Close to the Sun (7-0, 2nd Aus South Nats)

SpaceIce 602

Right up until I was filling in my decklist at registration, I thought I was going to play Lat. It was the opposite of a panic switch: a moment of total clarity. Why be one of a crowd of Boring Lats doing cut math when I can be the fun, bold Mercury player on the bottom tables? Why have a deck filled with cyberpunk gadgets and doodads when you can just play cards named for doing reckless things and having crazy thoughts?

Then I realised someone else brought Mercury, and I was no longer an iconoclast but at severe risk of being the other, worse Mercury player. Then the other Mercury started winning, so to be safe I had no choice but to be King of Swiss.

I am not quite convinced this deck is actually good. However, it didn’t drop a game all day, and a nearly identical version also went undefeated at a sunset AMT earlier this year, so maybe it has real juice. This deck is very fun if you want to feel like you are drowning as soon as any server is double iced. More than half of my games were clinched the turn before a certain loss. This is the ideal form of Netrunner. Don’t play Mercury if you don’t want to live too close to the sun.

Mulligan for Hermes. We’re entirely in the business of touching cards and bouncing more cards. There’s no real breakers, no long-term econ, no pinhole, no bones, no doof, no other plan. Remember, the Corp’s deck wants to betray them. You’re just here to help out.

You can probably cut a Spark for Eru. Maybe get a second Boomerang back in so you can charge remotes more often. ‘Amelia Earhart’ did pass through my head during the tournament, but I don’t want to risk adding a second dimension to the deck. Having so few options that you don’t mindfreak yourself into messing up is more important. Just touch cards.

My corp was exactly not_yeti’s RH list, which cleaned up in Swiss with 3 kills and 0 points scored, but was surgically taken apart by F3nr1s’ Aniccam Hosh twice in the cut.

Not to get sentimental, but here is an incomplete list of important names: Kror, Styx, Gloompunk, Charlotte, October, Max, Nick, Scarius, Sarah (Sarius?), Alex, Luke, Vale, Dylan, Bing, Brad, Jackson, Sutto, Blake, Abstracted, Jenny, eBentl, Sohum, Kyra, Jai, Habib, Miles, Leela.

And not to be bitter, but here is a complete list of important names: F3nr1s.

Best Netrunner tournament of my life.

17 comments
17 Sep 2024 sohum

your penultimafinal game against dylan is the most esports game of netrunner i have ever had the pleasure to witness in my LIFE. what an absolute banger of a deck

17 Sep 2024 ThePatrician

What a legend! Awesome to see you in the flesh. WP mate.

17 Sep 2024 Drayven

It was a real treat to see this deck on the weekend. Congrats on your strong performance.

17 Sep 2024 F3nr1s

"Remember, the Corp’s deck wants to betray them. You’re just here to help out." if that ain't the truest sentence ever.

The final turn of Inside Job archives for Offworld, bounce Ikawah, Reprise HQ, MISS ON 3 ACCESSES, then run back for the 1 in 10? Wild stuff. It was a work of art.

17 Sep 2024 NyXy

Watching you pilot this deck in the penultimate game of the tournament was a masterclass in 'playing to your outs' and an absolute treat. Amazing stuff.

After reading this write up, I now understand why you chose to play Mercury after our chat in which you explained why you thought it was so terrible. maybe it's not so bad after all, or maybe you just needed some pressure to create a diamond. Shine on!

17 Sep 2024 NyXy

in Greek: Icarus, in Australian: Space Ice ;)

17 Sep 2024 Council

Marvelous

Crim is Reborn!

17 Sep 2024 bing005

Legendary run! Well done mate!

17 Sep 2024 Porkobolo

this deck is sexy.

17 Sep 2024 eBentl

Awesome performance, well done mate :)

17 Sep 2024 PreNic

I see 3xSpark and 3xFemme and I am in.

17 Sep 2024 Palo Malo

I might love this list more than I love myself

18 Sep 2024 Dudeydude

SO sad we didn't get to play, hope I can make it up north for some games. Congrats! Huge performance!

18 Sep 2024 Val

This is the most beautiful runner deck I've seen in the last year. Thank you

20 Sep 2024 Chuftbot

Being in a meta where this deck is possible is like seeing a comet that only flies by once every 1000 years. Dawn can't come slowly enough. Good shit.

20 Sep 2024 Meathir

"SEND IT" Mercury is just the wildest deck to be performing this amazingly. Honestly, with how Crim decks have a shelf life it's getting dangerously close to thinking it has true legs and isn't just good players making the right reads.

23 Sep 2024 linuxmaier

I love this!