Apex Yaga

Card draw simulator
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Trevyn 9

So, the core of this deck is clearly to make an amazing Baba Yaga, quickly, efficiently, and make passive enough money that running anywhere, at any time, is a cakewalk.

So, let's start with the rig. You will need Baba Yaga as the base, naturally. To deal with sentries, you've got Faerie, a card which costs 0 to break sentry subroutines and offers a 1 cost boost if needed. A very solid sentry breaker indeed, and now without having to sack it upon use! Taking care of barriers, we have Morning Star. Yes, it's expensive to get in, but it's a single cost to basically never really deal with barriers again. To deal with code gates we have two options. Ideally, you'll use Yog.0 so that, they too, cost nothing. The catch there is, you could have just PLAYED Yog.0for the same effect, but still be vulnerable to higher strength code gates. That's where Gordian Blade comes in, and with it is the true might of this deck.

Gordian Blade makes any run only ever worry about the strength of their highest strength ice. Period. Then, using the rest of the set, cheaply (or freely!) break all other subroutines and dance through their servers. The rig, with all pieces included, is 6 memory units. That's a lot to be sure.

But, how do we get there? Well, we've got economy and memory cards out the wazoo, all completely legal with the "Only Virtual Resources" requirements. Data Folding for early on (or after you get out some of the free Q-Coherence Chips.), Sure Gamble, Infiltration, and even some Dirty Laundry to use basically as soon as you get them. Cute, but not perfect. What IS perfect are using Chop Bot 3000 to wreck your cards you don't need with Reaver and Wastelands out. At peak work, you're able to draw 4 cards a turn and get 6 money for zero clicks. That's basically 10 clicks worth of economy for zip!

Toss in the one Levy AR Lab Access to go back in if something bad happens to the rig, or you just somehow need more money (or things to break), and you've got a pretty solid plan. Hunting Grounds is great to have out to prevent the plague of "when encountered" effects out there that terrorize, and Harbinger's are literal fodder for the cash/card draw machine.

Cons to this deck are anything that can break a program. Oh man, they wreck this rig once, you're probably going to lose. That's pretty scary, but luckily not too many people around me use cards that break programs outside of ice. I know they probably exist though, so yeah. Also, it's not as fast as I'd like it to be. I've tried to toss in as much dive and finance as possible to fill missing pieces, but I'm sure you guys may have smarter ideas about what to put in. I'd love to hear it.

It's honestly closer to a shaper deck than an Apex deck, but when people see Apex, they think Apocalypse.

So that's it. Lemme know what you think, or any suggestions and I'll give it a whirl.

3 comments
19 Dec 2016 Krams

You plan to use Harbinger as fodder for Chop Bot 3000 and Q-Coherence Chip for in the same deck? That's, well... "interesting", you know, with the limitation of the Q-Chip and all...

And why the 6? That seems A LOT. I know that tracers are really annoying as Apex, but your answer seems a bit extreme.

And why no console? Heartbeat can be a nice protection against thounsand-cuts or kill decks and it provides cheaper than a Dyson Mem Chip and more reliable than a Q-Coherence Chip.

And what's your answer to Swordsman? If you use your only Faerie to break it, your Baba Yaga can't break Sentries anymore. You basically have to sacrifice your rig to be able to Prey it, then use LARLA and start building your rig anew. That could cost you 5 turns. And if you don't do it, the server with the Swordsman is safe for the rest of the game.

And I know that Morning Star is waaay more powerful than Breach, but the install cost seems to be an important factor with Apex' limited access to early game economy and it would free up 1 to use Data Folding and Reaver.

Oh man, this post sounds like I'm trying to deconstruct your whole deck idea, but I really like your take on a non-apo-Apex. A stable eco engine with multiple Reavers and Wastelands is a really nice touch. I really want this to work! :)
I hope my critical questions help you to improve your deck.

19 Dec 2016 Lemonbrick

I think its an awesome idea, it might take some work to perfect though. I would go +1 Special Order -1 Baba Yaga as you only need Baba Yaga to start with and need it quick then the other breakers as required. I agree with @Krams Morning Star would probably do better as Breach. I the Q-Coherence Chip should probably be changed, for Heartbeat (its good protection) and Akamatsu Mem Chip maybe with the influence saved ? or Deuces Wild is great for improving setup times without losing tempo as you will be saving some mem. Let us know how testing goes ;)

19 Dec 2016 Trevyn

@Krams- First off, all of your suggestions are really on point, and I like where you are coming from. Honestly. I've just not seen a lot of Apex decks doing anything, and I figure if a rogue AI program is going to make a friend, Baba Yaga isn't a bad one to make.

Ok, I had forgotten about Q-Coherence Chip and Harbinger's interactions. Real bad. Kinda means I am only putting them in the deck to place face down at the start of the turn with Apex: Invasive Predator's passive. This might have to be tweaked, but I don't mind.

The link question is less about getting link, a bit about getting more memory units, and even more about the Sports Hopper being a way to get extra card draw early on while on the opponents turn without an influence cost. It won't stop a BOOM! unless you end your turn and pop it like, literally first, and even THEN, I think you'd have to pop it as their turn begins and they have a manditory draw. I'll have to look at the advanced timing rules to confirm that one. The Akamatsu Mem Chip is there for memory alone. The link is nice, but the memory is king. It's why I considered that over throwing in a console (Heartbeat, for example). That said, if I need to drop the Q-Coherence Chip due to their... explosive tendencies... then Heartbeat leaps back in as not only viable, but needed.

Swordsman... My old arch nemesis. Short of adding a silver bullet for the sake of adding a silver bullet, I do not have an answer to it. I imagine by the time that happens, you have the ability to either Run R&D CONSTANTLY (thus depleting their options for agenda acquirement), or run HQ constantly (if they decided to draw more than their mandatory). If they block all three, each one with a Swordsman, then odds are their deck sucks against everyone else in your local meta. lol I see them with one, MAYBE two. Hammer the spot that isn't. shrug

Dropping Morning Star for Breach isn't a bad move, as that 8 cost ice is a big deal, and it frees up 4 influence for it's replacement. Breach costs 2, and 2 to break 3 subroutines isn't perfect... I really want to work on a better solution for this too. As it stands, I can certainly take that under advisement for the next revision. Those two influence could probably (should?) go for the Akamatsu Mem Chipx2 the deck would need when I likely lose the Q-Coherence Chip.

Now, @Lemonbrick, The only reason Deuces Wild isn't in is the influence cost. I'm freely spending it on icebreakers, so if we can manage something scary with less, I'm all in.

Thank you both, and I have a good amount to think about. I'll likely get home work tonight and revise this up. nod nod