Fibonacci (1st ICC)

A month ago we learnt basic arithmetic, now we're learning about number sequences!

id

I'll be real: my expectations going into ICC'24 were not high. I'd spent the vast majority of the time since APAC either a) in an army camp for military service, b) prepping for a booth I was running for a local convention, or c) handling community engagement requirements as a result of said convention. All of which was amazing and bodes excellently for the future of SEA Netrunner, but in the meantime that tournament isn't gonna win itself...

Not that winning was on my list of priorities, really. After placing 5th and 3rd in ICCs '22 and '23 respectively, my biggest hope was to improve on that placing this year - aka 2nd. Failing that, top half was eligible for the excellent foil Twinning alt art, so 8th I felt was a very achievable goal.

You're now starting to see where the name Fibonacci came from...

ego

In my best approximation of pre-event prep, I went over a quick expected meta snapshot:

• Runner side: Various shapers (in an approximately even split between Kit, Lat, WT Ari). Probably the same % of Esa, trailed by Hosh and crim.

• Corp side: Extrapolating from EMEA demographics, I expected decent representation from the 3 corp factions (in rough order of popularity): HB, Punitive Counterstrike, and Ob.

With that in mind, coupled with the fact that the bracket (but not side selection) was made public pre-deck submission, I made a few somewhat risky calls for my deck choices:

• First up, with the amount of practice I was going to get, I wasn't going to move off my APAC decks Holo Asa and WT Ari. The only possible exception was if my teammate AugustusCaesar managed to convince me to switch to AgInfusion, which ended up not happening. But it was close!

• Ari: Lucky Charm was a meme suggestion from KyraWNY which turned out to work a lot better than expected. It took the Clot slot over the competing Light the Fire!, mostly because I expected to have to play vs Ob and Charm beats Border Control very cleanly while retaining value as LilyPAD fodder in matchups where it's not needed.

• Similarly, Clot was the cut over Cupellation from my APAC list, even though I expected a non-zero amount of Sportsmetal and Audacity. I felt that given my opening quadrant it was more important to be able to snipe cards like MAD, EOTL, and Punitive out of HQ. Ideally all the FA would get preyed upon by the rest of the Shaper contingent and I'd be able to get away with it!

• Ika was the final addition as a backup Archer/Anansi solution, which came in clutch on multiple games on the day. May or may not have been inspired by a particularly spooky deck in a snake draft I'm currently playing in...

• Asa: Much simpler. I expected a lot less crim, meaning that my number one reason for slotting Mavirus was no longer an issue. I ended up turning it into another pressure asset rather than the second Tatu-Bola, just to increase the number of Busted Asa Openings I had access to. The drawback was being a lot softer to Clot and Pelangi (lol), but Lat not being on Miss Bones gave me enough confidence in being able to shave percentage points in that matchup.

• Restore is an excellent answer to people Pinhole Threading Holo Men, and specifically the ability to Restore>Holo>Advance an OffOff post-Pinhole forces runners to do what you want them to do, which is to engage with your strong remote gameplay directly rather than Pinhole problem cards and continue beating up your poor defenceless centrals.

superego

Netrunner is amazing. I’m constantly reminded of lucky I am to have been given the chance to participate and contribute to such an incredible community, and I consider it a responsibility to replicate that experience for as many people as I possibly can. So to everyone who’s bothered to read this far, thank you for being a part of this space that we’ve created together, and keep doing whatever it is you’re doing! Netrunner wouldn’t be the same without you, and I genuinely look forward to meeting so many of you at Worlds.

Onto more specific shoutouts:

Kror and the rest of NSG OP: I’ve played in lots of events by this point, but this Continentals season felt particularly special, and your efforts are a huge part as to why. Here’s to Worlds and 2025 being as great!

TAIB: The other big reason for this season being as amazing as it was. There’s still so far we can go together.

The SG crew: Y’all know what you did. Thanks for keeping me sane.

And last but not least, everyone last night who joined in to cheer me on and keep me alert and hydrated through the long hours. Council, kysra, larrea, utati, nbk, monde, all my opponents, and everyone else in the Twitch chat: you're all amazing, and I strive to be worthy of your friendship and support.

Worlds, of course, is the next major event on the horizon - meatspace SG Nats coming sometime in November, if anyone wants to make the trip - so this seems like a good time to pump the brakes a little and get my life back in order after the mess that June made of it. But October's going to be hella exciting, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen! So with that in mind, for the time being-

SHAABR friendos

Jai out