Metabreaker Wu

CritHitd20 7039

We know approximately what's meta now, so it's time to make some more specialized control lists. This deck isn't winning games commandingly, but it is winning games consistently; I think it is a good skill tester and well-positioned to v1 of the Midnight Sun meta.

I really have been impressed with boat+foot, so that's the rig for this deck, with Gauss for Border Control and Nano is there too I guess. Turn 1 try to get Reaver out using Wu for SMC+Overclock or Wu for Reaver+Rejig, and then you can use Stoneship on your opponent's turn as Diesel 4-6, plus Aesop and SMC+Chip will passively draw you cards. In boring normal matchups like PD, Simulchip is economy, recurring Harbinger to sell or letting you install programs for less money in a pinch, but it can be huge for odd matches to let you represent Clot longterm, sell and reinstall Gauss for the extra strength, or uninstalling and reinstalling Stargate to use its ability more than once a turn.

PE has been underperforming to the point that I think you are allowed to cut Caldera. If you disagree, add it and cut a Harbinger.

To beat MAD+Boom: Misdirection+Stoneships (do not use Stoneship for draw, they play Best Defense) To beat Drago+Boom: Same thing+Pinhole To beat FA: Clot+Stargate To beat glacier: Boat+Pinhole. Also remember you can Rejig boat to reset the power counters on it. To beat everything else: Be as focused on making credits as possible and don't contest everything. Also respect Big Deal; some normal decks will still care about Clot.

Why no Rezeki? Because atm Stargate is the only win condition so there's no space for MU. Also Rezeki is bad vs all these combo decks trying to win as fast as possible, and so Aesop fills that econ role instead.

Why am I publishing this the month of continentals? Because I want to push myself to make even better Shaper decks for any events I go to this year. And I want other players to try out the things I enjoy most about Netrunner.

I'm not a member of any social media groups but feel free to message me on Discord if you want to talk more about deckbuilding; my handle is CritHitd20#5263.

14 comments
3 Aug 2022 5N00P1

Appreciate your constant Stream of new decks! You should collaborate with "The Process"!

3 Aug 2022 ayyyliens

Using stoneship to get corp reaver turn seems legit, reminds me of the tempo that Alex's reaver WU from worlds 2018 could put out!

3 Aug 2022 Gerrark

Thanks for publishing this, and for that attitude about it besides! I was (unsuccessfully) trying to make a Reavershop Wu I was felt good about, so I can't wait to give this a spin.

3 Aug 2022 CritHitd20

I should have posted this in the decklist, but this is NOT the richest version of Wu you can make; a lot of economy slots were cut for tech and setup speed. This is in my opinion the fastest Wu, not the most invevitable.

3 Aug 2022 enkoder

I've been jamming on a reaver list too. I think it's the best archetype to clot lock in this FA meta. It's only ok but it can be a strong meta pick. Thanks for the writeup!

5 Aug 2022 Maƫlig

Have you tried Propeller in the Gauss slot ?

5 Aug 2022 CritHitd20

I have not. Propeller having base str 0 is such a downside given the prevalence of Border Control that I don't consider it viable in a non-charge deck. With that said, I'm always excited to be wrong, so if it performs for you I'd be interested to hear about it.

6 Aug 2022 aunthemod

Sweet Deck.

6 Aug 2022 Longi

Posting such a deck is much appreciated. What are the targets for DJ Fenris?

6 Aug 2022 CritHitd20

Almost every time it's Steve. Sometimes if I'm running really poor I'll get Quetzal or Los, but if you aren't behind on board Steve forces people to overcommit to protecting hq which extends game length and thins other servers, which makes Endurance happy.

7 Aug 2022 Longi

Thanks. Also, why Marylin over Nico? The higher trash cost?

8 Aug 2022 maninthemoon

Thoughts on turtle over DJ?

8 Aug 2022 CritHitd20

I like turtle in decks more as a way to bridge the gap between early and late game, and since this list went with Engolo over Unity it makes less sense. I've liked it in other boat decks though, makes more sense in a more event/run focused event like Padma.

DJ Steve fills a few irreplaceable roles in being extra Silmulchips vs FA decks, Pinhole #3, and being HP vs PE. Too much benefit to the Steve ability to justify cutting it; I think the available inf cuts in the deck are Harb 3 and Stargate (though losing Stargate means swapping several other things to accommodate Deep Dive).

10 Aug 2022 Swiftie

just wanted to chime in and add that its great people are sharing decks. I've asked some people for advice and they give me some BS like 'go with your heart'. So i just added 3 Snare to a deck.

This though would actually help people.