Double Agent v1.2

This is my final revision to my Hayley Stealth deck. Notable cuts are Replicator, HQ Interface, while notable adds are Atman and Crescentus.

Let's do this!

This deck is all about taking advantage of Hayley Kaplan: Universal Scholar's ability. (Big surprise, right?) That means cheap cards, and burst installs.

Gear Up!

You know what's cheap, efficient, and very useful for having multiples? Stealth credits. 2x Lockpick, 2x Silencer, 3x Cloak, plus 3x Ghost Runner, and we're golden. That's 10 sources of stealth credits, all of which cost one credit. This allows us to toss in some super efficient breakers. (Hello Refractor + Dagger!) Sharpshooter is backup in case of brutal program destruction which could be a serious threat.

What else can we throw in? How about some Akamatsu Mem Chips. 1 for +1? Yes please! Astrolabe is just a better Mem Chip. Gotta grab some obligatory Clone Chips. Always handy. Toss in R&D Interface for good measure, to become a real threat. Oh, and Plascrete Carapace, because we like being alive. That way we get to do things.

Break 'em Down!

So we've got Refractor and Dagger taking down the big bad bosses, but we need to bring out the classic Corroder to complete the suite. I choose Corroder over Cerberus "Lady" H1 because it sticks around, and I don't have any Scavenges in here. I need to conserve my use of my Clone Chips. Corroder is still the most efficient permanent option out there. Perhaps GS Sherman M3 could replace it upon release, but that's entirely dependent on the meta. It'll save money in some situations, but lose money in others.

Atman is a recent include, for two reasons: Eli 1.0 is a pain, and Blue Sun's Curtain Walls take insane economy to overcome. Atman @ 4? Eli is now 2 credits, cutting the cost in half. Atman @ 10 costs 13 to install, and 3 to break, but to break it with Corroder, costs 11 each time. Having the option to negate specific ICE when needed is very strong, even without Datasucker. Switching a card out for Datasucker is an option, if you feel called that direction. It's not very synergistic with stealth, but if Atman's in anyway, and you switch out Corroder for Sherman, then it might work.

Getting the Goods!

What else should we bring to the table? Self-modifying Code seems like an obvious choice... we're playing Shaper after all. Diesel should power some very efficient free deck draw. Street Peddler is comparable to Diesel, but it lets us do tricky things like sudden hardware installs from hand. (Oh what, you just Sea Source'd me? Well, I'm going to install an Akamatsu Mem Chip from my Street Peddler, triggering my ability, and install a Plascrete Carapace from hand.)

Invest!

But wait, we gotta have some credits, right? Economy! It's important. Let's hire Kati Jones to grab us some cash. Professional Contacts give us a juicy reward for drawing ~2 cards a turn. (After all, if we're going to use her ability regularly, we need to draw ~2 cards a turn!) Hostage helps grab important economy (Contacts/Kati) while also providing another way of grabbing Film Critic when needed.

Adapt!

Clot and Crescentus are the flex slots right now. I include Clot because Stealth takes a while to set up and you don't want the corp to bust things out at blistering speed before you can catch up. I include Crescentus for games against big-ice, like Blue Sun. If I manage to derez a big ice, that could potentially be a massive hit to their econ. It can also open up huge R&D holes, letting you in multiple times in the same turn despite relying on recurring credits. Mostly, it adds another option for Self-modifying Code, in this case for credit denial, that I can recur with Clone Chip.

Alternatives:

GS Sherman M3: With Data and Destiny, this becomes a potential switch with Corroder. Depends on meta.

Datasucker: As I mentioned, now with Atman in the deck, and GS Sherman M3 as a possible switch with Corroder, this might be a good option.

Scrubber: If you're having problems with asset based economy, this is a connection that can help.

Switchblade: Meta call. It's a commitment, but it can pay off big when hitting scary sentries. The big problem is paying when hitting multiple sentries.

Another Hostage: Helps find your econ cards, helps grab Film Critic when needed.

Another Street Peddler: More fuel.

Switch to high-cost Resources like Earthrise Hotel and Daily Casts plus Career Fair: This is the approach that NicoleyMoley used here. Not sure which is superior. The problem with Career Fair in that deck is there are only 5 targets that save the full 3. Still, saving 2 is worthwhile, and he did take 1st in a 67 player tournament, no small feat.

Final Thoughts:

I think this deck is now finally competitive, as in would give my opponents competition. It's not top tier, but it works. I consider my experiment (Stealth Hayley) a tempered success, and I learned what I had to cut (e.g. Replicator) and what I had to add (e.g. better econ), which is the hard part of deckbuilding.