New Combos For a New World!

bluebird503 1980

Credit to a friend of mine Brian who helped me come up with the original idea in 2014, and then @tmoiynmwg for developing the agnifusion and really refining a lot of the key parts in 2017. This list still differs from @tmoiynmwg version slightly in some of the ice selection and so on but it takes a lot of the ideas that he came up with like the modern use of It's a Trap & Aiki. This is my favorite pet deck in Netrunner and I'm happy that it is better than ever as of right now. I've spent several years playing random games with it and mostly thinking about how new cards help or hurt it. It's always been in the back of my mind and I'm having so much fun with it now!

Back in 2014 shortly after architect was released my friend Brian and I realized that if you had less than 4 operations in your deck that cell portal + shadows + architect would allow you to loop through and install your entire deck of installables. Figuring out the cool things we could do with that involved things like advancing a Beale for 9999 points or using Snoop + Data Hound + Information Overload to delete the runners deck, then scoring a chronos project and sitting behind stupid ice :D. It was easiest to do in Jinteki though so we settled on Junebug + Matrix Analyzer as part of the loop. This combo was mostly unrealistic and difficult and while i did pull it off in one game at a GNK it was very inconsistent.

The modern combo is to get a cell portal on a remote server with architect and errand boy in front of it. When your opponent hits a whirlpool without an ai breaker you can trash the ice behind the whirlpool to send them on the cell portal loop using your brand new shiny ID ability.(This is easier with lab servers as basically every facedown ice on central could be death for them). RSVP or Wendigo(another Timmy innovation) allow the combo to go off despite crazy money advantages or icebreakers. If your architect can find additional errand boys or akitaro then it becomes infinite as long as they can't break the cell portal and they can't jack out. Lab Servers also works and it is actually quite scorable behind your 4 ice cell portal server and having those counters is extremely strong(as long as they don't employee strike).

So: Wendigo or RSVP + Batty/Errand Boy/Architect/Cell Portal: Prime targets for first architect trigger are : Errand Boy/Akitaro or additional architect. After that start looping and finding your combo pieces. If you have infinite money and your architects miss you can draw with Errand Boy. Find It's a Trap, and keep installing it over and over until their board is gone. Have your opponent draw and discard their entire deck and hand with Aiki(then install Matrix Analyzer over the Aiki before they die so they will have 0 or 1 cards left in hand). Then install Junebug in your server and advance it with Matrix Analyzer as many times as you desire. Finally, choose not to rez your cell portal and you have won(in a very flashy manner).

Game plan: Protect centrals with random crappy ice. Your ice looks scarier than it is but that is ok. Try to find and get a DNA tracker or Komainu rezzed on the outside somewhere. That way you can use bad ice like matrix analyzer or it's a trap or expensive ice you cant afford to sack and throw them into DNA tracker on like RND. Also use your ID to protect yourself from dumb cards like account siphon. Grind and make some $$, Draw up. Eventually you will probably want to replanting to reposition your architects from your central and build up your combo server. The scarcity are for resource denial and to counteract strike/rumor mill a small amount. You can also play enforced curfew but i like battling the econ game a bit. I am currently playing clinic because unlike pad they reward you a dollar right away, also the 3-4 trash cost isn't that big when you don't have other things to trash. Whizz is trashing all of them anyways so just take the hit. You can switch them for more gifts if you expect mostly whizzard.

The deck can actually naturally win games by getting non combo flatlines. Advancing junebug then whirlpooling and moving people can get there. Depending on the way you play you can get some non combo wins especially since once your at 6 your remote is a huge threat and they have to be more agressive with central pressure. You might just randomly score out. I tend to focus only on the combo win myself as winning in other ways isnt as exciting :D.

As soon as Aginfusion was spoiled I knew it was the ability we always wanted. We used to play in RP to protect remote assets but lets be honest, whizzard and runners are rich now and that click is not the drain it once was. I used to also play corporate troubleshooter to keep them from breaking the cell portal, but now we have cool tricks like Batty RSVP. It truly is a different world when you can just throw them into your server now. Now instead of almost everything beating you into a pulp, you actually have some game against some things. Decks without employee strike are especially vulnerable. D4vid/Faust is still another modern enemy but you can get around that as well if you play a wendigo instead of RSVP.

I hope everyone enjoys messing around with this deck it is quite something. Timmy played it at SoCal regionals and at US Nationals icebreaker and managed to combo once in both fairly competitive events. I played it at a gnk yesterday and pulled off combo in 2/4 games which I feel is fairly decent. It is not going to win Worlds or anything anytime soon but it is a very satisfying and rewarding deck to play I feel.

Edit to the decklist: Matrix Analyzer should probably be Herald. Found this card when building cache refresh lists last night. It doesn't end the run, contributes 2 dollars a loop, and then eventually advances. Seems much better than Analyzer.

26 comments
26 Jun 2017 Saan

Now, I'm not going to outright call you a monster, but I just want you to know I'm heavily implying it.

26 Jun 2017 aleph_c

Is it ever necessary to disable more than one program at once? If so, Vikram 1.0 fits the bill for the same influence as RSVP or Wendigo. (With the intention being to overwrite it, of course, lest the runner die of brain damage too quickly.)

26 Jun 2017 bluebird503

I like the way you think @aleph_c! Didn't consider that one myself but looks good. The 6 cost is a bit higher but yeah sometimes they could possibly have Faust AND David which is annoying.

26 Jun 2017 westonodom

They can click that though, and they may have clicks. The others are unconditional.

26 Jun 2017 tmoiynmwg

Against Faust + d4v1d you can just batty wendigo on approach to disable Faust, then fire the wendigo sub normally to disable d4v1d. Vikram is actually less reliable than wendigo since it's a bioroid. Double batty is your out against combinations like Faust + black orchestra.

@bluebird503 Thanks for inspiring me to play this deck, it's led to some of the most fun netrunner experiences I've ever had. Hopefully others will enjoy it as well!

26 Jun 2017 bluebird503

@westonodom @tmoiynmwg while the clicking is a problem remember they can break the wendigo/cell portal as well. The key part is maybe you can trick them to taking exactly 5 brain damage somehow so they end the game with 0 hand size as well :D.

26 Jun 2017 bluebird503

@westonodom @tmoiynmwg while the clicking is a problem remember they can break the wendigo/cell portal as well. The key part is maybe you can trick them to taking exactly 5 brain damage somehow so they end the game with 0 hand size as well :D. (can let it run 3 times for 6 with one mhc rezzed, no tricks needed)

27 Jun 2017 MonkeyBonkey

So how do you get an infinite combo with the cost of cell portal? Akitaro reduces by 2 and errand boy gives you 3, so it would still be cost of 2 per loop unless you have Akitaro, and 2 errand boys on the server - is that correct?

27 Jun 2017 MonkeyBonkey

Ah nevermind - misread the card - got the str and cost confused - now it makes sense

28 Jun 2017 kotx64

Hi @bluebird503, i try to translate but it s not easy. If i summarize your scoring remote is Wendigo or RSVP + Batty/Errand Boy/Architect/Cell Portal which is the innermost. On central server you put "crappy ice" and you use your ID to send the runner on the scoring remote? is that right? Other question, what is the purpose (goal) of Matrix Analyser?

Thanks for answer

28 Jun 2017 bluebird503

@kotx64 : yes that is the combo server.

In general yes, you need to use ID ability usually to get them to run.

Matrix Analyzer(I recently switched this to Herald) is used to advance Junebug during the Cell Portal combo so that you can kill them with lots of net damage.

28 Jun 2017 kotx64

@bluebird503 i made a game but i ve played very bad. If i don t find Akitaro the remote Wendigo or RSVP + Batty/Errand Boy/Architect/Cell Portal is very expansive because Cell portal cost 5 each time, is that right??

29 Jun 2017 bluebird503

@kotx64 yes its not the easiest too afford. One of the things I had to do is to avoid rezzing too many expensive pieces of ice elsewhere. Instead I rezzed one decent ice and used the aginf ability to tax them with it.

2 Jul 2017 Skullbotrock

Okay i tried this deck a few times and struggled each time. So i got the remote server set up with errand boy, architect, errand boy and cell portal then a akitaro wannabee in the bottom. Once they ran it i used a counter to stop them from jacking out but they simply broke all the ice. With modern icebreakers and economy cell portal is a breeze to break. Did i do something wrong or are you counting on the runner to be practically broke when they run?

3 Jul 2017 zmb

How do you prevent the runner from just jacking out after you send them to your Architect remote? Also unless the outermost ICE is not rezzed (Wendigo) the runner doesn't encounter it, as you have no window to rez. I made a deck with a 5xAdvanced Project Junebug or Cerebral Overwriter behind a Whirlpool and uses Executive Boot Camp to rez it. What usually happens then though is, that the runner stops running :D

3 Jul 2017 Torf

Sorry, but how do you get infinity money with Cell Portal and Errand Boy? When you have Akitaro Watanabe installed, you can load Cell Portal for 3 credits. Errand Boy give you 3 credits every time. But you need to derezz Cell Portal everytime. What am i missing?

3 Jul 2017 bluebird503

@Skullbotrock you need to batty rsvp or Wendigo to prevent them from breaking everything

@zmb Need labryinthe servers scored, use a token. Or you need whirlpool to fire naturally or batty, then move them using ability. Always keep an ice underneath whirlpool if you can.

@Torf assuming you have akitaro and errand boy, your netting 0 credits a loop, however with architect firing you will find a second errand boy fairly easy, this will net you 3 credits a loop now. Since changing matrix analyzer for herald you can now find that as well so consistency is slightly higher.

4 Jul 2017 dbAdmin

On an AgInfusion trigger to a Cell Portal server, I would hope that activating Cell Portal returns you to the top of Cell Portal's server and not the original 'attacked' server. Food for thought.

5 Jul 2017 kotx64

Fun deck but hard to play for a beginner . Thanks for sharing

5 Jul 2017 bluebird503

@dbAdmin that would be pretty sad if it did

6 Jul 2017 fingerzz

Hi i'm new player and can someone explain me how to play this deck? I played MtG and i simply enjoyed playing combo decks.

6 Jul 2017 bluebird503

Hello @lakislavko welcome to Netrunner. If your looking for competitive combo decks Cold Ones Ayla, dyper or cereberal imaging might be better places for you to start.

The deck sort of just plays ice and Netrunner like normal but tries to set up an infinite loop in the remote using specific ice combinations . The combo is outlined in the description.

Sorry can't be more help , hope you enjoy Netrunner.

7 Jul 2017 EnderA

I would consider Mumbad City Grid to replace Replanting. There are a lot of tricks you can pull with it, e.g. force them into Komainu multiple times in a single run or multiplying the effect of a single Errand Boy, in addition to the obvious swapping Cell Portal to the back.

Plus an Excalibur for scoring - either redirect after Excalibur or redirect into Excalibur.

8 Jul 2017 bluebird503

@EnderA Mumbad City Grid looks cool, I will definitely try it . Replanting saves a lot of money on installs and is very much a money card as well as picking up architects you used earlier so i think i'd still probably keep a replanting in.

30 Sep 2017 zmb

I guess this deck is dead post rotation (without Akitaro Watanabe)

30 Sep 2017 tmoiynmwg

Not to mention Cell Portal... Core 2 rotated all the cool combo cards in the core set D':

On the bright side, this is the most fun legacy deck that I can think of.