[Standard 23.03] Chief Slee + Trieste + Fatuma Kill Combo

james123lui 209

"This is f*ckery."

Cheesy combo deck. Watch as the runner faceplants into Trieste-enhanced bioroids, their entire rig unresponsive, losing clicks and eventually dies from Chief Slee.

Preconditions:

  1. Runner runs into an un-click-able bioroid: Fairchild or Loki with Fairchild 3.0 rezzed and targetable.
  2. Chief Slee and Trieste Model Bioroids protected by Hákarl 1.0 (or Loki with another unrezzed Trieste); Warden Fatuma installed.
  3. Runner has 5 max hand size, 4 even better.
  4. Corp has minimum 18 credits (sufficient to rez 1 (Fatuma) + 6 (Loki) + 2 (Trieste) + 2 (Slee) + 5 (Hakarl) + 2 (re-rez Trieste), more expensive for Fairchild)

Kill with FC2

Kill with Loki

An anecdote (Loki version):

Runner's turn:

Runner runs first click into Loki. Rez Loki.

Rez Trieste Model Bioroids targeting Loki.

Rez Warden Fatuma to give bioroids 1 extra subroutine.

Rez Chief Slee.

Have Loki copy the 1+3 subroutines from a rezzed Fairchild 3.0 (+1 sub from Warden), resulting in a 1+1+3+1=6-subroutine unbreakable behemoth (Loki is a bioroid, so it gets another sub from Warden). Runner loses 2 clicks, takes 1 core damage and ends the run not wanting to empty the hand against the 6-counter Slee.

Without Pinhole Threading, runner runs Chief Slee last click trying to remove it, but she is protected by Hákarl 1.0.

Rez Hákarl to derez Trieste Model Bioroids, in the same timing window re-rez Trieste to target Hákarl, making it completely unbreakable.

Runner takes 1 core damage from Hákarl, Chief Slee gains 3 more counters.

Corp's turn:

Receive mean messages from the runner. Pop Chief Slee. Runner is flatlined.

Playing it out

Opening hand: money, just money. 2 ICE, 1 money-making asset and Hedge Fund is the dream. Don't think about setting up the kill until turn 7-8.

Early game (turns 1-5): Draw aggressively while fending off runner pressure. Go wide with one-tall remotes using Asa's ability. Jam Nico/Rashida behind ICE that ends the run, as they are crucial to our board development. Save up Hakarls for double install with Trieste/Slee but don't rez them until the combo is complete. Luminal is the only agenda to score early. Use Malia and MCAs to bait out Pinhole Threadings, while occasionally blanking Miss Bones, Liberated Account or The Class Act.

Mid game (turns 6-10): Fully Operational to boost the economy, ideally 10+ credits per pop. Spin Doctor's priority is Fully Operational, trashed Trieste and agendas. It's OK to miss Asa triggers in favour of saving up and reusing rezzed ICE (that are good). Ice Wall should now house only Warden/Spin Doctor for Fully Operational purposes. Consider feeding 1 Send a Message to rez FC/FC3/Loki to generate threat and prepare for the combo. Trieste can be rezzed targeting FC3 to soften them up with 1 core or for Apocalypse/Chastushka protection, but be frugal and don't reveal too much.

Late game (turns 11+): Have enough credits (16+) for the full combo. Have 1-2 Trieste waiting in ambush. Get Slee well rested and ready to clean up. Bait runs behind Loki/FC + 1 outer ICE with install-advance-advance agendas to avoid Inside Jobs. Typically you get only one shot at the combo. Win or have the combo dismantled next turn. If the combo cannot land, e.g. due to damage prevention, one can pivot into scoring behind an unbreakable Loki instead, though again time is limited given we only have 3 Trieste and 3 Hakarls to redirect.

Other notes

One-run-full-charge of Chief Slee is possible with Loki getting double Warden's subroutines (one copied, one from self) in addition to copying a Fairchild 3.0. Warden Fatuma and Wetwork Refit on a Fairchild 2.0/3.0 also gives it 5 subroutines that can fire all at once. This generate much stronger pressure for the runner to run Slee, but is harder to pull off.

1.0 bioroids other than Hákarl are poor Trieste targets, as the runner tends to just spend all their clicks, generating fewer counters on Chief Slee and lowering their willingness (and clicks) to faceplant to defuse the Chief's threat.

Warden Fatuma's ability is not properly implemented on jnet, so sometimes it's difficult to communicate that to the runner already frustrated by their disabled rig.

Runners are usually unprepared for multiple unrezzed Triestes on the board simultaneously. So even if the runner identified the combo pieces you could pull out a win if you have fallback plans with the combo (i.e. 20+ credits and a Trieste-train). They could easily run out of clicks to contest all the assets at once due to MCA or Fatuma's ability.

Counterplays:

  1. Knowing about the deck. (It's cheese after all.)
  2. Pinhole Threading.
  3. Damage prevention, e.g. On the Lam, No One Home, Citadel Sanctuary, Caldera to a lesser extent (need to get the core damage in earlier)
  4. Dismantling/checking remotes early.
  5. Keeping the Corp poor.
  6. Bypasses (you still get Slee counters but they make Slee herself vulnerable).
  7. Don't panic into Chief Slee's remote.

These are more or less related. By forcing corp to rez ICE to defend remotes they become poor. Pinhole threading is very effective at dismantling remotes and the rezzed Chief Slee, though there may be too many targets to check all at once if the corp goes wide enough.

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