Suboptimal Awakening Center for the Mentally Ungifted

teky 83

My new experiment, it's having awesome results online (I guess against other casual decks obviously), but it's a deck intended just for fun purposes.

It has accomplished something very rare, 2 concedes in the same day (I've played around 6 or 7 games so it's a high % of quits!), and I'm not saying rage quits, I'm saying Concedes, people admitting they can't do much more against the deck, one of those matches I was losing 0-5 from turn 3 and managed to put it in a stall situation for ther runner.

The idea:

  • Try to use Awakening Center! Mostly is just a dissuasive maneuver, the runner, making any scoring remote 1 ice deeper for really a little money :)
  • Trigger one or two ABT if early enough.
  • Make a totally unbeatable scoring remote and score your way to victory, old school baby!
  • Be very wise to catch the scoring windows, even generate them at the expense of an NAPD.

Cards Breakdown:

ICE:

  • A lot of bioroids OF COURSE.
  • Howler, which is intended for use on the remote as a cheap way to stop a run (show a Janus or a Heimdall or even an Ichi 2 or Victor). The intention is 100% provoke a jack-out.
  • Archer of course to use with Domestic or Toybox.
  • Architect mainly in R&D, triggering your ID in the runner's turn is totally awesome.

Agendas:

  • You will want to trigger ABT most of the times, at least the first one. If you are risky enough you can drop one naked trying to pass it as an econ asset, sometimes you will want to even use a Vitruvius or NADP as bait to get the scoring window for an ABT and then trigger it. Most times you will want to send any Tested ICE to the scoring remote.

  • You should try to score 1 domestic OOH for Archer or closing the game. The other one can be used as bait by installing and advancing once or twice trying to make the runner spend money. Any way it's a Win-Win situation for the corp.

  • You could considering trying to overadvance a vitruvius if you want to lure the runner to run it and spend enought to open a window for Project Wotan.
  • NAPD it's self explanatory here.
  • Wotan is the correct choice here because of the high bioroid density and the chance of getting them already rezzed with Efficiency, ABT or Toybox. Use the token wisely to open scoring windows.

Assets:

  • Toybox: This card is awesome, don't be afraid of using it 2 or 3 times to arm up the scoring remote. Any ICE with a cost of 8 and above are good targets (Archer too). Maybe consider saving 1 archer as a surprise factor. Also it's 4 trash cost makes it wonderful for getting Soring Windows. I usually play it in the scoring remote itself, or naked if early enough and the runner didn't get solid early econ.
  • Refinery: Another lovely card, it's a trap, an econ asset and potentially an agenda in the same card. Pretty obvious play, put in the scoring remote and advance once or twice, ir the runner goes in try to time you ices and wotan counters to let him enter at 1 cred (won't be able to trash). Even if they do trash it, you have your Window served. Don't hesitate to install it with Architect ;)
  • Jackson: Pretty self explanatory.

Upgrades:

  • Ash: Besides the obvious function of Ash here, it's completely awesome how well it comboes with Awakening Center. If you are up in the money race you can host more than 1 ICE in Awakening so you show one the first time (when you activate ash) and if they trash it you still have the Center ready for another run! also, most times the ice from Awakening itself will finishing draining the money so the runner can't even trash it.

  • Awakening Center: The jewel of the deck, the main purpose I'm even trying to play an HB (my less favourite corp). Use it alone or with Ash, mainly in the scoring remote but could be in a central if you are getting to much pressure. Consider it as one more layer of ICE for very cheap, the difference between the runner stealing the agenda or you scoring it next turn. It also has a terrible psycological effect on the runner.

Operations:

  • BER: Pretty obvious in this setup.
  • Burst Econ: Good old Hedge Fund and Sweeps weeks if you are in a tight situation.

Possible problems:

  • Emergency Shutdowns, Account Siphons.
  • Big decksize makes difficult to get the burst econ.

Tips:

  • If you get lots of ICE don't be scared of having several turns of install-cred-cred, always consider how the rival is playing, if he's setting up (non aggresive) take the opportunity to install and click for creds until you arm up a good amount, then tempt the runner with a GRNDL or rezzing a Toybox that they will fell it MUST be destroyed ("The Melange Effect").
  • Time well your rezzes, most ICE is expensive, cash should be reserved for Ash or rezzing on the Scoring Remote.

Changes I'm considering:

  • Try to make room for 2 Login Protocols to expand the Click Compression idea.
  • Maybe I'm running too many Destroyers (6 right now).

Hope you enjoy it!

2 comments
28 Nov 2014 Doragunov

I've been wanting to use Awakening Centre for the longest time as a avid HB player, can you tell me how effective its been in your games?

28 Nov 2014 teky

@Doragunov Using approximate numbers:

  • Games with the deck (old and new vers): Around 8/9 (I used a smaller version with only 2 AC)
  • Times I've deployed AC: 3 or 4.
  • Times I've actually used an ICE from AC: 2 or 3.
  • Times I've managed to use the same AC more than once: 1 (with Ash helping).

So far, everytime I've pulled an ICE from AC was in fact useful. Other times I ended up winning but with the ICE on AC still unrezzed I feel part of the runner's choice to not even trying to run the remote was because of the presence of the AC.

It's REALLY persuasive to have a 3 ICE deep server with a rezzed heimdall or Archer, 15 creds AND an AC with one or two ices in there...