floating. J-How may be a personal preference thing. I did use him, but it just fit my playstyle with this deck. Most of my games have been. Also, I have never played NR online, and I'm not sure how well I would do with this deck either if I couldn't read the runner's face. There's a lot of bluffing involved to be honest!

27 Sep 2015 Tolaasin

@ryangibson86 - I took out the currents and added in a couple of Eves and lasted for slightly longer :-). Given that I'm not managing to land brain damage at the moment, the currents weren't working for me. I've just figured out that Knight works on Offer runs (duh) - previously I'd been putting it underneath bioroid ice in the hope that runners would burn clicks. But it still relies on installing ryon and forcing the run in the same turn.

28 Sep 2015 Crowe

@Tolaasin Ryon Knight behind a turing can be quite fun (especially since it can look suspiciously like a 3/2 agenda). But otherwise, yes, he's there to use in conjunction with Offer.

It's all about catching your opponent off guard with this deck. There's nothing wrong with just spending a turn picking up 3 creds to activate your traps/allow you to rez ice (etc). Since it is an idea that I've been playing with for a while, I've become quite familiar with how it works. I also don't have a complete collection! So I'm probably missing lots of tricks. :)