Project CROW 5

Welcome to the fifth iteration of the Project CROW mini-campaign for beginners familiar with System Gateway and System Update 2021. It consists of a set of duel decks that are upgraded over three stages. We start at the first stage mainly with cards from System Gateway + System Update 2021, but introduce a few key cards from the Standard pool (see here for further information on the tournament formats Startup and Standard). At stage 2, we open up the card pool to the Startup format, but also add some more necessary Standard cards to teach some further elements. Stage 3 are the two decks Frog off, Keeling! and Calibrating...TUCANA! that @percomis and myself brought to the 2023 EMEA Continentals placing 16th and 30th respectively (out of a total of 145 players).

New cards

We now include some more cards from the entirety of Null Signals history (also called the Neo format) as well as some classic Shaper cards from Standard:

• Arissana + Ika - While this ID has sparked a lot of convoluted deckbuilding, we went for the minimalist approach. This CROW list is already including all Trojans that we will have in the final competitive list. Your ID allows installing the Pichação very flexibly and also can clicklessly install Ika on a run you're doing anyways. Other than that, you can also use it to install an Self-modifying Code or Pelangi (see next card) during the run when you need it.
• Engolo + Pelangi - One big advantage of this type of Shaper build is that all your breaking needs get covered primarily by Engolo. It allows you to "paint" the ice you encounter for only 2. If you want to save even more money, simply use Pelangi with the same result. You can get into most servers by using these tools instead of "real" breakers. Keep in mind that Engolo costs 2!
• Deep Dive - We replace Conduit for a more definite win condition. With one (or many) extra clicks from Pichação you can easily use Deep Dive to fetch 2 agendas. In a deck full of 2 pointers, touching 4 of them wins you the game. Contest some early scores in the remote. Hit HQ for single accesses or with Legwork and whenever you feel like the game is getting out of control, hit them with the Deep Dive to often end the game on the spot!
• Clot - As the Corp is using fast advance to score out especially their final points, you can use Clot to throw a wrench in their machine. It shines best with instant-speed ways of installing it such as Self-modifying Code or the following card Simulchip. Wait for the Corp to install and advance a card to then take priority before their next action. Use one of these instant-speed install tools to bring a Clot on the table, foiling their score and leaving their agenda ripe for stealing. Be aware that the Corp can use instant-speed purges from Mavirus to get rid of your Clot and score before you get priority to reinstall your Clot! Watch this excellent video by @Sanjay on the timing to use this card.
• Simulchip + Clot - A very versatile tool for all Shapers. Reuse your Self-modifying Code to fetch another program. Juggle around Pichação for some very deep dives. And always keep one around to threaten the instant-speed install of a Clot to make fast advancing a difficult proposition.
• Dr. Nuka Vrolyck - Some more draw to turn this deck into a well-oiled machine
• Environmental Testing - A card that has been looking for a home in a competitive deck since its printing. This deck is capable of installing and reinstalling cards over and over again and often easily reaches the 4 triggers for payout. Always draw first before installing your cheap installables in hope of drawing an Environmental Testing to profit from it!
• Paladin Poemu - This is the grease for your install machine, effectively gaining one credit per turn and an additional credit on every steal, as you will always find ways of using the credits off of it. Be aware that you cannot install Dr. Nuka Vrolyck with it!

Description

With Simulchip and the simple breaking solution of Engolo and Pelangi, we can now very quickly get to a point where we can run with impunity. You will need to watch your credit total closely, as dipping down below 5 means that you cannot use any Sure Gamble that you draw. Dipping below 3 makes your other two money resources hard to install. So be careful with how much pressure you apply and lean back if necessary behind the protection of threatening a Clot install.

Be aware that the Corp is now playing the Stavka + Hafrún combo. This means that whenever a 3-cost card is rezzed, an unrezzed card could be a Stavka hitting two of your programs, while disabling one of your breakers by using Hafrún. Make sure to either have two different solutions to break a Stavka (e.g. an Ika) or have Simulchips at hand to reinstall whatever gets trashed.

Also be aware of a timing quirk with Arissana. When you initiate a run on a server with unrezzed ice on the outside, the timing around when you can use your ID trigger is awkward. The window in which the Corp gets to rez their ice is the "approach ice step". To do so, you technically first pass priority to them and then they get to decide whether to rez ice. The problem here is that if they decide not to, you do not get priority back and move on to the "movement step" as the ice is unrezzed. If you wanted to use Pichação on that ice, your only chance of ensuring to get to do so is by installing it before the Corp makes their rez decision. Of course if they do rez the ice, you still have a lot of time and can install Pichação either on the "approach ice" step or the "encounter ice" step, where you would normally break the subroutines.

Standard meta game considerations

There are quite a few decks out there utilising fast advance strategies, such as Outfit decks with Audacity and Big Deal, HB decks with Biotic Labor and Big Deal and NBN decks with Shipment from Vladisibirsk and SanSan City Grid. Clot is a good way of keeping those outs in check, as long as the Runner is quick enough to otherwise keep up with the Corp.

Furthermore with the rotation of Apocalypse, tech cards like Crisium Grid have become very rare in the meta game, opening up the road towards relatively easy hits with Deep Dive. We therefore switch our win condition to this very powerful one.

Overview lists

These links show you all the necessary cards to build all three stages of the lists and give dedicated in/out lists for each stage transition.

Corp Overview | Runner Overview

Decklists

Corp 1 | Runner 1

Corp 2 | Runner 2

Corp 3 | Runner 3