Scamshop - 1st at Euros

This is the 419 deck that I took to Euros. It went 9-1, and was definitely the stronger of my two decks.

I'm normally a die hard Shaper player, but since Tapwrm got restricted, I was having a hard time making Smoke work, suffering more losses than I wanted to CTM, Argus and a number of other kill lists, while not having crushing matchups against some of the glaciery lists I previously did. This deck retains the inevitability of a good Shaper, while bringing a different kind of utility.

I think 419's ability was underestimated by some when spoiled, but offers nice/subtle pressure against the Corp. In those games where they hide everything, you effectively have a reverse Etf ability, costing them a credit for the first install every turn, which is huge. If they show you ice, you can plan your runs a lot more effectively - try it for yourself, and see how much difference that extra knowledge makes. If they show you what's in the remote, you may save yourself a wasted run on an NGO front or a facedown. The expose also synergises with Aumakua, which gains a virus token for every expose, and with Zamba, which isn't in this deck but is a perfectly reasonable console for 419.

Security Nexus combines with Powertaps and Citadel to provide a free bypass on any ice you choose in the lategame. Citadel and Rogue Trading combine to allow you to take money off Rogue Trading without clearing the tag manually, and if you have Powertap installed, you actually make money clearing the tag at the end of your turn. With Powertaps and Citadel installed, initiating a Nexus trace and then failing it, taking a tag, is entirely feasible, allowing you to bring in money for the Nexus trace, and then more money with Citadel. The lategame capabilities of the deck are monstrous, but there's a certain setup time to all of this, giving the corp a window to stretch you thin.

Some card choices: 3 Citadel, 3 Rogue Trading, 3 Powertaps, 2 Security Nexus: all part of the lategame setup. Since these cards aren't great by themselves, and become significantly better when you have two of them installed, running the full 3 copies is best, except for Nexus, which is too expensive influence wise.

Falsified Credentials, Deuces Wild: it may seem odd to lump them together, but these cards give you the ability to proactively expose things to feed your Aumakua, for games where successful runs are not easy to obtain. Deuces provides some extra draw to a deck that struggles for draw, and Falsified Credentials is Sure Gamble 4-6 if you guess correctly, which is easier to do than you might think. It also provides some protection against Mushin decks, which I didn't encounter at Euros, but which always exist in some number.

Credit Kiting: allows you to install your big lumbering pieces for free, and the tag can be removed by Citadel. My uncertainty is shown in only having the 1 copy, as it is effectively a 3 card combo to use it ideally (Credit Kiting, Citadel, and Femme or Nexus). It feels huge when you land it, though.

Corporate Grant: This was even better than I expected, and I already had high expectations. Combined with the ID ability, the drip denial can be a serious inconvenience for the Corp, and popping Scarcity of Resources is a must, given how many resources this deck relies on. If I was taking part again, I'd definitely find a way to add the 3rd copy.

Film Critic: Feels a bit lonely as a 1x, but I only really missed it in one game. Techs against Lakshmi and Obokata, and helps against City Works Project, Punitive kills, Hunter Seeker, and anything running SSL Endorsement. A meta call, could be Employee Strike instead, but I already like Corporate Grant.

3 Turning Wheels, The Source. Turning Wheel is one of the best runner cards in the game at the moment, but having 3 is unusual. The matchup I was most afraid of in testing was Titan, which is often too quick for this deck; I also think the CI Combo I faced in the final falls into a similar category. 3 Turning Wheel gives you the best chance of seeing one early, as it's the only way you can go deep enough to have a chance of winning. The Source slows down Titan significantly, demanding an extra fast advance piece before they can score, and in combination with Film Critic, even lets you still run and host agendas without popping it. Since I didn't face any Titan at Euros, The Source wasn't called upon to do any of that, though it did win me a game against Aginfusion, who had a brief window to push Nisei, and had it delayed by one crucial turn, allowing me to break in and take it. Note: going forward, this deck will obviously need to find slots for Diversion of Funds, and I think cutting the Source and 1 Turning Wheel may be a good place to start. The extra hq pressure and credit swing should be enough to slow down Titan, and especially any CI deck trying to combo.

Inside Job: It seems ridiculous to call it a tech slot, given that Inside Job is such an iconic criminal card. It came into the deck late, and turned around more than one game, because people didn't really play around it, instead respecting Maxwell.

3 Aumakua, 1 Femme, 1 Abagnale: Turtle is your primary breaker here, and you want to see it as early as possible. The deck previously contained Hunting Grounds to mitigate on-encounter tags from the ubiquitous IP Block, but in general you don't care about them due to Citadel. The Femme gives you an extra bypass in games where the Corp is serious about trying to lock you out, and Abagnale prevents things like Enigma and Hortum from denying access when you have no Turtle tokens. The Abagnale may be cuttable, as having a fracter may actually be more useful, despite the terrible choice of fracters in the Criminal faction. My one loss of the event was against an Azmari deck that found 2 Wraparounds very early on. This used to be two Femmes, which may be more useful against a Skorp meta, especially all-barrier Skorp, but seeing Femme in your opening hand is pretty depressing, and in general I didn't miss the second copy.

I faced a variety of Corp Archetypes; CTM, Kill CI, Moons CI, Skorp, Aginfusion, Argus, Azmari. I think 419 is very good against any deck trying to kill you, and against most NBN lists unless they avoid using tagging ice altogether. The feared matchup of Titan didn't arise, which was lucky.

Overall thanks to everyone who attended, big thanks to the organisers, and expect to see a lot more Crim in the meta with pack 6. Happy running!