Iain's Creepy Sleepover

This deck is surprisingly strong. I've been getting my butt kicked with it.

I love the way you wrote this up... I'm going to give it a spin on Jinteki

Ok, that's about the most ridiculously brilliant deck I've ever seen. I ended the two games I played with under 10 cards in the stack and over 30 credits in my credit pool. Both games won with no programs at all...

If I might make a suggestion, it might be worth it go one or two above 45 and put in just a few more breakers. I lost mine to PE in one game and an ichi in the other before I got the engine going and just managed to beat them anyway.

That could be have value, cut the last slot and go 2x on the breakers. How did Ichi get you? Facecheck? I tend to be very conservative with my runs.

Yeah, Facecheck. I tend to run like an Anarch, which is how I won both games despite having no programs in either one.

I played a deck like this out of Geist for a while, but after the first time I lost 12 cards to a Corporate Town unpreventably trashing my Off-Campus Apartment, I added some Drive-Bys.

Awesome. I also get behind this being tournament friendly, but it is one of my favorite decks of all time. Connections Iain is a goodie, glad to see that there are still some devotees.

Missing the Medium though, and legworks. I love being able to smash face at the right moment.

What percentage of the time would you say you are drawing NACH versus using Logos to get it?

This needs to be decklist of the week! It's interesting, unique, clever, and I am stoked to try it! :D

Best moment playing it so far was a Jinteki player hitting me with ShuKyu in the first turn... getting a ton of free creds for the -1 Agenda Point, then him hitting me with a second... and then tutoring out the Data Dealer and saccing both ShuKyu's for 18 creds.

@striatic I would say I Logos for it most of the time, maybe 60-70%. Depending on the matchup, it is usually the first thing I will grab, just because almost everything else can be had with Hostage. Sometimes I need an Overmind more.

Saw this played in person. It makes an insane amount of cred. I looked over and was like.. whoa.. look at all those phat stacks of cash. When calling in favors for only 8 credits is a weak play for this deck.. yeash. Plus the giant spread of cards you end up with all over your table kinda makes you giggle. A few things I can see may give issue would be PE net damage and Corporate town if you can't get in and trash it fast enough. I always wanted Ian to work but I couldn't make it happen. I'm glad you did it.

I've run this deck eight times with a record of 5-3, with all three losses to Jinteki: Personal Evolution. After the second time I got nailed with a cerebral overwriter (in a single game), I dropped in three Drive By (without removing anything) and they have proven extremely valuable. The one thing I don't really get is why Overmind since this deck has no recursion and only 1 MU from the console. Perhaps because the meta on Jinteki.com involve so much Jinteki:PE, I tend to find myself short a breaker from net damage and stuck with used up Overminds I can't get back. I'll probably drop them and Vamp, and double up the existing breakers instead to pad against the loss to net damage.

@MidgardSerpent You play the Overmind early when it gets 4 counters, and it stays out as your ace in the hole if you need to get into a remote with a death card (like Corporate Town), or you facecheck an ICE that would mess you up. I can't imagine doing this deck without Vamp, or I'd have dropped it for a Deja Vu long ago. But if it's working for you, go with it!

@Dydra Well, looking at your posted decks, you are definitely the expert on publishing lists everyone has seen before, so I'll have to take your word for it! I'm just glad others are finding this one interesting.

For a long time I played a connections Andy deck and saw a lot of success with it. Since the release of Film Critic I've wanted to go back and play it again, but I never considered the fact that Film Critic prevents The Source and New Angeles City Hall from being trashed. Does the inefficient breaker suite work out for you? I splash for 2 Corroders and a single Gordian Blade to make my runs more efficient. I also deal with Caprice Nisei a little differently. I run Unregistered S&W '35. With Rachel Beckman it makes the killing of caprice in RP very doable. run hq run the scoring server they rez Caprice and you lose the psi game shoot Caprice Nisei run scoring server. I like the list might have to try it out.

@HopelessHeretic Yes, I've had great success with the breakers. People always laugh when they see Aurora or Peacock hit the table, but the truth is, those breakers are not terrible, they're just not OPTIMAL. The deck makes so much money you really don't notice the waste. The exception is when you're playing against a glacier deck that capitalizes on efficiency (which as I mentioned above, makes for the hardest matchup). I am not a fan of the S&W because it is so click-intensive, but this deck has lots of time and money so it might work!

Also, Drive By seems to be a popular suggestion, and it could definitely be strong depending on your meta. Locally, it got played a lot when it was released and people tend to pre-rez assets now, so I don't bother packing it.

if I hadn't JUST discovered this, I would have taken it to the SMC finals in Atlanta. I'll tinker around with this though and try to get it moving quickly enough to play in a tournament, because it looks very fun

Very nice list, will try it out, though I am wondering how do you stand up to being Marcus Batty-ed behind any kind of program destruction? Him being on HQ and fired off during your Vamp run might easily end the game...?

Do you find the 2cr from Iain worth not playing Andy? If the combo is this good once set up, it seems you'd prefer the 9-card opener to even more drip.

@sod_timber_wolfYou know, in 50+ games I've never encountered Marcus in HQ, but I agree that would be nasty and a potential game-over. Based on comments here, I'm thinking it would strengthen the deck to go +Drive By / -Sneakdoor, and drop the Decoys for second copies of the breakers (46 card deck).

@jrp The Apartment is amazing, but The Supplier is the more important half and you can tutor for him. I don't feel drawing 4 cards at the start of the game is anywhere near as valuable as the credit drip Iain provides. YMMV.

Like some of the others on here I've seen this out of Andromeda months ago (April/May kind of time) and agree that it makes crazy amounts of cash. The synergy with Film Critic probably makes it more viable now than it was then, but I don't see that you really need to be running Iain Stirling. Andromeda will get you far more consistent starts and the 5 extra influence means you can upgrade your breaker suite to one that's slightly more optimised.

I should add, the version my friend was playing back then was using multiple Tri-Mafs, so it was effectively Opus economy. I haven't played it so I can't comment for sure but it feels like you shouldn't need the money from Iain. Playing Andromeda might reduce the maximum effectiveness of the deck, but I think the average performance will improve and, as the author notes, Iain makes it a really bad fit for tournament play because you're always behind and often time out. Andromeda solves both issues.

This is the best deck description I've read since Can o'Whupass! Really enjoyed it! :)

On a serious note, how often do you find yourself installing all of your contacts? Do you generally ignore the board state until you have the cash to make repeated accesses? Or will you try to steal an advanced agenda in a remote even in the early game, before you've got your rig set up?

I'm also surprised that you went for Helpful AI over something like Dyson Memchips or even Access to Globalsec. I get that you can use a Hostage to tutor the AI and turn on your Underworld Contacts when you need them, but the influence you'd save could be used on so much cool stuff - maybe a Corroder to replace the awful Aurora, or an RDI or Maker's Eye.

@manveruppdThank you! Most games I go through the entire deck, so I usually have all three Contacts installed.

You can't totally ignore the board state early, and that's why Overmind is included. Sometimes early or mid game you NEED to get into a server to disrupt something. If they make it super easy to steal something, I will oblige; Data Dealer is in here for just that reason. But generally I want anyone except Weyland to be at 4-5 points before I start to move.

I have been wavering on the Helpful AI for a long time because I want to add a Deja Vu so badly, but I've never made the change. If only Globalsec was a connection!

I don't think Aurora is so awful. It is definitely inferior to Corroder, but with E3 you are usually talking a difference of 1-2 credits. Curtain Wall is actually cheaper with it! So for me, the influence would definitely go into some recursion rather than out-of-faction breakers. Five extra influence is actually the strongest argument for Andromeda, in my opinion.

AkAnderson's Valencia version of this deck is much stronger, in my opinion.

netrunnerdb.com

He has the exact same obscene combo (Film Critic + The Source + New Angeles City Hall), but with Blackmail recursion as an infinitely more reliable scoring-window eliminator. It has Déjà Vus and Tropes for tons of recursion, as well as a full breaker suite and Pancakes/Wyldside/Faust with a Medium if someone removes your bad pub or is wasting Blackmails with Ash 2X3ZB9CY or Caprice Nisei.

Has the same problem of running games too long, and probably is slightly less consistent because it's Valencia, but otherwise looks like a much smoother ride.

@Bigguyforyou518I have to admit I'm confused... that deck shares a total of four cards in common with this one. I wouldn't call it a "version" of this deck in any way. They both utilize Film Critic to sidestep Source/NACH but it's not like either of us invented that combo. The decks appear entirely dissimilar to me.

I enjoyed the write up. FYI - You reference The Source as "her" more than once. The Source is actually the gentleman on right "whispering all those secrets" into her ear. Hence he's The Source.

That person is Tommy Haas, Director Haas' son. He's also the person on Hostage ransoming HIMSELF back to his mom. LOL! (That's why his fingers are crossed in that card image) I'm a big fan of theme / mythos in this game. Thought you'd like to know. =)

@lroach2 That's interesting! I always thought The Source was Smoke, but it makes much more sense that Thomas is HER "source". You learn something new every day!

You have lots of creds. I know that Overmind is good but... why not try to get in old expensive.... Cripsis? at least one of 2. Cripsis is expensive and slow. But you have all the creds you want and even the time.

Let's just add (it seems like people haven't brought it up yet) how Elizabeth Mills can be the worst party pooper, like, ever.

It's an awesome deck, and really fun description, anyhows! I really enjoy it how the Netrunner community has taken up as its kind-of-a goal to compete not just with the power level of a deck, but with theme, style and write up as well. It really marks NR from the rest.

@Crauseon Elizabeth Mills isn't usually a problem because you can Fall Guy whatever she targets, and she trashes herself. Same goes for Contract Killer. People have brought up Corporate Town as more of a concern because it's "unpreventable".

@CapApI hear you on Andromeda, that 5 extra influence would make a huge difference, get you your clone chip, a Corroder, and even a Zu to replace Peacock. The most tempting include might be a Levy so you can cycle back trashed Fall Guys/NACH/etc. Debatable whether you'd ever get to use it though, I used to run drip Andy/Ian (tried both) several months ago and it's EXTREMELY slow. With Andy not gaining Ian's 2cr/turn to help set up her rig, she might actually be even slower.

Congrats on getting featured and thanks for listing my decklist as an inspiration! I'll definitely try out your variation sometime. I've included a lot of the same cards from recent packs in my current version as well. I've yet to try out Rachel with New Angeles, but I can see that being good against RP, which i have trouble with.

This is one of those ridiculous decks that you just have to love. I'll have to try it out online.

@CapAp Marvelous deck, but I'm slightly confused as to how Film Critic negates trashing The Source?

FC says that the agenda is no longer being accessed and is uninstalled, but it also states that you can spend click click to "add an agenda hosted on Film Critic to your scoring area".

By the nature of adding the agenda to your scoring area, are you not scoring it? Thus firing the trash instruction on The Source?

If it is indeed a legal loophole, then I think that the Corp would be justified in saying that if you are not "scoring" the agenda, then you don't get the points for it..... just a thought.

@CapAp Forgive my fried brain - the Corp scores agendas... not the runner.

Goodnight :-/

Chronos Protocol: Selective Mind-mapping + Neural EMP will mop the floor with this.

-1 The Source -1 Rachel Beckman +1 Levy AR Lab Access

...and it's lot less to think for old men. ;)

It's a good thing nobody runs Hellion Alpha Test. Putting a resource on the top of your deck can't be protected against by trash prevention. Beat that trace or a frenzied robot beast mauls everyone in your party leaving you nothing but a bloody apartment the next morning.

@Bigguyforyou518 Hey, thanks for the shoutout!

@CapAp I kinda did something like this before I did it with Val. It was with Andy and went something like this: netrunnerdb.com

I found that Andy was a little too slow and even when I got everything up and running, I was too far behind. I know mine is a lot more in on the 'Combo' than yours appears to be but it still looks like it might be a step behind. I'm glad we both dig the same cards though, hopefully your games go better than mine went.

Seems like Andy is a stronger basis for this deck, given that you get stronger mulligans and also more influence to build a decent breaker suite. You can even include Street Peddler, who is ridiculous good.

netrunnerdb.com

@MidgardSerpent I dunno, I think it would be the same situation as Snatch and Grab. You always have so much money that trace cards never look like a worthwhile play to the Corp. The "runner has to pay first" thing from Data and Destiny would change that, I guess.

@Crashdown Chronos Protocol is actually weaker than either RP or PE against this deck. You just draw on the early clicks and play out your programs when you get them (as against PE). Everything else you can really afford to lose. CP doesn't have the sustainable damage output that PE has.

Having played my own variant of Supplier Iain with a lot more econ cards in, how do you get consistent money, at least early? Sure you're netting 7c/turn clickless once you're fully set up - but that's quite a way in, and assuming the corp is obliging enough to score (I played one very mean RP deck that simply left their agendas on the table with 4-5 advancement counters on, alongside the failed traps). Against NEH you what, Logos out The Source early sure, but that only turns the AstroTrain into a never-advance play. Do you have time to check everything? And what's your SEA-Scorch protection that early? Or do you spend the first few turns doing a lot of clicking for credits?

@lmm You don't, you just sit there with no cash! This deck doesn't work against anything that does anything quickly.

``@lmm` you're not going to run anything early, and you hardly need any money to play your cards. You do sometimes have to click for creds to get Logos into play, but you can tutor Kati or Tri-Maf early if you can tell the corp wants to turtle.

@tbigfish I think the very first comment on your Andy "version" of this deck shows that you don't actually spend much time thinking about deck construction before making statements, so I'll just let your ignorance speak for itself.

@CapAp It's not when the corp wants to turtle I'm worried about, it's a fast NEH-type deck where they're astrotraining and/or scoring behind single ICE. I've published my deck for comparison ( netrunnerdb.com ) and even pre-Drug Dealer I found I would struggle to have the 4 credits to install Overmind early, never mind using it. Admittedly I haven't tried Tri-Maf, but I ran Symmetrical Visage at one stage and it didn't seem to do much.

@lmm Well, rush decks get ahead and trigger Iain almost immediately. I've had issues with getting Overmind into hand promptly, but not with having the money to play it. NEH can score 2-3 times before you even need to play defense, and you use all that time setting up. I honestly have found rush to be one of the easier matchups with the deck, but you might try a couple of Inside Jobs if single servers are giving you trouble.

@CapAp Great job making it personal. I'll be going then.

LOVE the write up. and LOVE this deck. I'm still trying to get the hang of that intuition you're talking about when it comes to knowing what cards to retrieve and when. A hard recurring choice keeps popping up that I hope you can help with. If you don't have a Supplier or off-campus in your opening hand, when that first hostage shows up, how often do you fetch Mr. Li?

@ADHiDef Thanks for the kind words! With neither Supplier nor Off-Campus after a mulligan, I might Hostage for Mr Li but it's more likely I would just go straight for The Supplier. I know it feels like a waste to use a tutor for a 3-of, but Supplier will let you move cards through your hand even if you don't have any money coming in. Nothing sucks worse with this deck than drawing cards and having to click-for-credits to play them.

However, if you have the early econ to play what you are drawing (maybe you had Tri-Maf or Kati in opener, or Corp scored fast), then Mr Li is a great choice and will usually get you into Supplier quickly anyway.

Hi, I was wondering if it would make a huge difference if I took out Vamp and replaced it with something else? Also, I'm new lol

Thank you for this fun deck which I am currently testing during casual play! I like it very much and surprises my opponents.

I would like to ask how to deal with Aggressive Secretary and Cerebral Overwriter.

At the beginning of the game I agree that it does not matter if I see an advanced card: the corp will score it and I would get the 2 credits. But in the mid game, if the Corp has already 4 points and I am not yet fully equipped to establish R&D lock for agendas and ambushes and to have checked all the Corp's hand, it happens that the Corp advances a card in a server and I MUST run there to check... finding myself in front of the secretary or the overwriter. Today I lost the only fracter against a secretary and I obviously lost the game against the Wraparounds (I managed to femme one of them but I had to pay each time 7 credits+1 token with the Overmind for the other one).

Even if I manage to establish soon R&D lock and check the entire Corp's hand, it may be that in the very early game against NBN a card is installed and it receives a lot of advancements. It may be a Project Beale and thus sooner or later I have to run, but it may be the secretary or the overwriter and I may lose my rig or my brain. With a more traditional runner I would run after the first couple of advancements and get a maximum of two brain damages, but with this deck I cannot afford to lose cards. Today it happened twice: once I did not run and it was a Beale and the Corp scored 6 agenda points (a Breaking News ended later the game)! The second time it was an overwriter and luckily I did not run...

I understand that it is not common in the current tournaments' meta to see ambushes, especially out-of-faction in NBN. But it may happen in casual games and, as soon as the Corp realizes the weak spot of this deck, it will start the beale-or-ambush game. Do you have any suggestion, apart from trying to be full rigged as son as possible?

A single Lemuria Codecracker is a solid influence free response to this type of play. You can also siphon them to 0 to prevent any ambushes from being fired.

Thank you very much, I will try the Lemuria in my next games!