Xand's Guide: Startup with Weyland

Xandorius 1506

WELCOME TO XAND'S GUIDE

Hello! My name is Xandorius. I've published a series of decklists for newer players using Nisei's Startup Format. There is one decklist per faction, using the startup IDs. Each decklist will discuss some ideas about playing as and against the faction, an overview of a gameplan from early to late game, and a breakdown of why I chose each card in the list. These lists are meant to give players a place to get started and some things to think about as they continue on their Netrunner journey. Discussion and tweaking to your own playstyle/ideas is highly encouraged!

You can find my other startup guides here!

WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLL - PLAYING AS WEYLAND

Weyland is the home of big money, big explosions, and big plays. Whether your goal is to go super fast and rush out behind simple gear checks, build an impenetrable wall of ICE to score behind, or blow up the runner's house, Weyland will have options available to you. If you're a cool person who doesn't look at explosions, then Weyland may be the faction for you!

I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL - PLAYING AGAINST WEYLAND

So you're up against Weyland and worried about getting blown up? Grit your teeth and pull on your bootstraps, because there are definitely ways to play around Weyland's plan. They throw up big ICE? Bypass it with cards like Inside Job. Or break it with cards like Botulus or Boomerang that don't care about ICE strength. Worried about your programs getting trashed? Have no fear with Simulchip or Retrieval Run to just get things back. Concerned about damage? Keep your hand up with lots of draw effects, or cards like Aniccam that get your cards back. Or just have lots of money to beat the pesky trace on Punitive Counterstrike. Just like in real life, the Corp can't blow you up if you're rich.

BRICK BY BRICK - EARLY GAME CHOICES

Of all my guides, this list is probably the greediest. Our primary plan is not to score, but rather to kill the runner with Punitive Counterstrike after they steal one of our 5/3s. If we do score something, both of those 5/3s can seriously disrupt the runner's day. We also create interesting forks with Clearinghouse and Reversed Accounts.

In the early game we're going to stablize a strong economy. ICE centrals and likely two remotes. One remote will house La Costa Grid for our agendas or advanceable assets. The second server is our econ clearing house. There are turns where we will be content to wait and make money because we need those riches to blow up the runner.

GASOLINE ON THE FIRE - MIDGAME EXPLOSIVENESS

As we work on building up some defenses and our riches, we can utilize La Costa Grid to build up Clearinghouse or Reversed Accounts. It's possible for the runner to steal an agenda on their turn, only to get hit with a Clearinghouse on your turn that's followed up with a Punitive. Reversed accounts helps keep the runner's credits low so they can't get past our taxing ICE. If the runner steals SDS Drone Deployment they may be in a tricky spot with which program they choose to trash. If they steal a Send a Message then we have a lot of greedy choices for rezzing, with top picks being Archer and Pharos.

This deck can strongly bluff agendas by install-advance-advancing Clearinghouse or Reversed Accounts. Use that to create scoring windows. If the runner doesn't take the bait, then get an extra counter from La Costa and punish the runner.

A CREATION TO LAST THE AGES - LATE GAME DECISIONS

This deck does encounter a tipping point. If the runner manages to steal 6 points, then your plan to kill them with Punitive is no longer available. Scoring out three 5/3 agendas can be real challenge, so if you're forced into that scenario you want to hopefully have exhausted the runner's resources or trashed key icebreakers to lock them out of the remote. Good ICE placement, good use of Reversed Accounts, and some lucky damage from Clearinghouse can all assist this plan and let you win before the final bell.

MATERIALS AQUISITION - CARD CHOICES

Agendas - with a Punitive Counterstrike plan we want to run 3-pointers. Both choices give us something if the runner steals them or we score them.

Assets - Regolith Mining License and Roughneck Repair Squad both gives us the money we need to land the Punitive trace or rez expensive ICE. Reversed Accounts and Clearinghouse both punish the runner for not checking the remote, and both benefit from our upgrade.

Upgrade - La Costa Grid can help bolster scoring out or using our punishing assets.

Operation - Hedge Fund is basic money, Punitive Counterstrike is central to our scoring plan, and Archived Memories allows us to get Punitive back in order to play it a second time.

ICE - Selection here is partly to provide things to advance which triggers our ID, along with ICE that is expensive to break. There is some program trashing that can work towards locking out a runner.

BEHOLD THE GLORY OF YOUR CREATION - FINAL THOUGHTS

Thank you for taking a look at the list! There are lots of tweaks and options you can swap in to fit your style and meta. Perhaps you go further into the trap idea with things like Cerebral Overwriter or Urtica Cipher. Or maybe you manipulate the advancements you're gaining with Trick of Light. If you want to stick with the Punitive Plan, then sticking with 5/3s is the way to go. That frees up lots of slots to build with. Regardless of what you build, Weyland will give you the pieces to rock any runner's foundation.

Take care and see you on the Net!

Xandorius -Xandorius

2 comments
8 Apr 2021 Akira.Chisaka

I still don't quite understand why 3 La Costa Grid.

I'm not quite sure how it helps the plan. Since 9 influence seems like a lot.

Do you just rez it behind a ton of ice. And make it so the runner won't trash it because it's too expensive?

11 Apr 2021 Xandorius

Hello @Akira.Chisaka Thanks for taking a look at the deck! La Costa Grid serves a couple purposes. It can help with scoring agendas a little bit by saving the click and credit. It's kinda handy that way where you can Install-2x Advance a Send a Message, then next turn get a Costa advancement, advance 2x more, then install an ICE that you'll rez with the agenda score.

More importantly though is it lets you get an extra advancement on Clearinghouse and Reversed Accounts. This creates pressure for the runner to interact with your remote and give you scoring windows. If they let you bake Clearninghouse for a few turns, then you can potentially just rez it for a kill. Similarly if Costa adds a few counters to Reversed Accounts, you can pop it to siphon the runner down to 0 and give you a scoring window.

Consider installing Costa and Reversed. After a couple turns the Costa has added a few counters to Reversed. On your turn you can rez/pop Reversed, install agenda, advance. Now you have a decent window and on your next turn you can score that 5/3.