One of the most intriguing parts about Netrunner to me is the dynamic gameplay and back and forth battles that take place throughout the game. It's also worth noting that the game plays considerably different from both faction sides which adds an element to the game that is unique and quite challenging. In our article today, we're going to focus on the side of the Runner and in particular, Kate, a persona of the Shapers faction.
One of the best upsides to the Shaper faction at this point in the game is their ability to generate resources at an alarming rate. What I mean by resources are credits, card drawing, and card quality. Through the use of Aesop's Pawnshop and some card interactions that come naturally, Kate has access to an abundance of credits to be able to easily install her more powerful cards such as The Toolbox, Magnum Opus, and the very effective Shaper icebreakers. One of my favorite card interactions so far has been Pawnshop + Rabbit Hole. Not only do you "draw" two extra cards with Rabbit Hole, but you also get to generate one free credit for each one thanks to Aesop. It should also not be ignored that Kates static ability makes your first install cost at minus one so over the course of a few turns you can generate 4 credits for very minimal cost assuming the Pawnshop is already installed. Other good interactions with the Pawnshop are the aforementioned Codebusting with one activation left on it and Bank Job with one left on it.
Another great credit builder for the Shapers is Magnum Opus. It and Armitage Codebusting are the only cards that's generate a steady stream of credits for the Runners and only Magnum Opus stays in play for the long haul. The downside to Magnum Opus is that it takes up two memory units so it may be difficult to fit everything else you want without the help of The Toolbox or some Akamatsu Mem Chips. The first place deck from the GenCon icebreaker tournament decided to forego playing with any copies of The Toolbox and instead opted for a full play set of Mem Chips, which I don't entirely agree with but it seemed to work out for him. I think as more people play with the Shapers they'll try to fit a copy of The Toolbox in the deck, even at its steep cost.
Speaking of the GenCon winning deck, I think something can be said for the Shapers are they appeared in that deck as well as two other top 4 decks. The winning deck played some interesting out of faction cards but I think people are still just trying to figure out how best to utilize their 15 influence. The winner decided to go with two Auroras, one special order, one Bank Job, three Easy Mark, and two Wyldside. Wyldside is another particularly good card to use with Pawnshop. Not only can you use it to find it, but then you can use the Pawnshop to trash it when you really need the fourth action again.
As far as icebreakers go, the winner, as well as many others, are going with the two-of-each-breaker method and that seems to be working relatively well so far. I think that seems a little low personally but you can salt to taste as you please. Personally, I'd never play a deck without a copy of Crypsis somewhere, however. I think two of each breaker plus a single copy of Crypsis should be suffice the majority of the time. Shapers have the added benefit of having access to Tinkering which makes running with any icebreaker a pretty formidable force. The Shaper icebreakers also have the benefit of keeping their strength bonuses for the entire run which puts an opponent who piles up a lot of the same type of ice in one server in an awkward position.
The Shaper event cards are even stellar. Diesel is one of the best Runner cards in the game if only because hand size is another resource the Runner needs to manage closely. With the threat of Scorched Earth coming from essentially any Corp deck, having a hand size of four should be more than just an afterthought. Aside from Diesel, Shapers also have Makers Eye and Modded which both fit the team very, very well.
As far as icebreakers go, the winner, as well as many others, are going with the two-of-each-breaker method and that seems to be working relatively well so far. I think that seems a little low personally but you can salt to taste as you please. Personally, I'd never play a deck without a copy of Crypsis somewhere, however. I think two of each breaker plus a single copy of Crypsis should be suffice the majority of the time. Shapers have the added benefit of having access to Tinkering which makes running with any icebreaker a pretty formidable force. The Shaper icebreakers also have the benefit of keeping their strength bonuses for the entire run which puts an opponent who piles up a lot of the same type of ice in one server in an awkward position.
The Shaper event cards are even stellar. Diesel is one of the best Runner cards in the game if only because hand size is another resource the Runner needs to manage closely. With the threat of Scorched Earth coming from essentially any Corp deck, having a hand size of four should be more than just an afterthought. Aside from Diesel, Shapers also have Makers Eye and Modded which both fit the team very, very well.
What to use your influence on out of faction is still a relative unknown and worth an article on its own, which I plan to cover later this week or on into the weekend. I feel that Wyldside is a pretty welcome addition but don't feel like you need to use influence on any icebreakers; maybe. Corroder instead of a second Battering Ram. Having access to a single copy of Special Order seems useful but just using that slot to fit in your copy of Crypsis also seems perfectly reasonable. Bank Job seems good to use with its obvious interaction with Pawnshop, as well. I'm also a pretty big fan of Inside Job but the influence cost might make it a bit hard to fit in.
And that's the Shapers! Overall, I think I'd rank Kate as the best Runner at the moment but I think Gabriel and Noise can both make a case given the right mix of out of faction cards. Kate just has the best way to generate credits at the moment and that is one of the biggest issues for a Runner. Remember, if you can out-credit a Corp player, you're going to win the game more often than not. I'll leave you with the deck list that I've been playing to good results this past week.
Identity: Kate "Mac" McCaffrey
Programs:
1 Battering Ram
1 Corroder
2 Gordian Blade
2 Pipeline
1 Crypsis
2 Magnum Opus
Hardware:
3 Akamatsu Mem Chip
3 Rabbit Hole
1 The Toolbox
Other:
3 Aesop's Pawnshop
3 Diesel
3 Modded
3 Tinkering
3 The Maker's Eye
3 Sure Gamble
2 Wyldside
2 Bank Job
2 Armitage Codebusting
2 Infiltration
2 The Personal Touch
1 Inside Job
And that's the Shapers! Overall, I think I'd rank Kate as the best Runner at the moment but I think Gabriel and Noise can both make a case given the right mix of out of faction cards. Kate just has the best way to generate credits at the moment and that is one of the biggest issues for a Runner. Remember, if you can out-credit a Corp player, you're going to win the game more often than not. I'll leave you with the deck list that I've been playing to good results this past week.
Identity: Kate "Mac" McCaffrey
Programs:
1 Battering Ram
1 Corroder
2 Gordian Blade
2 Pipeline
1 Crypsis
2 Magnum Opus
Hardware:
3 Akamatsu Mem Chip
3 Rabbit Hole
1 The Toolbox
Other:
3 Aesop's Pawnshop
3 Diesel
3 Modded
3 Tinkering
3 The Maker's Eye
3 Sure Gamble
2 Wyldside
2 Bank Job
2 Armitage Codebusting
2 Infiltration
2 The Personal Touch
1 Inside Job