Iron Meidan

I'm waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime. Reflecting on my past life and it doesn't have much time. 'Cause at five o'clock they take me to the Gallows pole. The sands of time for me are running low...

I've been testing an aggressive Overmind version of Nasir. I'm not convinced that all he can do for us is enhance Personal Workshop, and I don't think you need Toolbox and Cyberfeeders to make him effective. Like most people, Personal Workshop was how I initially approached Nasir: host, host, draw, run was a "normal" turn. Personal Workshop enhances his triggered ability and lets him build while running, which is what he wants. Still, hoping to draw a Personal Workshop (or even playing one) was boring, as though while Playing Nasir I was on rails, and when I didn't draw a Personal Workshop, I felt horribly vulnerable. I'm not saying there aren't tough decisions to make while Workshopping, it's just that those tough decisions seemed to always be the same.

There's more to Nasir than Personal Workshop. He's a complex and difficult runner to master, but, like The Professor or Iain, he has to find creative ways to deal with difficult situations.

A quick background on my play-style, and why you should consider this deck: I don't usually play in tournaments because I have other obligations, but I'm active in the Seattle Netrunner scene, and I play frequently. People who know me know that I have been playing AoA (Reina Siphon recusion) as soon as I knew it existed and that I like to play aggressive decks that float tags. I've avoided Shaper because they're generally slow to start, but I think Nasir changes all of that. He's flexible like all Shapers, but he's aggressive like Reina Roja. He makes mad cash when running, and laughs as the corp rezzes ICE.

Why bother with Siphon for Nasir?

The OverMeidan archetype started with a simple question: "how can I get Account Siphon to work with Nasir?" Why would I want to? Well, it's still one of the most powerful runner cards in the game, and (as mentioned above) I like to be aggressive. Also, while everyone was looking at Personal Workshop, I figured there had to be a counterpoint to it. Besides, there's something satisfying about Siphoning with an Overmind into an unrezzed HQ and watching as the Corp rezzes everything to keep Nasir from gaining money. The thing is, he gains money anyway and keeps the Corp poor as they rez. He profits with or without a Siphon, but with it, he's iron. Get an Overmind out and you have few ICE to worry about (more on that later!).

Playing the Deck

Run poor. I say that again. Run poor. Nasir gets cash from the Corp rezzing ICE so unless you're trying to contest a rezzed server. Offload your Overmind first, then run poor. Play your False Echoes early and force the Corp to rez. You can play this deck a lot like Anatomy of Anarchy and go for credit denial with Rook/Siphon. Get the Corp to rez ice over HQ, then pillage R&D. Don't be afraid to run and then jack out after the first ICE. That can get you some serious cash that can fuel your rig.

There are some exceptions to the "run poor" rule: if you start with SMC, you want to click to 6 creds, then run (see below). Your decisions of what to find with SMC (a rook/Crescentus/breaker) largely depends on what is in your hand. So draw often to see if you can find answers before running. If you have Overmind in hand (and know you can get through), consider getting Crescentus. If you have Crescentus, find Overmind. If you have Crescentus, a Test Run, and SMC, Click to 7, drop SMC and Crescentus and then next turn threaten to shut down their ice.

For Newer Players

This deck rewards risky, creative play more than it does rig building. It rewards quick thinking and a strong numbers game. For newer players, it will help teach the structure of a run and how Ice encounters and interactions work. It also helps you learn what ICE are usually played with each Corp, as having that knowledge ahead of time will save you money and effort.

Card Choices

False Echo: Some players were laughing when I was playing this. But you know who wasn't laughing? The corp sitting across from me. Turn one False Echo forces a rez or the corp risks getting Siphoned or Makers Eye'd. It sets them back a click if they pick the ICE up, and if they don't, Nasir knows what he needs to get in. Combos well with Crescentus when you have Overmind out.

Crescentus is the All-Star of the deck. Play an Overmind and either Test-Run, Clone Chip, or SMC Crescentus (remember, you have to do this before Encounter so that Overmind can break!). After a while, people just won't play Tollbooths against you or risk getting them shut down instantly. Even Bioroids aren't really a problem since you can click through, then shut them down. In this deck, you want to use Clone Chips mainly for recurring Crescentus and Rook/Bishop. Test-running a Crescentus is the best way to go overall.

Breaker Suite - Overmind, Inti, Atman. To play this deck effectively, you need to be aware of the kinds of ICE the Corp likely has. For instance, it's a good idea to Test Run an Overmind and find your Inti early against NBN, since most of their ICE is Wraparound, Pop-Up Window, and Eli. Click through Eli and shut him down with Crescentus. Echo to get them to rez their Wraparound. As a general rule, with an SMC, you want to have 6 Credits before you run (2+4 for Overmind). If they rez Pop-Up, get Overmind. If they rez Wraparound, get Inti,. If you have a few breakers in hand, consider getting Rook or Bishop before running (or even mid-run). A Rook'd Eli is not fun for the Corp, especially with a potential Crescentus incoming.

Atman is your late-game icebreaker. It also can be useful in a pinch or if you're playing against HB: Cerebral Imaging who likely run str 4 and 5 ICE. Against CI, set Atman at 4 and 5, and use Overmind to get through Quandary and other small ICE.

Why no Gordian Blade, Battering Ram, or Corroder? - Space is tight, and we want efficiency. Gordian Blade really solves only one problem: Inazuma. Besides this, there aren't really any ICE you need to break that an Overmind and Bishop (or Rook) can't solve. And once you identify the Inazuma, you can set up an Atman and run right through. Generally, you don't need Gordian Blade when you have Overmind for the majority of ICE competitive players use. NEXT Bronze is the only other ICE for which I'd consider a Gordian Blade.

Battering Ram is not good enough when we can't profit off a Magnum Opus/Kati pre-run, then dump our money into it. Battering Ram solves Hive, but that's about it, but Atman (or Inti on first-rez) is your solution to Hive. If you're running Inti, make sure you have 4 creds ready during Approach otherwise you're just going to bounce.

Corroder, the most efficient barrier breaker in the game, is still good here, but, again, influence is tight, and you need everything you have. Feel free to test at -1 Bishop and +1 Corroder and see if your results are any different than with Inti.

Deep Red Package - Because Overmind and Deep Red are besties. But really, the problem with an aggressive Nasir is that he derps against certain ICE. The main thing you don't want to run into with Nasir is an Archer. If you suspect either, make sure you're running Atman at 4 and have Deep Red on the table. Both Bishop and Rook solve the Archer problem the first time, but what to do after? Atman on 4 + Bishop, again, can get through fine, and then you can Crescentus when you make the run. This can be devastating for the Corp.

The Shell and Moving Forward - The main shell of this archetype is Siphon, Atman, Inti (or Corroder), Crescentus, Overmind, Deep Red, False Echo and Rook/Bishop. Besides these, you are pretty free to include Shaper cards as you see fit. There are some things to keep in mind when brewing with Nasir: 1) he can't make many runs each turn unless you've Siphoned or the Corp is poor. Exploiting Rook()/False Echo when the Corp is poor is excellent. 2) Test Run and Scavenge are a must in some amount. You need early breakers/answers and Scavenge helps you reset Overmind. 3) Indexing is not that great with Nasir. Because you'll probably see it late-game and it's so taxing on him to run more than once a turn (excepting light ICE decks or NBN), you won't get a chance to exploit Indexing. The Maker's Eye is preferrable in most cases, but feel free to test Indexing anyway.

Being In (and then out) the Money - as is the case with any Nasir build, you'll likely run into things you can't deal with, causing you to lose your cash. Armitage Codebusting is your best friend, as it is with AoA Reina. This is currently the best way for Nasir to recover from faceplanting into a Pop-Up without an Overmind (but please, don't do this), or to help get those last few accesses late game. Armitage does some serious work in this deck, and you shouldn't be afraid to play it and click for 6 if you're tagged. Because Nasir can be poor at any given moment, Modded is a useful way to power out a breaker or an R&D Interface. I wouldn't bother with Sure Gamble in this archetype.

Previous Iterations and the Current Version (a note on the text)

Planned Assault was removed because it's too slow and bad on a late-game board state. While it was nice to have access to more Siphons, I found that I rarely needed it. Bishop is my preferred inclusion, though a Corroder is an optional replacement. Bishop offers Nasir a cheaper way to deal with Archer. With SMC, Overmind, and Deep Red out, it costs Nasir 4 bucks to run an unrezzed Archer, but just 2 with Bishop.

Quality Time became RnD Interface to allow for some deeper R&D digs. This has proved useful so far. Because of this switch, I opt for 2 Modded as pseudo money cards. They help you get Overminds out that you Test Ran, and keep your initial credit pool higher so you can use SMC/Clone Chip.

Feel free to comment and happy (poor) running!