[Startup] Moonmorph

After playing a lot of Mirrormorph late in the Ashes Startup era during Midnight Sun spoiler season, I tried to theory craft out an update to the deck... Sadly I couldn't think of much to add. Worse, Pinhole Threading could easily trash Cold Site Server, or Ganked! before running the remote, completely undermining one of the core pillars of that deck...

My thinking completely shifted, once I saw the NISEI article spoiling Moon Pool! My original plan was to create an asset spam Jinteki PE fast advance deck with Moon Pool (with Prana and Bladderwort to help afford Biotic Labors and Moon Pool). But with more tools in HB and the new 2/1 agenda, I realized it would probably much easier to export Moon Pool into another faction. Since I played a lot of MirrorMorph: Endless Iteration... why not give it a try?

Agenda flood is the solution

We have the two classics from previous MM fast advance (FA) decks: Biotic Labor and Bass CH1R180G4 to score agendas from hand. Now with plenty of draw to trigger our ID ability, Calvin and Spin Doctor agenda flood is a part of the solution. We want to draw agendas, because we want to score. Now they help us score other agendas too.

Moon Pool at worst lets us convert and bury two agendas in hand transforming them into two advancements on an agenda we have installed. Here's an example of a Moon Pool (with no MM ID trigger):

• Moon Pool FA (3 adv): C1. Install agenda, C2. Install Moon Pool, C3. Advance, Rez & Use Moon Pool (trash two agendas, reveal them to put counters on the agenda) Score.

This lets us score out an agenda in one turn for only four credits. I'll break down some more MM FA combos later, but this along with Biotic really accelerate our scoring plan.

Final note on Moon Pool, remember that the first ability is optional so you don't have to trash any cards from HQ. If the runner has been milling you with Chastushka, Avgustina Ivanovskaya, and/or Esâ Afontov: Eco-Insurrectionist you may have one, or two agendas face down in archives (especially if Mavirus is purging on each archives check). This way we can use the Runner's sabotage to our own benefit. Thanks Moon Pool!

Trigger that ID

One of best suggestions I can give you is unless you have a good reason not to trigger your ID (like playing two assets and an ice early on), you should try and figure out a way to make it happen. Once you have established a board state of an ice and a few assets, unless you intend to score, start your turn by drawing a card. Here's an example of a "basic" turn:

• MM turn: C1. Draw, C2. Install, C3. Credit, MM Cred.

Once you are ready to score, here's an example where our scoring plan with Biotic, can trigger your ID:

• Cheaper Biotic (3 adv for 6 creds): C1. Biotic (+2 clicks), C2. Install agenda, C3. Advance, MM Cred, C4. Advance, C5. Advance and score

Also, some of our assets help us trigger our ID, more on that in a moment!

Going wide

For the purposes of triggering MM (and being really good in general) both Nanoetching Matrix and Calvin B4L3Y count as unique actions for our ID ability! Both of these cards are must trash for the runner due to their powerful abilities and synergy with our ID and grant us a free money, or draw on trash.

Calvin B4L3Y is a card that I debate between going between two and three (at the expense of Tranquility Home Grid). Whenever I see one, I try to immediately install it to guarantee that it will draw you four cards.Nanoetching Matrix is also fantastic economy. It's also a great card to get a use out of ASAP and almost becomes a free Hedge Fund once the runner decides it's time to trash it.

Our econ and draw package is rounded out by Tranquility Home Grid, Marilyn Campaign and Spin Doctor. Tranquilty is a great passive credit and draw engine, if you keep fast advancing agendas out of that server, while Marilyn Campaign is a wonderful asset, because once it's run out of credits, or is trashed, it will return to R&D lowering our agenda density. I don't know if I need to sing Spin Doctor's praises, but the extra draw and recursion feels really strong in a deck like this.

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

This deck often relies on some neat tricks from Subliminal Messaging, or Red Level Clearance to get four+ click turns. Often the best call is to save one for a later combo turn, except maybe to use your first RLC to help build your early board. This is especially true with Subliminal Messaging, due to our ice being extremely porous and the fact that we have so many unprotected assets. If you ever get a Subliminal Message back, due to the runner needing to recharge its an unexpected perk for us, rather than a part of the plan.

Here's a break down of some of the commonly used fast advance/Mirrormorph tricks you can do to rush out quicker and cheat out agendas you normally cannot score in a turn:

• Moon Pool FA (3 adv w/ Subliminal or RLC): C1. Subliminal/RLC (+1 creds, +1 click), C2. Install agenda, C3. Advance, MM cred, C4. Install Moon Pool, Rez and Use (Trash agendas from hand/reveal for advancements), Score. NOTE: This means you can score out a 3/2 with as few as two creds when you started the turn.

• Moon Pool FA (4 adv w/RLC): C1. RLC (Install Moon Pool+click), C2. Install Agenda, C3. Avance, MM Credit, C4. Advance and use Moon Pool (trash agendas/reveal and place advancements) score.

• Bass FA (4 adv w/RLC): C1. RLC (Install Bass+click), C2. Use Bass (+2 click), C3. Install Agenda, MM Click - Advance, C4. Advance, C5. Advance, C6. Advance. Score.

There are more complicated moves you can do to score out multiple agendas in a turn, but it often involves a Moon Pool, or Bass somehow sticking on the board. If the Runner is mostly ignoring your board and slamming centrals, rush a Bass, or Moon Pool out if you can just to distract them. If they do you can punish them.

Also with a 2/1 agenda, Élivágar Bifurcation, we can score it without any tricks! It's a great finisher. Unless you plenty of money and want to derez a harmonic ice, I often only use it to derez Spin Doctors for more free draw.

Midnight vs Cyberdex

My previous iterations of the deck relied on Midnight-3 Arcology, which felt amazing to score. It often found more agendas, assets and tools we need to keep rushing. It also helped set up a "final" turn. In that version I aimed to score Midnight-3 when I was sitting at three-four points to find more fast advance tools or Élivágar Bifurcation to finish out the game. If you want to give it a try, a simple swap of -1 Pop-up Window, -2 Mavirus and replacing them with 3x Tiered Subscription should get you to that version.

That version of the deck is fine, but Clot does exist... hence Cyberdex Sandbox and Mavirus. If you score a Cyberdex you can poison your archives, or keep a Mavirus lurking on the board.

If you suspect a runner has Clot, on of your best moves is to save a Red Level Clearance and Mavirus use it like this:

• Anti-clot tech: C1. Biotic, C2. Install 3/2 (or 2/1), C3. Advance, MM Cred, C4. RLC (+1 click, install Mavirus), C5. Advance, C6. Advance Rez Mavirus/trash to Purge/Score.

If the stars do not align we have some good bait and Élivágar Bifurcation to try and test if they have a way to stop us.

Ride the Wave

The deck certainly does not have a lot of ice and at best they are an annoyance, or a small speed bump. The actual all-star of our leaky suite I've discovered is Wave. Often it's great over HQ, because at least for one run, it will find an ice to help dilute our hand and lower the odds of agendas being hit with multi-access.

Pop-up Window is a great way to turn your R&D into a profitable venture for us helping us to pay for our eventual FA tricks.

Feel free to change the ice to fits your needs and personal preference. It's probably the thing that needs the most work, but I think it's pretty close to what it needs to be.

Gotta go Fast!

Do you have a need for speed? Do you you want to win or lose in 10 turns or less? Then this might be the deck for you. I'd also love feedback, if you have any suggestions, or recommendations please let me know. Special thanks to Navelgazer for chatting with me about the deck over the past few weeks.

Finally, thanks for reading my little write-up! If you have time, please check out my friend and I's podcast, Retromancer! This is the first original Midnight Sun Corp deck I've brewed up and I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with it during the first few weeks of the new meta.