Against the Flow - Fite Club 2024

This is the Corp I submitted as a stand-in player for Unband in the Fite Club 2024 finals against SBT and @cableCarnage in particular. @bking and I started from this beautiful Fantastic Man 🕺 list by @CobraBubbles/ EA Sports 🏅 and introduced a number of changes to it, aiming to improve its financial stability and up the amount of busted cards.

I've spent a lot of time practicing this against Tree Arissana but also managed to figure some generally relevant stuff along the way. Some quick pointers I'd like to share:
1. During your first turns, think about your scoring pattern depending on the agendas you're drawing into. Since we're playing all kinds of agendas (1-, 2- and 3-pointers), this usually means scoring 2x2+3 points or 3x2+1 points. Both patterns have their merits. 2-pointers early are great enablers for both paths, especially the tempo-positive Oaktown Renovation. Try not to deviate from this plan unless absolutely necessary: this list has just enough gas for 7 points, you don't want to be overscoring to 8, so if you're ahead, it might make sense to spend time drawing for an agenda you need, rather than scoring one you don't.
Best cards to mulligan into: Hedge, non-Stavka ice, Rashida. 2+ agendas is a mull.
2. My best games often had me clicking through a Regolith early. This sets you up nicely for the rest of the game. You can stick a Mavirus into the most protected server and pull out the Rego into the remote by purging at the end of Runner's turn. Regolith clicks 4 and 5 are the most valuable, so refrain from overinstalling it in order to push an agenda there, just continue taking 3-6 credits per turn and installing ice/upgrades.
3. You are not in an immediate rush to score in the first 3-4 turns. Therefore, it's hard to call this deck straight up rush, I see it as more of a flexible mid-range list. With this agenda suite, try and develop your board a bit until you start pushing agendas. Early on, the Runner often loses more tempo when they don't have meaningful run targets, than you do rezzing your ice.
4. Once you've secured your board and start scoring while being ahead of the Runner, try and do so on top of a Tucana. Your first Tucana install is almost always Tributary. The card gives you copious amounts of tempo and is an absolute hell for almost all Runner rigs to deal with, all of its parts are very relevant here. Being able to insta-rez it is just chef's kiss.
5. We don't have means to protect the remote in the late game beyond Border Control, so rely on fast advance by Audacity or The Holo Man pull to score the last agenda.
6. Stavka is a great card, Hafrún feels a bit overkill right now - Stavka does a lot on itself just being in the deck, the Runner has to account for its existence and produce a killer AND credits to deal with it, which is usually enough of a tempo hit.
7. Oaktown is a nonbo with The Holo Man, however I don't really view this as a Holo Man deck. The Holo Man is a great card later on to push you forward once you're rich and have secure servers for it to survive, but to get to that point you have to start somewhere. It's all about tempo, and its leverage against your opponent in particular; the Holo Man is just about converting that tempo lead you built earlier into agenda points and Atlas counters.

For Runner I played a pretty reg Loup deck. Thanks everyone who helped with the deckbuilding and practice: Council, bking, koga, Kikai, AugustusCaesar and ArminFirecracker. Shoutout to my boy Amarum for always being there and down to jam against any absurd list I bring to the table. And, of course, to the Fite Club TOs, AxWill and aksu.

See the deck in action on stream

I'd also like to announce I won't be doing any more stand-ins for Unband. The reason for that is I'm done with the recruitment process and now officially a part of this testing group! 🍌 Excited to be on board. See you in the next event!