HB (EtF) - Economy & Traps (Deck from Single Core Set)

Just like everyone else, I started learning to play A:NR with Jinteki Vs. Kate (as the rulebook suggests). I played too many games as corp only with a single runner friend (playing Kate of course) and I always felt so poor. Not many ways to make credits other than clicking for it or Hedge Fund if I'm lucky enough, while on the other side there was a juicy Magnum Opus for up to 8cr per turn. Frustrated as I was, I started researching for my first deckbuilding. Rules were simple enough regarding Agendas and Influence, but I still couldn't make my core Jinteki deck rich enough. How can I protect myself if I can't pay 4 for a Snare! or advance a Project Junebug? Then I went exploring other factions and Voila...Haas Bioroid and its amazing ability: 1 free for each installation...1 free almost every turn.

I must admit, I wasn't taking a lot of risks to be able to play Jinteki correctly as a shell game, with multiple servers of open traps and open agendas. I turned to HB for a glacier approach, with most of my games ending with a tower of ICEs on a single server, sometimes up to 5 cards of different subtypes (avoiding more than two Code Gates, because of Gordian Blade's ability keeping its strength). A Code Gate plus a couple of Barriers and maaaybe a Sentry somewhere in the fort, worked best. I usually avoid sentries in the beginning because they lack ETR and the runner usually runs naked in the beginning. I could lay them there as investment but what about Forged Activation Orders? They destroy the element of surprise mid-game. Long story short, my deck was packed with ICE and economy, Adonis, Melange, PADs, Beanstalks, Hedge Funds. Nothing else, no traps, no tagging, not even upgrades.

Everything was going better against my Netrunner buddy as I started winning more often, until I found some new players to test the deck and lost miserably. One day I lost at 11-0 agenda points at a single game, when one guy run into R&D with The Maker's Eye and found two 3p agendas!! These runners were attacking aggressively every turn and I finally learned how much can Stimhack hurt. Like a big guy kicking you right on the balls and then going retard, just so he can kick you again next round going full retard with another Stimhack. And then I remembered Jinteki...Good old punishing Jinteki, net-hurting those f***ing runners.

I went home crying like a little bitch just to prepare for revenge. I packed my deck with Snares, Aggressive Secretaries, Data Mines and Chums...and guess what, it worked like a charm. After the runner stimhacked a remote server packed with ICE just to stumble upon an installed Snare...oh man, bitch got her revenge and tasted some run-tears.

I revised the deck a few times since that game, because I was only carrying the min 45 cards and got agenda flood multiple games resulting in a 50-50 win. In a few occasions I was forced to play shell game just to get rid of a few agendas from HQ, like installing an open agenda and a trap under ICE and it worked. Then I took it even further as to install two agendas out of hand advancing both of them next turn. The runner stole the one and got scared to check the other. I left it there double-advanced for many turns , managed to score another and came back to it to finish the game. Boy, that was fun.

Long story short, this deck can be played both glacier or shell, depending on opening hand. As far as revisions go, I ditched the Data Mines for some Project Junebugs since this deck isn't primarily focused on net-damaging the runner and one point net damage can't hurt much, but a triple advanced PJ can destroy him, even a double adv. PJ can set the runner far behind. I wasn't sure about Aggressive Secretaries either, going back and forth on removing them. At the end I kept them in deck to help with Agenda flood. I also included Archived Memories to recycle either the traps or the economy and ditched Archers for Tollbooths. I couldn't wait for a Priority Requisition to rez an Archer and Tollbooth is a great alternative for keeping the runner poor without having to forfeit agendas or hoping on scoring a PR. AM also saved me a few times from Noise's ability, trashing an agenda.

As for agendas in general, don't use Accelerated Beta Test's feature...it sucks! Unless you see your deck thin and not much ICE on the table, then maaaaybe you'll get lucky and find ICE on the top 3 cards of R&D. Otherwise you'll end up with one cheap-ass ICE just discovered, rezzed over the Archives because the other two cards were agendas, or even end up with 2 agendas and an econ. card discarded just like that...with no protection whatsoever and your deck 3 cards thinner. And who's gonna save you? Only AM IF you're extremely lucky to have it in HQ. Private Security Force also sucks, only good for NBN and Weyland in the core set, but what can you do? Funny thing, at one of my games the runner Siphoned me keeping the tags and leaving an open triple advanced PSF. My turn: PAD Campaign's free credit, adv+scoring PSF and two meat damage right there. His next turn had to get rid of the tags with two clicks and draw cards, thus PSF can rarely be useful. What am I saying, rethinking it...it still sucks balls! PR FTW in this deck.

A comment on a few HB cards I removed...Biotic Labor, this card is useless to HB in the core set. You can't use HB for fast advancing, well maaaaybe an ABT but that's pretty much it and it costs 7. Shipment from MirrorMorph? I'd rather earn 3 free upon installing the cards, even if it takes me 3 turns and 3. Corporate Troubleshooter and Experiential Data are fine upgrades but easily trashed, only good for mid to late game, so why bother? I'd rather put another ICE on the server.

As for other influence, I would love to add Hadrian's Walls, Akitaro Watanabe, Red Herrings but either there's not enough room, or they're 1offs and I hate including 1offs. At my earlier builds I was carrying Anonymous Tip but then, I prefer taking things slow focusing on economy and ICE building.

This is my first published deck, trying to help newcomers understand the glacier power of HB in the core set and giving a few tips on strategy/tactics. I appreciate any suggestions from experienced players.

PS: add one more ichi for a 49-card deck. Or a Biotic Labor, it may come in handy