INDUSTRY BABY 419 (1st Americas Continentals, 5-1)

Funny how you said this was the end,

and I went and did it again

This is a relatively stock 419 list that helped bring me to first place in the Americas Continentals. Like most 419 lists, its hardest matchup is Sportz, but it can usually do quite well versus other, slower decks. This is how it shook out, as I went 1-1 vs Sportz and won games vs ACME, Palana, and PD twice in the cut vs second place @Janktivist.

As far as card choices, none of these should raise too many eyebrows, but to touch on them:

3 The Class Act, 1 Earthrise Hotel - The typical split has been 2 of each. It's my firm belief that 4 cards right away is better than 6 cards later. And having access to the scry ability as soon as possible is important to keep up with fast HB corps.

2 Paragon, 0 Pennyshaver - Related to above. Scrying is very important to keep up, and getting money upfront from Paragon gives you the tiniest speed boost that allows you to pressure the Corp better.

1 Unity, 0 Amina - Absolutely worth the influence. HB Corps rely on Gatekeeper rezzes at key points in the game, and having Unity at the ready means you can fight through those in an efficient manner.

Tech slots - 2 Miss Bones doesn't really qualify as a tech slot anymore, as she has broad use in most matchups. The slots I opted for were 1 Citadel Sanctuary, 1 Political Operative. I wanted my game against PD, as well as other non-HB Corps, to be as solid as possible, and these two are broadly useful. Other tech considerations were Rebirth (into Steve, to be able to recur Diversion of Funds and other economy cards) and The Black File (to buy crucial turns versus Sportmetal decks)

I'd like to give very sincere thanks to everyone in the testing squad, NISEI members who have worked tirelessly to keep the game great, the streamers and guests who provide exceptional coverage of the weekend, and everyone who showed up for this exciting tournament.

I'll be seeing you all in a few days for Intercontinentals -- here's hoping a Snare Bear takes it down!