Defragging the Core - Top Core Set Cards
by John Tatta
One of the most interesting things for me in any game, especially new ones, is to quickly identify the most powerful cards when a new set comes out. Sometimes the answer is pretty obvious, other times it takes some play testing to figure out the answer. In Netrunner, you have a little of both and I'm going to take some time to talk about what I feel some of the most powerful cards are on both sides of the table.
We'll start with the most obvious one and the one that's at the top of most players lists. What else can be said about this card that hasn't already been said? It does the most damage to the runner in the game outside of a fully loaded Jinteki Trap and is one of the easiest to set up assuming your deck does what it's supposed to do. Something that I find interesting about Scorched Earth is that it's mostly played out of faction more than any card I think I've seen so far. It's best slotted into NBN "tag you" decks and in that deck it serves as the primary win condition.
Some easy ways to tag the runner included Sea Source and many of the NBN ices which makes it pretty apparent that this is an NBN card more than its host corp of Weyland. I can't even begin to tell you how often I've seen games end on the back of a Sea Source followed by back-to-back Earths. That said, even one Scorched Earth can be pretty devastating as most of the time the Runner can't risk running with no cards in hand.
The main downside to Scorched Earth is its 4 influence value making it extremely taxing to play out of faction. Still, that hasn't stopped many people from doing just that. As more tagging cards come out, look for Scorched Earth to be ravaging your hand alongside its tag team partner Closed Accounts.
Some easy ways to tag the runner included Sea Source and many of the NBN ices which makes it pretty apparent that this is an NBN card more than its host corp of Weyland. I can't even begin to tell you how often I've seen games end on the back of a Sea Source followed by back-to-back Earths. That said, even one Scorched Earth can be pretty devastating as most of the time the Runner can't risk running with no cards in hand.
The main downside to Scorched Earth is its 4 influence value making it extremely taxing to play out of faction. Still, that hasn't stopped many people from doing just that. As more tagging cards come out, look for Scorched Earth to be ravaging your hand alongside its tag team partner Closed Accounts.
I've already written nearly an entire article on this card but it's worth mentioning again given the nature of this article. What Pawnshop does first and foremost is provide use for cards that you may not need anymore. Getting value out of cards that have worn out their uses is card advantage 101. What Pawnshop also does is provide the Runner with a steady stream of credits at a moderately low initial cost. My favorite use with the Pawnshop is in combination with Rabbit Hole to get back the credits spent almost immediately.
I've also tried Pawnshop in my Noise virus decks and it has worked surprisingly well since you have so many cards installed. Obviously it's also quite good with Wyldside for when you need to get back up to 4 actions a turn. Really the only deck I haven't had much luck fitting Pawnshop into has been a criminals deck but I'm sure there's a way to make that work as well.
I've also tried Pawnshop in my Noise virus decks and it has worked surprisingly well since you have so many cards installed. Obviously it's also quite good with Wyldside for when you need to get back up to 4 actions a turn. Really the only deck I haven't had much luck fitting Pawnshop into has been a criminals deck but I'm sure there's a way to make that work as well.
I group these two together because they're the backbone of the fast advance strategy that's possible with the core set. Setting up a solid wall of ice in front of SanSan City Grid to protect it makes it possible to install and score the Pilot Program agenda in one turn which will allow you to score a 4 progress agenda the following turn. Its really nasty once all the pieces are in place and quite hard to stop.
The fast advance deck might also want to play Shipment From Kaguya of Weyland at a low influence value of 1 to further advance their agendas. The cards are there to make this deck work right now and I can only imagine what expansions can do to such a strategy. There will be a full article covering this type of deck later in the week.
The fast advance deck might also want to play Shipment From Kaguya of Weyland at a low influence value of 1 to further advance their agendas. The cards are there to make this deck work right now and I can only imagine what expansions can do to such a strategy. There will be a full article covering this type of deck later in the week.
My least favorite card to play against other than Scorched Earth and one of the main reasons I play with infiltration in all my Runner decks. A 2 counter Junebug bomb is usually enough to put the runner far enough behind to not be able to catch back up. The worst part about Junebug is that the corp has ways to make it very enticing to run at. I've used the agenda counter on MK II to end a run at a Junebug just to ensure the runner will go after it again. It's the little tricks that Jinteki can do to make you run head first into the traps.
Speaking of MK II, I only mention this because it's the best agenda in the game and it's really not even particularly close. The ability to just end a run whenever you want is simply amazing, especially when used to score another MK II.
If you're wondering, AstroScript Pilot Program is the second best agenda in the game. After these two, the list gets pretty slim. Unfortunately we can't play out of faction agendas so all this is a moot point anyway.
If you're wondering, AstroScript Pilot Program is the second best agenda in the game. After these two, the list gets pretty slim. Unfortunately we can't play out of faction agendas so all this is a moot point anyway.
Consoles are a backbone of any runner deck to provide more memory units for all your programs and are certainly worth mentioning. The Toolbox, in my opinion, is the overall winner of best console but the Grimoire is certainly better in the virus deck. Desperado is certainly the least desirable one if only because it provides only 1 extra MU slot. Out of all the criminal decks I've built I've ended up cutting Dsperado in favor of a copy of The Toolbox instead and haven't been unhappy about it. It's easy for Desperado to make up its cost in earned credits but that's about all you will get out of it.
I've talked briefly about how good diesel is in another article but it needed to also be included here. Drawing cards for the runner is very important and drawing three of them for 1 click and a card is obviously a bargain. The influence value of two makes it a bit tricky to splash a full set of, but runners dedicated to needing this card effect can find a way to play 3.
This particular group of ICE is what I think are the best for what they do. Matrix Analyzer is a key card in the fast advance deck, Data Raven is a key card in the tagging decks, Archer is probably the single most powerful ICE in the game as long as you can find a way to alternatively rez it or not lose much rezzing it the conventional way. Tollbooth, despite costing a ton to rez really halts a runners progress and finally Enigma is probably the most efficient breaker available determined by cost to effect ratio.
I also like RotoTurret and Wall of Ice quite a bit too, even though their pictures aren't posted above.
I also like RotoTurret and Wall of Ice quite a bit too, even though their pictures aren't posted above.
These three are the most efficient breaker for each type. It's also worth mentioning Crypsis in this group as I have a love affair with him that goes beyond anything I can explain. Icebreakers can be a bit expensive to use so you always want to try and use the most efficient ones when you can. Also keep in mind that the Shaper breakers keep their strength bonus for the entire run should that come up.
In my opinion the best HB card and the main reason to be HB at all. The 3 trash cost makes it a target for the runner but whatever happens you're always going to end up at positive credit advantage over the Runner. A 2 influence cost makes it challenging to play a full set but otherwise an amazing card.
And that's all I'm covering for today. This should give you a decent idea about where to take your deck idea and give you an idea about what to watch for from certain decks. There are many, many other solid cards in the Netrunner core set, these are just the ones that caught my eye immediately.
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the other articles on the site!
And that's all I'm covering for today. This should give you a decent idea about where to take your deck idea and give you an idea about what to watch for from certain decks. There are many, many other solid cards in the Netrunner core set, these are just the ones that caught my eye immediately.
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the other articles on the site!