Looking Back at World's 2013 Finals

I want to take a look back at the World’s finals for every year of Netrunner to see what happened in those decks, how the meta evolved between them, and what we in the modern age might learn as both players and designers.

I have decided to for the time to skip 2012 as that was a very limited format without much development both in the game and in player skills. It is interesting but fits the theme of this series less so I will skip it for now.

Decks:

We have Jens Erikson vs Andrew Veen, we get both sides in the games so lets look at the decks for each.

Jens Erikson Corp Side:

Haas Bioroid: Engineering the Future

Agendas: 3x Accelerated Beta Test, 3x Project Vitruvius, 3x Efficiency Committee, 1x Director Haas’ Pet Project and 1x Gila Hands Arcology.

Assets: 3x Adonis Campaign, and 3x Jackson Howard.

Upgrades: 2x SanSan City Gird, and 2x Ash 2X3ZB9CY.

Operations: 3x Biotic Labor, 2x Green Level Clearance, and 3x Hedge Fund.

Ice: 3x Eli 1.0, 1x Hiemdal 1.0, 2x Wall of Static, 2x Ice Wall, 1x Viper, 1x Viktor 2.0, 2x Enigma, 2x Pop-Up Window, 1x Tollbooth, 3x Rototurret, 1 Ichi 1.0 and 1x Grim.

(8 Barriers, 7 Code-Gates, 5 Sentries.)

Deck Discussion: Nothing fancy but solid HB efficiency, you love to see it. I believe any modern player could pick this deck right up and make a meal of it. The agenda suite is a bunch of solid options, the two that might stick out to our eyes are Pet Project and Gila Hands Arcology. Pet Project is a perfectly fine agenda, a bit under-curve compared to other agendas but it allows some quick setup. Gila Hands is really just a sign of the times, the pace of the game was a bit slower so the click twice for 3 was not a terrible rate to have whenever you wanted. Plus having two 1/3s helps the scoring pattern of the deck.

Assets, and operations are just the good stuff you see from Netrunner of this era.

SanSan might seem a bit odd to modern players as it has really fallen out of favor, but it was just a great option for securing quick scores. This card pool lacked cards like Seamless Launch that could create windows to score 4/2s easily. So having something to ease that process was very welcome, the cost being high was ok in a bit of a slower game that often liked getting credits more. Also if the runner went low it would be much harder for them to bounce back so that could be a window all on its own.

Ash 2X3ZB9CY, is another big player here, though it makes no appearance in this match it will show up for a long time to come. Trace 4 is already a strong start and if successful it negates the run as they can only access Ash. From a modern view this effect is most similar to Adrian Seis, though Adrian combines the effect of Ash and Caprice Nisei who will likely be seen in the future many times. The trace is different as the runner, if rich enough, can out pay the Corp to avoid the effect, but that would be only in a win on that run scenario. Normally, it just makes the run pointless, and they then must spend 3 credits to trash the Ash. It forces the runner through the server twice at a minimum which can be enough for to just make it impossible for the runner to get in. Especially in a time when money was slower and smaller, it was harder to bounce back for a second run. At this time there were not really many ways to deal with Ash, though soon there would be a particular way to solve that problem. In modern times Pinhole would be difficult for Ash to deal with but I still think the effect he brings is rather strong.

Ice is also very standard stuff, but Grim might seem odd because it gives a bad publicity on rez. Largely it is included as just a very strong sentry and the single bad publicity is not too back breaking for the power of Grim and can really rip up board states.

Install, advance, score, win. Keep it simple, keep it efficient.

Jens Erikson Runner Side:

Andromeda: Dispossessed Ristie https://netrunnerdb.com/en/card/01054(Criminal)

Events: 3x Account Siphon, 3x Inside Job, 3x Special Order, 3x Emergency Shutdown, 2x Forged Activation Orders, 2x Easy Mark, 2x Hostage, 3x Sure Gamble, and 3x Dirty Laundry.

Hardware: 3x Desperado, 3x Plascrete Carapace, and 2x R&D Interface.

Programs: 2x Faerie, 1x Femme Fatale, 1x Crypsis, 2x Corroder, 1x Mimic, 1x Yog.0, and 3x Datasucker. (4 Killers, 2 Fracters, 1 Decoder, 1 AI Breaker)

Resources: 1x Kati Jones, 1x John Masanori, and 1x Professional Contacts.

Deck Discussion: Andy is the crim ID of the era and many eras to come, it is just hard to beat the raw power of having a 9 card opening hand, especially in a faction that has always struggled with card draw. For modern players the power of account siphon cannot be understated. It forces the Corp player to ice and likely rez HQ ice right away or risk taking a massive 15 credit swing. The tags could matter but since the runner controls when they take the tags it is less relevant. The rest of the events are basic run economy and some ice de-rez that would not appear too out of the ordinary in a modern deck. Its fundamentals and it still works.

Hardware is another whose who of great and simple cards, Desperado is free money for playing the game and Plascrete keeps you safe against nasty cards like Scorched Earth. A modern deck may not take as many plascretes but otherwise its all good stuff.

Programs is different from a modern Criminal rig, as we have multiple ice breakers and have imported several Anarch breakers as well. Faerie and Femme are here as temporary solutions to ice, to make aggressive runs. Corroder, Mimic, Yog and Datasucker (leech) make the backbone of the rig with effective efficient breakers, two of which are fixed strength that require Datasucker support. Not what you might expect to see in Crim but given the card pool and the ice they made running so efficient. Yog deserves a shout-out here as it is going to show up a lot going forward. Buzzsaw’s bigger brother, Yog can break any code gate for zero credits, the only catch is you cannot increase its strength. Thankfully there are lots of tricks to lower the strength of cards, the obvious one being Datasucker. Yog invalidates any code gate at 3 or below strength in a way cleaver and buzzsaw wish they could. A meta force for the rest of its time with us. Lastly, we have Crypsis an AI breaker. It is expensive to install but if you are taking it slow clicking its strength up to match something you know you can break right now was not a bad move, as it allowed security during a run. It would never see the light of day in modern play being outclassed but just about every other AI breaker but for the time it could do some work.

Resources is a very vanilla package, Kati Jones will be a new face to some players but she was a staple card for a long time. Simple, better than clicking for credits, and could be used as a way to off-shore money meant Kati saw play for a long time, being neutral did not hurt either. John Masanori is another face likely to show up again, another neutral card, he provides free card draw and if desired a free tag. If you expect you will always make a successful run than it can’t hurt to get some much needed card draw out of it. I think John would see play modernly as his effect would be welcome by most Criminal decks, and the downside would benefit the Seb package a lot. Professional Contacts is another similar card, far too slow for a modern meta but was great for getting some extra efficiency out of the deck.

Andrew Veen Corp Side:

NBN: Making News

Agendas: 3x AstroScript Pilot Program, 3x Project Beale, 3x Breaking News, 3x Character Assassination, and 1x Gila Hands Arcology.

Assets: 3x Jackson Howard, and 2x Bernice Mai

Upgrades: 3x SanSan City Grid

Operations: 3x Closed Accounts, 3x Hedge Fund, 3x Green Level Clearance, and 3x Beanstalk Royalties.

Ice: 2x TMI, 1x Wall of Static, 3x Pop-Up Window, 3x Enigma, 2x Draco, 1x Rototurret, 3x Cadeceus. (3 Barriers, 6 Code-Gates, 4 Sentries)

Deck Discussion: NBN’s Core Set ID, Making News focuses on traces, we see that in the ice and Bernice only but still these are some nasty traces and the extra credits help make them unbeatable or very costly.

In the agenda suite we start with an all time great, AstroScript Pilot Program, it is going to stick around for a while until it gets errataed to be 1 copy per deck. But for the time being it is at its full power. It is a 3/2 agenda that when scored holds a counter on it that can be used to advance a card at instant speed. Remastered Edition in the modern pool plays at this same idea but as a 4/2 and suffers considerably for it. Astro allows for a real fast scoring pattern and allows the Corp to score all the other agendas off a SanSan City Grid instantly, forcing the runner to trash SanSan or control centrals heavily. Project Beale is familiar and when comboed with Astro can be a good way to close out the game with a fake 5/3. Character Assassination is a fine way to kill a resource and Gila is similar to the HB deck, just good enough and can close out the game as a 1 pointer. Finally, Breaking News will remain relevant for a long time so lets break it down. Being a 2/1 is enough to warrant some play but free 2 tags really pushes it up. If it can be scored with clicks left over on the Corp side it can set up nasty combos, this deck has Closed Accounts as the main punishment but, other options include double Scorched Earth which can end any runner’s day. Add SanSan into the mix and it becomes even more of a threat, or Astro allowing for a single click install and score.

For assets and operations we have mostly just good stuff but I will take this moment to talk about Jackson Howard, since we will see him in every single Corp deck until he is gone, and replaced by Spin Doctor. Jackson is very strong allowing for click to draw 2 as many times as the Corp is willing to hit it, and he shuffles back 3 cards. A key difference is he does not draw upon being rezzed allowing for the Corp to fix deck thinning issues without losing anything. Though Spin’s ability to draw at instant speed has its own advantages, Jackson largely sits just a step above. Bernice Mai is another inclusion that really benefits from Making News, the Trace 5 is rather beefy and paired with Making News extra credits it becomes a Trace 7 without any credits leaving the Corp’s pocket. That free tag is nice and if the runner could not afford to trash her than it can lead to some uncomfortable board states.

Ice is another unique one here we have some staples of the early card pool but Draco and Caduceus are the stars of the show. Where there is Making News there is Draco, you can pay to add strength on rez and then hit the runner with a tag and etr. Trace 2 is not bad when you can make that Trace 4 for free, paying a little in can produce a really nasty piece of ice and face check. Caduceus costs 3 to rez at 3 strength and has two annoying traces attached. if you win the trace 3 with free credits you make your money back from rez and then it can end the run, a desperate runner can save their cash for the 2nd trace but you can afford to pump a lot into it and keep them out. Its just annoying enough to prove a real threat.

The goal of this is to score aggressively using Astro and SanSan, and then punish the runner with Breaking News and Closed Accounts. A bit different from many NBN decks of today, it focuses on scoring quickly and cheaply and setting itself up for the next. Tags are present and serve a way to punish the runner or deter them but is not a major part of the game plan.

Andrew Veen Runner Side:

Kate McCaffery: Digital Tinker (Shaper)

Events: 3x Modded, 3x Test Run, 3x Sure Gamble, and 3x Dirty Laundry.

Hardware: 3x Clone Chip, 3x R&D Interface, 3x Plascrete Carapace, and 3x Desperado.

Programs: 3x Atman, 1x Deus X, 1x Femme Fatale, 3x Self-Modifying Code, 3x Datasucker, and 3x Parasite. (3 AI Breakers, 1 AP Breaker, 1 Killer)

Resources: 3x Kati Jones, 3x Daily Casts, and 3x Professional Contacts.

Deck Discussion: Another straight forward deck, install programs, break ice, make money, save money with Kate’s ID ability, win with R&D Interface and singles.

Events are straight forward, test run is mostly for Femme, as it lets you install it for 3 and then draw it back to hand, good for cheating past annoying ice. Otherwise its just money, in very familiar ways.

Hardware is also very familiar, Desperado’s value cannot be outmatched at this time and having the protection of Plascrete cannot be understated. Clone Chip is just the old school version of Simulchip, except you do not have to trash a program, which is both a plus and a minus.

Programs are where things get interesting compared to a modern shaper rig. First we have Atman, which is still around in standard, though not for much longer. The Kate discount is welcome as Atman is expensive to install in general. Atman worked well in a much smaller pool of ice, as you could plan for most of the common ice and adjust as needed with Datasucker. Deus X is a nice piece of kit for that on command break or damage prevention, single use but clone chip helps recur it when needed. Parasite is another big player in the meta and will we see it many more times before its gone. Parasite is the premiere ice destruction piece, it ticks along all on its own and works even on unrezzed as once they are rezzed they get exploded. It also works with Datasucker as you can lower the strength of the ice during an encounter and then Parasite detonates it. Using clone chip and SMC to recur and tutor it makes Parasite a constant threat. It is best compared to Chisel or Arruacerias Crew, since both take out ice. The obvious difference is chisel only triggers during encounters and cannot interact with leech, while Crew can interact with leech it requires you to be encountering the ice, cannot be easily tutored or instant speed recurred as it is a resource. While Crew has proven to be a threat in the meta it cannot stand up to the raw power Parasite brings to bear.

The resource package is very simple and effective, we see Kati Jones again as we will many times, and the familiar Daily Casts and Pro-Co, somethings never change.

Match 1: Jens Erikson (ETF) vs Andrew Veen (Kate)

Corp Side Report: Jens Eirkson is playing ETF, which very simple gives you 1 credit the first time you install a card. This is a very good ID effect as every turn it grants a benefit and makes say installing and advancing a card credit neutral, the first ice gives you money and the 2nd is free. We will see that really play out very well with SanSan and some fast advancing, which costs a total of 1 credit.

Turn 1 is a true classic, GLC and install ice on HQ and R&D, this play nets 1 less credit than Ice Ice Hedge Fund but the extra draw is always appreciated. Runner takes a very greedy turn, going Pro-Co Kati Jones. In response Jens installs SanSan and clicks for credit twice, knowing it is impossible for the runner to get the credits required to trash it. The runner sets up more and installs R&D Interface, but only on 2 credits decides not to run. Jens then quickly installs a Project Vitruvius and scores it with the SanSan discount, this costs him 7 credits in having to rez the SanSan but the ETF install credit makes it only cost 1 credit from now on to score any 3 cost agenda. With the heat on the runner goes for HQ, where Jens decides to rez an Eli 1.0. We later learn this is because he is flooded with agendas and with no breaker or tools on the board it is a very effective rez choice. Spending two click to get in to HQ is just not worth the time for a runner already behind on money and points. So the runner pivots to R&D, which is holding a Pop-Up window giving the all important credit needed to score back to Jens. Unfortunately, a ABT is stolen off the top, but these things happen.

Jens does mandatory draw, and considers for a moment, with the runner still very low on credits he bottoms out and scores another Project Vitruvius from hand. This move really dials up the pressure, as if that SanSan or hand cannot be controlled things are going to end fast. Parasite hits the table and blows up the Pop-Up window and an R&D run shows the next 2 are clean. Too poor to do much else Jens installs ice on R&D and clicks for credits, bringing him up to 3. Runner takes another dig on R&D and it holds. Jens can feel safe largely as we know he had 3 Project Vitruviuses in the hand very early on and with the ABT stolen early it is likely there are no more agendas for the next while. The runner is able to click Kati Jones to get up to eight and immediately trashes the SanSan, which slows down the scoring train.

Next turn Jens just clicks for 2 and plays hedge fund coming up to 9 credits. A quick turn but a necessary one to recover from losing SanSan as we can see at least one biotic in hand which will cost 6 to score the final Project Vitruvius from hand as ETF will make a credit for the install. The runner takes the turn off and installs 2 daily casts. Jens then plays biotic and scores the last Project Vitruvius from hand, putting him on 6 points and game point. Now all he needs is enough credits and another biotic to threaten the win at any moment, this really puts the runner under the gun as they have to make some big plays or lose in a turn or two. With Jens low on credits the Runner goes for R&D, and whiffs again, very little luck on these R&D runs. The runner installs SMC and gets some more money, with two daily casts he will be able to have enough to pay for breakers now. Jens double clicks for credits into hedge fund, back on 9, enough for a biotic score of a 2/3 or the 1/3s, that is 5 of the remaining agendas, which means next turn he could have it.

The Runner goes back for R&D, whiffs again, no luck with R&D, but as the Corp its reasonable to assume with so many agendas gone in such a short amount of draws that its unlikely there will be much. The runner makes a play by test running a Femme and by passing the Eli on HQ, they whiff and see an Ichi. Knowing R&D can only hold for so long Jens installs another piece of ice, for free with ETF, and clicks for credit twice, up to 11. With two biotic that can be an agenda score, 8 for the biotics, +1 for the install, and then 3 or 4 to advance. The runner goes after R&D again and whiffs again, seeing no agendas, Jens does not rez knowing he has the win in hand. He double biotics and scores an Efficiency Committee from hand for the win.

The big thing I saw from this match on the Corp side was he saw a greedy opening from the runner and capitalized on it to score two Project Vitriuvus from hand and then with the biotics in hand just forced the issue. He got lucky that R&D held so well but also that the runner was reluctant to challenge HQ, not believing he had so many agendas in hand.

The biggest take away for a modern player is to take advantage of the windows your opponent proves for you, I am not sure he would have pushed out the SanSan scores at the start if the runner did not just spend all his money without much way to bounce back. That created a big window to just rush and score, akin to the modern PD rush. In this case its more extreme as the runner cannot bounce back as easily, and it was a remote without any ice and just fast advance from hand scoring patterns. Once it becomes clear that your opponent is going to try to score from hand controlling HQ and R&D becomes the paramount concern for the runner. We saw Veen go for runs on R&D several times and whiffed, a bit unlucky but we saw almost no HQ pressure. This game really came down to a few costly mistakes from the runner, and the Corp capitalizing on them well.

Runner Side Report: Playing as Kate you want to be able to install a program or hardware every turn to get maximum value which means draw and money. Of course, reality is never that easy so at least being able to install every other turn is ideal. Parasite and Datasucker are two strong tools to abuse for the Runner as well, using clone chip to bring it back over and over. Turn 1 Veen goes installs Professional Contacts clicks it twice and installs Kati Jones, a very greedy start but if he believes the Corp will also take it slow, it is a strong option. However, the Corp is not taking it slow and dipping so low on credits really puts him in an awkward spot once he sees the SanSan. Turn 2 is the pivotal moment where I believe Veen makes the game losing mistake, he does not rush to get the money required to trash the SanSan right away. While he does not know the Corp will just score four easy points off this single upgrade, that threat is always there and the naked install should signal that something fishy is going on. Rushing to trash the SanSan would have force the Corp to find other ways to score that second agenda slowing him way down, and forcing him to spend more money on each score. As the turns tick by Veen is low on credits frequently and then double installs a daily casts when already under pressure from fast advance. Daily casts is a great long term econ option but when time is of the essence it only becomes credit positive 2 turns after it is installed, which with the pace of the game the Corp has set is way too slow. The lack of ready money prevents him from using SMC to tutor out options to deal with Eli as an Atman or Parasite would solve that issue and force the Corp spend more time on installs and money on ice rezzes. As mentioned digging on R&D was perfectly logical but after the second whiff you have to check the hand more aggressively but again the lack of econ really hurt here as it meant he could not use all the tricks he had. If instead of installing Pro-Co, he had installed Kati, clicked her and then drew twice, he would have been in a position to contest the SanSan after the first score. Hindsight being 20/20 and all, I think he played to his outs well but got a bit unlucky and needed to manage the money of the deck a bit better.

The lesson to be learned for modern players is to manage your money well, dipping too low can create scoring windows that the Corp can really take advantage of. More so in the modern day than back then. However, a modern runner has more tools to come back from 0 compared to back then and econ was slower. Now an anarch can jump from zero to 5 with a single moshing, hitting a strike fund, and draw 3 cards, perhaps more. But, I would say always know your econ options and only dip below the credit threshold you need to capitalize on them when you absolutely must. Daily casts also should only hit the table if you have 4 turns of the game left to play, so do not just snap install it when you see it.

That is game one, a really straight forward game where money and speed took the game and we saw the value of ETF every round in making the Corp money.

Match 2: Andrew Veen (Making News) vs Jens Erikson (Andy)

Before we start this match is is important to talk about the structure of the tournament rules. Due to the way the tournament was structured on points and seeding by winning match 1 Jens only needs to score 3 points in this game to win. This obviously changes the dynamic of the game quite a bit as Veen will really need to lock servers down as any random access can just end the game. Normally you can let a few points go or play a bit risky but here Veen is under pressure from turn one. This match is a bit longer so I will be do less play by play and really highlighting key turns and moments.

Corp Side Report: As mentioned above Veen is under pressure as he needs to score 7 points and his opponent only needs to steal 3. So we see a very conservative start, install Draco on R&D, install SanSan and click for credit. The runner trashes the SanSan and then next turn is another econ focused turn. On the runner’s turn he goes after R&D and the Draco is rezzed paying no additional cost making it Strength 0, Veen pays into the trace and that keeps the runner out and gives him a tag. Feeling the pressure Veen scores a breaking news from hand to get it out of the game. And does so again on the following turn. This is a good read on the board state as the runner spends that in-between turn setting up and also prevents easy points from getting stolen and putting the runner on immediate game point. Responding to a Desperado install, Veen puts ice on HQ and archives to provide no easy runs. That archives ice will also let him offload some agendas later. The next turn on either side is mostly setup with the runner taking one run on HQ and getting money and Veen double Jackson drawing and playing hedge fund.

Rototurret on archives kills Datasucker and Veen spends a lot to rez and keep TMI, which ends the HQ run. Then a quick run to R&D grabs 2 points for the runner with a Project Beale. Now any access can win the runner the game as any agenda will do. Importantly all that ice rezzing puts Veen on 0 credits, as well, a very tough spot to play from. Beanstalk to the rescue however and another ice on R&D. The runner installs corroder off a special order and R&D is now much more vulnerable but Veen knows where the lions share of agendas are, in hand, in archives and a few scored, so letting the runner in is not as big as deal as it might be otherwise. 2 Jackson on the board means all the agendas in archives are safe for now. Veen makes a new remote with a single ice and a single face down, we learn later it is a Bernice Mai. Special Order for Mimic means the runner can now challenge R&D for 2 credits, making one back so it is even easier and now archives is no longer safe. The pressure is building.

Veen reinforces the remote with another piece of ice and the runner drops to 2 credits, I agree with the commentators who say if in the remote there was an Astro installed the game would be looking so much better as after installing the Mimic the runner dips to 0 credits, which means depending on the ice that is a secure score. And even here with the runner at 2 its good odds to try and score. Veen installs a SanSan on the remote and the turn passes back. The runner plays dirty laundry on archives, forcing the double Jackson shuffle back of 6 cards, 5 of which are agendas. The runner then just hits R&D and wins off a Project Beale. A difficult game for the Corp to be sure as he started at such a massive disadvantage and tried to claw back. But a bit of overly cautious plays and some bad rips from the runner end the game.

From a modern view, we do not have to deal with this arcane tournament rule structure but we can take a few lessons from it. There are similar situations where you lose 4 or 5 points off singles from R&D and HQ on turn 1 turning the game into a similar setup. The biggest part is finding that delicate balance between fortifying up your defenses and pushing out agendas so they do not pile up too quickly and so you can score enough to re-establish yourself. What that looks like will be different in every game but be careful with centrals as you need to prevent random accesses just winning the game. We saw Veen do a good job to trying to manage the various issues, though he missed a few chances for a push it was otherwise a really rough situation to come out of, given the disadvantage he started out.

Runner Side Report: Jens starts from a huge advantage only needing to steal 3 points for a win. Knowing this he starts off simple, sure gamble, checks R&D, and then checks the SanSan and trashes it right away and easy mark to finish the turn and discards cards to hand size. A great start he has money, trashed a major threat and sets the tempo of aggressive play early to put on that extra bit of pressure. Datasucker and run R&D, and does not boost into the Draco as the expense is not worth it. Runs HQ gets nothing and clears the tag. Keeping the aggression is all he needs to do for the time being. After the Corp scores from hand the Breaking News he goes for Pro-Co install and clicks it. Then another from hand score, and he clicks thrice more and installs Desperado. I think this is a bit of a misplay, as it reveals the Desperado before it can be used and prompts the Corp to ice up all the remaining servers. I might have held off for another turn to goad the Corp into leaving servers open. Similarly, he installs the R&D interface without a way to run the server at that moment. In the grand scheme of things it is ok, but installing cards like that on the last click gives away information to the Corp that you cannot capitalize on in that turn. If you cannot avoid it for some reason, like an overfull Paladin then needs be but if it can be avoided go for the install first on the following turn and then take advantage of that turn if possible.

Runs archives and loses the Datasucker to Rototurret, and then goes right to HQ which is great, force more expenditures to slow the Corp down the only thing he has to focus on is finding two agendas so he gets a lot of leeway on being aggressive. This drops the Corp to 1 credit and then runs R&D, with Andy’s 1 Link, that means they must pay into the Draco trace to force Jens to spend a lot but never enough to keep him out on his current credit total. He gets in and grabs a Project Beale, this means the win is so close and all he has to do is touch one more agenda. From here he sets up with a faerie and a corroder with special order to challenge R&D again. He special orders at the end of the turn, which again gives a lot of info away to the Corp. I would attribute this to mostly that he is a comfortable lead and so just takes these sort of set up actions when they become available rather than worrying about long term implications. After using the faerie, he is special orders out a mimic, to just hammer R&D whenever he wants for two credits, making one back from Desperado.

He is in a commanding position so he mostly spends the rest of the game poking R&D and getting money. He sets up the final turn by clicking for money, going dirty laundry on archives since its been filling up and to force the Jacksons. This gives him 6 credits back and forces all the facedowns to be shuffled. Sensing most of those were agendas he runs R&D and grabs the final points off the top.

A fairly easy win, and starting with such an advantage made it all that bit easier. He got set up early with breakers and play aggressively, I think even without the lead from the start he played how you would expect. Money and run, force rezzes from the Corp and check installed cards. He controlled the board the whole game and forced his advantage. The main things to take away are what I mentioned in the breakdown, to not install cards last click if that information could effect the Corp’s decision making. You want to be able to surprise them with that install and then be able to use it right away, let them respond after you have used it at least the once. He dipped a bit too low for comfort sometimes but given the position he was in it did not matter and the Corp was unable to punish him for it. The final turn was smart, run archives force the Jacksons and then dig R&D knowing several agendas just went back in.

Closing Thoughts:

An interesting set, it was colored a lot by the tournament rule-set in the second match though I think without that change I still believe Jens would have won on Andy there he played it pretty much just right. Early Netrunner is often slower, but in these matches we see a blistering pace take it in both games. I think that was more to do with the board states that occurred rather than the general shape of the game. Fast Advance played a much larger role as there were just less ways to score agendas quickly compared to modern Netrunner. SanSan being a staple card really shows that Corps were willing to pay a premium just to score out some agendas quicker than install advance advance. A fun and informative exercise is to load up these matches, pick a side and pretend you are playing think about what moves you would make on each turn and then see how they played it out.

Thanks and Sources:

Thanks to everyone who helped me with this write up, first the Jnet devs who spent the time to write up all the deck lists for the Worlds finals. It is for a limited format where you can match up in these Worlds decks head to head and try it for yourself. Another thanks to GLC for giving me the link to the all the lists from the Jnet code or whatever so I could read them all. Thanks to Team Covenant for still having these videos up on their channel. Game 1 and Game 2. There are also some nice player interviews on the channel if you want to check that out. Finally, thanks to you dear reader.