[Startup] A Minor Variation on Hermes Tao

As titled; this is my general Hermes build but with an extra Bahia Bands and an Imp replacing Cleaver's influence as tech choices, which I took to UK Nationals this year. It was ultimately the weaker of the two sides, losing to a "where are your agendas I know they're in here somewhere" game against PD and a lethal blunder against Punitive PE.

The core strategy is the same as ever; the combination of Tāo and Hermes' abilities is incredibly mean for any Corp that's expecting its ice to do something, and the Shaper economy engine is arguably the only practical one in current Startup, giving a huge amount of reliable money across the entire game.

I would not ultimately recommend playing Pressure Spike as [BtL](/en/ card/30059) tech; it's too expensive and inflexible, and your ability does enough work making runs easier anyway. I'd cut the extra Bahia Bands and Imp to just play two Corroder instead, which is better against giant ice than Cleaver and trims the deck back to a nice 40.

If you're still concerned about glacier, put two Smartware Distributor in and twiddle your thumbs making money until they try to push an agenda, then go clean up R&D and HQ.

The only weakness of this strategy are rushes - scoring rushes are somewhat answered by Muse to clear gearchecks (sell down the breaker / Muse to Aesop and install your other copy at your convenience), but kill rushes require you to consider carefully where to commit your time and resources. Watch out for Neurospike!

It goes without saying that Nationals are the highlight of the year. The opportunity to spend time with so many people I care about - and to meet new faces - all in one place is truly a special one. I'm already looking forward to the next one!