Arabian Faerie

DrunkAlex 328

TBH I really, really can't wait for this ID to come out. It really requires a switch in play.

I built this deck with 2 things in mind: Recurring credits and cheap/efficient breakers.

Faerie is by far the most efficient sentry breaker and is free to install. Use sacrificial constructs to keep it in play. Clone Chips can also be used to bring it back.

Corroder is kind of a no brainer. Super efficient and also quite cheap. Gordian blade is still doubtful though. It's pretty expensive. I might trade it in for a ZU. On the other side though, Gordian does keep it's strength throughout the run, so it saves you creds.

Toolbox is something really expensive to put in a deck like this, but I find the extra MU and recurring creds very useful. Also the 2 extra link will help against traces (need to try and get every econ boost I can find). You could use Kati to bank up the money. Same goes for ProCo. Really expensive, but I think will help the deck in the long run. The extra MU may seem overkill at first glance, but I predict Bad Times will become a pretty popular card, so having MU to spare will be a very good thing in the future.

Easy Mark and Social Engineering are there for small econ boosts. Social Engineering is made for Nasir. You just double up your credit pool which gives you loads of breathing room. Same with Personal Workshop, just put a program on there and chill or rush it out when needed.

Use Scavenge to put your programs on Omni-Drive if you haven't drawn any in the beginning.

Crescentus is kind of a wild card. It's in here to shut down the ICE which have a way higher rez cost than it takes them to break, which is great for me. Possible combo: Crescentus last piece of ICE and later on use Social Engineering on that last piece of ICE to gain extra credits (which you can keep if you break the ICE again) or just walk on through.

Other cards to consider: Ice Analyser (plays into the ID even more), Grappling Hook (saves money on breaking subs), Cyber-Cypher (very efficient code gate breaker, also slots in nicely together with Scavenge), Underworld Contacts and Snitch.

EDIT: Will probaly also add dagger as a backup sentry breaker.

EDIT 2: -1 SMC, -1 Gordian, -1 Clone Chip, -1 R&D Interface

+3 Cyber Cypher (suits the deck better than Gordian Blade), +1 Levy AR Acces (to get back Faeries and SC's)

10 comments
16 Jun 2014 x3r0h0ur

Traditionally, cyber cypher is used is faerie builds because of the low install cost, which I'd think you'd want here over gordian. They pair very well with omnidrive too, so I'd give strong consideration to that. Also workshop is great with nasir, and anything that ups rez costs. I haven't built him yet, since I want to see others first, so I don't know how to make it all fit. Yours looks straight forward, I think recurring credits are the most important thing though. Interesting ID.

16 Jun 2014 DrunkAlex

Well, keeping it simple is in the end the best game plan. I always want to try and make my cards compliment each other, but still able to work independently (that's way I'm not a big as a fan of dagger as I used to be).

My main issue is I'm not sure if I can depend on Faerie as my main sentry breaker the whole game. Not counting clone chip, I can break 9 sentries if I draw all my SC and Faeries, which could mean things can get tight in the end game.

Another consideration in stead of Social Engineering is Dirty Laundry. Social Engineering can have a higher payout, but you are dependent on the corp rezzing that ICE. Dirty Laundry's payout is probably on average the same/lower, but you do know you will turn in a profit.

I also think that if you want to use SMC, that no program should actually be more than 2 credits. Otherwise you wouldn't have anything left to break the ICE. SMC+Gordian for example is 6 credits. Even with recurring credits from Cloak and Toolbox, I will probably have a hard time breaking ICE if I can even pay for it.

This ID will probably be a slow deck, but once set up be completely independent of it's current credit pool, until all ICE is rezzed (after which you use Kati/Armitage/ProCo to have a normal income).

16 Jun 2014 Irrio

You can't use sacrificial construct to prevent a faerie from being trashed due to its ability. If you do, it would stop the ability from being triggered.

16 Jun 2014 DrunkAlex

I'm pretty sure you can. Trashing Faerie after you use it isn't an ability cost. It's an after effect.

With cards like Grappling Hook or Cortez Chip it specifically states its abilities as a trash cost, because it has a trash can in front of it. With Faerie this is not the case. If it was, then the card would state [Trash Can]: Break any number of Sentry Subroutines.

Also you trash Faerie after the encounter, not during (like the case with Grappling Hook), so preventing it from being trashed has no effect on the breaking of ICE subroutines.

16 Jun 2014 x3r0h0ur

You can, cards that show the trash can include trashing as a part if it's cost. Similarly you can use it to save Crypsis for its oft forgotten self trashing use (kinda dumb to not just spend the click to load it though)

16 Jun 2014 DrunkAlex

Small correction BTW. I can only use Faerie 6 times with Sacrificial Construct, so having a Levy AR Card or a back up Sentry Breaker might be handy. Mimic is also a very good and efficient option and you could use Faerie for the high S/many subroutine ICE.

16 Jun 2014 Irrio

Yeeeeeaaaahhhhh ha ha sorry about that. I haven't used faerie in a while, I forgot how it was worded. My bad.

16 Jun 2014 ImTheBanker

So in regards to Social Engineering and Nasir, we need to now start paying more attention to effects that trigger on rez versus effects that trigger on encounter. I believe Social Engineering triggers on rez, but if you don't use the creds before encounter (when Nasir's ability triggers), they're gone. So use the creds on Workshop or SMC, or they're pretty useless, no?

18 Jun 2014 DrunkAlex

That is a good point. I think they intended it to be that you can use the credits for breaking the ice. Otherwise this would be huge anti synergy. Everybody seems to think of it that way at least.

21 Jun 2014 phasedone

Social Engineering doesn't work with Nasir (in the way you're thinking at least) as you will lose the credits to his ability. Step 2.3 in the Approach phase of a run is when the Corp is allowed to rez ICE. You would get the credits here and then lose them in Step 3.0 in the Encounter phase of the run. What you can use them for though is things like credit dumping or pumping up Icebreakers that have "for the remainder of the run" (Pipeline, Inti, Battering Ram and Gordian Blade) as there is a paid abilities window in the Approach phase.