Stealth Kit (2nd @ NorCal Regionals 2018)

This is the stealth Kit deck I took to NorCal regionals. You’ll notice that it’s nearly identical to Timmy Wong’s excellent Smoke deck, The Reader. I have a lot of respect for Timmy as a deck builder, and his take on a stealth Shaper build is easily the best I’ve seen. Definitely go take a look at it.

I swapped the ID to Kit mostly because I think her ability is tons of fun to build around, but I also believe she’s a genuinely strong choice against most corps. With just a Refractor and a single stealth credit, Kit can safely and cheaply put early-game pressure on every server, giving you more time to build up your stealth rig. The ability also lets you run without fear against Mti, since any ice they spring on you will be a code gate.

Breakers: Refractor is an ultra-efficient breaker that targets Fairchild 3.0, Tollbooth, and the Weyland code gates. There are three because they’re crucial to see early. Net Mercur makes Switchblade viable, allowing you rip through stacked Surveyors with ease. Blackstone is much worse than BlacKat, but I felt Kit’s 10 influence would be better spent elsewhere. I was hopeful that a Stimhack-SMC’d Dai V would come in handy for Endless EULA, trap ice, or as a backup breaker, but I ended up pitching it every game.

Net-Ready Eyes acts as a flexible stealth credit saver. It puts Refractor one boost away from DNA Tracker and Archangel, Blackstone within range of IP Block and Data Loop, and gives Switchblade access to 4-ice Surveyors. I hoped the meat damage would hit the deck’s duplicates/tech choices, but I often ended up losing the Mad Dash, Freedom through Equality, and Indexings I was saving in hand.

Having two console options is nice: Astrolabe against faster decks and Daredevil against glacier. Both provide draw since I anticipated Kit wanting to use Net Mercur for credits. Daredevil can be very strong since (1) corps want to double-ice their servers against Kit, (2) Refractor can neutralize the first ice encountered in case you’re just in it for the cards and Net Mercur trigger, and (3) it’s convenient to gain a clickless two extra life during a run on thorny servers.

“Freedom Through Equality” and Mad Dash weren’t as impactful as I imagined they would be. That said, “Freedom” did allow me to bounce back from a failed R&D run after a previous-turn Indexing against Mti and go on to steal a Nisei Mk II from the remote, putting me at exactly 7. The one game against CtM where I was at 3 points and ready to Index, “Freedom,” and Mad Dash, Indexing ended up lucking into two 2-pointers anyway, but I’m still holding out that the combo has potential.

I like Infiltration, so Falsified Credentials (Timmy’s inspired splash) feels insane. With just two exceptions, it ended up being at least a Sure Gamble from 1. At its best, it told me where to run and gave me the credits to make it work. On the day, the card saved me from checking two NGOs, a Snare, and a Junebug, and helped me target an early Rashida and two agendas I would have otherwise ignored.