NEXT best thing v1.1

The deck has undergone a few changes, but is fundamentally the same: Get all the Ice down, score one or two agendas quickly, and win from there. Currently standing at 7-0, although mostly against Shapers. Two wins against criminal, and has yet to play Anarch.

I've dropped to 2 Caduceus, as whilst they are great, I found that linked runners just trundle through them with impunity. Wraparound is in there to slow AIs a bit. I am considering wangling an Inazuma in there, but it is a bit annoying when it comes up in your starting hand. Hive was here for a while, but given the sheer number of times I've scored 4 points in as many turns, it loses its power a little too quickly for my liking.

Gila Hands is great for this deck, as are the Private Contracts. Installing them naked is a handy option that Adonis and Melange don't really give.

The Secretaries are there to occasionally reset their rig. I tried Project Ares for a similar effect, but you had to score far too highly for it to be of any use, I felt.

I'm not having a lot of luck triggering the secretaries, though, so I'm giving some consideration to trying the Haas Arcology AI, a card I have never actually used before.

BREAKDOWN:

ICE: Ice is the alpha and omega of this deck, so this took a bit of getting right. If I'm trying to score an early agenda, I need the runner to be stopped dead, and I need to be able to do so without crippling my early economy. Thus, all the ice has ETR except Janus, and over 2/3 of it costs 3 or less. Thus, if I get either of the economy operations, I should be able to rez at least two bits of ice and still score a 3pt agenda next turn, more or less.

When NEXT silver comes out, it will replace Wall of Static, no questions asked. The sentry suite needs work, but there are very few that end runs cheaply. Draco is a bit too porous.

Wotan, Heimdall and Janus are all potential ABT winners.

Agendas: ABT is a beast in this deck; add another layer to your centrals, start a new remote, whatever. Yes, you will dump an agenda (at least, I usually do) occasionally, but I took JH out of the deck because it didn't happen enough to worry me. Also, this deck can often overscore Vitruvius, so it's not always totally bleak. The Mandatory Upgrades used to be Efficiency Committees, but I kept finding that I wanted to advance cards with the extra clicks. I gave it a shot, and to be honest the MU's were only slightly harder to score than the Committees. If you can score one, then you can score 8 of the remaining 10 agendas out of hand.

OPERATIONS: Get money. Beanstalks used to be GLC, but I never really needed the extra card, but I frequently need the extra credit. I tried Sweeps week, but found it a bit intermittent. The only other operation I think this deck could use is Power Shutdown, but space is so tight.

ASSETS and UPGRADES: Ash, of course is groovy. I wish I could fit a third one in... this is the only change for which I would consider dropping ICE. PCs are more money, chosen because of the higher trash cost. Secretaries are for rig trashing if the runner starts being able to punch through.

HOW I PLAY: Get four bits of ice down by the end of the first turn, with some money, and an agenda behind it. Turn two, score the agenda; ABT for preference. If you think your opponent might take more than 2 turns to set up, then think about MU. If you score that early you'll almost certainly win. Beyond that, keep an eye on your money, as it will be low. I rarely needed to set up more than one remote server, unless ABT made it seem attractive.