HB EtF - Core Only

Like many newbies after a couple of months of playing online and with a friend, I decide it was time to find a local store championship to test out my skill. Feeling very nervous at first as only had a single core set and not really sure what to expect but it turned out great as many before me has stated in a many forums that the core set really has a lot of good cards.

Firstly let talk about the deck and please fell free to advice/comment as my selections are due to my current limited card pool (1 core set only), knowledge and experience.

Corporate: HB ETF

Why did I built this deck? Well after playing testing all 4 Corporate factions in the core set, HB was the only faction I felt I could build a pretty wall of ICE and have a scoring chance providing econ was on my side to compete in a tournament. The idea behind it was simple build a remote server with a wall of ICE - inspired by many decks on the Internet.

Strengths: Easy for a newbie to pick and understand, can't really misplay. Very direct, get econ and ICE up to limited access fast and score out quick. I would suggest virtually always mulligan if no econ card to begin with.

Weakness: Some very high cost ICE to rez as seen in my Round 1 Game 1 - lose the econ and you are done for. ABT - this is a double edge sword as seen in my Round 3 Game 2 - if you reveal 3 ICE great then likely to continue scoring agenda, else if agenda you are in trouble defending archives.

Card Selection: Keep the econ coming with Adonis Campaign, Pad Campaign, Melange Mining if desperate or lucky enough to rez. Direct income from Hedge fund and Beanstalk Royalties. Click economy with Shipment selection. In fact as per my Round 3 Game 2 needed both SfM to get a head start and finishing with SfK to score out the last agenda. Situational I know but what your opponent mouth drop when you turn that SfK to help score when then thought they did enough to make you broke. Archived Memories - needed for either econ or desperately getting back an agenda after ABT ICE - pretty standard , try to use ones which has end turn. Data Raven, the tag is important if you can score out a Private Security Force and makes opponent wonder if you have a scorched.

Netrunner Spring 2016 Store Tournament Report

Date: 21st may 2016
Venue: TheHobbitHole - Chatteris Format: Swiss rounds 3

My runner deck can be found <https://netrunnerdb.com/en/decklist/35409/criminal-gabriel-core-only>

Round 1 Game 1: HB ETF vs Kate (Lose, 0pt) Very slow start, pretty much agenda bomb had 3 agendas in my hand most of the time and lost pretty quick apart from scoring an early agenda. Unable to tags and the runner keep trashing my Adonis Campaign to keep me poor. Agenda 2-7

Round 1 Game 2: Gabriel VS NEH (Modified Win, 1pt) This was pressure game, running like criminal does, early and hard on HQ, scored a couple of points and then the Corp rallied. Agenda was 2-3 when time was called just after he installed an agenda into server leaving me with one last hoorah run. First click, Account Siphon to make Corp poor and not enough to rez next runs set of ICEs and then to take further tag on Data Raven to score additional 2 pt agenda for the modified 1 points win and leaving opponent with 0.

Agenda 4-3

End of Round 1 Score: 1pt

Round 2 Game 1: HB ETF vs Noise (Win, 2pts) This is a very quick game. I opened scoring a Private Security Force on an open server on turn as runner was only interested in milling R&D into archives and upping the virus counters with incubator and medium. He was that confident he even float tags without batting an eye lid even when running on R&D against my Data Raven. He went 6-2 up in no time and with pressure on I had to change tactic. Firstly waste a turn to purge virus and then another turn do a 3-click meat damage with my scored Private Security Force to help reduce his attack options as he was breaking with Faust. He didn't care as he had worse (Anarch = I Had Worse) and was gaining 3 cards when I was doing meat damage, but eventually slip up when he was too eager and left with 2 cards in hand after missing a 4 card medium dig. PSF killed with 3 click meat damage.

Agenda 2-6 but Runner flatlined

Round 2 Game 2: Gabriel vs NEH (Modified Win, 1pt) A very fast start from Corp in getting Breaking News for the single point lead and then ambushing me with News Team for -1 agenda. I had to keep the Corp poor as he was quick with remote servers and asset. AS to the rescue. With the econ battle in my favour I could risk both snares and ghost branch then using crash space to pay for tags and finally finding desperado and data dealer to get rid of 2 News Team which was turning point and went on to win the game on 5-2 after time was called.

Agenda 5-2

End of Round 2 Score: 4pts

Round 3 Game 1: Gabriel vs Replicating Perfection (Win, 2pts) Feeling more at home and relaxed the cards just seem to come at the right time. The corp had an agenda rush and no econ as I AS and then constant run on HQ with Desperado together with a open server explosion agenda to finish quick.

Agenda 8-0

Round 3 Game 2: HB ETF vs Kate (Win, 2pts) With confidence up, I knew I was in with a chance of top to two. Brilliant first hand with Shipment for Mirrormorph to install 3 ICE, Adonis Campaigning and Hedge Funds. 10 credits and runner was slow to setup leaving lots of earlier opportunities - when 4-0 up then played for ABT which could have been a costly move; sending 2 agenda into archives. I could only protect with Tollboth at the time and later spend the next few turns bulking up archives but was too late. Runner soon caught up to 6-5. But as he went for the finish he hit an Ichi with no sentry breakers. Next turn install ABT, but I was limited in money down to 7 with 2 unrezzed ice Engina and Rototurret. The runner was clever forcing me to use my money even if he couldn't in. Luckily I had a Pad Campaign already rezzed and 2 shipment from kaaguya in hand to score out.

Agenda 7-5

End of Round 3 Score: 8pts