MN: It's Raining Tags (Hallelujah) v.5

For videos of this deck in action (different versions however), please check out the Netrunners.co.uk YouTube channel, these playlists in particular: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgNSx4q8RWlhCeqdJabl1bBZUdxpR1ESr https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgNSx4q8RWlhdsfSJL8COCIhnPPcjVKyL and another one incoming (Worcester Store Champs - where it finished 3rd)

Changes from v.4

This deck has gone through a lot of different versions and most of them have been largely successful. My last iteration which I took to the Worcester Store Championship did very well (I keep forgetting how well it does against players who don't know how to beat it!), losing once in the top4 cut (perhaps undeservedly so) and once against Noise (definitely deservedly, Noise hurts any combo deck ). Changes that I've been floating between are changing the 'influence ice' from Taurus (v. 4), Cadueceus and Architect. Currently I've settled on Architect because I've also increased the number of SanSans to 3 (was 2 in v.4). Forcing a Mimic out against this deck is also pretty good for me given that it does little against the rest of my Sentry ice. It also can't be trashed so remains taxing against Anarch. I've also taken out the Unsuccessful Demo to try and cut combo reliance as much as possible (gone upto 3 PAD's). The 1 inf has gone on an Eli for the time being, but this could easily become a Lotus Field depending on how the meta shapes up. To make the space, I've cut the Draco's which just weren't causing enough problems for the runner. Would still like to find space for 1, just to give me extra remote options but not sure where to find the room currently.

How to play this deck

Manhunt is the reason why this deck works, and why it's in Making News as opposed to NEH. Manhunt effectively turns this deck into a taxation nightmare, with a trace4 happening on the first successful run. Either the runner (usually with 1 link by default) beats the trace (fine for the corp, 3c taxation is not to be sneezed at) or the runner takes the tag and spends a click and 2 credits clearing the tag (also fine, pretty much turns this deck into RP!). Stick a Data Raven on a central with a manhunt out and the runner faces the prospect of 2 tags for 1 run (and potentially a counter), this pretty much either turns off central runs for the runner or turns on your tag punishment in the shape of Scorched. For fun and games, you also have Information Overload for a board wipe (which comes with its own encounter trace) and a closed accounts style ice with Universal Connectivity Fee. IO and UCF are vital for pressuring a runner who feels safe because he has a Plascrete on the board and makes the decision to go tagme. One of my favourite tricks with UCI is to have a remote server with either Data Raven or Information Overload in front of a Universal Connectivity Fee with NAPD at the bottom. Has the added bonus of setting up the scorch play because often runners can't afford to clear the tags if they ran on click 2-4 (UCI is very very good as the inner most piece of ice anywhere on the board and you should definitely prioritize putting it down sooner rather than later for exactly this reason). That being said, UCI has obviously taken a significant hit because of the prevalence of Eater so if you're playing against Anarch, don't bother sticking it on centrals, it will be much more effective on a remote server.

Irrespective of Eater, I think this deck will do quite well against Anarch shenanigans, Manhunt and Data Raven offer significant punishment against aggression while Account Siphon isn't nearly as effective; they either clear the tags or hope I don't ever build up enough credits to kill them (even with I've Had Worse in hand - happily shuffle those Scorches back in with Jackson). Eater also won't be having a good time against Information Overload (and there's enough Sentry coverage here to hopefully avoid too many juicy Forked targets), tags are lethal in this deck. Valencia Blackmail runs certainly do have the potential to cause problems though with 9 assests/upgrades to install, you can hopefully force a few wasted Blackmail runs where possible. Just don't try and score out from remotes and you should probably be ok (needs more testing).

SanSan is an important card when you're playing against someone who knows the deck. Quite simply, the correct way to play against this deck is to largely avoid running until you're in a secure economic position (to avoid Midseasons) and have a good rig out (to get past key cards like Data Raven). The Corp then as a result, needs to try and threaten against a passive runner by scoring out an Astro. A lot of my games (especially against good runners) usually end via scoring out as opposed to flatline wins because the runner plays 'correctly' and avoids outright aggression but as a result loses the game because of Astro. Once that first Astro gets scored, a runner will usually throw caution to the wind (rightly so) and this plays right into the decks strengths.

Weaknesses and problems

Deck space is definitely the main challenge of this archetype, you need to set aside enough room for giving tags and for punishing them. On top of that, you need a very solid economy to be able to afford key threats like Midseasons or rezzing Information Overload. Even playing Manhunt can be something of a tempo hit (as you need to be able to protect your centrals before playing it or risk them topdecking an agenda and losing the Manhunt straight away), so getting a sensible economy is important. Currently, I'm happy with the balance though I will certainly suggest that this deck will often have to click for credits in order to stabilise your board position. This makes it a slower deck when the flatline option may be off the table (as often is the case). Be very wary of Siphon (assuming that they clear the tags) and try and keep HQ locked down tight. Economy is definitely the decks main problem and really it needs another 3 cards dedicated to econ. Getting out the early PAD Campaign with a Manhunt in play can keep you ticking over nicely (as it's unlikely to make a tempting target for the runner) but you'll often find yourself low on credits. If you're finding that the PAD's are getting trashed, Marked Accounts could work as a good substitute (though I still far prefer the PAD's).

My experience has found that Noise can completely screw this deck over. Not only can key combos be broken (Scorched threat, Midseasons etc) but he also runs a lot less than other runners. This is inherently bad so you need to score aggressively out of remotes or threaten scorched via Breaking News (I've Had Worse has made this less reliable unfortunately).

Finally, be wary of any stealth decks packing Switchblade. Switchblade turns off the threat of Information Overload completely and means that you're ability to punish tagme is significantly reduced once Plascrete hits the table. Faerie does this as well of course though at least you know you can lock up a server long term once they're gone.

Cards I'd like to include

There are a couple of cards that would be great in this deck but that I just can't find the space for.

Daily Business Show - this is probably the main one, given that this deck is combo heavy, filtering out the tag punishment/agendas based on board position would be a HUGE boon. Part of me is tempted to drop down to 2 Jacksons and put 1x DBS in, but the Jacksons are fantastic for recycling SanSans and UCI's (again, dependent on board position). If I could find deck space, DBS would be the first card I'd look to include.

Successful Demonstration - If I was looking to include more economy, this would be the economy card I would include. Successful Demo + Data Raven is a thing of beauty and Restructure money for only 2c is nothing to sneeze at. As mentioned in the changelog, I've struggled to find room for these but have had decent success with them, I really can't drop the ice count any lower (it's probably already too low at 15, especially when 2 of them are Pop-up and 4 of them only really fire when the runner is tagged) so I may as well spend the spare 3 inf on ice as it stands. If you're looking for more economy however, I feel that Successful Demo should be your first port of call.

Psychographics - this is a card I'd like 1x of in the deck just to try and close the game out or to start the Astro train from hand (if possible). Probably a little too combo-wombo to be reliable here (DBS would help) and in truth, SanSan fills the void here more effectively, without clogging up my hand. Would probably also need a Fast Track in support, at which point we're looking at a very different deck. That said, the threat of Psychographics could be very strong, and having 1 in the deck may force a lot of pressure on the aggressive runner with a Plascrete on the board.

3rd Pop-up/Wraparound - With only 15 ice, these slots are very limited. Wraparound obviously helps hugely against an Anarch matchup but personally I feel that any Anarch deck worth its salt should be including Corroders in addition to Eater for exactly this reason. An extra Pop-up would also be huge though I find that it's rare that skilled runners decide to run often. When the runner does decide to go tagme, Pop-up can be an absolute godsend in getting me into a great position to rez cards like Information Overload or SanSan. Ice spots are incredibly tight here however so I'm not sure what I could squeeze out to make room.

Snatch and Grab - I've messed around with S&G in an earlier version of this deck and found it decent. Being able to trash key economy cards like Kati and ProCo can be huge at the right moment. Typically however, I found that scoring out a Breaking News with a click spare (either from SanSan or via an Astro counter in a pinch) accomplishes the same thing without the compromise in deck space. It's a strong card against the cautious runner though, and well worth considering.

Final thoughts

This deck works very well against aggressive runners, while the threat of the Astro train can punish passive ones. Manhunt is the key card, causing every runner other than Noise significant problems and taxing them into an early grave. Plascrete is no guarantee of safety and Information Overload can punish runners who think they're safe after going tagme. Always try to keep the Midseasons play as an option against the passive runner (because any good runner will assume you have it in hand) and you'll find that fear alone can open up scoring windows to get the all important first Astro.

Give it a whirl and let me know what you think folks, what changes would you look to test?