Engineering Repetition - Kalamazoo MI 2/27 SC 1st Place

Standard Foodcoats build, teched towards stopping cutlery. Needs no explanation, save one thing: Accelerated Beta Test was hands down was the MVP on the day. Call it blind luck on 17 ICE, but I fired it in every game I played, and flopped only one agenda into the trash all day. It fired thrice for two ICE, and once for three ICE. The only thing I can say is this: Don't be afraid to take sixty seconds and count at your board state before deciding to fire. As much as we can call it luck, the math supported the decision every time, I was looking for 1 in 3 or better odds that ICE was in R&D and math delivered every time.

Round 1 vs. Max playing Edward Kim -

Despite being highly confident that my deck would deliver an easy win against Eddie Kim and his ops trash power, Max saw both Faust and Wyldside in his opener and did a wonderful job in keeping the exact right tool for the exact right job in his back pocket for most of the game, as well as beating me out on two Psi games to get up 6-2. However, Rainbow over the remote bravely eats a Spooned to protect Turing while I score out GFI, and fresh off a Levy, Ash lets me leverage economic advantage to score out. Elsewhere, Leela accidentally invites Sync to a Seminar that teaches them the power of 24/7 News Cycle. 1-1.

Round 2 vs. Derek playing Security Nexus Andy -

I keep an otherwise suboptimal starting hand because it features my lone Crisium grid. Derek capitalizes by plucking an early 2 points of R&D, but I fire an early Beta Test for an Architect and a Turing to really solidify my board state and follow up with a GFI to take control. However, at this point, Derek has his Security Nexus and 3 Power Taps out, invalidating the Ash that was presumably protecting the remote. However, triple stacked Turings and Architect overwhelm even Peacock and Sec Nexus and Derek ends up one credit short of being able to steal NAPD. Fortunate, since without the additional cost, the 3/2s in my hand would have been indefensible. Elsewhere Leela grits out a tough mill victory against Sync by catching Jackson out of R&D twice. 3-1

Round 3 vs. Matt playing Whizzard -

This game was much closer than the 7-0 score would've indicated. I see no ICE in my starter or my mulligan (or in my first four cards out of R&D) but Matt gets unlucky on his accesses and doesn't see any agendas or many high value assets/upgrades to trash, and after getting settled, the early Beta test fires for a whopping 12 credits worth of ICE while Matt is caught digging for his Faust. I press the advantage topdecking an agenda both times an econ asset is expiring to score out. Elsewhere Leela scores out against NEH. 5-1

Round 4 vs. Hamin playing Whizzard -

My lone corp loss on the day. I misread it as standard Dumblefork, see two agendas in my opener so I elect to put my lone ICE over HQ. On Turn 2 I am made to regret this decision as Keyhole hits the table and quickly snipes me for two agendas. I fire the Beta Test and manage to pull an Architect up over R&D, but Hamin immediately responds with a Mimic next turn and picks up his third agenda. I manage to score GFI and get NAPD installed and advanced in the remote, but a glory Keyhole into R&D gives up the last agenda sealing Hamin's win in about 10 minutes. Elsewhere Leela responds in kind against Blue Sun, scoring 5 points in one turn and topdecking the win three turns later. Round over in 19 minutes. 6-2

Cut Game 1 vs Max on Edward Kim -

A repeat of my Round 1 matchup, my deck delivers a much more convincing execution of it's game plan, only surrendering an NAPD intentionally used to break Max economically so that I can stack Ash and ABT in the server next turn. 7-2 is the game score, and my match score.

Cut Game 2 vs. Zach playing Noise -

Noise's mill and drill gameplan is trying to move up my timetable, but both of us are desperately searching for the right card to play real Netrunner (agendas for me, Faust for him). Facechecking Vikram waiting for Faust costs Zach a brain damage, and facechekcing an Assassin costs him his Scheherazade holding the rest of his rig. Zach becomes wary of challenging HQ and I let agendas pile up in my hand until I can score out, doing so with five cards remaining in R&D. 8-2.